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Nancy Sullivan on the States Data System

Interview with Nancy Sullivan of CSIS

Here is a full transcript of my interview with Nancy Sullivan on the states data system

1. How is the student identifier being used at the state, district, school and classroom levels in such a way that is affecting student progress in the classroom on a daily basis?

Not much impact on the on a daily basis. The state process is now that there is a student identifier number for every student in the state with basic demographic and program significant (spEd, EL, FRL) to build a longitudinal database) it could be leverage to impact the class on a daily basis but down the line. The impact rest at the school and district level in assessing data. Based on their local data management.

·        District Drop out rate. If student now registered in another district, school can know if at home visits find follow-ups drop out intervention. Better focus of resources.

·        25 to 30 % better drop out data for successfully target of high risk students.

·        Probe: district access to data? Digital certificate to authenticate that you are an eligible person. Who receives digital certificate is left to school and district approval. Processes to authorize access to data.

·       

NANCY

SENDING FIELDS

Does not include assessment data

State is developing a database called (CALPAD)

California

people achievement data system. By late 2008. Delay making student assessment data by ID until it can be integrated into CALPADS

data assessable  (csis pushing for earlier benefit to the state and help districts more effectively serve their students ). Schools already have this data for ongoing students in their internal systems, but transfer students will be greatly affected especially wih CELT and high school exit exams to get kids placed into the approprieate level of development program .

2. In what ways does the student identifier make it easier for a state to meet legal   reporting requirements (i.e. NCLB requirements)?  What effect can the tool have when properly implemented?

·        Probe 1: What positive effect can it potentially have on district’s support of the district’s own use of data?

·        8:12 Probe 2: What positive effect can it potentially have on the sites’ use of data when people report on the aggragate they are more likely to guess at reportable data (“we have about this many students”) when you have to report on an individual basis the data becomes much more accurate and you have a way to audit the data to see its true

·        Probe 3: What positive effect can it potentially have on the teachers; use of data? More accurate data. The question is are they putting their local data management practices in place to help ensure the quality of the data. When they get the new reports are they paying attention to the new fields, are they following up on errors- there is no easy button

3. What questions, at the district central office, can be answered by linking individual student records over time, as this is a crucial aspect of a comprehensive accountability system?
   • Please give a few examples
   • Look at cohort of students over time to see how they do. Currently you can compare 4^th grade this year vs fourth grade last year but not follow the student year after year…how well what happends in 1^st grade perdicts what happends in fourth grade.look at subgroups over time to see how different interventions have had and are they truly helping
   • More to tools to see are our interventions, teacher development programs meeting their needs

4. 15:14How can the student identifier help district central offices use data to support EL, Special Education, and FRPL students?

·        Please give a few examples

·        Look in system for student classifacation for transfers in their previous school

·        New Fed requirenment phased in approach direct certifacation of eligability to use health and social services records to deturmine who is elegable so districts don’t have to get info from parents. (csis applied for fed grant ) to include this data in large districts as early as summer ’06.

5. I light of all you’ve said here, what are three key challenges to be met to achieve optimal use of this new resource?

(Devils in the details)

• Report, maintaining, and sharing data

Implement local practices to graph analize data

Discussion within a district around how do we use this data in a meaningful way.

• Leadership is more that simply complying with state mandates it looking at what the reporting is trying to uncover (appropreate reources to manage data, taking error reports seriously, comittment to having clean data)

Helping teachers and proicipals to use data and to give support to help thier understanding what that means and how to use it in conjunjions with best pratices that other districts have and envision things happening differently than they are in the environment right now

Resources dept of ed proposed (state budget process)funding levels of $5.00 per student for all districts in the state to help support data management. Cuts happened here

6. We’ll be speaking with District practitioner experts; are there any other questions you would ask them?how are they connecting there student information system to student acheivement? are they using state ID number? Are they developing practices that make it easier to use State ID number?

Thank you for your time.

Students Who Use Clickers Score Better on Physics Tests

Hand-held electronic devices called clickers are helping college students learn physics better, according to a series of research studies conducted at Ohio State University. Clickers, also known as "student response systems (SRS)," are wireless devices that resemble small calculators. In "clicker classes," multiple choice questions appear on a large screen at the front of the lecture hall. Students "click" their answers based on their understanding of the part of the lecture just given. A computer registers all student responses, and a bar graph shows the percentage of students voting for each answer. 

Students at the university who used the devices to answer multiple-choice questions during physics lectures earned final exam scores that were about 10 percentage points higher - the equivalent of a full-letter grade - than students who didn't use clickers. The clickers also appear to level the playing field between male and female students. In clicker classes, male and female students performed equally well. In the traditional non-clicker classes, male students outperformed their female counterparts. According to researchers, the results suggest that clickers could potentially encourage more women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines.

Source: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/clickers.htm 

A New Colloquium Series: Global Cultures

The Center for Information as Evidence at UCLA serves as an interdisciplinary forum addressing the ways in which information objects and systems are created, used, and preserved as legal, administrative, scientific, social, cultural and historical evidence. UCLA's CIE will hold a live discussion on the transmission and preservation of knowledge across cultural and ethnic boundaries.

Click Here to see the series streamed live March 3, 10, 17, and April 7

AALF Picks New Executive Director

The Anywhere Anytime Learning Foundation (AALF), the major advocacy group for creative, collaborative anytime, anywhere learning for all children, announced Susan Einhorn as the newly created position of executive director. AALF, who's mission to promote the effective use of personal computers and associated technologies in building powerful learning experiences, is the premiere 1:1 laptop consortium in the country.

The group serves as an information clearinghouse for educators, policy-makers, industry and members of the media interested in one-to-one computing in education AALF also sponsors research regarding the benefits and effective practices of one-to-one computing in learning.

"Susan has the right mix of vision, experience and leadership skills to help us take AALF to the next level," said AALF President Bruce Dixon. "I've known Susan for a long time and believe that with Susan on board, there is much more AALF will be able to do to make sure all children are granted an education that fosters their innate motivation to learn, encourages academic rigor through relevant application, and connects them with the world they will enter.'

Ms. Einhorn will oversee the day-to-day operations of AALF. She will report directly to President Bruce Dixon.

Can Congress Apply money to Science and Technology Education Programs Effectively

Recently, President Bush signed into law historic legislation that makes significant new investments in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.  These investments will help us to maintain our place at the forefront of the worldwide economy. However, if we truly intend to take advantage of the resources we are devoting to these efforts, if we want to continue to be the global leaders of the new economy, we’re going to have to think locally.

In 2005, the Augustine Commission, made up of some of the most distinguished national leaders in academia, industry and government, issued a startling report entitled “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.” Their report expressed serious concern that “the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength.” Fortunately, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and other House Democrats responded to this clarion call with concrete action, passing historic legislation called the America COMPETES Act. It authorizes $33.6 billion in spending over the next three years to enhance and expand STEM Education.

Moving forward, it will be important for us to remember that training a new generation of math and science teachers, and subsequently a new generation of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers, is only half the battle. We also have to ask ourselves: How do we expect this new generation of technically inclined workers to grow our economy? By investing in STEM education, we are creating a new national resource. How can we shape that investment to get the most bang for our buck?

National Educational Technology Standards

the NETS for Students: Achievement Rubric defines four achievement levels in relation to the NETS. The rubric is being developed to assist state and school-district leaders in their efforts to measure and monitor the development of student technology literacy throughout the elementary and secondary grades.

Student Rubric

Teacher Rubric

NETS Standards are reprinted with permission from National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology, Copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191