Data-Driven Decisions 2

SoMa  Job Interview -- Using data available to the public located on the NJDOE Performance Report Card, please identify the strengths and weaknesses of Columbia High School.  Explain and justify target area(s) of improvement, based on this data.

How would you develop/enhance a growth mindset in Columbia High School staff resulting in improved student performance in the aforesaid target area of improvement year over year?   (Frank's Answer)

During this second session, we will focus on the educational, legal, ethical, and moral issues related to assessment and use of data within the context of high-stakes testing and accountabilities. This may seem to be a better way to end our series, but tackling high-stakes testing and getting to the crux of accountability is vital in speaking with and working with staff and parents. 

That is why the two main activities for today focus on modeling demonstrations for speaking with parents and teachers about two contentious issues: the Common Core (and our state's participation with the PARCC assessment) and AchieveNJ and the way teachers will be evaluated.  

Bellringer TASK

Imagine you are a new principal with little previous administrative and leadership experience. You have taken your first job as a principal of Rosemont School. Rosemont serves students from kindergarten through Grade 8. As you begin this new role and establish new relationships with your staff, you face many demands. The greatest demand for you is guiding your school in a high-stakes accountability environment. Although your school has a highly qualified staff and supportive parents, your school must help students learn more and should, therefore, produce better results, particularly on the state-mandated assessments. 

When you were hired, you were informed by the district superintendent that Rosemont’s test scores have declined during the past few years. You need a plan. A systematic one. One that will provide leadership to your school and maintain the support and morale of your staff and parents. What will you do? The first thing you know you must do is come to grips with understanding all the data available about your school, your staff, and your students. You desire to know how these data support Rosemont’s vision and mission and how the data provide information for improving what occurs in your school.

Tools

• PARCC MATH Sheets

• PARCC ELA Sheets

• PARCC Folder (Bari's PowerPoints)

For more regarding this vignette, scroll down to read "The Importance of Data-Based Decision"

2018 Mountain Lakes PARCC presentation AND the Data used for J Districts

from STAR-LEDGER SEARCH TOOL

2017 Prelim Scores

How about some AP Data: WHY ARE THERE LESS 5s THAN BEFORE?

Class Barometer: Questions to consider

1. Should standards be linked to high-stakes assessments? Even if we can agreed that state and/or national standards are a good thing, is it really necessary to hold schools and students accountable and to mete out rewards or punishments based on test scores?

2. Should high-stakes tests be used as a measure of school quality (to compare schools to each other, assess progress, etc)? Is it fair and/or productive to use assessments in this way?

3. Should high-stakes tests be used to make decisions about students? Is this policy effective in helping all students meet high achievement standards?

4. Should schools align their curriculum and instructional practices to state assessments in order to raise test scores? Should state-mandated tests, even if aligned with established content standards, be the major guides for curriculum and instruction in local schools?

Big Data & Student Privacy: An Ethical Dilemma for Districts

Sure, student data can help teachers personalize learning and provide more opportunities for students--but how much info do companies get about your kids? Here's a brief on the COPPA regulations and six questions districts should ask companies before giving access from the desk of education lawyer Gretchen M. Shipley. (And for more on student data privacy, check out the EDsurge guide!)

Student data collection touches a nerve, and the New York Times brings the issue to privacy experts and technologists in a debate: Is the collection of data from schools an invasion of students' privacy? Read up (paywall warning) on a spectrum of perspectives, including that of Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and parent and blogger Olga Garcia-Kaplan.

Will you take the STUDENT PRIVACY pledge?

“Using data for progress, not punishment” http://goo.gl/0YEYjK

Data-Driven Instruction and the Practice of Teaching http://goo.gl/iUVe3s

Data-Driven Decisions 1         Data-Driven Decisions 2         Data-Driven Decisions 3         Data-Driven Decisions 4

Data Module Assessment Practice

Click on the link above to apply your module knowledge with a SLLA Sample Test

& remember to complete the NJEXCEL Module Instructor Evaluation too

Recent Articles (Updated Monthly)

Although your module might be over, come back to this 

site for recent articles and/or books on data use in schools