How School District Leaders Can Support the Use of Data to Improve Teaching and Learning

www.act.org/research-policy3 6 74 ACT Research & PolicyIssue BriefApril 2015Based on research investigating how school districts use education data, in this brief ACT recommends ten practical steps that school district leaders and state and local policymakers can take to improve their data use.Email research.policy@act.org for more information. © 2015 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., in the USA and other countries.How School District Leaders Can Support the Use of Data to Improve Teaching and LearningChrys Dougherty, PhDIntroductionSchool districts are becoming increasingly data rich. Many districts have student information systems that provide electronic reports on student test scores, grades, attendance, discipline, course transcripts, program participation, academic interventions, and graduation (see table). As educators strive to use this windfall of data to improve teaching and learning in their schools, school district leaders must take steps to promote effective data use.1In this report, we describe common uses of data in school districts. Next, we outline ten steps district leaders can take to improve the use of data in their school systems. We also describe ways that state and local policymakers can support these steps.Data Used in School DistrictsWays to classify dataCategories of dataBy information sourceData from student assessmentsstate testsdistrict benchmark assessmentsData from other sourcesattendance recordsgradesdiscipline reportssurveys (of students, teachers, or parents)classroom observationstranscriptsdropout datagraduation dataBy time frameSnapshot information collected at a moment in timeLongitudinal information collected over multiple time periods (linking multiple snapshot collections)*By confidentiality level and audiencePersonally identifiable student information available to individuals who work with studentsAggregate reports available to the general public* Data Quality Campaign, “Creating Reports Using Longitudinal Data: How States Can Present Information to Support Student Learning and School System Improvement,” November 1, 2010, http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/find-resources/creating-reports-using-longitudinal-data/.Chrys Dougherty is a principal research scientist specializing in statistical and applied research and the ACT Core Practice Framework.AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank Amy Baker, Kurt Burkum, Michelle Croft, Raeal Moore, Jean Rutherford, and Teresa Shaw for helpful comments provided on this report. 2 ACT Research & Policy How School District Leaders Can Support the Use of Dataprogress toward the goals. In addition, having the goals clearly in mind can help educators determine what kinds of information they need in order to assess whether students are achieving the goals.1. Develop and refine a content-rich district curriculum that states clearly what students are expected to learn in each grade and subject. State standards often provide only a partial description of these expectations. A written district curriculum can specify more clearly and in greater detail what is to be learned.10 Providing a coherent, sequenced curriculum is important because students’ prior knowledge plays a vital role in enabling them to make sense of new information.11 A well-designed curriculum can help ensure that what is taught in each grade prepares students well to learn the content in subsequent grades. The district curriculum should be content-rich in the early grades to give students the vocabulary and knowledge they will need to be good readers and learners in the upper grades.12From a data use perspective, the district curriculum should be the starting point from which data indicators on student learning are selected and used. For example, district leaders should ensure that the state test has been mapped to the curriculum using test specifications and an item analysis, whichever is available, so it is clear what curricular objectives are addressed by the state test data. The same can be done for other assessments the district uses, such as district-developed benchmark assessments (see step 5). Referencing all student achievement data back to the curriculum can help school and district leaders identify gaps in the available information on student learning.• To adopt and evaluate programs and management decisions. Data can be used to pilot new programs or evaluate old ones; to adjust school routines, procedures, and schedules by troubleshooting difficulties with student attendance or behavior; and to examine whether past decisions have had the desired consequences.6• To communicate information to outside audiences. Data can be used to communicate with parents when their children need additional academic or behavioral assistance and with parents and public audiences about school programs and performance.7Ten Steps District Leaders Can Take to Improve Data UseTo identify ways district leaders can improve