Data Driven Decision Making Using The Grow Network

Running head: DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING

Data Driven Decision Making Using the Grow Network

Tara Juliano

CIEE625

April 7, 2007

Problem and Solution

As technology continues to progress, the school systems need to upgrade technological programs and equipment. The Clifton Public School district is one of the largest in New Jersey. With 15 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and the largest high school on one campus in New Jersey, it’s easy for the district to become overwhelmed with paperwork. Many times the Board of Education office takes a very long time to return calls, emails, or papers. As schools progress with No Child Left Behind, teachers have become very familiar with analyzing test scores to help student improvement. Often difficulties arise with sifting through folders to find test scores. Currently at School 17, built in 2004, there is an abundance of technology for students, teachers, staff, and administrators. Although School 17 is currently meeting most of the technology standards set by the New Jersey Department of Education, there are a few that can be improved on and some that are not being met. The first standard that needs improvement is: 2.3: All educators will use technology tools and applications that provide opportunities for authentic, student-centered, project-based learning. Through discussion and interviews, many teachers feel it difficult to provide the authenticity of projects. Often, all students are performing the same technology project. It is usually done by taking students to the media center or using classroom computers. Being able to access student data on the computer would help teachers differentiate technology projects, based on students current test scores, prior grades, and history. This is important in making the students’ project authentic. Teachers are providing the background for life. If projects are meaningless, students will not remember the information or the process of completing the task. The second standard that needs improvement is: 3.4: All schools will have Local Area Networks (a system or network of interconnected computers within a school building), and all districts, where appropriate, will have Wide Area Networks (a network that electronically connects multiple school networks- usually within a school district). Currently at School 17 there is a LAN. The teachers use a Resources drive that is shared with every computer in the building that is on the network. It can be accessed from any computer at anytime without a login name or password. This is frequently used to share ideas, lesson plans, projects, websites, etc. Students also use the LAN to save work in one classroom and open it up in another classroom. This is extremely helpful when working on a project that is started in the classroom and will later be completed in the media center. There is currently no Wide Area Network in Clifton. At many professional development meetings, it has been mentioned that it would be very helpful to share resources and information from school to school. The district often has grade level professional development, and teachers spend the whole time sharing lessons that have proven successful. Sharing lesson ideas is very helpful but could be done through WAN, leaving professional development meetings for more valuable learning pieces. Clifton is a district where students frequently move school to school and in and out of district. The city offers many renting opportunities, which makes for frequent movement of families. Accessing a new student’s information, files, and test scores is very difficult. It often takes a long time for the student folder to be inter-office mailed to the school. With information on a WAN, it would be much easier for the teacher to access student files faster. The third standard that currently needs to be met is: 4.2: All school buildings will have the equipment necessary to provide distance learning opportunities when and where it is needed in the school. Clifton has no distance learning opportunities available. When a student is absent, the teacher has to wait for the student to return in order to give that student make up work. Not very often do parents call or come in to pick up missed work. Having a way of communication for students to learn while at home or on vacation would be make a large difference in student learning. Teachers would not entirely rely on distance learning as a teaching tool. Eight year old students have difficulty navigating new programs and would need a lot of help navigating a program such as Blackboard. Instead, teachers would rely on a distance learning tool as an alternative manipulative. By providing an organizational system that meets the needs of the above standards, the Clifton School District will be enhancing student learning to a new level. Allowing the teachers another form of organization will shift the focus to student learning. I propose the program Grow Network. This is a true web-based student information management system for school districts. It is easy to use, would be a district-wide student database, and would keep all information secure. This program is compliant with Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) and tracks information for No Child Left Behind measures. The Grow Network allows educators and parents to manage their students while providing access to potent information. The Grow Network also allows teachers to print corresponding worksheets for a student’s level and find websites and activities for students on a certain level. This form of communication between teachers, parents, administrators, and staff would enhance the capabilities of the school system. By using a database for organization, more lines of communication would be open, allowing for more successful students.

Needs Assessment

In the Clifton Public School District there are 17 schools. School #17 was built in 2004 and currently has about 550 students enrolled. The majority of the population is Spanish-speaking and mid to lower income. School #17 is home to full day K-5^th grade as well as preschool handicapped, educational and behavioral disability classes, Headstart (a preschool program), as well as occupational and physical therapy studios. School #17 has an average class size of 19 students, as posted in the Star-Ledger test score report. Actual class sizes for the 2006-2007 school year range from 5 to 28 students depending upon subject and grade level.

Computers in the Classrooms

There are 34 classrooms in the building. Each K-2 classroom has 3 student computers and 1 teacher computer. Each 3^rd-5^th grade classroom has 5 student computers and 1 teacher computer. All computers are connected to wireless internet service and to a LAN. Each teacher computer is connected to a ceiling mounted projector and SmartBoard. All computers in the building are equipped with headphones.

Computers in the Media Center

There are 35 computers in the media center. They are all connected to the internet and to the same LAN.

Software on the Computers

Every computer is run by the administrator, therefore not allowing anyone to change any information without an administrator password. Every computer in the building is equipped with the same software. The building currently has Microsoft Office 2003 (Word, Publisher, Access, PowerPoint, and Excel), Accelerated Reader, Inspiration, Kidspiration, TypeToLearn, TypeToLearnJr., Ultimate Writing, OPAC, SuccessMaker, Personal Video Station, and Internet Explorer on each desktop.

Teacher Training

All teachers have been trained on how to use each software program on the desktop. Teachers have received multiple training sessions for the SmartBoard, including sessions to create presentations, as well as fundamentals of usage. In a recent survey, about 98% of the teachers use technology integrated into more than one lesson each day. 100% of the teachers use the SmartBoard at least once a day.

Needs

As you can tell there are no organizational/administrational software programs. All managerial information is handled on paper. Attendance is sent to the office on paper, all student files are kept in folders in the main office, and all test scores are sent on paper and kept in student folders.

Background/Rationale

In “Linking Data and Learning: The Grow Network Study” the authors studied the use of data reports in grades 3-8 in New York City Schools. The New York City District contains “30,000 teachers, 5,000 district and school instructional leaders, and 1,200 schools serving approximately 500,000 students.” (Brunner, et al, 242) This article demonstrates how successful data sheets can be when differentiating instruction. “The exploration of how data can inform educational decision making is becoming a main topic of educational policy.” (Brunner, et al, 242) Currently, research about data driven decision making is limited. Because of the rapid rise of technology, researchers only have a cursory understanding of teachers’ use of data. Many institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, CRESST, The Texas Education Agency, and the South Carolina Department of Education, are currently doing preliminary work on using data to inform decision making. (Brunner, et al)

All students need individualized teaching, which unfortunately can not be provided easily. With large class sizes and budget cuts, it becomes difficult for teachers to have the time and/or money to meet each student’s needs. This 2 year exploratory research study was done to find out how teachers are using data to make decisions about teaching and learning. The Grow Network uses a mix of print and web-based reporting systems. The Grow Reports® from this article, provide a printable customized report of the students’ levels and skills. Grow Reports® for teachers provide an overview of standards-based assessment skills, allowing teachers to group students based on strengths and weaknesses. Teachers found the reports to be clear and comprehensible. Teachers mentioned using strategies such as grouping, creating IEPs, and giving individualized assessments and materials appropriate to students’ levels. Grow Reports® for principals provide information based on the school, grade, class, and teacher. “Administrators used this data in many ways, ranging from articulating administrative needs to putting forth an educational vision for their school or the larger school district, paying attention to their school’s diverse needs.” (Brunner, et al, 253) Grow Reports® for parents give an easy to understand explanation of how the student performed and how the parent can help. The web-based aspect provides more information about students, as well as links to helpful teaching tools.

With No Child Left Behind now a household phrase, schools are focusing more on accountability and assessments. In the Clifton Public School District, benchmarks are given three to four times throughout the year to measure students’ current progress. Statistics are taken and given to subject coordinators for further analysis.

“NCLB holds districts, individual schools, and teachers accountable for student performance- a standard that implies that decision makers (a) have access to data at the appropriate level of aggregation (district, school, teacher, individual student) an (b) are able to interpret them.” (Brunner, et al, 244)

In order to analyze Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), teachers would be involved in complicated data that would require thorough examination. Teachers may not have the time or resources to analyze this data for student performance needs. The Grow Reports® provide this data without the need for advanced data analysis.

In order to increase AYP as necessary for NCLB, school leaders are expected to chart the effectiveness if strategies. In the article, many teachers interviewed expressed the need for instant information based on student performance. Teachers did express concern that the Grow Reports® do provide information from last year’s tests, which may not be completely accurate at a later date. With students at the elementary level changing so rapidly, teachers emphasized the use of the reports with ongoing assessments.

The research also shows administrators using the data for professional development. In the Clifton Public School District, often professional development days are lacking valuable resources. Helping teachers create differentiated instruction activities based on data reports would help ensure the success of more students. By design, these reports build a bridge between standards, testing results, and instructional strategies. Teachers can use the data to plan activities, lessons and units. These reports can be used as a starting point for parent conferences, or as way to allocate teacher resources. Administrators can use the reports to help make building-level decisions.

“As a tool that aligns test results with standards and instructional strategies, the Grow Reports® appear to be highly successful in creating a navigational framework for educators.” (Brunner, et al, 256) Teachers using these reports would be able to better align all their teachings with the needs of students as well as state and national standards.

“The limitations of the Grow Reports® are, of course, that they rely on a single standardized test.” (Brunner, et al, 256) The reports would be much more thorough if the encompassed a year’s worth of work from the student. Teachers could enter grades and comments to help other teachers understand more about that student. Also, attaching digital work such as PowerPoint or typed papers would allow teachers to see current levels of learning.

The study “Working Smarter: Being Strategic about Assessment and Accountability” shows that assessment is both a tool for accountability and a blueprint for instruction. The research done by a teacher-librarian, shows that student achievement should not be based on one test. This article outlines the ways to use data from many different assignments, and how to record this data for use by administrators, teachers, and parents.

“By engaging students in assessment, we invite students to reflect on their own progress.” (Harada, 2) Students will be able to connect new ideas to previous knowledge, therefore recording valuable information about a student’s current level. While parents are interested in standardized test scores, they are also interested in more personalized information that shows examples of what their children are actually learning throughout the school year. By creating a learning portfolio, teachers and administrators can later use this information for data analysis. “Large scale testing is not helpful in determining individual student needs or informing students about their progress on specific learning goals.” (Coatney, 2003, p.158) Teachers must consider that idea when analyzing data through reports.

Instead, this article gives ideas on how to assess based on observations, products, and conversations. For observations, checklists of desired behaviors, rubrics that identify criteria for successful performance and rating scales would be created. For products, checklists for proficiency, rubrics that describe levels of proficiency, and graphic organizers would be used. For conversations, teachers would use formal and informal conferences, logs, and notes and letters to self-assess.

In an elementary school scenario, a rating scale would be used to determine proficiency levels. Teachers would then see the proficiency level and the criteria that the student has met. This would provide the teacher with a class summary. By analyzing the data, teachers would be able to certain skills that may be lacking. Parents would be able to look at portfolios of student work. For administrators, a spreadsheet would be submitted with information pertaining to student performance throughout the assignments.

The article, “Data Driven Decision Making” states that in order for data analysis to be valuable, schools need an information system that is user friendly, as well as information based. “With more and more data, it is difficult to understand what it is and how it relates to other parts. Analysis tools can assist with this effort, either by providing standard reports, and/or by making data analysis as easy as clicking and dragging.” (T.H.E. Journal, 2) Schools are analyzing data to adjust curriculum, instruction, management, and many other factors in the learning process.

This article also mentions professional development, which seems like a widespread issue when dealing with data analysis. All educators must know what data they have available to them, how to use tools the districts provide, and how to change their teaching and learning environment based on the data information. The nationwide efforts to help with data driven decision making are increasing, but it seems teachers are apprehensive.

In all information and articles read, it seems that the major concern is students on the cusp. In the Clifton Public school district, students stay after school two to three times a week for remedial. During this time teachers are responsible for providing activities that target student weakness. Recently this program has been made into NJASK club, which is designed for students on the cusp that need to be pushed into the proficient area. It seems that the students who are very low get lost in the shuffle. They are ignored because they are too low for extra services. By analyzing data from previous tests and schoolwork, teachers would be able to provide activities to all students based on their weaknesses. This would happen all throughout the school day, instead of for 20 minutes after school.

Data driven decision making is an up and coming issue, mainly because of the stress of No Child Left Behind. Administrators and teachers are seeing more of a need for individualized instruction based on students’ personal academic needs. In order to provide this instruction, both administrators and teachers need to analyze all data, not just one assessment. By entering data into a program, staff can easily access information from attendance to academics. With the correct analysis, teachers would find such a program extremely obliging. Instead, because of unfamiliarity and lack of current use, teachers seem very hesitant to learn how to analyze data for successful student performance.

The following internet links are articles and information that state the importance of data driven decision making. The information can be used to enhance the reasons why a program for analyzing data would be so valuable to a district like Clifton.

http://thejournal.com/articles/16368

http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=18311595

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/docs_and_pdf/XPLANE_data_mgmt_030504.pdf

http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/35/52/3552.pdf

Timeline

Time Frame	Staff	Activities	Narrative
Year 1- Spring	Technology Department	Purchase the Grow Network Software for 1 school	The technology department will buy and install the first software for a test version in one elementary school (School #17)
Year 1- June	Technology facilitator	Install Grow Network on School #17 Computers	The technology facilitator will install the program into the school system
Year 1- July and August	Teachers and staff- Paid summer jobs	Insert student information	Teachers and staff who are interested and technologically advanced will be paid to enter student information into the Grow Network database. This information will include student’s personal addresses and information and also previous test scores.
Year 1- September	Grow Network Representative, All teachers in Clifton	Preliminary training 1 hour session which is mandatory once each month in the district for all teachers	The Grow Network will provide a trainer to explain what the Grow Network is and its full capabilities to all teachers in the district. The representative will explain that the trial is being done at School 17 to ensure that Clifton wants to purchase the program for the entire district of 18 schools.
Year 1- October- November	Grow Network Representative, School 17 staff	In Service Training Columbus Day- 6 hour training session for all teachers Half day sessions (3.5 hours) subs required, teachers train in small groups	On the Professional Development day scheduled in October all teachers will start to learn the Grow Network capabilities. Teachers will be able to use their own students’ data because it has already been entered into the Network over the summer. A few at a time teachers will receive additional training at the Tech Center in School 6 to advance skill of using database. By the end of November, teachers will have a concise knowledge of how to use the database efficiently.
Year 1- December- June	School 17 staff	Teacher usage in classroom Principal will ask for printouts and look for classroom usage in plan books when collected	Teachers will be responsible for using the database in their classroom for the potential success of the students. Teachers will know how to print worksheets, analyze data, and use the database for parental contact.
Year 2- June	School 17 staff, Technology department, School 17 administrators	Analyze Grow Network Teachers fill out survey form, provide examples of class work that displays use of reports Administration can do random interviews to ask teachers in private their opinions	By the end of the year teachers and staff will be able to analyze the Grow Network program. Teachers should come to the meeting with a list of pros and cons of the database. Teachers and administrators will compare previous test scores from before the Grow Network to current test scores while using the Grow Network. Teachers will voice opinions and concerns.
Year 2- Early July	Technology facilitator	Install Grow Network on all school computers	The technology facilitator will install the program onto the district wide computers in every school
Year 2- July and August	Teachers and staff- Paid summer jobs	Insert student information	Teachers and staff who are interested and technologically advanced will be paid to enter student information into the Grow Network database. There should be some teachers from each school working on their own school’s data. By the end of the summer all students enrolled in the Clifton Public School District should be entered into the database, including personal information and all test scores.
Year 2- October- November	Grow Network Representative, Clifton Staff	In Service Training Columbus Day- 6 hour training session for all teachers Half day sessions (3.5 hours) subs required, teachers train in small groups	On the Professional Development day scheduled in October all teachers will start to learn the Grow Network capabilities. Teachers will be able to use their own students’ data because it has already been entered into the Network over the summer. A few at a time teachers will receive additional training at the Tech Center in School 6 to advance skill of using database. (Could be done by School 17 Teachers who already know the Database) By the end of November, teachers will have a concise knowledge of how to use the database efficiently.
Year 2- December- June	Clifton staff	Teacher usage in classroom Principal will ask for printouts and look for classroom usage in plan books when collected Parents will be surveyed via paper survey mailed home	Teachers will be responsible for using the database in their classroom for the potential success of the students. All Teachers will know how to print worksheets, analyze data, and use the database for parental contact. Administrators will periodically check for usage.
Continuing	New Staff	New Teacher Training	New teachers will be trained in using the Grow Network as the enter Clifton. Administrators will assess the use of the Grow Network throughout schools for all staff.
Year 2- June	Administration	Analyze test scores	Administration will analyze previous test scores with current scores after utilizing the Grow Network to ensure a rise due to the program. Graphs and analyzed data should be distributed to staff in September.

Assessment

Evaluating the Grow Network system throughout the schools will be an ongoing process. The ultimate goal is that test scores keep improving as a result of the Grow Network Reports. Appendix A is a letter to the parents explaining the program and asking permission for student files to be entered into the system. Parents must be notified due to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If a parent does not return the letter signed, administration will call to verbally explain the process and system. If the parent still does not agree, that student will be place on the Do Not Enter list, Appendix B. During the Year 1-September training session, teachers will get their first glimpse of the Grow Network. Appendix C is a survey on the initial reaction of teachers. Following the learning sessions, teachers will be expected to implement the Grow Network into the classroom. Appendix D is an administrative checklist for principals to keep track of the usage. Teachers should be documenting use in plan books. Finally, teachers will fill out the final teacher survey, Appendix E. Teachers will fill this out after they have received the test scores from the current year. The district will be looking for an increase in scores due to the Grow Network implementation.

Budget

Item	Cost	Quantity	Total
Year 1- The Grow Network Package for School #17 (Includes a representative for professional development)	$100,000	1 complete package (includes parent, teacher, administrator, and student components)	$100,000
Teachers insert student information	Teacher pay = $35/hr	10 hours x 10 teachers	$3,500
Teacher training, subs required	Sub pay = $70/day	30 teachers for half day= 15 subs x $70	$1,050
Total- Year 1			$104,550

Year 2- The Grow Network Package for all 18 schools (Includes a representative for professional development)	$250,000	18 complete packages (includes parent, teacher, administrator, and student components)	$250,000
Teachers insert student information	Teacher pay = $35/hr	10 hours x 10 teachers per school= 180 teachers	$63,000
Teacher training, subs required	Sub pay = $70/day	540 teachers for half day= 270 subs x $70	$18,900
Total- Year 2			$331,900

Total Cost for The Grow Network			$436,450

Resources

(2003, May). Data Driven Decision Making. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from THE Journal

Web site: http://thejournal.com/articles/16368

(2004). XPlane. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from Improving Achievement through Student

Data Management Web site:

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/docs_and_pdf/XPLAN

E_data_mgmt_030504.pdf

(2007). Data: Mining With a Mission. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from Tech Learning Web

site: http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=18311595

Brunner, Cornelia, Chad Fasca, Juliette Heinze, Margaret Honey, Daniel Light, Ellen

Mandinach. et al. "Linking Data and Learning: The Grow Network Study."

10(2005): 241-267.

Data-Driven Decision Making. (2004). T.H.E. Journal, Retrieved, Sunday, February 25,

2007 from the ERIC database.

Education Commission of the States, (2002). Data-Driven Decision Making. No Child Left

Behind Issue Brief: Retrieved February 5, 2007, from

http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/35/52/3552.pdf

Harada, V. (2005). Working Smarter: Being Strategic about Assessment and

Accountability. Teacher Librarian, v33 (n1),. Retrieved Saturday, February 24,

2007 from the ERIC database.

Appendix A

Parent Letter for FERPA

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The next coming school year brings new advances in technology to our school district. We will be using a new system called the “Grow Network.” This system will be beneficial to parents, teachers, principals, and administrators. You, as a parent/guardian, will be able to access your student’s standardized test scores, as well as activities to help him/her succeed. In order for this system to work, every student in the school needs to be entered into the Grow Network system. Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, we are asking your permission to enter your child’s information. We can assure you that qualified teachers from the school will be entering the student’s information. Please sign and return the portion below to your child’s teacher. Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to great things happening in our school!

Sincerely,

School #17 administration

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please return this portion to your child’s teacher.

Student name____________________________ Grade_______ Class_____________

Check one:

_________ I give the school permission to enter my child’s information into the new

technology system.

_________ I DO NOT give the school permission to enter my child’s information into

the new technology system.

Appendix B

The following is a DO NOT ENTER list for the school. Please keep track of students whose parents do not wish for the student to be entered into the Grow Network system.

This list should be distributed to teachers who will be entering data over the summer.

DO NOT ENTER INTO GROW NETWORK

Name________________________________ Grade_____________

Appendix C

Initial Teacher Reaction Survey

1. Do you feel the Grow Network will be user friendly?

_______ Yes _______ No

2. Do you see yourself implementing printed reports? _______ Yes _______ No

3. Will you use reports in parent conferences?

_______ Yes _______ No

4. Do you feel that Grow Network will increase test scores if used properly in the classroom? _______ Yes _______ No

5. What is your initial reaction to the Grow Network?

6. Please write any comments or questions you may have regarding the Grow Network:

Appendix D

Administrative Checklist

Please check the items that ______ (teacher’s name) _________ is performing in the classroom.

________ Uses the Grow Network to group students by skill level

________ Currently using printouts to differentiated instruction

________ Sends home individualized homework based on skill level

________ Utilizes the web sites suggested by the Grow Network

________ Sends individualized printouts home for parents to see

________ Uses printouts in parent conferences and explains report to parent

Appendix E

Final Teacher Survey

1. Did you feel the Grow Network was user friendly?

_______ Yes _______ No

2. Did you implement reports frequently? If yes, about how much?

_______ Yes _______ No

_________________________________________________

3. Did you use reports to differentiate instruction? If yes, give an example lesson.

_______ Yes _______ No

_________________________________________________

4. Did you use the reports to differentiate homework assignments?

_______ Yes _______ No

5. Did you use any of the suggested websites? If yes, which ones were most helpful?

_______ Yes _______ No

6. Did you send home reports for parents? If yes, how frequently?

_______ Yes _______ No

_________________________________________________

7. Did you use reports during parent conferences?

_______ Yes _______ No

8. Do you see an increase in test scores? If yes, do you think the increase is due to the Grow network?

_______ Yes _______ No

_________________________________________________

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