Before the Autopsy:
Leveraging Data to
Save More Students
Barbara James
Accountability Coordinator
Dot Lodge
Chief Accountability Officer
Gaston County Schools
Why “Before the Autopsy”
• In the past, much of the data we looked at
or concerned ourselves with was “autopsy”
data
• “Autopsy” is defined is a critical
examination or assessment after the fact
• It’s an examination of the
patient postmortem to look for
signs of disease – to find out
why the patient died
Autopsy as a Metaphor
• Think of the EOG/EOC as a
metaphor for an autopsy.
• When you perform an autopsy you
already know the person is dead, you
want to try and figure out what killed
them. It’s too late to do anything for the
dead person!
• Well, it’s too late at the end of the year to
do anything for those students who took
the EOG/EOC.
Check-ups, not Autopsies
• Check-ups, not autopsies, should be used as
diagnostic tools
• We should be looking at data throughout the
year, not waiting to the end of the year to
examine the data and ask how we did.
• It’s one thing to know what ails you when you
are alive; it’s another to find out after you’re
dead and gone.
Summative versus Formative
• Summative assessments are end of the
unit, or end of the semester assessments
that show what a student knows or is able
to do at a given point and time.
• Formative assessments are used to see
how a student is progressing and
based on the results what, if any,
remediation needs to be done to
get the student on track to
proficiency.
Physical Exam / Check-up
• Determines the condition of a
person’s health
• Evaluates a person’s body
systems
• Takes into account a person’s
medical history and symptoms
they’re experienced in the past
• Determines the correct
diagnosis and treatment plan
Medical versus Educational
• Height / Weight
• Vital Signs
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Temperature
Pulse
Blood pressure
Respiratory rate
Reflexes
Lab tests
X-rays
Medical Imaging (EKG,
CT, MRI)
• Medical History
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Demographics
Attendance
Risk Factors
Marks Analysis
Discipline Analysis
Admission/Withdrawal
Common Assessments
Target Data
EVAAS Projections
Interventions
Testing History
Building a Data Culture
• Like all districts, we’re drowning in
data!
• Of course, we’re focusing on what
we consider to be important….
• We’re teaching administrators and teachers
how to ask questions based on the available
data.
• Our dashboard and the work we do with our
data gurus are some of the ways we’re
bringing the data to our teachers.
Working Together for
Instructional Improvement
Data is accessed
and prepared at
our monthly data
guru meetings.
Teachers, within
their Professional
Learning
Communities
analyze and use
the data for
instructional
improvement and
to monitor student
progress.
Data
Gurus
Data gurus share
with administrators
and PLCs at the
school level.
Teachers
Administrators
PLCs
So what do we use?
Data Sources
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DPI reports
NC Wise reports
NC Wise Ad Hoc Exports
Reporting Hub reports
• ABC Tools
• TetraData
Data
Warehouse &
Dashboard
• EVAAS
Data Tools
• Data Warehouse queries
• Dashboard indicators and
custom reports
• Excel spreadsheets
If you don’t learn
anything else, learn
how to use PIVOT
TABLES!
• Principals Playbook
• Teachers Playbook
• Symbaloo GCS Data
Resources webmix
DPI Data Sources
NC DPI
• AYP Reports
• ABCs Data
• NC Testing Results
• NC Disaggregated Data
• NC School Report Cards
• Dropout Data
• Cohort Graduation Rates
• NC Teaching Working Conditions Survey
• ADA/ADM Attendance Ratios
• Crime and Violence Reports
NC Wise Reports
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Admission/Withdrawal
Students with Attendance Problems Daily
Promotion/Retention
Birthday Lists
Homeroom (Demographics)
Exceptional Student Totals/Lists
Ad Hoc Exports
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K-2 Spreadsheet/Progress Report Data
Discipline Extract
Driver’s Education Verification
Period Attendance Data
Uploads for various software products
Reporting Hub Reports
• Course Enrollment by
Section, Teacher, and
Student
• Current Year Student
Marks
• LEP Info – All Programs
• Discipline Verification for
All Incidents
• Suspension Report w/ EC
Information
• Attendance Rate (School,
by Teacher, Homeroom,
Team)
• Incident w/ No
Incident Number
• Incidents w/ No Members
• Required Incident Fields
for DDC
• Total HS Credits Earned
• 9th Grade Cohort
Tracking
• Total Enrolled/Registered
Summary by Date
• Dropout Early Warning
Reports
• Historical Marks
ABC Tools
• Historical Audits
• Students Repeating Courses
• Target Scores
– We use target scores export to make our Growth and
Proficiency File
– When current score is inserted, formulas will add
level, compute c-scores, compute growth, and insert
a growth flag
– When retest scores are entered, it determines the
greater of the two scores and identifies the final DSS
and level for the student
– Pivot Tables are used to provide preliminary growth
and proficiency data, as well as preliminary AYP data
TetraData Data Warehouse
• Updated weekly
• Previously trained
administrators
•Shared queries built
by Accountability
Department
• Currently used with
data gurus – will be
providing advanced
training for data gurus
this summer
TetraData Data Warehouse
• Shared queries support Data Guru
trainings
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ABC Growth
AYP Spreadsheet
Adding Teacher Names
Attendance
Backsliders / Bubble Students
Discipline
F/R Lunch (School only)
Grades / Levels Comparisons
Marks Analysis / Overall Average Marks
Teacher Spreadsheets
TetraData DASH - Indicators
DASH users can
choose a roster year, a
specific indicator , and a
data year to reveal data
on a district, school,
grade, teacher, class, or
student level.
Dashboard – District View
Dashboard - Student View
School Profile Report
School Profile Report (cont.)
Student Intervention Report – p.1
Student Intervention Report – p.2
Student Profile Report
PEPs
Teachers can use
the custom
student reports in
DASH to print
and edit their
student PEPs.
EVAAS
• Accountability Department provides
EVAAS training to schools (Gr. 5 – 12)
• Focuses on teachers using available
reports
• School Value Added report and Value Added
Summary
• Diagnostic and Performance Diagnostic reports
• Academic At-Risk reports
• Custom Student reports
• Student Pattern lists
• Academic Preparedness reports
Excel Spreadsheets
• Goal Summary Results
5th Grade Math 0910 - Goal
Summaries - Non Title I Schools
5th Grade Math by Teacher
GCS
90
Teacher 1
Teacher 2
70
Teacher 3
Teacher 4
50
100
80
60
40
20
0
Gaston County Schools
Belmont Central
WB Beam
Catawba Heights
Costner
Hawks Nest
Kiser
Lowell
New Hope
Pinewood
30
Rankin
Goal_1 Goal_2 Goal_3 Goal_4 Goal_5
Excel Spreadsheets
• Student Attendance
Excel Spreadsheets
• Kindergarten Spreadsheet
• Uses pivot table for analysis
• Done at the end of each nine weeks
Report Card Program – 1st & 2nd
• Contracted
Access Database
Program
• Automated Report
Card Process
• Allows for export
of data to Excel for
analysis
• More professional
looking report card
for parents
Report Card Program – 1st & 2nd
K-2 Analysis Spreadsheets
• Data
exported to
Excel from 1st
and 2nd Grade
Report Card
• Kindergarten
teachers enter
data in Excel
spreadsheet
• Analysis is
done using
pivot tables and
Accountability
provided
spreadsheet
Principals’ Playbook
• Contains data tasks by time of year and by
month
• Tells what the task is, what you’ll need, the
source for the data, a keyword, and who
the target audience is
• Supported by the Principals Playbook wiki
• Supported by the Symbaloo GCS Data
Resources webmix
• Aligned with NC Evaluation Systems
(developing, proficient, accomplished)
Principals’ Playbook
Principals’ Playbook
Principals’ Playbook Wiki
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http://gcsprincipalsplaybook.wikispaces.com
Supports the Principals’ Playbook
Supports Data Guru training
Supports work of School Administrators, District
Instructional Specialists, and Data Guru’s work
in accessing, analyzing, and using data in
schools
• Contains resource documents
• Contains directions for data tasks
Principals’ Playbook Wiki
School Data Notebook
Data Walls
• Encouraged in
2010-12 as a
means of sharing
data with
stakeholders
Data Walls
Teachers’ Playbook
• Currently under Construction
• Available in 2011-12
• Resource for teachers to
assist in analyzing data
• Focused on “Data Questions”
• Supported by Teachers’
Playbook Wiki and Teacher
Data Notebook
Teachers’ Playbook Wiki
http://gcsteachersplaybook.wikispaces.com
• Work in
Progress
• Provides
resource
materials
and data
assistance
to teachers
• Will
support
Teachers’
Playbook
Teachers’ Data Notebook
• Aligned to NC
Teachers’
Evaluation
Instrument
• Data Notebook
training
provided to
schools upon
request
Teacher Data Notebooks
Data Guru Training
• Supports schools in their use
and analysis of data
• Each school has at least one designated
“data guru”
• Data Guru meetings provide time and
assistance in accessing, processing, and
analyzing data to make it understandable
• Focuses on answering “data questions”
• Agendas can be found on Principals’
Playbook Wiki
Professional Development
• Training offered by the Accountability Department
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DASH Training
EVAAS Training
AYP Training
K-2 Data Training
Marks Analysis Training
ABCs Training
Teacher Playbook and Data Notebook Training
Excel Training for Beginners
Advanced Excel Training
Advanced Data Warehouse/Data Analyzer Training
GCS Data Resources Webmix
Recommended Website
• http://www.picpick.org/
• Freeware
• Full-featured Screen Capture
tool
• Image Editor
• Use for presentations and
creating Symbaloo tiles
Recommended Website
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http://www.asap-utilities.com/
A must for Excel users
Excel add-in
Automates frequently used tasks
Recommended Website
• Over 2,100 videos and 100 self-paced
exercises
• http://www.khanacademy.org
Recommended Website
• http://www.data-first.org/
Recommended Website
Data Guru Survey
• Surveyed our data gurus to ask about the
usefulness of the data tasks we do
• Asked how they used the reports and with
whom they used the reports
• Provided feedback by educational level
(ES, MS, HS, K-2)
• Feedback will be used to streamline data
tasks, revise playbook, and modify our
instruction to the data gurus
Data Guru Survey Results
Elementary Results
Data Guru Survey Results
Middle School Results
Data Guru Survey Results
High School Results
Data Guru Survey Comments
• I use them with my principal to ask the big questions that we need to
talk about with the SIT team then the staff as a whole.
• Teachers have examined these reports in order to identify students
that need extra support to be successful.
• Sharing this data with teachers and our guidance counselor has
been very positive and helpful. My social worker is also interested in
this data. We share these monthly and quarterly with our School
Improvement Team, PLCs, and at staff meetings. When applicable
we share them with individual teachers.
• Having a full understanding of how this data is utilized by the state
helps my SIT to set realistic goals and develop useful strategies to
address each subgroup.
• ALL teachers! Most teachers were not familiar with AYP, what it
"means," how it is measured, etc. This is really the first year we
have started digging into data as a school.
• Post on Data Wall - Share with staff to improve teaching
Data Guru Survey Comments
• We use these reports to compare how well our students are doing in
their class work and grades compared to how they are performing
on exams.
• EVAAS has been a useful tool at diagnosing "at-risk" students. This
program has allowed administration and teachers to get a better
look at the overall progress of a student before they even walk in the
door.
• If teachers don't understand the targets, how can they set growth
goals? This is very useful data that my school yearns for.
• DASH is very effective in helping teachers access information about
their students.
• These reports help administration and teachers to get a clear look at
where our school is currently performing. Often times, these
programs point out "discrepancies" that would otherwise go
unnoticed.
• There is no part of Data Guru that is not useful - it just may not be
useful for my school.
Wordle using Survey Comments
The Data Guru
workshops have
allowed me and my
staff to develop a
better understanding
of data, and what it
means to analyze
and interpret a
students progress.
These workshops will
give any educator the
tools and resources
they need in order to
effectively look at
increasing student
achievement.
Justin Beam, HS
Data Guru
General Survey Comments
• Data Guru Training has had a direct impact on my effectiveness as a
Learning Coach. When analyzing data we are empowered to move
beyond "fluff" conversations, to target student needs, develop a plan of
action and move forward! Data Analysis has also led to celebration when
we can see progress made. Sometimes teachers become so bogged
down in the day to day activities and seeing student progress through
data affirms their efforts!
• I have really enjoyed Data Guru and enjoy the hands on approach we
have to manipulate data. We can break down data to any way that we
feel would be useful based on the needs of the school. It has been a
great professional growth experience.
• Keep it coming! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to making
Gaston County Schools a leader in data-informed decision-making! As
we continue to have to do more with less, we need to be sure that we
are focusing our time, attention, and resources in the right direction; the
direction that will have the most impact on student learning. We cannot
take that leap in the dark. We need the data to shed light on our present
level of functioning.
Data: Not Just a Four Letter Word
From a Blog Post by Dr. Rebecca J. Blink
Coming Soon!
• Revised and Updated Principals’ Playbook
• New! Teacher’s Playbook
• New! Looking Back Protocol / Looking
Forward Protocol
• Year 4 – Data Guru Training
• Expanded delivery of Professional
Development to schools in support of data
use and analysis
"I'm a huge believer in the power of data.
Data gives us a road map. It tells us where
we are, where we need to go and who's at
risk. Tracking student progress from birth
through college helps teachers in the
classroom, helps principals manage and
improve their schools, and helps parents
better understand the unique educational
needs of their child.”
– U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan
Questions?
Thank you for attending our session:
If you have further questions, please
feel free to contact:
Dot Lodge, Chief Accountability Officer
Gaston County Schools
dlodge@gaston.k12.nc.us
Barbara James, Accountability
Coordinator
Gaston County Schools
bjjames@gaston.k12.nc.us