The Data Quality Campaign just released a report entitled Time to Act: Making Data Work for Students.
They describe the report this way:
When information about students is provided in a timely, useful manner, every adult working with a child is able to support that student’s learning more effectively. This vision can and must become a reality for every student. States have a unique and critical role to play in bringing it to life. In partnership with leaders from across the education field, the Data Quality Campaign has developed Time to Act: Making Data Work for Students—a set of recommendations to help states enact policies that are critical to ensuring that data is used to support student learning.
In the executive summary they list their four priorities:
In partnership with leaders from across the education field, the Data Quality Campaign has developed a set of recommendations to help states enact policies that are critical to ensuring that data is used to support student learning. The Four Policy Priorities to Make Data Work for Students presented in this paper are the following:
- Measure What Matters: Be clear about what students must achieve and have the data to ensure that all students are on track to succeed.
- Make Data Use Possible: Provide teachers and leaders the flexibility, training, and support they need to answer their questions and take action.
- Be Transparent and Earn Trust: Ensure that every community understands how its schools and students are doing, why data is valuable, and how it is protected and used.
- Guarantee Access and Protect Privacy: Provide teachers and parents timely information on their students and make sure it is kept safe.
Data has the potential to transform education from a model of mass production to a personalized experience that meets the needs of individuals and ensures that no student is lost along the way. But for this transformation to happen, the focus needs to pivot from collecting data to prioritizing the e ective use of data at all levels, from kitchen tables to school boards to state houses.
Leading states and districts are already making data work for students to some degree—and they are beginning to see results in student outcomes. The country has made great progress building systems, improving data quality, and encouraging data use. But without a focus on the needs of the people who are going to use the information, the impact on student achievement will be minimal. It is time to make data work for students.
The talk of privacy is simply laughable, on page 9 they write, “Link and govern data across all agencies critical to student success, from early childhood and K–12 to postsecondary and the workforce, including other state agencies that support students (e.g., child welfare).”
Oh yeah, that isn’t creepy at all.
They also write, “The public also deserves to know what data is collected, how it is used to support students, and how it is protected.”
That’s nice, we’ve yet to see that kind of transparency.
The thing that I see missing in this discussion is the idea of getting permission. States and local school districts should have to not just “help parents understand,” but they should be required to have parental consent before ANY data is collected on their child beyond what is absolutely necessary for their local school to have.
Anyway, if you want to see what Big Data is up to take time to read the report.
Chris says
Interesting, and additionally enlightening read. This year, I’ve opted OUT my special needs (autism/aspergers) Son, who is in 6th grade (appears to be taught closer to a 3rd grade level, given Common Core…really DESPISE those words, used together. I’d also add that the app 46-47% pass rate in CA is a FAILING GRADE, and the pathetic, generic results, that tell parents ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, are not even RECEIVED until close to the time that the NEW SCHOOL YEAR STARTS!! Now, how is that for being informed and efficient? Rhetorically speaking of course…it obviously is of LITTLE TO NO VALUE…hence, opting my Son OUT of this nonsensical garbage.