Overview
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) hosted a site visit and learning exchange to New Orleans, Louisiana entitled, “Data-Driven Educator Development.” This event focused on strategies for understanding, selecting, implementing, and using effective teacher-student data link models as well as exploring how states and districts are using linked data to improve student achievement. Our interactive learning sessions engaged state and district leaders to explore how to:
- Identify and Understand Teacher Data
- Exercise Promising Practices when Implementing a Teacher-Student Data Link
- Answer Questions around Usage of a Teacher-Student Data Link
- Discuss Key Next Steps
Click here to view the list of trip participants
Click here to view the list of trip speakers
Materials used during the trip are listed below:
In preparation for the event, please be sure to read the ‘Inaugural Overview of States’ Actions to Leverage Data to Improve Student Success,’ as well as the state profiles included below. We also recommend that you review the additional resources listed below. Please note that hard copies will not be distributed in New Orleans. We encourage you to print these resources for your reference.
Inaugural Overview of States’ Actions to Leverage Data to Improve Student Success
The DQC 10 Essential Elements and 10 State Actions provide states a common roadmap to reach the goal of becoming an information-based enterprise. In 2009-10 in addition to reporting on the 10 Elements, for the first time, the DQC survey asked questions about the 10 State Actions that are vital to using longitudinal data for continuous improvement. This list of 10 Actions is not exhaustive—it is designed to push states beyond their current practices and policies to change the culture around data use and to maximize states’ infrastructure investments. This inaugural overview reveals that states are just beginning to take the necessary steps. The majority of states (43) have implemented three or fewer of the DQC State Actions. Below are state profiles based on DQC 2009-10 Annual Survey results for all states participating in the learning exchange in New Orleans. A full list of state profiles may be found on the DQC website.
Ohio DQC 2009-10 State Profile
Tennessee DQC 2009-10 State Profile
To inform the growing partnerships between state policymakers, K-12 and postsecondary leaders, and teacher preparation programs, the DQC, AACTE, CCSSO, and NCATE created a template to guide discussions between states and teacher preparation programs around how data can be collected, analyzed, shared and used to improve the preparation of teachers and the ultimate increase in student achievement.
TSDL policy brief: Effectively Linking Teachers and Students: The Key to Improving Teacher Quality
Current state and federal reform initiatives rely heavily on the ability of multiple stakeholders to access and use information from statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) to improve student achievement. State policymakers have indicated through reform plans that states are best positioned to achieve this goal by developing and implementing various policies affecting educators. They will also, for the first time on a larger and more visible scale, use student achievement as a primary indicator of educator and program effectiveness. Therefore, policymakers must understand the importance of defining the purposes for and developing the policies to support a valid and reliable teacher/student data link. This policy brief outlines some of the most critical challenges facing states and districts as they develop and implement policies based on the teacher/student data link and provides guidance on the emerging best practices for effective implementation.
Using Longitudinal Data Systems to Inform State Teacher Quality Efforts
This brief begins to explain why building statewide longitudinal data systems is a high priority in states, where state systems currently stand, the political landscape, the possibilities and obstacles related to linking student and teacher data, and the role of states in building the capacity of educators to use data.
Oregon Data Project
This article highlights how the Oregon DATA (Direct Access to Achievement) Project is changing the way Oregon educators look at data. The DATA project provides training to educators in order to move beyond merely giving educators access to student data by building the skills to use the data effectively to improve instruction. One example is provided of a school that has implemented collaborative data analysis and planning time to inform curriculum priorities and instructional strategies and has seen measurable results in student achievement.
Louisiana Teacher Prep Data Sharing
A brief timeline and description of Louisiana’s Value-Added Teacher Preparation Program Assessment Model.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Contact Information
Jennifer Brown Lerner
Senior Director
American Youth Policy Forum
1836 Jefferson Pl NW
Washington DC 20036
jlerner@aypf.org
202-775-9731
