Describe how your state department of education shares district and school information about student performance. What data do you find effective? What data would you add that is not included? Provide a link to the website.
Write your reflections on why you agree with the classmate post by selecting an idea from the classmate’s post, describing your thoughts and feelings about it. (MINIMUM OF 200 WORDS)
CLASSMATE’S POST
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides data to the public through their website (OSPI) encouraging “parents, educators, families, community members, and students – to have information to engage with schools at the local level” (OSPI, 2021). Washington’s superintendent, Chris Reykdal worked to develop two specific categories of data online. One category option is a selection window that allows me to see data from a specific school district by name; the other option is to see data for Washington State itself.
Delivering this data to the public is a fantastic method used to develop trust through transparency. The data developed for the state is very well organized and categorized. The data is professionally presented and easy to understand. I think this is the upside of their delivery system.
A diversity report at the OSPI focuses heavily on demographics, enrollment, performance, graduation, attendance, early learning, growth, discipline, educator diversity, and student access to educators. This data helps all stakeholders to become aware of realities in their own systems. The downside of this method is the diversity report shows no conclusions. For example, the parent, teacher, student, or another stakeholder can select a specific data set without understanding the value of summative evaluations.
I would include a strong link to data comparison across states and districts. As an average layman, parent, or student, how will I know how to get the bigger picture reflected in this mass influx of data? Stakeholders trust educators to develop conclusions. In other words, stakeholders want to know what all this data means.
I think it is important to add data reflecting post-graduation performance. I remember graduating from seventh grade and asking my science teacher to sign my yearbook. He did, and all he wrote above his signature was “Whatchagonnadonow?”. I asked him what he meant. He said “Whatchagonnadonow with all this knowledge? Knowledge is powerful; whatchagonnado with that power?”
Data reflecting a student’s postgraduate activities help guidance elements in planning a change to enhancing a culture of continuous improvement in education.
Reference
OSPI. (2021). Welcome to the Washington state report card. Retrieved from https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/
