Smarter Data Systems: The Data-Assessment Partnership
Part V of this week’s Five Principles for Smarter Data Systems series–a guest post from Ben Boer, Senior Policy Associate at Advance Illinois:
Education Sector’s five principles for use of data re-imagine the relationship between data and education. Today, too much good data lives in silos — in state agencies, in districts, in schools, even at vendors. The data in a particular silo serves only the silo’s owner. Obviously, this prevents data from working together to create opportunities for analysis and synthesis. Critically, it prevents much good data from reaching the classroom to help students learn and teachers teach.
Data should be linked to students, enabling innovative new curriculum and allowing for the development of systems that can truly support teachers and administrators, along with parents, students, and community members. That data has to be more user-friendly than a spreadsheet – a truly Learner-Centered, Cross-Institutional system which provides secure but Open access to the Right data to drive instruction. But how do we move from the current closed system, with too little data living in inaccessible silos, to a robust hub of data that be accessed not only by teachers, students and parents, but also those outside the system who are interested in developing applications that can leverage this data? Can we take advantage of the moment when many states are re-thinking their assessment strategy? Can the current collection of technology systems truly handle the multifold increase in data that our systems could soon be producing?
Education Sector’s five principles for use of data re-imagine the relationship between data and education. Today, too much good data lives in silos — in state agencies, in districts, in schools, even at vendors. The data in a particular silo serves only the silo’s owner. Obviously, this prevents data from working together to create opportunities for analysis and synthesis. Critically, it prevents much good data from reaching the classroom to help students learn and teachers teach.
Data should be linked to students, enabling innovative new curriculum and allowing for the development of systems that can truly support teachers and administrators, along with parents, students, and community members. That data has to be more user-friendly than a spreadsheet – a truly Learner-Centered, Cross-Institutional system which provides secure but Open access to the Right data to drive instruction. But how do we move from the current closed system, with too little data living in inaccessible silos, to a robust hub of data that be accessed not only by teachers, students and parents, but also those outside the system who are interested in developing applications that can leverage this data? Can we take advantage of the moment when many states are re-thinking their assessment strategy? Can the current collection of technology systems truly handle the multifold increase in data that our systems could soon be producing?
