Taking Inventory Of Existing Data

Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

TOOL: Taking Inventory of Existing Data

Purpose:

Knowing what data are essential to your evaluation, which data you already have, where they are, and what shape they are in is a major first step in the data collection process. These documents describe three types of data important to program evaluation, describe their purposes, and offer some examples. There is also a School Data Inventory table that can be used as a checklist for collecting student demographic and achievement data. These can serve as the starting point for determining what type of implementation data you want to collect.

Instructions:

1. Taking into account your magnet program’s goals and objectives, review the “Types of Data” list as a starting point for considering categories of data you want to collect for your evaluation. 2. Use the “School Data Inventory” as a checklist to identify specifics of your data collection, including the format and source for data that is already available.

Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

TYPES OF DATA Demographic Data Why collect demographic data? • To have up-to-date information about the students, school staff, and community, • To monitor changes in the school and community, • To provide a rich context for interpreting student achievement results, and • To provide information for school improvement planning. What are some examples of demographic data? •

Students • Gender • Race/ethnicity • Economically disadvantaged (free/reduced lunch, mother’s education) status • English language proficiency status • Mobility

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School • Enrollment, number of students • Student attendance: absence, tardiness • Student behavior: suspensions, expulsions • Dropout rates • Graduation rates • School calendar and schedule • Health-related data • Facilities data • School budget data

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Staff (administrators, teachers, support staff) • Education • Types of teaching certificates, authorizations • Years of experience • Staff attendance • Professional development participation, activities • Turnover rates • Hobbies and interests

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Parents/community • Parent/guardian participation in conferences, school activities • Parent/school advisory board member background, experience, expertise, interests • Family structure • Population and housing trends • Economic base • Local businesses, service organizations

From Developing an effective school plan: An activity-based guide to understanding your school and improving student outcomes, by Lori Van Houten et al., copyright ©2006. San Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/795.

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Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

Local colleges, universities, museums, libraries, archives Local newspapers and community newsletters

From Developing an effective school plan: An activity-based guide to understanding your school and improving student outcomes, by Lori Van Houten et al., copyright ©2006. San Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/795.

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Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

Student Achievement Data Why collect student achievement data? • To determine if students are learning the content standards, • To use as a basis for accountability, • To find out if ALL students are learning and progressing, • To see how students compare nationally, • To inform curriculum development or revision, • To determine strategies for improving instruction, • To know which programs are increasing student achievement, and • To provide information for school improvement planning. What are some examples of student achievement data? •

Types and sources of student achievement assessment data • Achievement compared to national norm group — norm-referenced achievement tests • Achievement for college entrance compared to national student sample — SAT, ACT, National Assessment of Educational Progress • State standards-based, criterion-referenced assessments, special assessments • District achievement progress assessments including summative, benchmark, curriculumembedded assessments • Classroom assessments including paper-pencil tests, performance tasks, and student work • Student grades and progress reports of content objectives • State assessment and yearly progress reports

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Types of student achievement scores • Raw scores: number and percentage of items correct • Percentile rank scores based on a norm group (e.g., national, state students) • Normal Curve Equivalent scores • Percentage of proficient students • Scale scores

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Levels of score aggregation/disaggregation • Scores for the entire school, grade, class/teacher • Scores for the total test, subtests, content strands, objective clusters • Scores disaggregated by student demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, English language learner status, mobility status, economic status) • Scores disaggregated by special program (e.g., special education, English learner, migrant student)

From Developing an effective school plan: An activity-based guide to understanding your school and improving student outcomes, by Lori Van Houten et al., copyright ©2006. San Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/795.

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Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

Curriculum, Instruction, and Program Data Why collect curriculum, instruction, and program data? • To know which students participate in the various programs • To determine which curriculum objectives are taught (e.g., indicators of students’ opportunities to learn) • To determine if a program is being implemented as it should be • To determine how a school instructional strategy (e.g., block scheduling, year-round school schedule) is implemented What are some examples of these data? •

Curriculum and instruction data • District, school, department, teachers’ long-term/yearly plans for sequencing and teaching the curriculum objectives, curriculum maps, schedule of department course offerings • Class size, course offerings, course enrollment • Technology plans and other instructional support information • Alignment of the primary and resource instructional materials to the curriculum standards/objectives documents • Teachers’ lesson plans with instructional objectives, activities, and assessments correlated with the curriculum objectives, sample standards-based units • Classroom observations of teacher’s instructional and management strategies • Student records/checklists of curriculum content objectives and student work • Grade-level and department meeting agendas and notes • Professional development course offerings, activities, and participants, evaluations • Teacher collaboration and professional activities • Professional books and journals; national professional organization resources

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Program data • Program goals/objectives, development information, program proposal • Program-related research studies and results • Program implementation requirements, plans, timelines • Program participants, selection criteria, and training documentation: program coordinator(s), students, teachers, aides, parents/community • Program implementation and outcome evaluation data, reports

From Developing an effective school plan: An activity-based guide to understanding your school and improving student outcomes, by Lori Van Houten et al., copyright ©2006. San Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/795.

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Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you are doing

Key Action:

Select appropriate and practical instruments

SCHOOL DATA INVENTORY Types of Data included in the Inventory: • Student Demographics • Student Achievement Directions: Use this data inventory as a checklist. The data generally refer to the number of students,  teachers/staff, or parents/community members.

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Demographic Characteristic: Check the box  next to the data that you have and are ready to use. 

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Data Level: School — data aggregated for the whole school; grade — data by grade.

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Format of Data: Write the data format (e.g., SASI electronic file, ACCESS file, a data warehouse file,  or  paper report).

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Years: Indicate the years for which you have the data.

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Data Location: District office, school, and state website; write the name of the person who keeps the  data.

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Disaggregated: Check if this data are disaggregated and indicate in the comments section by what  variable.

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Comments: Write any comments about the data that will help you remember what it is and how to get  it, etc.  

From Developing an effective school plan: An activity-based guide to understanding your school and improving student outcomes, by Lori Van Houten et al., copyright ©2006. San Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/795.

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