School administrators are excellent at collecting data, however too often, they end up storing it – literally. The accountability and assessment movements are pushing schools to move it out of drawers, however, and put it out in the open. Some are taking this one step further with school data rooms, where teachers can look over student data in an organized and accessible manner.
Walls of color-coded sticky notes cover the walls of Gilliard Elementary School, Mobile, Alabama. The notes inform teachers about how their students are performing on math and reading standards, as well as their attendance and discipline records.
The goal is to aid teachers in identifying and meeting students’ needs, before they get out of hand. For instance, if a student has not met their reading goal the teacher might offer additional instruction in class or help the student outside of school. If a student has an issue with their behavior, the teacher could recommend counseling or even remove that student from class.
In addition, by putting data in the forefront teachers can also be able to celebrate successes with their students. This is a major part of Baker’s approach. In the spring of 2011, a homeless student proudly stood up to explain that he had met his goal in reading.
Before making the leap into a school data room make sure you protect student privacy and follow FERPA guidelines. This is particularly true for displays of classroom data, which contain sensitive information, such as counseling sessions and https://dataroomdata.com disciplinary actions can be accidentally exposed.