Ithaca City School District

1. Ithaca City School District Data Audit Overview April 21, 2009

2. Data Verification Observations Elena notifies individual people of data errors Responsibilities unclear to building personnel Less than 5% polled use COGNOS or NySTART Little training provided in data analysis and data verification Missing data elements Recommendations Create Data Administrator position Provide NyStart and COGNOS training to district and building administrators Establish Data Teams Create proactive process for data verification and analysis Communicate yearly data verification schedule

3. Data Analysis Observations Data created by Cheryl Covell Unclear process for reviewing data consistently in the district Inconsistent message from administrative and teaching staff regarding data analysis About 8% (65 teachers total) of teachers report using data analysis tools, such as, COGNOS and Data Mentor 33.8% of teachers responded “never” when asked, “How frequently are you engaged in data conversations?” Recommendations Provide training in Data Mentor for teaching staff Train teachers, appropriate clerical staff, and administrators in COGNOS Create Data Teams at district and building levels Increased ownership of data by building level administrators Go Visual

4. Data Entry Observations Great deal of data entry in centralized locations Majority of data entry fall to Elena G., Tom C., Debbie R., and HS Guidance office clerk Generally all district personnel do not understand the connection of various screens to the Data Warehouse Organizational distance from the source can decrease data accuracy Recommendations Decentralize registration updates and data verification Develop regularly planned district level clerical meetings Define accuracy of student data as administrative work Provide training to building administrators to explain the value of accurate data Create a flowchart that depicts data area responsibilities Develop a CIO/Data Verification Team

5. Response to Intervention Observations Established teams throughout the district Use of RTI-M software as a recording tool for AIS Recommendations Develop a consistent process K-12 for intervention teams Use universal screening tool 3-4 times a year Require data to be linked to decisions Maximize RTI-M software by including all assessment data for all students

6. Registration Observations Centralized process Confusion of District Registrar Responsibilities Data overflow leads to inaccurate and uncorrected data Lost categories of students Recommendations Complete data responsibility chart at district and building level Train building personnel in accountability rules Develop a process that schedules regular communication between data management team Plan district level data meetings to discuss management issues, share strategies, establish consistent procedures, share any requirement changes from SED

7. Assessment Coordination Observations Centralized Process Problematic for Test Scoring Department at the Regional Information Center (RIC) Often unclear who to call with questions about Ithaca answer sheets Recommendations Decentralize: testing rosters verification, identification of special education and testing accommodations, quality control of scoring sheets, accounting for test booklets and scoring sheets

8. Chief Information Officer Job Description Big Picture of accountability policy, rules, regulations (e.g., 3-8, High School, Special Education, unique data like ODP, LEP, etc.) Technical skills to collect, manage, and retrieve, present, and report data Systems thinking to plan and manage district data systems Manage the training of individuals in system

9. Chief Information Officer Job Description (continued) Oversee state reporting: CTED, PIR, BEDS, VADIR, PD System, accountability, etc. Eventually all from DW including attendance, teacher data, formative assessments, RtI, etc. Establish, train, and facilitate collaborative data teams at district and school level to use data to drive instructional improvement through evidence based decision making processes Change Agent

10. Chief Information Officer Qualifications Technical knowledge and skills (from accountability rules to data analysis) Professional development skills Vision and leadership skills to shift culture toward collaborative, data-driven professional learning, planning, and decision-making teams Facilitation skills and experience Certification in Education Administration Instructional background

11. Chief Information Officer Models CIO Oswego, Fulton, North Syracuse Departments the Big 5 and NYC Our team of Data Coordinators 11 districts in the CNY region 1 – 4 days per week replicated across the state – NERIC, East Suffolk