565 Week 2- Data Retreat

I've heard at a number of conferences the warning that teachers and administrators must avoid becoming a DRIP school- data rich, information poor. At all the conferences I've attended, I've looked around and talked with teachers from other schools which fall all over the DRIP spectrum. However, I have yet to have a teacher describe to me a way in which they use data in a meaningful way. For all the data we collect on students (WKCE, MAP, Access, formative assessments, homework, projects, teacher observations), we have an amount of data which I will compare to a Lamborghini. There are plenty of districts who just park it in the driveway and admire it. Some actually learn to drive it, but keep it on suburban roads and run short errands. I haven't talked to a teacher yet who's working for a school that's taking that puppy out on the Autobahn and putting the hammer down.

I've always felt that a large hindrance is that most of the data is on a scale that doesn't make much sense. For daily grades, we have a nice system that divides it in 10-percent groups. Easy. What's the highest possible WKCE score? No idea. What about MAP? According to some, infinity, since time is considered in the score. I've heard other people say time is noted, but not calculated in the score. Either way, how good is a 225?  Pretty good, I guess? And nobody can get a handle on how their formative assessments fit into that because everyone is using a different tool with a different scale.

I dream of a day when all of these test scores could be consolidated into one overall score. For the sabermetrics fans out there, something like WAR. I'd love to go onto Power School, click on a student, and see their whatever-acronym-we-pick score along with a quick shot of their biggest hindrance (or two) and biggest strength (or two). Obviously, this would be an over-simplification and deep analysis would be needed for students who are not showing improvement. But getting data into a simple format has to be the first step in getting teachers to actually use it. A 548 WKCE doesn't tell anyone anything worthwhile and we're just wasting time pretending that it does.

The fact that all of the data available on WINSS and DPI is there and is relatively easy to use means that something like this is possible. Now we just need somebody to make it happen. So if anyone reading this knows how to write a program like that, I am willing to share some of my considerable wealth to make it happen. (I don't have considerable wealth. At all.)

Leadership- Week 1

I currently strive to be a leader at my school in many ways. So far, that has meant getting involved in as many different areas as I can. So far, I have coached three sports, been in charge of a club, and served on several committees, including RtI, PBIS, Scheduling, Technology, and others that have since dissolved (due to completion of task or energy needing to be focused elsewhere).

I feel that if you want to be a leader, others need to see that you can understand them. If people see that you are eager to help in a variety of roles, they are more likely to turn to you for help, or to trust you with an important task. As I mentioned in one of my discussion board posts, I'm not strong in the "Political" area. Instead, I believe if you work hard and do well, others will recognize your efforts and reward you accordingly.