Data & Privacy – Planning
(60-79%)
Element: Data and Data Systems
Description: To facilitate data-driven decision making, appropriate data (i.e., data dashboards and data analytics) are readily available, easily comprehensible, and useful for supporting the decision making processes. The data are available at any time, on any desktop, and from any location, made available through real-time access to data dashboards, data analytics, and data warehouses.
Possible Next Step: District leaders write technical specifications for the data systems required to attain the vision for learning, teaching, and management (e.g., infrastructure, data systems, student information systems, longitudinal data systems, learning management systems, support, etc.). They develop a plan for acquiring, deploying, operating, securing, maintaining, supporting, and upgrading the system over time.
Element: Data Policies, Procedures, and Practices
Description: Using the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as the basis, the district has up-to-date policies, procedures, and practices that address legal, ethical, and safety issues related to the privacy and security of data, and the usage of data, technology, and the Internet. Such policies, procedures and practices address the collection, storage, analysis, reporting, transmission, and archiving of data, as well as the usage of data, the Internet, and technology by students and education professionals in the course of teaching, learning, communications, and the management of school services.
Possible Next Step: District leaders draft data governance policies and procedures related to data usage, privacy, and security for review and commentary.
Element: Data-Informed Decision Making
Description: The use of formative and summative assessment data is part of the school culture, with administrators, teachers, and, perhaps most importantly, students actively using this data to improve learning. Assessment is not viewed as punitive, but rather as part of the teaching and learning process. There is an expectation in the district that data will inform all teaching and learning practices and decisions. This is modeled at all levels of the school system, from administration to the students themselves.
Possible Next Step: District leaders embark on a community-based planning process designed to transition the district into a culture of evidence-based reasoning and data-informed decision making. The plan includes a timeline, budget, and defined path toward the vision.
Element: Data Literate Education Professionals
Description: Educators in the system are data-literate. They are aware of the legal and ethical responsibility to ensure security, accuracy, and privacy in the collection, analysis, exchange of, and reporting of data. They understand the potential uses and misuses of data in the teaching and learning process and act accordingly. All education professionals in the district use data to inform instructional and administrative decision making. Data literacy extends to students as well as curricula are reviewed and updated to make effective use of evidence and data a priority for all.
Possible Next Step: District leaders embark on a community-based planning process designed to transition the district into a culture of evidence-based reasoning and data-informed decision making. The plan includes a timeline, budget, and defined path toward the vision.