Although the No Child Left Behind Act has prompted an increase in school data collection, more work needs to be done before the vast amounts of student information can be harnessed to improve learning, according to a new report by Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center.
Technology Counts 2006: The Information Edge—Using Data to Accelerate Achievement is based on a systematic analysis by the EPE Research Center of the structure and quality of states’ computerized data systems, and how those systems are being used. It comes at a time when states are under tremendous pressure to get technology systems and access to data operating as real and useful tools to accelerate student learning on a broad scale.
In a survey of state education officials conducted for the report, the EPE Research Center found that despite the federal government’s effort to make data central to instructional decisions, states continue to fall behind in their efforts to place electronic information into a form that teachers can easily use. Highlights from the survey include:
• Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia provide current state assessment results to educators through a centralized information system. Of those, five do not include additional information on how well students performed on various test sections or questions. In addition, 24 states do not provide access to students’ test performance over time through a web portal or other data tool.
• Two-thirds of states provide educators with access to interactive databases through which they can analyze school information, but only 20 states have data systems that allow educators to compare their own schools with others that have similar characteristics.
• Though a majority of states now have “identifiers” that track individual students and teachers, only five states have advanced data systems for both students and teachers, as well as the ability to link information from those two systems. As a result, many states may be able to follow students’ academic progress, but may not have the capacity to identify which teachers have increased student performance over time.
“While progress has been made in bolstering computerized data systems in K–12 education, states are not consistently making the critical connection between information and learning,” said Virginia B. Edwards, editor and publisher of Education Week and Technology Counts 2006.
In the effort to collect, manage, and analyze data, the EPE survey found that 26 states and the District of Columbia provide teachers with training in using data to shape classroom instruction, while 25 states and the District offer guides to educators on how to interpret data. The survey also found educators in 22 states and the District of Columbia have centralized access to key information about students’ demographic backgrounds and participation in programs such as special education, classes for English-language learners, or free and reduced-price lunch.
“Data alone cannot make a difference in learning unless it is collected, shared, and used effectively,” explains Christopher B. Swanson, director of the EPE Research Center. “Right now, educators in 15 states have no more information or analysis that is available to parents and the general public. States have made significant progress on technology, but need to find ways to get more of the most useful information into the hands of educators.”
State Grades
For the first time, letter grades have been issued for all 50 states and the District of Columbia as part of the Technology Counts 2006 report.
West Virginia and Virginia earned the highest marks, with grades of A and A-, respectively. Minnesota, Oregon, and Rhode Island all received a D, while Nevada ranked last in the nation with a D-. No state received a failing grade. The country as a whole received a C+.
Grades are based on where states stand in three core areas of state policy and practice, including access to instructional technology, use of technology, and capacity to effectively use technology. The grades are available in both the print version of the report and in the new online-only State Technology Reports at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/05/04/35dsr.h25.html.
School Technology Indicators
Technology Counts 2006 also tracks states’ progress on a range of school technology indicators that include everything from computer-based testing to technology requirements for teachers and administrators. Key trends and findings from the report include:
• Twenty-one states require that teachers take one or more technology courses or pass a technology test before they can receive an initial teaching license. Nine states have comparable requirements for school administrators.
• Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have academic standards for what students should know about technology, but only four of those states actually test students’ knowledge in that domain.
• During the 2005–2006 school year, 21 states and the District of Columbia offered computer-based tests, up from 16 in 2004–2005. Twenty-two states had established statewide virtual schools, and the number of states with cyber charter schools grew to 16.
For more information, visit www.edweek.org/techcounts06.