News on School and Student Data
Links to News Stories and Other Links Related to School or Student Data
February 4, 2016: Education Week
News that millions of students who took the PARCC exams on computers tended to score worse than those who took the tests on paper raises an important question: Do the computer-based exams that are increasingly prevalent in K-12 measure the same things as more traditional paper-based tests?
January 11, 2016: Education Week
Over the past decade, big data and analytics have slowly crept into the world of public education. Versions of the unobtrusive, real-time, embedded-in-everyday-activities collection of student-learning data now being pioneered by AltSchool and others are touted in the federal government's new National Education Technology Plan. Many observers hope the next step is the type of systemwide change that has already transformed the financial sector, health care, consumer technology, retail sales, and professional sports, among other industries.
October 19, 2015: Education Week
Without question, the collection and sharing of data about children is on the rise, in both the private and public sectors. The struggle to protect students' privacy while making use of the data collected on them in school has for years been focused on the role of outside companies.
October 1, 2015: Education Week
FREE! In this Spotlight, explore how states are developing governance structures to guide data collection and use, consider the difficult balancing act between data collection and privacy concerns, and learn how some educators are making data work in their schools.
September 17, 2015: Education Week
The Education Week Spotlight on Creating a Culture of Data is a collection of articles hand-picked by our editors for their insights on: promoting a culture of data accessibility in schools, challenges to the long-term usefulness of state longitudinal data systems, policy shifts in the use of students' educational records, and addressing privacy challenges in a digital age.
September 10, 2015: Education Week
School districts and the companies that work with them need to put a greater emphasis on ensuring that the massive amounts of student data collected every year are cleared of identifying information before records are shared or released to outside organizations.
While many districts and vendors are contemplating how to keep student information confidential, the “de-identification” of sensitive student data is not always technically simple to do, and a lack of resources means some districts are ill-equipped for the task, said Jules Polonetsky, the executive director of the Future of Privacy Forum.
June 22, 2015: The Atlantic
There are pros and cons to collecting data in schools for government use. Pros include improved teaching and education; however many are skeptical that student data could be used inappropriately. This article discusses the use of student data.
June 8, 2015: Education Week
Increased technology use in schools requires schools to be cognizant of how student-data is confidentially secured. This article offers five principles for schools to follow in order to safely secure student-data.
May 15, 2015: Education Week
Two more bills were introduced in Congress this week, each aimed at the current federal law protecting student data privacy. This federal law is known as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
May 11, 2015: The New York Times
Menomonee Falls School Disctrict in Wisconsin has completely embraced data throughout each aspect of the school day. All students and staff within this district collection data; custodians monitor dirt under sinks, lunchroom staff review partent and student lunch surveys, kindergartens track letters and numbers learned, and teachers post classroom scatterplots to track learning. All of this data is collected with the goal of improving every aspect of school.
Student Data Principles
Schools must use high-quality data to improve education and learning in order to improve students' success in life. When data is used effectiveley, it empowers educators with the necessary information to help students succeed in the classrooom and in life.
April 9, 2015: Education Week
Researchers express concern that recent laws and policies intended to protect the privacy of student information won't be enough in commercialized education.
April 1, 2015: THE Journal
It is essential for schools to collect and share data on each student in order to effectively increase teacher instruction and student performance. This article provides examples of adequately inspiring teachers and students using school data.
November 18, 2014: Education Commission of the States
State summative assessments serve as a measure of student progress toward learning expectations. This document provides a detailed overview of the two testing-consortia and federal testing requirements.