Driving Change with Local Assessments
San Bernardino County Superintendent of School's Local Assessment Project
Overview
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) provides support for 33 school districts that serve nearly 400,000 students (DataQuest). Building off the collective impact work that led to the development of the Cradle to Career Roadmap, SBCSS is committed to transforming lives through education. This is accomplished by increasing awareness of key academic and social milestones throughout an individual’s life, providing resources to support these milestones, as well as building capacity to use data in a transformative way to improve teaching and learning throughout the county. Early attempts to develop a single platform that encompassed public data, secure student level data, and a repository of resources for stakeholder were unsuccessful due to technical limitations. Breaking the project down to its three key elements has made each part more manageable:
Collecting local assessment data, cleaning the data, and automating the process
Developing reports with districts and vendor input to compliment each district’s assessment system
Creating a secure portal to house the reports and training districts to access the reports
Image: The front page of the Local Assessment Project dashboard.
The Data and Assessment team built an Open Data Portal to make public data accessible and easy to understand and interact with for the general public. The Educational Support Services branch developed a Cradle to Career Roadmap website to educate and support stakeholders throughout the county. The last key area was the secure data portal that could host student outcome data. The Local Data Project begins to address that need.
Laying the Groundwork
In 2019, numerous San Bernardino County districts expressed frustration with their assessment data systems, prompting SBCSS to take action. Hosting the County Assessment Network (SBCAN), SBCSS made data and assessment a recurring agenda item. In response, the Data and Assessment team developed an interactive state assessment report, receiving positive feedback that highlighted the correlation between enhanced data sharing and accessible, insightful reports. This success led to all 33 districts formalizing data-sharing agreements through Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), fostering trust and cooperation between SBCSS and district leaders.
Amid the pandemic, local assessments became vital for monitoring student progress when state assessments were suspended. However, many districts found these assessments lacking fidelity. Continuous data points throughout the academic year are a key advantage of local assessments, providing real-time insights into student progress and growth. However, at the county level, the reliance on end-of-year results means missed opportunities to inform teaching and learning throughout the school year. The Data and Assessment team embarked on an exploration of district tools and County Offices of Education (COEs) support strategies, leading to discussions at SBCAN meetings. For SBCSS, developing a system like DataZone or MEGA Dashboard system was beyond the scope of what the Data Team could deliver. However, a narrower, yet innovative solution – one that focused on local assessments taken throughout the year in reading and math – was possible.
Image: Reading Status & Growth page of the dashboard, which displays BOY, MOY, and EOY data.
Image: Dashboard image that shows math performance by school.
Building the System: A Different Approach
Based on feedback and insights from district professionals and other COEs, it was decided to collect local assessment data directly from vendors like iReady, NWEA, and STAR. The aim was to create easily interpretable reports offering a countywide view of student progress, something no other county was currently doing. This would eliminate the data void in grades that were not part of state testing, making it easier for county office content experts to provide early support to their districts. With the support of 5-6 willing districts, the groundwork for a new system began. These districts started by sharing their local assessment data, then provided feedback on initial reports and encouraged other districts to join.
Initially, the focus was on gathering data from vendors, then capturing that data and finding common measures (e.g., Lexile and quantile). Fortunately, MetaMetrics was willing to partner with SBCSS and provide technical expertise, as they also provide the Lexile and quantile data for each of the vendors in this project. Continuous feedback from districts and county experts guided the development of mock-ups and subsequent refinements of reports. Automation became essential, leading to the development of Python scripts to process vendor files into a scalable data model. Unexpectedly, districts expressed interest in regional comparisons and accessing other district results - another sign of trust and meaningful collaboration. This also provided a context that wasn’t available before. Formerly, a district would know the progress of their students, but was unable to compare it to the county, region or even another district. This context enhanced program evaluation capabilities, providing insight into student progress relative to the county, region, and comparable districts. Collaboration with developers and the County IT team ensured the secure implementation of these features within a centralized portal.
Image: Dashboard page that compares reading data side-by-side.
Removing Barriers between Districts and their Data
A key concept in The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas, is to reduce “friction” and avoid adding more features or functions than necessary. Prior to the start of this project, districts regularly commented that it was not easy to access or use the reports provided by their assessment vendors. Comments like, “there are too many reports” and “I don’t know which ones to look at” were heard from both teachers and administrators. In response, a streamlined set of reports focusing on reading and math status and growth was developed to enhance usability. Each report is meticulously crafted to minimize friction between districts and their data, prioritizing focus, interactivity, and actionable insights. It's crucial to note that this project aims to complement rather than replace existing assessment systems. These reports serve as a gateway to deeper exploration on chosen platforms, supported by roadmaps developed in collaboration with assessment vendors like iReady, NWEA, and Renaissance, offering detailed guidance that help teachers and administrators find the right, detailed report to get school, teacher, and student-level information.
“It is so important that we have regular and routine data to inform our decision making and instruction. The Local Data Project is a great tool in systemizing how we regularly monitor student progress.”
- Tracy Chambers, SBCSS Assistant Superintendent
Making the Data Actionable
Turning data into information, and information into action is the ultimate goal towards improving learning outcomes. Through the creation of clear reports, coupled with roadmaps guiding access to vendor reports, administrators are equipped with the essential information needed to elevate the role of local assessments in shaping teaching and learning throughout the school year. For instance, reports that delineate students' Lexile and quantile ranges can inform differentiated instruction or regrouping strategies, facilitating better alignment with the diverse needs of students.
The Local Assessment Project's strength lies in its ability to deliver pertinent data precisely when it's needed most. By ensuring that the right data reaches the right people at the right time, this initiative empowers educators and administrators to make informed decisions that positively impact student learning experiences.
Image: A roadmap showing the Local Assessment Project journey.
Next Steps
Building a comprehensive system from the ground up demands strategic connections and collaborative efforts. Overcoming challenges and technical hurdles requires a united team approach. Now, the focus shifts to supporting the implementation and utilization of this tool effectively. SBCSS’ vision is to witness numerous success stories where the Local Assessment Project drives tangible improvements in teaching and learning, ultimately reaching the classroom level.
To propel this project forward, SBCSS’ next steps are:
Continue to add districts and charters to the project, thus increasing the number of assessments throughout the county
Continue to train districts/charters and their users on access reports and strategies to increase differentiation and regrouping
Document the process and resources so that other COEs can replicate the project
As multiple years of data are collected develop trend reports to determine crucial windows where interventions are most needed to prevent students from falling further behind
Explore how AI can be utilized to gain insight from millions of assessment records and find bright spots where best practices are taking place in the county
Resources
SBCSS' Open Door Session dives into their Local Assessment Project and journey to bridging gaps between local assessments.
CCEE’s Data Research Learning Network (DRLN) brings together select districts and counties from across the state of California to innovate their data systems for accelerated student learning.
Meet the Team
John Massie
Program Manager,
Assessment, Data Analytics, Research & Evaluation
Krystal Ramirez
Data Analyst
Shamia Hill
Data Analyst