Informing Practices and Improving Results with Data-Driven Decisions MS Word - The capacity to use data to inform educational practices and improve results is critical in this era of ardent accountability for academic outcomes. School personnel need to know clearly, understand intricately and communicate effectively how their students benefit from attending the school -- in other words, the “value added” of schooling. The various stages of working with data to inform education decisionmaking and improve results are explored in this paper. They include why data are important, selecting, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating and using results. (Sheila Arredondo, Education Commission of the States, August 2000)...

Reporting, Rewarding and Sanctioning Schools and Districts MS Word - Around the country, the push for higher standards has led to an increase in the importance of accountability for schools, districts and even states. Policymakers are using a variety of means to measure performance and respond appropriately. (Article from the Fall 2000 ECS State Education Leader)...