AARRGGHH!! Data Analysis!

Just Do It For Me & Tell Me What It Says!

Laura Boudreaux PitreMerry Jane Bourgeois

WORKING DRAFT 5/24/06

Why is Data Analysis Important?

Successful changes

cannot occur

until you know

what you are changing!

How to Build Unsuccessful Schools

Large

Grade Segregated

High Mobility

Large Classes

Low % of Highly

Qualified Teachers

High PovertyHigh Minority

POOR LEADERSHIP

How to Build Unsuccessful Schools

Large

Grade Segregated

High Mobility

Large Classes

Low % of Highly

Qualified Teachers

High PovertyHigh Minority

POOR LEADERSHIP

FAILED SCHOOL

Your School’s Data

What You Need to Know

&

How to Find the Answers

Statistics You Should Know About Your School

Enrollment Trends Class Sizes Dropout Rates Retention Rates Attendance Rates Suspension Rates Expulsion Rates

LEAP/GEE Test Scores

The Iowa Tests Scores

School Accountability Status

Enrollment Trends

Is your school getting larger? Smaller? Are there trends by grade? Do you have a

large class coming through? Resources may have to be reallocated accordingly.

These issues affect: Class Sizes Number of Teachers School Resources ($$$ and Space)

Class Sizes

Smaller class sizes are effective in improving student achievement because teachers can spend more quality time with individual students.

Did you know that larger class sizes are associated with more discipline problems in a school?

Dropout Rates What grade has the highest dropout rate at

your school? At the State level, it’s grade 12! Followed by grades 9, 10, & 11, respectively

How does your dropout rate compare to other schools? The District? The State?

Who are your dropouts? At the State level, black males drop out the most,

followed by black females, white males, & white females.

Students with Disabilities dropout rates are increasing at a higher rate than any other student group.

Retention Rates

What grade has the highest retention rates? At the State level,

4th 9th 8th 1st

10th

Kindergarten

What are the reasons?

Attendance Rates

The State’s attendance rate is 93.7%. This means that on any given day, 6.2% or

approx. 45,000 students, are absent.

What does your attendance rate indicate about your school?

Class sizes average around 25 students per class? Does your school have a whole class of students absent on any given day?

Suspension & Expulsion

Did you know that there are strong correlations between academic achievement in a SCHOOL and discipline rates? Higher suspension/expulsion rates tend to

go hand-in-hand with lower student achievement, school-wide!

How do your suspension/expulsion rates compare to other schools?

Test Scores

What percent of your students are passing the LEAP?

How has this changed over the past five years?

How do your students compare nationally on The Iowa Tests?

How does your school compare to other schools? Districts? The State?

School Accountability Status

How did your school perform? How does your school compare to

other schools in your district? How does your school compare to

similar schools? How can you calculate your own

School Performance Score before it is released?

Accessing the Data You Need

The Louisiana Department of Education Website

A Wealth of Information

www.louisianaschools.net

WWW.LOUISIANASCHOOLS.NETWWW.LOUISIANASCHOOLS.NET

Data & Reports Webpage

State Education Progress Reports

Available on LDE website

1997-1998 through 2004-2005

District Composite Reports (DCR)

Available on LDE website from1996-1997 through 2004-2005

One report per district that contains up to 6 years of data

AccountabilitySchool Report Card

Similar Schools Link

www.schoolmatters.com

Annual Financial and Statistical Report (AFSR)

Available on LDE website from

1979-1980 through 2003-2004

2004-2005 will be available in August

LEA and School-Level: Public Student Counts and Percentages (AKA: the Multiple Statistics File)

Available on the LDE website for school and district levels from

1999-2000 through 2005-2006Includes several files related to Hurricanes

Katrina and Rita for the 2005-2006 school year.

List Data Elements on Multiple Statistic File

Total Student Enrollment Students by Gender Students by Race/Ethnicity by Gender At-Risk Students by Race and Gender Special Education Students (Disabled &

Gifted/Talented) English Proficiency Grade Placement At-Risk by Grade Placement

Showing Off Your Data

Displays That Make an Impact

When it comes to data, most people are visual learners.

The way you display your data will determine whether your audience gets your message or not.

Choosing the simplest method of display is key to communicating data results.

Bar Charts

024

68

1012

1416

2006

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

9.4%

11.1%

5.4%6.0%

18.1%

3.4%

6.8%

9.2%

13.9%

16.7%

9.5%

6.3%5.4%

9.6%

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 K-12

Exhibit 19: Retention Rates for All Grades 2004-2005

Percent of Students Retained

9.5%

8.4%

6.3%

7.6%7.7%

8.9%

7.7%

6.8%6.5% 6.6%

8.1%

7.4%

6.4%6.3%6.3%

7.4%7.6%

7.0%

7.5%

9.0%

8.6%

7.8%

6.6%7.0%

7.4%

Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Overall (9-12)

Exhibit 17: Dropout Rates for Grades 9-12 and Overall

1999-2000 through 2003-2004 Percent of Students That Dropout

1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004

1.5%3.1%2.2%2.2% 3.5%5.4%5.8% 5.4%

40.4%

41.0%

49.3%46.0%

27.9%

21.9%21.1%22.2%

26.8%28.6%

21.7% 24.1%

Advanced Mastery Basic Approaching Basic Unsatisfactory

Exhibit 23: Eighth Grade LEAP Test Results for Mathematics Spring 2002 through Spring 2005

Percent of Students at Each Achievement Level

Spring 2002 Spring 2003 Spring 2004 Spring 2005

Longitudinal Line Graphs

024

68

1012

1416

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Longitudinal Line Graphs

024

68

1012

1416

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

259 263 266276

230 233 235240

200

220

240

260

280

300

 1990   1992   1996   2000 

WHITE

BLACK

LOUISIANA NAEP SCALE SCORES BY RACE

GRADE 8 MATH

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/profile.asp?state=LA

Lunch Status for All Students

Reduced8%

Paid38% Free

54%

Exhibit 14: 2004-2005 Ethnic Composition of the 724,002 Public School Student Population

White48.3%

American Indian0.7%

Hispanic1.9%

Black47.7%

Asian1.4%

Lunch Status for Black and White Students

Reduced7%

Paid17%

Free76%

Reduced12%

Paid56%

Free32%

Black Students White Students

Creative Ways To Display Data

How many days during a

calendar yearare spent on instruction?

The Full Year Calendar

Less Summer Vacation

Less Weekends, Holidays, & Summer Vacation

Less Professional Development Days & Early Dismissal/Parent Conferences

Less Class Picnic, Class Trip, Thanksgiving Feast, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukkah, Awards, Assembles, & Concerts

Less State and District Testing

Bottom Line:Roughly 13-15

8-hr Days of InstructionPer Subject

Per Year

Summary If You:

Know Your Data Sources and Resources Are Analyzing Your Data Are Making Data-Driven Decisions

Then You: Can Enhance Instruction Through Informed

Decisions Can Improve the Outcomes for Students!

How to Build Successful Schools

Medium Sized

SmallClasses

Dropout Prevention

Focus on Achievement

For ALLStudents

Highly Qualified Teachers

Good Attendance

Data-Driven Decision-Making

GREAT LEADERSHIP

How to Build Successful Schools

Medium Sized

SmallClasses

DropoutPrevention

Focus on AchievementFor ALLStudents

Highly Qualified Teachers

Good Attendance

Data-Driven Decision-Making

GREAT LEADERSHIP

Improved OutcomesFor Students