Ohio has committed to use part of its Race to the Top winnings to develop robust teacher evaluations, inform HR decisions, accelerate student academic growth reporting, and improve access to student data ??? in part using value-added data. With that commitment in mind, in today's special edition of the Ohio Education Gadfly our friends at Public Impact take a look at how the Buckeye State can use education data to learn more about teachers and students, and how the findings can help the state make better decisions on behalf of its children.?? The full article is worth reading for anyone whose state or district is wrestling with developing the next generation of academic performance data.?? Public Impact's closing words of advice to Ohio:
Despite significant progress, more work remains ahead for the Buckeye State. To date, Ohio, like many other states, has focused primarily on measuring student learning in reading and math in grades 3 ??? 8. Finding ways to evaluate student achievement before third grade and in high school, and developing new systems to monitor development in all of the subjects and disciplines we expect students to master will be difficult, but essential. The state plans to address this challenge, but stakeholders must be vigilant to ensure that policymakers follow-through on their promises.
As the state moves to spend its winnings from Race to the Top, Ohioans stand to benefit greatly, both from new innovations and from the wealth of new information available to teachers and parents. Ultimately, however, the value Ohio derives from these efforts will depend on the state's leaders and educators. If Ohio fails to mine education data to answer all of the questions outlined above, or refuses to act on conclusions drawn from the data, the state will be no better off for its investment, which would, of course, be a shame. The state has taken the first step, by developing the capacity and capability to collect meaningful data. Now Ohio must ensure that it puts its data to good use.
One can't underscore enough the responsibility of education stakeholders, policy and advocacy organizations, and local schools to hold Ohio to its Race to the Top promises.?? Leadership at the state level is sure to shift between now and January, to what degree only Ohio voters know.?? But with Governor Strickland no shoo-in for reelection, control of the state House of Representatives a toss-up, and more than a few new faces sure to find seats on the State Board of Education, it's a sure bet that at least some of the driving forces behind Ohio's Race to the Top reform plans won't be around to lead the implementation charge over the next four years.
