Data and Technical Infrastructure-Related Roles & Responsibilities¶

This is a working draft, and this is not the final state of this document. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact the SLDS support group and we'll work with you to include your thoughts. All materials here reflect AOE's adoption of federal best practices and best practices documents.

Responsibilities¶

LEA¶

• Responsibly steward resources to provide equitable, high-quality education to its community.
• Accurately record, maintain, use, and report data at all levels of the organization so that decisions can be data-driven.
• Build a culture of data quality through an effective professional development program for staff at all levels of the organization so that local, state, and federally required data can be used and reported in a timely and accurate way.
• Support the LEA's data and information technology infrastructure and staff in the promotion of efficient data collection and management procedures, the use of technology and training to decrease data entry errors, and the movement toward applications that are “interoperable” (i.e., that interact with each other using a minimum amount of programming resources).

SEA¶

• Administer state and federal funds, programs, and grants. The SEA must align these programs with the overall strategy of the legislative and political requirements of the state.
• Monitor and report on progress of major state education initiatives. Make information broadly available, accessible, and timely.
• Maintain auditable, useful, and accurate data systems for the education system that support a focus on achievement, equity, and progress.
• Facilitate data use by leveraging national standards.
• Strive to provide clear information about the our roles in achieving the education vision for the state.
• Support the state by aggregating resources and tools, highlighting promising practices in new research and in local administration.
• Convene relevant stakeholders to share ideas and address challenges.
• Create opportunities for all to share ideas, feedback, and recommendations with SEA.

Roles¶

We used the National Forum on Education Statistics as a reference, see here. We've copied the summary text about your role and how a good data ecosystem can benefit them.

🧑🏻‍🏫 Teacher, Counseler, and Nurse¶

You are responsible for entering timely and accurate data about your students, as required.

Your ability to make sound educational decisions about your students will be improved because those decisions will be based on quality data. You will be able to improve students’ educational experiences because the instructional program will be based on accurate data.

Things to consider:

• How do you use data to make important individual and group instructional decisions
• Ask for appropriate instructions and documentation.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions about your data responsibilities.
• Identify barriers to effective data entry and communicate these
• Develop a routine of regular data entry and periodically review it for errors.
• Work with peers to develop ideas and best practices.

📒 Office Staff¶

You are responsible for entering important data accurately and completely, maintaining data security, and understanding how the data will be used.

You are at the center of any effort to build a Culture of Quality Data in your school. You take pride in and ownership of your work. You understand the importance of the data you are working with and have taken steps to raise the level of data quality in your school. As a side benefit, working more efficiently means that your data entry tasks will be easier and less frustrating.

Things to consider:

• How is data used to make important instructional and institutional decisions?
• What can you do to ensure the accuracy of the data you enter?
• Ask for and attend professional development programs.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions about your responsibilities.
• Identify barriers to effective data entry procedures and communicate these.
• Check your work and work with peers to develop best practices.

👨🏻‍💼 Principal¶

As the chief instructional leader, you are ultimately responsible for data collection and reporting in the school. You have the responsibility to report data as accurately as possible.

You have many diverse responsibilities within your school; among these is the responsibility to ensure that what is happening at your school is accurately reflected in the data. It will take time and effort to develop a Culture of Quality Data within your school. By helping staff to understand the importance of data entry and data collection, as described above, the quality of instructional and operational decisions will improve.

Things to consider:

• How do you and your staff use data to measure student achievement?
• When you place your signature on a report, how certain are you that the data are correct?
• Allow and encourage staff to attend training in their areas of expertise.
• Encourage the use of data to make daily instructional decisions.
• Periodically spot-check source documents against data entered to ensure that required data (e.g., medical information) are actually being entered.
• Understand and communicate laws and regulations that affect data at your school (e.g., the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 [FERPA] and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 [HIPAA]).
• Provide an environment conducive to accurate data entry.
• Develop a calendar for data reporting deadlines.

📈 Data Manager, Steward, or Coordinator¶

This role is critical to your organization having a successful data culture and strategy. You serve your community by ensuring that the statistical information reviewed by senior staff represents data that have been entered accurately and collected systematically.

Furthermore, you enhance the information reporting process through staff development and collaboration with the various offices and programs responsible for producing data and information.

By helping staff members to understand the importance of data entry and data collection, and to see the process that leads to data-driven decisions, you are directly involved in courses of action that lead toward improved student achievement and increased services provided to the district and schools.

Things to consider:

• Provide professional development for staff members leading toward a Culture of Quality Data in the school.
• Resolve discrepancies in information before reports are forwarded to senior staff.
• Develop a process that allows staff to request new reports or modifications of existing reports
• Does the information represent facts based on accurate data from programs and offices?
• Does everyone in your school district understand how data are used to benefit the instructional program and provide funds for services?
• Are data collected systematically in the school district?
• Are the staff responsible for entering data trained to do an effective job?
• Is there a process in place that allows “end-users” to request or modify reports?
• Are you and the information technology (IT) director operating collaboratively? :)

👨🏻‍💻 Technology Support Personnel¶

You maintain and secure the hardware, software, and network that allow staff to enter, store, secure, and transfer data.

Your involvement in data entry and data collection, including training and professional development, does pay dividends in both the instructional program and the services you are able to provide to the district and schools. Through your involvement in these areas, staff will be more responsive when you request funding to improve the technology infrastructure.

Note from AOE: We understand that most folks might do both this role and the Data Steward role, with this role likely coming first. There is a distinction between the two, with this role focusing on the tech, and the above role focusing on policy. Don't forget about policy. Our hope was this document could help you discuss policy more clearly with others in your organization.

Things to consider:

• Do you have the appropriate hardware and software to allow efficient data entry and storage?
• Are standard data definitions used in the software?
• Are the computer applications “interoperable” (i.e., able to interact with each other using a minimum amount of programming resources)?
• Develop an electronic audit trail so that people are able to determine potential flaws at each of the various stages of data collection.

🧪 District Test Administrator (DA) and Alternate District Test Administrator (ADA)¶

DAs are the experts for their Supervisory Union, Supervisory District, or Independent School (SU/SD/IS) on all things statewide, national, and international assessments and the first point of contact for the assessment team at the VT Agency of Education (AOE). DAs are appointed by the Superintendent.

🤵 Superintendent¶

As a district superintendent, it is your responsibility to enhance the educational program of students, to improve student achievement, and to see that district policies are implemented.

A Culture of Quality Data in the district will result in reliable data that are useful for evaluating the instructional program and student achievement and for pointing out areas of success and places where improvements are needed.

A Culture of Quality Data will enable you to have confidence in the information that you review and, most importantly, will allow you to make effective decisions.

Things to consider:

• How do you know that the data you review are accurate?
• Is there an inventory of data collected in your district?
• Set education benchmarks that use data to measure student achievement.
• Encourage staff to make data-driven decisions.
• Support your information technology director in the promotion of more efficient data collection procedures, the use of technology to decrease data entry errors, and the movement toward applications that are “interoperable” (i.e., that interact with each other using a minimum amount of programming resources).
• Are staff responsible for data entry receiving appropriate professional development?
• Is there a process in place to resolve discrepancies in information?

🏫 School Board Member¶

As a school board member, you are responsible for setting policy.

Pressures on school board members are always increasing. By becoming knowledgeable about the data entry process and the district’s procedures for ensuring data quality, you can rely on the information you use with more confidence.

Improving data quality is an investment. If the resources used to produce accurate, timely data result in information to justify programs or secure additional needed funds, it is money well spent.

Things to consider:

• Understand the impact data has on funding programs.
• How does your district use data to demonstrate achievement in educational programs?
• How do you know that the data are accurate?
• What do personnel in a school do to enter and gather data?