More Schools Passing Up DOE Database, Part 2
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It's a tale of two systems: computer systems to track how kids are doing in school. In part one of her special report, NY1's Lindsey Christ explained how the city's Department of Education spent tens of millions of dollars on one of those systems, and how leaders in a growing number of schools are using the other, which they say does a far better job. In part two, we head inside two schools to see how each of the systems works, or doesn't.Educators at IS 136 spend a lot of time collecting and organizing data about the students there. They have to. They keep charts, graphs, and hundreds of binders. They build Excel spreadsheets to sort numbers, and email every update to everyone on staff.
"It's a lot of work. And we're still finding our way," said IS 136 Assistant Principal Sarah Herbert.
One tool they use is the DOE's data system, ARIS. It cost $80 million. It was supposed to be a one-stop shop for data. It hasn't worked out that way.
"The problem is that there are so many systems that schools use in independence of each other that ARIS is the largest of all of them. But it doesn't have the depth that a school really needs. Pulling up trends, like a child is always absent on a Thursday and a Friday of every month. Or pulling the behavior into it. You have to go to a different system to look at behavior," said IS 136 Data Specialist Samuel Zimmerman.
But all of that is in one system at a growing number of city schools. Two hundred are now paying to use a program called DataCation. New Dorp High School is one of them.
"It changed the culture of our building. It changed the communication of our building because everything is at their finger tips," said New Dorp High School Principal Deirdre DeAngelis.
"You’re talking pass-fail rate, average class grades, attendance, ranking of students, where they fall in, anecdotal logs on how the student’s progressing...grades themselves, Regents scores, transcripts, program cards," said New Dorp High School Teacher Michael Hubbs.
DataCation automatically organizes information differently for each person: teachers, parents, administrators, guidance counselors, students -- showing them what they need to do their job.
"I am able now to track my athletes on a daily basis," said New Dorp High School Athletic Director Richard Rucireto.
"When I forget my homework, I could look at it, cause the teacher update it every evening," said New Dorp High School Student Jeffrey Lam.
"I know her program, I know her schedule, I know her grades, I know when she was absent, I know when she was late. And when she's late, I'm able to say, 'Why were you late to class?' And the information is current. I know what is going on, I feel informed and it empowers me to help her make the right decisions toward her education," said New Dorp High School Parent Jackie Tripodi.
The DOE has been telling schools to use the data to help gauge and improve the education process. And while many are, it's just not being done with the system the DOE paid $80 million for.