More Schools Passing Up DOE Database, Part 3
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City teachers can use all the help they can get in evaluating how their students are doing and what they need to succeed. Department of Education officials say that's why they have spent millions building a computer data system. Yet in this last part of a three-report series, NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ shows why more and more schools are turning to an alternative program, even though they have to pay for it.When the Department of Education launched its ARIS computer system in 2008, Chancellor Joel Klein called it "truly revolutionary."
Klein said at the time, "It gives principals and teachers a single source for information about their students. It allows them to use this information to identify quickly areas where their students are struggling."
DOE officials say they have spent $78 million of the $81 million contract, and while more teachers and parents are logging on, it has not turned out to be the "single source" it was supposed to be.
Educators say what they really need is not quarterly report card grades or annual state test scores that ARIS provides. They need day-to-day information. So more than 200 schools now pay for a system that gives them that, called "DataCation," which was developed by teachers in Brooklyn.
"If I am able to run cross-analysis to see what was their Regents exam score, compared with how much homework they did and if they were in class 90 percent of the time, I am able to now target kids who need to help," said Peter Bencivenga of DataCation. "And by bringing all that data together and making it easy to use, it becomes a powerful tool."
DOE officials say ARIS is a good system and a huge improvement over old systems. The state Department of Education says it also hopes to start using it.
Former Chancellor Joel Klein remains a big supporter. In fact, the division of News Corporation where he now works recently bought the company behind ARIS.
Although city schools will spend more than $2 million this year to pay for the alternative system, officials say they are not discouraged.
"There are things that we didn't build it to do that people want, and it's good that people are finding resources that do those things," said DOE Chief Academic Officer Shael Polakow-Suransky.
The DOE says it will continue to work to give ARIS more of what educators want, spending $3 million of stimulus money and private grants.
"The biggest feedback that came out of the conversations with principals and teaches around ARIS is 'This is great, this is a good start, but how do we get to the things we are doing everyday?'" said Polakow-Suransky. "Those aren't moving right now in ARIS, and so getting more of that local data is the point."
It is a point that hundreds of schools have already picked up on.