Data Visualized at BVSD

What is VizLab?

BVSD has been working for the last two years to create a data warehouse with a tool called Tableau to visualize the data. We call this effort VizLab which has empowered users by bringing together many different types of data to drive instruction in a quick, real-time and easily accessible way. When looked at in isolation, it can be hard to get the full picture of how students are doing, but combined, these data points give us a comprehensive picture of student progress allowing us better support students. Multiple data sets are directly and easily accessible in a new, visually engaging way to the people who can use data to take action and better serve students.

As with all of our data, security is very important, so teachers can only view data for the students they are working with.

Who is using VizLab?

All Administrators and ~60% of teachers have been trained so far! We have a goal of 100% of teachers trained by the end of the school year.

How are teachers using this data? Educators across the district are analyzing student data to reflect on and improve their practice (BVSD Teacher Effectiveness Standard 3, Element b). VizLab supports educators in using data more efficiently.

The data from VizLab has helped teachers target specific interventions to address the achievement gap. While it is powerful to see the data, the real power comes in taking action based on this evidence. Teachers have been using VizLab to get an overview of which students are in need of extra support, look at risk factors for particular students, plan reading groups, and use the data for student support meetings. They have also found it helpful for showing data to parents at conferences and to the students themselves so they can track their progress. Here is how some ELD Teachers from Angevine shared about how VizLab has worked for them:

At the beginning of the year, we really appreciated how thorough the class overview was. Easily being able to see “Years in ELL” for every student in each class in one quick look has been extremely helpful.

As the year progressed we have begun exploring the Early Warning System to target students we need to look at as an MTSS team that may not be drawing attention in class but need extra supports. As an MTSS team, we met to look at the students in red and systematically make sure they were receiving as many supports as possible, and create action plans to further wrap our arms around them.

It has also been extremely valuable to see and share trends for our Emerging Bilinguals ACCESS scores from year to year. VizLab’s easy to understand visual for the ACCESS scores helps us quickly set language goals in mini-conferences with our students, as well as set broader school-wide focuses.

How do you get started using this great data visualization tool?

Check out our website at vizlab.bvsd.org. Teachers can receive initial training through their school or on their own through an online Schoology course.

I’ve already taken the initial VizLab training, what do I do next?

We are currently developing opportunities for “Level 2” Training in the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, we are putting together a teacher focus group to help shape what is developed next for teachers in VizLab and to better understand ongoing professional development needs. If you are interested, please reach out to Clare Sims at clare.sims@bvsd.org or leave a comment on this blog! Finally, keep an eye on the ISE blog for weekly VizLab tips & tricks.

Will there be data beyond student data in the data warehouse, available through Vizlab? Yes. As the data warehouse matures, additional operational data will likely be added. This may include data from transportation, finance, IT, maintenance, etc.

Andrew

Student Data Privacy v2.0

On December 12, 2017, the BVSD Board of Education adopted a Student Data Privacy Policy, as mandated by the state. In response to the rapid advance of technology, this is the first time our district has had a robust policy around data privacy. The wording was adapted from the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) model policy that was developed by district leaders from all around the state last year.

There were three placeholders put into the BVSD policy for us to continue to research: Chrome sync, data sharing for research purposes, & centralized vetting of apps. My team is currently working with the District Technology Advisory Committee (DTAC) and Tech Contacts to determine pros & cons for each item, which will be brought back to the board for further review. For more information on each topic, please see below:

1. Chrome Sync

When a user signs in using their Google account, Chrome will sync bookmarks, history, passwords, extensions, and other settings across devices. This allows the user to continue working in a consistent, personalized environment no matter what device they are using. This would affect all users, but specifically, BVSD students who use shared devices such as carts, computer labs, and library computers. For additional information, please see this video.

2. Data Sharing

BVSD has worked in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and research organizations to participate in Data Sharing Agreements to gather anonymous student data for analysis for research purposes. For example, BVSD has shared anonymized student data with an organization studying the correlation between air quality and absences due to respiratory issues in our schools. Parties wishing to partner with BVSD for research must engage in the district’s Research Review Process. This process includes procedures that align with BVSD Board Policies regarding data privacy, requiring student anonymity, to ensure that research will benefit the district and/or education.

3. Centralized Vetting of Apps

Vetting applications means evaluating them for both their instructional use and student safety and data privacy. Vetting can be done by:

• IT personnel
• Curriculum specialists in Instructional Services & Equity
• Teachers & Teacher Librarians
• Students

Currently, we require a Data Privacy Addendum (DPA) from every vendor that we contract with to purchase software. Additionally, we soon will be asking teachers to watch this video, vet, and list free click-through applications that they are using in their classrooms. Centralized vetting would mean that this responsibility would shift to district personnel.

What's Next?
Teachers will soon get their biannual survey, required by law, to add any apps and/or websites, they use to this list. If you are a teacher, please be on the lookout for this required action early in 2018.

It is essential that we all stay compliant with the law and engage in transparent communication with our community around this important issue of keeping student data private!

Please chime in below with your comments.

Andrew

District Technology Advisory Committee Update (Feb 2017)

Educational technology resources and the opportunities afforded through these tools are forever expanding and changing. In the last five years, BVSD has seen an increase in access, digital devices, and resources that provide an engaging and modern learning environment for students.

With that in mind, I understand and value the varying perspectives of our stakeholders with the implementation of these tools, including views from our students, teachers, administrators, district leaders, parents and community members. Due to the accelerated rates of change, these stakeholders often times have both collaborative and conflicting views of technology in our schools.

Because of these rapid changes, varying perspectives, and continued shifts, I felt it to be the right time to develop a sustainable organization that could provide guidance on how technology and resources are decided, deployed, and utilized in our schools and classrooms. This includes the business side of education with regards to infrastructure and security. You can read about the background in my post from December.

I sent out an email in December of 2016 to gather interest for this committee only to find that we had over 230 stakeholders interested! I worked with my team to select a representative balance of community members, parents, business leaders, BVSD teachers, administrators, and most importantly, students (view the DTAC Roster). We also formed an online forum for those not selected to continue to provide feedback and insight to the work of the committee.

The District Advisory Technology Committee (DTAC) launched on January 23rd with an overview of current and future IT services, infrastructures, programs and projects. These included updates on IT Network upgrades, expansion of 1:Web in our high schools, student data security and privacy updates, and budget information. Members were then provided an opportunity to discuss their ideas of the most critical conversations for this committee to consider in future meetings. You can review their responses here.

I will continue to share agendas and notes from each DTAC meeting on our website to maintain transparency of the work that this committee will complete and the guidance they will provide.

If you have thoughts, ideas or suggestions, please chime in below.

Andrew