For immediate release
November 13, 2006 |
Contact: Peggy Stull,
(408) 453-6527 |
New On-line System Offered
To Help Schools Analyze Testing Data
SAN JOSE, CA – The bevy of tests administered in California public
schools offers some insight into how students are performing. But how do all
those tests help schools improve their teaching?
The Santa Clara County Office of Education has just introduced a new system
that provides easy, efficient way for schools to organize and analyze the
massive amount of data generated by testing.
SChoolCharts is a simple, Web-based system that organizes results of all
accountability measurements—API, AYP and CST—into easy-to-read charts and
graphs. SChoolCharts allows comparisons on local, district, county and state
levels.
The system tracks results over time, which addresses the crucial need of
schools to demonstrate improvement in student performance from year to year. It
also disaggregates data by programs and subgroups, another essential element of
testing requirements.
Another feature of SChoolCharts is uniformity. It allows schools within
districts, and classrooms within schools, to track performance using the same
parameters. This allows for analysis based on the same criteria, eliminating the
confusion sometimes generated by individual, ad-hoc systems.
SChoolCharts—which the SCCOE devised in partnership with School City, Inc.
of Mountain View—has sparked interest not only among schools in Santa Clara
County, but also all across the state.
"We use SChoolCharts to inform our year-to-year goals--especially goals
related to closing the achievement gap between sub-groups," said Claire
Castagna, assistant superintendent of the Sunnyvale School District. “They are
extremely valuable for illustrating trends."
SChoolCharts is a new component of SChoolPlan, which also was devised by
the SCCOE, and launched in 2001. SChoolPlan provides school personnel with a
convenient path to data management, analysis and decision-making. It enables
quick intervention for under-performing students, by helping teachers to rapidly
identify students who require help in specific subject areas. It also allows
educators to track students’ performance in regular classes.
Like SChoolCharts, SChoolPlan is easily available via the Web to schools and
districts all across the state. Fees are set on a cost-recovery basis.
SChoolCharts can be examined on a free trial basis. (Districts already enrolled
in the SChoolPlan system can use SChoolCharts free of charge.)
For more information, visit www.SCCOE.org/schoolplan/
or contact Peggy Stull (408) 453-6527 in the Standards and Assessment Dept. of
the SCCOE.
Date last updated: November 13, 2006
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