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WORLD-CLASS DATA SYSTEM
Policy Action: Create a World-Class Data System
New ideas are only as strong as the data that informs them. Illinois is overdue for a comprehensive, user-friendly data system that permits tracking of students over time and across early learning, school districts, colleges, and into the workforce. Illinois has historically collected limited data from local districts, and K–12 data hasn’t been connected to data from early childhood or postsecondary institutions, so, we have not been able to analyze or compare the best ways to prepare kindergartners. We have not been able to determine which strategies lead to success in college or the workforce. And, we have not been able to compare the impact of a student’s academic experience from place to place because we haven’t collected data on student coursework or GPA. This has limited the ability of families, teachers, principals and policymakers to make informed decisions.
Implement a state-of-the-art longitudinal data system. The General Assembly recently passed legislation paving the way to create a state-of-the-art longitudinal data system. We applaud the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) for their leadership in calling for this system, and to the collective membership of the Illinois Education Roundtable for its steady support. With more than $9 million of federal grant dollars to get started, we encourage the state to make sure implementation follows the Data Quality Campaign’s recommendations to get data into the hands of decisionmakers, including teachers and parents, provide appropriate oversight and outreach to encourage cooperation from all stakeholders and encourage collection of the widest range of data, including health and other data from beyond the school system. Finally, it is incumbent on the state to provide the resources and training to ensure principals and teachers use these data effectively at the school and classroom level.45
Provide teachers early warning data to support at-risk students. More than 41,000 students drop out of school in Illinois each year—half of them from outside of Chicago, and the drop out rate is much worse for Latinos (44 percent) and African Americans (48 percent) compared to 23 percent overall.46 One of the most critical elements of a new data system needs to be the ability to analyze and predict
which academic and non-academic factors contribute to whether students decide to stay in school. Often called “early warning indicators,” this sort of research-based information can help teachers and principals identify students at risk of dropping out—and take quick action to give students the support they need to stay in school.
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The Freshman “On—Track” Indicator
The Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago extensively analyzed years of data from the Chicago Public Schools to identify who stays in school, who drops out and why. Their research found that grades and attendance are the two most important predictors of graduation in Chicago—more important than income or race or any other factor. Specifi cally, they determined that students who had not earned enough credits to “promote” to sophomore status with their peers were dramatically more likely to drop out than freshmen who remained “on-track” at the end of the year.
This information is transforming how many high schools in Chicago organize their freshman program, and how they support and advise their youngest students. |
