The Oregon DATA Project

Posted July 21
In collaboration with the Oregon Direct Access to Achievement Project, the Continuing Education program in PSU's Graduate School of Education is providing graduate credit for 2010-2011 trainings. Administrators can receive four graduate credits (ELP 506) for use as electives toward Portland State University's Continuing Administrator License (CAL). Teachers and aspiring administrators can receive two graduate credits (CI 810), which can be used as electives in a program of study, moving up the pay scale, or licensure renewal, as applicable.

Administrators in the four-credit class must attend 60+ hours of Oregon DATA Project trainings throughout the 2010-2011 academic year and complete a practicum project. Teachers and aspiring administrators in the two-credit class must attend 20+ hours of Oregon DATA Project trainings throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. Participants electing to transfer these credits to a program other than PSU's should seek approval from their adviser in advance. The credit will be graded and awarded spring term 2011.

To register, visit www.ceed.pdx.edu/ORdata/

Posted July 8
A webpage hosted by High Desert Education Service District showcases the DATA Project work done by teachers in districts served by High Desert, Jefferson, Lake and Harney County ESDs. Over the course of the last year, teacher teams in the Central Oregon region worked on unwrapping standards in math and science. "Unwrapping" is done to develop a deeper understanding of the standard when planning instruction and assessment, and includes the identification of the key concept, content and skills along with the big ideas, essential questions, outcomes and performance descriptors. The development of common formative assessments is the next step in the process. To visit the webpage and see the highly collaborative work of the teams, click here.

Posted July 7
Several regions in Oregon have scheduled events to support their work with the Oregon DATA Project. In the Central Oregon region, Dr. Kevin Feldman will provide research and practice to secondary principals/coaches and lead teachers on the role of being an instructional leader in their school with an emphasis on literacy across the content areas. The event is scheduled for Aug. 19-20. There will be two follow-up days in each of the four participating ESD areas for in-school, hands-on training. Click here for the "Instructional Leadership for Secondary Administrators" flier.

The Southern Oregon ESD Fall Conference on Oct. 4-5 will talk about integrating systems for student success--PBIS, RtI, and PLC and data teams. The Monday, Oct. 4 session focuses on early childhood and elementary; the Tuesday, Oct. 5 session looks closely at middle and high schools. Click here for the flier.

      The June issue of Today's OEA magazine devotes a four-page spread to the project. "Data driven: A Statewide Grant Turns Test Scores into Teaching Strategies" takes a look at project activities––and their results--around the state. Download a printable copy HERE.
      In an entry titled "Data, Data Everywhere: But Are There Brains to Think?," a blog focusing on stimulus issues highlights the DATA Project. The writers discuss the importance of training people to use data, then say: "Among the pioneering states is Oregon, which is training teachers and principals on data use and has a comprehensive website that's been a good model." Read the entire blog entry HERE.
      The good work being done in the Grant School District in eastern Oregon is featured in an article in the Blue Mountain Eagle. "The WRITE stuff: Local teachers use data to help students hone their skills" talks about the great strides student at Humboldt Elementary have made in achievement, thanks to teacher Susie Garrison and her work with the Oregon DATA Project. Download the story HERE.

Posted June 7
Teams of administrators and lead teachers have an opportunity this summer to bring the school year into focus by taking an analytical look at assessment. The Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and the Education Enterprise Steering Committee (EESC) are partnering to sponsor the "Focus on Assessment Institute," Aug. 11-12 at the Hilton Eugene.

The two-day institute will address: assessment requirements and use of data; data warehouses; the Oregon Direct Access to Achievement (DATA) Project; high school diploma/graduation requirements; and important system-wide frameworks. Participating teams will develop a practical plan for managing the assessment demands of their schools and districts in the upcoming year.

Key staff from ODE, Ed Northwest, and Oregon ESDs and school districts will lead the sessions. Watch this space for more details! Support for attending this event is available for districts participating in the Oregon DATA Project's Sustainability effort; contact your local ESD for more information.

Visit the COSA website for complete details or to register for the event.

Updated June 25
More than 35 teachers and district administrators attended three days of training from the Oregon DATA Project at the Redmond Summer Institute. Day 1, "Using Data to Plan Student Success," helped guide districts and building-level staff in effectively using data to implement their CIPs and SIPs. Day 2, ""The Effective Use of Classroom Data," took teams deep into formative and summative data from a classroom and student perspective. On Day 3, Peggy Schooling from Learning Sciences International provided participants with a process for developing a "language of instruction." For more information, download the flier by clicking HERE. Materials used in each session are available for download at left: go to Training > Special sessions.

Mickey Garrison, Director of School Improvement for the Oregon Education Enterprise Steering Committee (EESC), has been named the State Data Director of the Year by the Data Quality Campaign during its yearly meeting in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29.

Educators across the state are hard at work on the sustainability phase of the Oregon DATA Project. Several strong efforts are under way to ensure the data training continues to build capacity, as well as embed a culture of data quality in schools throughout our state.