2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference 1 E NSURING D ATA Q UALITY IN C OLLECTIONS Monday, October 29, 2012 Brian Townsend, VT Department of Education

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference V ERMONT 2

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Background CURRENT: Method of Data Collection o Online: Oracle Forms/Reports Data Collections – Mostly data entry with pre-populated data – Some batch file uploads o Distributed: Microsoft Access FUTURE: FY12 SLDS Grant (Vermont’s 1 st ) o Vermont Automated Data Reporting (VADR) Project – Deliverable 1: Statewide Vertical Reporting V ERMONT 3

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Communication & Training Application Specific Documentation o On Data Collection website & Inside Oracle applications Data Collection Trainings o Role-specific based on collection (e.g. Registrar, Business Manager, etc.) o In-person trainings o Online Trainings – Learning Network of Vermont (LNV) – GoTo Suite Weekly Field Memo Helpdesk VERMONT, CONT. 4

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Data Validation & Corrections Application/Database-level validation rules Error-checking procedures o Backend: Oracle Database procedures o External: SPSS (e.g. frequency checks, auto-fixes, flags to fix manually) o EdFacts reporting: Built in edit checks to ensure EdFacts rules aren’t violated. Administrator Sign-Off of Data Collection Indicators V ERMONT, CONT. 5

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Data Validation & Corrections, cont. Post-hoc Validation & Correction o Return Error Reports o Disputed Students o Perm Checking (record former last names) 3-year Revision Window o Can lead to new errors Data Use High Stakes Data o Membership = Money o Visibility => Data Quality VERMONT, CONT. 6

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Data Use, cont. Town Meeting Reports o Spending & Assessment Results Public/Legislature/Parents o Compare Assessment Results across schools => Choice Wrap Up Small State o Demographics make it easier to spot large % change o Anomalies stand out more SLDS will improve data quality o Timeliness & Availability VERMONT, CONT. 7

2012 SLDS P-20W Best Practice Conference Contact information: Brian Townsend, Corey Chatis, For more information on Data Quality: Statewide Standardized Course Codes: SLDS Best Practices Brief Traveling Through Time: Forum Guide to LDSs, Book IV: Advanced LDS Usage C ONTACTS & A DDITIONAL R ESOURCES 8