Orientation to 2008 Regional Training: Building and Sustaining Quality in NRS Data National Webinar June 24, 2008 Larry Condelli Steve Coleman

Purpose of the Webinar Allow you to prepare to get maximum benefit from training Review of content and activities Review data needs and answer your questions Respond to participants’ request at prior NRS training

Background on NRS Training Development Three Year Training Plan Regional Training – wide interest and importance Targeted training– Special topics for select states Prioritize Topics with Department of Education (OVAE) Staff Consult with NRS Project Technical Working Group Interactive, “Hands-on” Approach

Purpose of the Training Provide a Review of NRS Basics For new staff and as a refresher for experienced staff Discuss recent NRS developments Review Systems Needed for Producing Quality NRS Data Provide Opportunity to States to Work on Their Own NRS Data Quality Issues

Training Agenda Three Day Training: Day 1: Review NRS Requirements, Systems for Data Quality Day 2: Work with Data Planning Tool to Identify and Develop an Area for Improvement Day 3: Refine Approach and Report Out

Part 1: Review of NRS and Systems for Data Quality Review of NRS Overview of NRS Requirements on: Educational Gain and Assessment Follow-up measures Reporting New Issues Opportunity for Questions and Peer Teaching/Learning

Review of Three Systems for NRS Data Quality

Part 2: Plan a Change for Improving Data or Programs Model for Using Data Four levels to represent increasing complexity and sophistication in the data use-change process. 1. Improve Data Quality: Data Systems and Error Checks 2. Improve Data Quality: Policies and Procedures 3. Manage Performance and 4. Innovate and Evaluate

Data Use Pyramid

The 4 Step Process to Build & Sustain Change

Level 1 Improve Data Quality: Data Systems and Error Checks Step 1: Examine Data to assess where you are Do you trust the data? Why does the performance of some programs vary widely from year to year? Graphing completion rates over the last 5 year shows there is wide year to year variability (more than 10% swings each year) that seem unrelated to actual program performance. Step 2: identify goal Reduce wide year to year variability in data. Step 3: plan strategy Train staff to look at completion level data and identify suspicious year-to- year variability. Create plan to improve data collection and reporting and provide incentives for improvement. Step 4: implement and evaluate Set specific target for reducing variability. After a two years of the initiative reexamine the year-to-year completion rates.

Level 2 Improve Data Quality: Policies and Procedures Step 1: Examine Data to assess where you are Do you have policies and procedures that work and are in compliance with NRS requirements? Are programs following the new policies of pre and posttesting students within the prescribed time? Two charts comparing programs to the state average show that some programs have low pre and posttesting rates and/or are not administering pre and posttests within the timeframe set by state assessment policy. Step 2: identify goal Increase compliance with state and NRS policies for pre and posttesting Step 3: plan strategy Increase onsite monitoring for programs with poor compliance with pre-posttest policies. Provide incentives for programs that improve their pre-posttesting during the year. Step 4: implement and evaluate Compare the programs’ rates of and timeframe for pre and posttesting before and after implementing strategy.

Level 3 Manage Performance Step 1: Examine Data to assess where you are Do you use data to manage and improve your programs? Are programs in the county serving the needs of all age groups in the target population as reflected in completion rates? While county census data shows that the percentage of adults within the 25 to 54 age range and those over 25 with less than a high school diploma are increasing, a graph of ABE level completion rates by age indicates that the completion rates for 25 through 59 year olds are decreasing. Step 2: identify goal Improve performance on ABE completions Step 3: plan strategy Meet with local programs in the county to examine the data and the possible causes of the decline in completion rates 25- to 54-year-olds and discuss possible strategies to improve it. Provide programs with intensive PD around serving students in this age group. Reward programs that show improved attainment rates with certificates of recognition. Step 4: implement and evaluate After PD has been in place, reexamine completion rates by age to see if they have improved for 25- to 54-year-olds.

Level 4 Innovate and Evaluate Step 1: Examine Data to assess where you are Do you use data for strategic planning and evaluation? Are students with more instructional hours more likely to complete a level? A chart comparing completion rates relative to attendance rates shows that completions start to decline after 100 instructional hours. Another graph shows that students in longer courses tend to have lower completion rates. A final graph indicates that greater intensity of instruction (more hours per week) increases completion rates. Step 2: identify goal Improve the intensity of instruction-the frequency of instruction not just the total # of instructional hours. Step 3: plan strategy Provide local programs with the information on the impact of increased intensity of instruction. Work with local programs on scheduling to see if intensity of instruction can be increased. Step 4: implement and evaluate Monitor implementation by seeing if local programs have altered their schedules. Revisit retention and completion data to see what changes, if any, have occurred.

Training Materials to be Provided Guide to Building and Sustaining NRS Data Quality Advance copy available next week on NRSWeb Training Handouts Summaries of Local Program Efforts for Improving Data Quality Electronic Data Planning Tool (Excel Spreadsheets)

Prepare for the Training Consider a Topic for Improvement Bring: State NRS data At Least One Local Program’s Data A Laptop Computer Someone with experience using NRS data

Questions Anything else you want to know about the training?

See You There!! Safe Travels