Data Driven Decisions for Academic Achievement (D3A2)

D3A2 Frequently Asked Questions

General D3A2 FAQs

D3A2 Content Provider FAQs

General D3A2 FAQs

What is D3A2?
The Data Driven Decisions for Academic Achievement (D3A2) initiative will provide a systematic approach for Ohio educators to access data and aligned resources. Users will be able to identify and access resources to meet the specific needs of their students. The end result will be an easy-to-use resource that has the potential to save time, improve instruction and raise student achievement.
How will it work?
Teachers and other users will be able to access valuable data about academic performance. D3A2 will help analyze the data to identify academic needs. The system will then point to specific resources including lesson plans and assessments to address those academic needs.
Do school districts have to participate in D3A2?
No. D3A2 will be readily available for Ohio educators in districts who wish to access it, but there is no participation requirement. However, as D3A2 is being designed by educators, they should find its time- and cost-saving benefits very desirable.
Has my district submitted an Implementation Request Form?
Check the District List to find out.
Why should school districts participate in D3A2?
D3A2 will put data and resources in the hands of educators, parents and students in a powerful and easy-to-use format. As D3A2 progresses, teachers could save a significant amount of time by using D3A2 resources to develop aligned, classroom-ready materials. The system will help identify specific needs and suggest specific, high-quality tools to meet those needs.
How can school districts participate?
Educators can participate as users and by sharing information with the rest of the teachers and educators throughout the state.
How does D3A2 differ from current software applications?
D3A2 isn’t a software application – it will enable different systems to talk to each other using common standards. For instance, D3A2 will use Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) to ensure consistent data standards. It also will use the Ohio Standard Identifier Code (OSIC) to show alignment to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards.
How will D3A2 impact the Education Management Information System (EMIS)?
During the initial implementation of D3A2 in 2006, EMIS will not be impacted. However, there is a 3 year plan to implement data standards and upgrade technologies to improve the EMIS reporting process. These changes will facilitate the integration of systems and provide the infrastructure to enable the connection of districts to the D3A2 Data Exchange.
When will D3A2 be available?
The initial components of D3A2 are expected to be complete and functional by the end of December 2006.
What will be included in the initial components released in December 2006?
Initial components will include providing teachers access to item level assessment data in as user-friendly format that allows them to understand areas needing improvement and automated links to relevant aligned education content resources.
When will D3A2 be completed?
The D3A2 project will be ongoing. It is being designed to adapt to the continuing needs of its users.
Who will fund D3A2?
The design and development efforts required for the initial D3A2 release scheduled for December 2006 will be funded primarily through federal and state budgetary dollars that ODE has allocated to this program. Additional funding is the responsibility of the D3A2 Financial Resource Committee whom are collaborating with other education related entities and pursuing grant funding from private entities and foundations. All efforts will be made to keep costs to districts as close to zero as possible. Districts planning on taking advantage of D3A2 should take the goals and requirements of D3A2 into consideration when purchasing new software applications in order to effectively leverage their currently planned district expenditures.
Where will D3A2 be located?
Physically speaking, D3A2 will probably reside on several servers across the state. It will provide the infrastructure to integrate existing systems and provide access to tools to identify and address specific needs. Cross-system interaction and increased potential capacity are two additional benefits.
Who is overseeing the development and oversight of D3A2?
D3A2 is a cooperative effort that is being developed and governed by stakeholder groups, rather than a single entity. Various committees oversee content, end-user requirements, overall system architecture, professional development and financial resources.
How does D3A2 relate to Battelle for Kids’ Value Added initiative?
Value Added is a tool that shows growth within a subject area over time, while D3A2 will provide more detailed data analysis tools. The D3A2 committees recognize that Value Added users want access to Value Added tools through the D3A2 environment. The committees have representation from Battelle for Kids and are considering integration in a later phase of D3A2.
How does D3A2 relate to ODE’s Enhanced Score Reports and websites?
The Enhanced Score Reports’ vendors are aware of the D3A2 project. The entities are working toward convergence in a later phase of the D3A2 project.

D3A2 Content Provider FAQs

(from Content Provider's Meeting)

Can D3A2 be used for "real-time" analysis of student response to classroom assessment questions that are aligned to grade level indicators by OSIC?
Phase I of D3A2 will focus on results from state testing. Schools would need to input their data into the same format in order to use the tools at this time. Later phases may provide more functionality.
Will D3A2 have a feedback process for users?
Content Providers are requested to maintain a feedback process for users. D3A2 will provide providers with usage data such as resources selected for storage in a "locker." A feedback loop is planned as a later enhancement.
Will D3A2 users be able to search content without starting from assessment analysis data (go directly to a benchmark or indicator)?
Yes.
Is there a role for ESCs in D3A2 (since the data is owned by the districts)?
Some ESCs may have content to contribute and wish to become Content Providers. Others may be supportive as D3A2 rolls out to districts by providing training.
What is the timeline for incorporating content that is aligned but not electronically/digitally available (e.g. outdoor learning experiences like Project Wet)?
After the initial rollout in December we should be able to incorporate the metadata for those resources. The abstracts will need to specifically state how to access the resource.
As a provider, will I have access to D3A2 content for my clients?
Content Providers will be able to provide their users with the ability to do a search using the resources in the content repository. Because some of the content is licensed only for Ohio, this search will need to be available only to Ohio educators who are using a password to access the resources. The Content Provider could choose to filter and use only the resources from the Content Providers that they prefer or whose resources might be most useful to their particular audience. Content providers will not be able to extract metadata from the content repository. Extracting metadata would create problems with modification of the metadata, synchronization, etc.
May a provider select one or two content areas on which to focus resources rather than the full breadth of resources needed?
Absolutely - one of the benefits of D3A2 is that it allows many entities to share their best resources. Some content providers (e.g. museums) will be specialists in a single content area, while others (e.g. school districts), may be more comprehensive.