Data Driven Decisions for Academic Achievement (D3A2)

Project Overview

The Data Driven Decisions for Academic Achievement (D3A2) project is a long-term initiative focused on developing the capacity of educators while improving instruction and student achievement.  D3A2 provides systemic access to timely data and educational resources aligned to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards

 

Tools for Educators

Tools accessible through D3A2 help educators analyze data, and then point them to resources such as lesson plans and assessments designed to address academic needs identified by the data.

D3A2 puts data and resources in the hands of educators, parents and students in a powerful, appropriate and easy-to-use format. By using D3A2, teachers save time by gaining access to aligned resources for improving classroom instruction.

 

Primary Goals

The primary goals of D3A2 are to:

  • Improve educator’s comfort and proficiency in analyzing data to inform instruction and practices.
  • Contribute to a sustainable infrastructure to promote and enhance information-based education practice and content alignment across the state.
  • Leverage technology user groups (i.e., school districts, application vendors and information technology centers) to accelerate the integration of existing educational tools and the development of new data systems.

 

Cooperative Effort

D3A2 is a cooperative effort that is being developed and governed by stakeholder groups, rather than any single entity. Various committees oversee content, end-user requirements, overall system architecture, professional development and financial resources.

D3A2’s technical infrastructure integrates and enhances existing systems. Its data warehouse includes data-analysis and decision-making tools for districts and schools to use. Future enhancements of the warehouse also make it a source for research, analysis and decision making by other stakeholders.

 

Data Reporting

D3A2 will provide an efficient and effective system for local education agencies to report state-required data and an automated, streamlined process for reporting federally required data.

Collecting and sharing data methods will improve through the use of data definition and data format standards are implemented. These standards will be based upon School Interoperability Framework (SIF) specifications and will frame the D3A2. A comprehensive data dictionary will support quality data reporting and the appropriate, consistent use and representation of data.

 

Professional Development

Professional development is offered statewide to teach educators how to comfortably and effectively use D3A2 data to make decisions that improve instruction. Many of the professional development materials created by D3A2 come with comprehensive facilitator and participant materials that can be used to replicate the session for teachers.

 

Participation

D3A2 is available for Ohio educators in districts that wish to access it. The use of D3A2 is voluntary and offered at no cost to Ohio School districts.

Districts that wish to utilize the Data Tools application must coordinate with their area Information Technology Centers (ITC) to have their student demographics data and Ohio Achievement and Graduation Test data prepared in the Data Scrubber external link and loaded into the warehouse. View the "Implementation" page for more information about this process.

 

Ohio Improvement Process

D3A2 is a component of the Ohio School Improvement Process.