Edwin Analytics Workshop Handouts and Tips

As you know, the Education Data Warehouse has now been merged into Edwin Analytics, and by now you may have logged in to run reports with your preliminary 2013 MCAS data. The interface hasn't changed significantly, and in recent workshops the participants have commented that the speed and ease of use in the new system are excellent.

One difference you may have noticed is that the "My Folders" area is not easy to find. "My Folders" is an excellent place to save copies of reports, especially reports that may contain student-level data, as it is extremely secure (unlike a memory stick!) and accessible from any computer.

If you do not see a "My Folders" tab at the very top level of tabs (to the right of "Public Folders"), you need to set the My Folders tab to appear. To do this, click on the "Tab Menu" button to the left of the EOE tab at the very top of the page and select "Add Tabs". Check the box next to "My Folders", then the green arrow in the middle to move the selection over to the right. Click OK. You should now see the My Folders tab at the top, next to Public Folders.

For those that were not able to make the Edwin Analytics workshops this month (and even for those that were!) I'm providing you a link to a Google Drive folder which contains the Edwin Analytics handouts and information sheets used in the workshops. Please let me know what you find useful or if there are questions I can answer for you!

Link to Edwin Analytics Handouts

Summer Edwin Analytics Workshops Update

Just a reminder about the regional Edwin Analytics workshops I will be offering in August - all 3 sponsoring collaboratives have now posted the registration information, so I wanted to post an update. Please click the links below to register.

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I will be offering the "Getting to Know Edwin Analytics" workshop several times in mid-late August (with the expectation that the preliminary MCAS data will be available at that time). There is no cost for these workshops; although priority registration will be given to individuals from Level 3 districts we anticipate to be able to accommodate all who would like to attend.

The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in Edwin Analytics (formerly the Education Data Warehouse), including the Growth Model reports and classroom-level reports. This workshop is appropriate to new users but can serve as an update for previous users of the Education Data Warehouse. Participants will access their own district or school's data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2013-2014 school year.

All attendees must be assigned appropriate Security Portal access to Edwin Analytics by their district's Director Administrator prior to the workshop. Please register directly with the collaborative through whom the workshop is offered (it is not necessary that your district be a member of the collaborative to attend.)

8/15/13 - Bourne High School
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the Cape Cod Collaborative

8/20/13 - Whitman Hanson Regional High School
8:30-11:30 am
Please register through the North River Collaborative

8/22/13 - READS Collaborative, Middleborough
8:30-11:30 am
Please register through the READS Collaborative

June 2013 Release of Preliminary Results

As many of you already know, preliminary MCAS results were made available to authorized users in DropBox Central (in the security portal) on Tuesday. This release includes full preliminary ELA results and preliminary multiple-choice results for grades 3–8 and 10 Math and grades 5 and 8 Science.

There is an interpretive guide to accompany this release (currently available in DropBox Central, to be posted to the 2013 MCAS Web page shortly) which provides information about various ways that the preliminary data (along with the 2013 released items) can be reviewed and utilized. The raw-to-scaled score conversion tables for ELA have also been posted.

In addition, the latest Student Assessment Update notes that preliminary MCAS-Alt results have been made available through DropBox Central, and ELA long compositions are posted online at www.mcasservicecenter.com.

On Friday, June 21, the same preliminary results will be made available through selected reports in Edwin Analytics.

Per the Interpretive Guide: "All data released prior to the official release of school and district results in mid-September are embargoed, which means the data cannot be released to the public or discussed in public meetings.... Preliminary MCAS data, including the Mathematics and STE multiple-choice results, can and should be used for educational planning purposes. Whenever preliminary results are printed for planning purposes, they should be clearly dated and labeled “preliminary,” with the understanding that some results may change with the official release in September."

As a reminder, I will be offering three regional Edwin Analytics workshops in August after the remainder of the preliminary data has been released, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

Summer Edwin Analytics Workshops

I will be offering the "Getting to Know Edwin Analytics" workshop several times in mid-late August (with the expectation that the preliminary MCAS data will be available at that time). There is no cost for these workshops; although priority registration will be given to individuals from Level 3 districts we anticipate to be able to accommodate all who would like to attend.

The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in Edwin Analytics (formerly the Education Data Warehouse), including the Growth Model reports and classroom-level reports. This workshop is appropriate to new users but can serve as an update for previous users of the Education Data Warehouse. Participants will access their own district or school's data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2013-2014 school year.

All attendees must be assigned appropriate Security Portal access to Edwin Analytics by their district's Director Administrator prior to the workshop. Please register directly with the collaborative through whom the workshop is offered (it is not necessary that your district be a member of the collaborative to attend.)

8/15/13 - Bourne High School
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the Cape Cod Collaborative

8/20/13 - Whitman Hanson Regional High School
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the North River Collaborative
(info is not yet posted but will be in the next week or so)

8/22/13 - READS Collaborative, Middleborough
8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
Please register through the READS Collaborative

MCAS Release Schedule 2013

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has published the release schedule for 2013 MCAS data. Today's memorandum plus the downloadable schedule can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/.

In summary: Starting on June 18, school leaders will have access to student roster files (ELA all question types, Science multiple choice for grades 5 and 8, Math multiple choice only, MCAS-Alt full results) through Dropbox Central. Selected reports will be available in Edwin Analytics several days later. A second round of data will be released on August 7, with the discrepancy reporting window occuring between August 7-13. Please see the schedule for all the details.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the Security Portal (home of Dropbox Central and Edwin Analytics) will be undergoing some changes this weekend. The new URL for the portal will be https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us.

I will be holding regional Edwin Analytics workshops on August 15 at Bourne HS and August 22 at READS in Middleboro and will post registration information to the blog next week. If anyone is interested in a late June workshop given that there will be some new data to explore by June 21, please let me know (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) as I could certainly schedule one if the interest exists.

Happy Friday!

2012 MCAS Data Now in the EDW Cube

The Education Data Warehouse "cubes" were updated this week to include 2012 data. (Cubes are predefined data tables in the EDW that make on-the-fly data manipulation possible.)

The cubes can be accessed from either the District tab or the School tab in the EDW, near the bottom on the left side of the page, under the header Data Analysis Cube. Clicking the link ESE Cubes will open a folder with both the cubes and supporting documentation (a handbook and an up-to-date FAQ). The MCAS Default View cube allows users to start from scratch to analyze data for a particular school or district. The folder Starting Points (Cube Views) provides cube starting points that have already been manipulated and saved to present the data in a particular way. The currently available cube views include:

• MCAS % Correct by Strand and Topic Trend
• MCAS CPI Trends by Grade Level
• MCAS Demographic Trends
• MCAS Performance by Grade Level
• MCAS Performance by Year
• MCAS Performance by Gender by Subject
• MCAS Special Education Performance Gap Trends
• MCAS Subject, Strand, Topic, Question Type, % Correct compared to State by Subgroup (SPED)
• MCAS Weighting by Strand and Topic Level

The State MCAS Default View cube is available for training purposes and contains only state-level data.

To save a cube view, click the Save As icon in the lower right corner and save it to the My Folders tab or your District Folder. (Don't worry, you can't accidentally overwrite the public cube views.) This is similar to saving Report Views. To convert the cube view to PDF for printing/saving outside of the EDW, click the File button in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen (looks like a page) and choose Export PDF. The File button will also allow you to export the data into Excel.

I will offer a regional workshop on using the Data Warehouse cubes if there is enough interest - please email me at laura.tilton@dsacma.org if you're interested in a workshop.

Growth and EDW 3.0 Workshops August 2012

The Southeast DSAC (Laura Tilton, Data Specialist) will be offering the following no-cost workshops on Thursday, August 16 at Pembroke High School. Workshops require a minimum of 12 participants (maximum of 24) and priority will be given to participants from regional Level 3 districts. (Customized in-district workshops are also available upon request for Level 3 districts.)

Getting to Know Data Warehouse 3.0 (2.5 hours, 9:00-11:30, August 16)
The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the new Education Data Warehouse, including the Growth Model reports and NEW classroom-level reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2012-2013 school year. This workshop is appropriate for both new and previous users of the Education Data Warehouse; all attendees must have been assigned appropriate Security Portal access to the EDW by their district's Directory Administrator.

Exploring MCAS Growth Data (2 hours, 12:00-2:00, August 16)
This workshop (suggested as an extension to the previous workshop) will go beyond an overview of the Growth Model and focus on the use of MCAS growth data and reports at multiple levels (district, school, classroom/group, and student). Participants will deepen their understanding of the growth model and how to interpret growth reports (with connections to the new Educator Evaluation System), engage with school/district growth data following a data analysis protocol, and learn what growth reports are available and where to find them.

Please register via this form to reserve your spot. Thank you!

Growth and EDW 3.0 Workshop Offerings Summer 2012

The Southeast DSAC (Laura Tilton, Data Specialist) has set aside July 24 and August 16 to offer the following set of workshops. Workshops require a minimum of 12 participants (maximum of 24) and priority will be given to participants from regional Level 3 districts. However, we anticipate that we will able to accommodate educators from all interested Southeast districts.


Getting to Know Data Warehouse 3.0 (2.5 hours, 9:00-11:30, July 24 or August 16)
The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the new Education Data Warehouse, including the Growth Model reports and classroom-level reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2012-2013 school year. This workshop is appropriate for both new and previous users of the Education Data Warehouse; all attendees must have been assigned appropriate Security Portal access to the EDW by their district's Directory Administrator.

Exploring MCAS Growth Data (2 hours, 12:00-2:00, July 24 or August 16)
This workshop (suggested as an extension to the previous workshop) will go beyond an overview of the Growth Model and focus on the use of MCAS growth data and reports at multiple levels (district, school, classroom/group, and student). Participants will deepen their understanding of the growth model and how to interpret growth reports (with connections to the new Educator Evaluation System), engage with school/district growth data following a data analysis protocol, and learn what growth reports are available and where to find them.

Please register via this form and let us know which workshops interest you and whether your district may be able to host the workshop. Thank you!

EDW downtime and Thursday workshop cancellation

A notice in the Security Portal states that "Data Warehouse version 3.0 will not be available after 3:00pm Wednesday 10/19 until Friday morning 10/21 due to maintenance."

Unfortunately, this means that Thursday's EDW 3.0 workshop at Sharon Middle School needs to be cancelled, since there will be no access to EDW 3.0 at that time. There are still spots in the 11/10 Mattapoisett workshop for folks who would like to register. Thanks for your understanding!

Spots still available for EDW Workshop this Thursday

There are still spots available in the EDW 3.0 workshop this Thursday afternoon in Sharon (as well as 11/10 in Mattapoisett). Please share this information with colleagues who may need to get up to speed with the new Data Warehouse.

Please see previous post for information and registration.
http://southeastdata.blogspot.com/2011/10/regional-edw-30-workshops-october-20.html

Regional EDW 3.0 Workshops - October 20 and November 10

Workshop Announcement: Introduction to the Education Data Warehouse 3.0

This workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the EDW 3.0, including the new Growth Model and reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, get time-saving tips and will have an opportunity to run and save reports for use in the planning for the 2011-2012 school year. . The workshop is appropriate for district and school administrators, and grade-level or data team leaders, whether or not they have previous experience with the EDW. Priority for seats will be given to staff from Level 3 or 4 districts in our region, but we anticipate that we can accommodate staff from all districts in the Southeast region of Massachusetts.

NOTE: Prior to the workshop, all participants should ensure that they (1) know their username and password for the DESE Security Portal AND (2) have been assigned the appropriate security role which permits access to the EDW.

Please click the links below to register for one of two dates, or contact Laura Tilton (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) with questions.

Thursday, October 20 12:30-3:30, Sharon Middle School
Thursday, November 10, 12:30-3:30, Old Rochester Regional Middle School (Mattapoisett)

Data Warehouse Improvements and Refreshers

As you may know, the folks at ESE have been working on substantial improvements to both the front-end (user interface) and back-end (report processing speed) of the Education Data Warehouse. The new and old systems will run in parallel starting mid-August. For staff who need a refresher on the current system and/or would like to learn more about the new system, there will be several Data Warehouse Refresher workshops offered in August.

These no-cost workshops are intended for staff who have had previous Data Warehouse training (or have explored it independently) but need additional support in the use of this tool. The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the Data Warehouse, including the new Growth Model and reports. Information will be shared about summer 2011 improvements and changes to the Data Warehouse interface and functionality. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, get time-saving tips and will have an opportunity to run and save reports for use in the planning for the 2011-2012 school year.

Monday, August 22 at Bourne High School, 8:30-11:30 am
REGISTER: http://cccollaborativeorg.dependable-hosting.com/professionaldevelopment/index.asp?CategoryID=26#94

Monday, August 22 at Bourne High School, 12:00-2:45 pm
REGISTER: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhaWVhhRUxYVTFvT1M3U2hERWt5Vnc6MA

Tuesday, August 23 at Norton Middle School, 8:30-11:30 am OR 12:15-3:15 pm
REGISTER: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhaWVhhRUxYVTFvT1M3U2hERWt5Vnc6MA

All courses will be taught by Laura Tilton, Southeast DSAC Data Specialist and held in air-conditioned PC computer labs.

Using Excel for Dynamic Inquiry

At the end of June, the Southeast DSAC Literacy Specialist and I had the good fortune to work with a group of teachers who were part of a district "Literacy Intervention Team." Their immediate goal was to explore the growth and performance of their 6th grade students who had participated in the previous year's targeted literacy intervention efforts.

I assisted the group in developing a large Excel spreadsheet which contained all the relevant student data, and we spent time exploring this data dynamically, asking questions such as:

• How did our intervention students perform on this year's MCAS test? What type of growth did we see in these students? How did they perform on local assessments (SRI, DRA-2, etc.)
  


• Were there students who were not included in our intervention efforts who scored Warning/Failing on the MCAS? Who were they and why were they not included in intervention efforts last year?
  


• What about the performance of students whose were initially identified last summer for intervention, but did not participate? (parents "opted out" of literacy intervention or other reasons)

The team's extremely rich conversations that day were able to move to the next level because of the ability to explore the data in a dynamic way, digging deeper as the conversation progressed.

As a result of this work (and previous work/conversations in districts), I would like to offer a workshop entitled "Using Excel for Dynamic Inquiry" so that districts/schools may develop their own dynamic tools for looking at data.

Please take a few minutes to participate in a short survey to indicate your interest in such a workshop, and feel free to forward the survey to others in your district who may be interested. Thank you for your feedback!

SURVEY LINK:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRpWjR4UjJqcl9QOXMzai1ZaTZoR0E6MQ

Last Call for Data Warehouse Basics Workshop - this Wednesday!

Data Warehouse: Basics and More
Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Bourne High School
Instructor: Laura Tilton, DSAC Data Specialist
Cost: Free

This workshop for new Data Warehouse users will combine the essential elements of the DW101 and DW201 courses from the ESE, including the cycle of inquiry and use of the pre-defined reports. The new Student Growth Model and related reports will also be explored. While sample data will be used for the introductory activities, participants will have the opportunity to begin to investigate data for their own schools/districts.

All participants will need to make sure they have been granted access to the Data Warehouse in the security portal (and know their username and password) by their district’s Directory Administrator. This needs to be done by June 28 at the very latest, as the Data Warehouse requires an overnight wait for access changes. The instructor for the workshop does not have the ability to assign or change Data Warehouse access.

Register through the Cape Cod Collaborative at this link:
http://cccollaborativeorg.dependable-hosting.com/professionaldevelopment/index.asp?CategoryID=26#87

I will also be offering a "refresher" course on August 22 (also listed at the CCC link above) which will include information about the "new" features of the data warehouse (if available.)

It's that time of year!

As the school year winds down, it's also a busy time of year data-wise! The MEPA data were released earlier this month, and the MCAS raw data files and roster files (embargoed!) were placed in DropBoxes at the end of last week. The end of this week will bring new preliminary data in the Data Warehouse, the MEPA-MCAS crosswalks in DropBoxes. If you missed the webinar last week on MCAS Reporting, the PowerPoint presentation can be found in the MCAS Reporting section of the MCAS Service Center.

Last week's conference call on EDW improvements provided of an insight into the improvements being made to the system. (PowerPoint to be posted soon on the ESE Web site.) Some features we can look forward to include:

• Faster report generation due to back-end improvements


• Interface enhancements including reports in a separate window, prompts directly on the report itself, and links to pre-run reports in DropBoxes


• MEPA and CD status data will be in EDW


• Faster access to appropriate prompts (for example, less scrolling to get to the district's name)


• On-screen previews of sample reports so users know what the report looks like before it is run

I don't have details about what features will be available when (I believe the goal is late summer), but I do know that we will see a few of the improvements in this week's EDW release. In addition, the new system and the old system will co-exist for a while as folks get used to the new system.

As a reminder, I am offering a Data Warehouse "Getting Started" workshop on June 29 and a "Refresher" course on August 22 (in Bourne). The refresher course will include any information about the "new" system that is available at that time. Spots are still available and you can sign up through the Cape Cod Collaborative.

Data Warehouse Workshops and Refresher Courses?

Currently I have scheduled a Data Warehouse: Basics and More course in Bourne on June 29, and a Data Warehouse Refresher course on August 22. (These are offered through the Cape Cod Collaborative but are open to all districts in the region at no cost, please click the links above to sign up.)

If there is a need for additional Data Warehouse workshops or refresher courses in other parts of the region, I'll be happy to offer them as needed. Please contact me (laura.tilton@dsacma.org) with your DW training needs and I'll keep you informed about upcoming regional training opportunities.

More Growth Resources from the State

As you may know, there is now a new Data Warehouse course which focuses on the Growth Model (DW203 - Using MCAS Student Growth Percentiles). As with the other DW courses, all the materials can be downloaded from the "Training Materials" link on the Welcome page of the Data Warehouse.

As part of the development of this course, there are several brand-new video tutorials which help stakeholders understand and interpret some of the new growth reports. These videos may be useful for you to use with stakeholders (administrators, teachers, school committees, parents, etc.) as you share information about the state's new growth model.

These tutorials are different from the "growth model basics" and "parent report" video tutorials that I have posted about previously; both the new and older video tutorials can be downloaded from the main Growth Model page on the ESE Web site. Scroll to the bottom of the Growth page for both the Flash videos and static Word documents containing the information for the following:

• Introduction to Student Growth Percentiles
  
• Using MCAS Growth Reports: Scatter Plots
  
• Using MCAS Growth Reports: Stacked Bar Charts
  

As a side note, I will be teaching the DW203 half-day course through the Bi-County Collaborative at Norton Middle School on Friday, October 29 from 9-12. Spots are still available (no cost); please contact Joni Larsen at jlarsen@bicounty.org.

October Workshop Spots Available

The following workshops are being offered at no cost through the Cape Cod Collaborative (taught by Laura Tilton, Data Specialist, Southeast DSAC). Spots are still available for all three workshops, which will be held at Bourne High School. You may register online; for questions please contact Sheila Murray at s.murray.ccc@comcast.net.

Thursday, October 14, 8:30-2:30, Data Warehouse Basics and More
This workshop will combine the essential elements of the DW101 and DW201 courses from the ESE, including the cycle of inquiry and use of the pre-defined reports. The new Student Growth Model and related reports will also be explored. While sample data will be used for the introductory activities, participants will have the opportunity to begin to investigate data for their own schools/districts.

Thursday, October 21, 8:30-11:30, Using Student Growth Percentiles (DW203)
This NEW course for district/school leaders and teachers will present an overview of the Growth Model and focus on the use of MCAS growth data and reports. In the course, participants will learn about growth data, identify district and school uses for growth data, and apply the inquiry process through hands-on activities using MCAS growth reports. Requirement: DW101, Introduction to the Data Warehouse. (Note: October 14 participants will have already had much of this material.)

Thursday, October 21, 12:00-3:00, Multi-Dimensional Analysis (DW202)
Participants will learn how to access and use the Cognos® PowerPlay tool to engage in multidimensional analysis through cubes, pre-defined data tables that make on-the-fly data manipulation possible. Participants in this workshop will use training accounts containing sample data but will be provided an opportunity to work with their own district's data as well. Requirement: DW101, Introduction to the Data Warehouse

Spots available in Data Warehouse Refresher course 8/26 at READS Collaborative

Thursday, August 26
Data Warehouse Refresher
READS Collaborative (8:30-11:30), Middleborough
Registration Contact: Mary Keeler @ READS Collaborative, mkeeler@readscollab.org

This session is intended for staff who have had previous Data Warehouse training (or have explored it independently) but need additional support in the use of this tool. The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the Data Warehouse, including the new Growth Model reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, get time-saving tips, and will have an opportunity to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2010-2011 school year.

Summer Data Warehouse Workshops and Refresher Courses

The following Data Warehouse courses are being offered (at no or nominal cost) in the Southeast region over the summer, and seats are limited. All workshops will be taught by Laura Tilton, Southeast DSAC Data Specialist. Participants must have been granted access to the Data Warehouse via the DESE security portal prior to arrival at these workshops.

Tuesday, July 13
Data Warehouse Refresher
Duxbury High School (8:30-11:30 with optional afternoon support)
Registration Contact: Laura Tilton, laura.tilton@dsacma.org
This session is intended for staff who have had previous Data Warehouse training (or have explored it independently) but need additional support in the use of this tool. The workshop will provide a structured environment in which to explore data using the pre-defined reports in the Data Warehouse, including the new Growth Model reports. Participants will access their own district or school’s data, and will have time to run and save reports for use in planning for the 2010-2011 school year.

Wednesday, August 11
Data Warehouse Basics and More (8:00 am - 1:00 pm with snack break)
sponsored by the Bi-County Collaborative (Franklin, MA) location TBA
Registration Contact: Joni Larsen @ Bi-County Collaborative, jlarsen@bicounty.org
This workshop will combine the essential elements of the DW101 and DW201 courses from the ESE, including the cycle of inquiry and use of the pre-defined reports. The new Student Growth Model reports will also be explored. While sample data will be used for the introductory activities, participants will have the opportunity to begin to investigate data for their own schools/districts.

Monday, August 16
Data Warehouse Refresher (see description above)
Bourne High School (8:30-11:30)
Registration Contact: Sheila Murray @ Cape Cod Collaborative, s.murray.ccc@comcast.net

Thursday, August 26
Data Warehouse Refresher (see description above)
READS Collaborative (8:30-11:30), Middleborough
Registration Contact: Mary Keeler @ READS Collaborative, mkeeler@readscollab.org