Jun 15

Jun 15 How COVID reshaped education in the Mohawk Valley By Christopher Hill

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world of education on its head. At a moment's notice, our industry was forced to completely reinvent teaching and learning. It has been a year of struggle and hardship, but it also has been a year of tremendous growth for the world of education.

The same is true for our use of data. The use of data in education has been evolving over the last 20 years. That evolution has been accelerated by the events of the last year. Once upon a time, test scores and student achievement were the primary data points we focused on. We looked at test scores, reading levels, math levels, test item analysis and other, purely academic, indicators. Slowly, our industry began to look at non-academic data points that indirectly influenced student success such as suspension rates, attendance and extracurricular participation. This was a huge step forward. The pandemic has forced us to look at data in a whole new way. Although we still focus on student achievement, data that tells a story of the “whole child” has also taken center stage.

When students began to learn from home, we looked at data that demonstrated the many barriers students faced when outside a classroom. For instance, when our learning management system, BUZZ, shows us that a student logs on to do their work at night, but rarely during the traditional school day, we know that student is overcoming a barrier. Maybe there is no adult to get them up for school. Maybe that child is helping younger siblings with their school work. The data shows us there is a need to intervene and empowers our professionals to reach out and help when we can.

We also looked for data on disengagement. The pandemic and learning from home were difficult for many students socially and emotionally, as it took them away from their peer groups. Many of them “shut down.” How can we catch them before this happens? We began to flag attendance trends and participation rates to connect with students and provide support before students disengaged.

Schools would also look at data retroactively to measure the impact of interventions. Following the implementation of a new teaching strategy or social emotional intervention, we would monitor the aforementioned data points to measure effectiveness. For example, if we held a school-wide assembly online to bring a class together, did attendance improve following the event?

Finally, schools needed to look at the way in which we assessed progress in a whole new way. With the “level playing field” a classroom provides either disrupted or interrupted, we had to look at student growth and progress as much as we looked at achievement. Data that demonstrated progress toward a standard was as important as data that demonstrated achievement of a standard. To get this data, teachers tried new strategies that fit with the disrupted learning environment, such as multiple attempts at assignments and extended deadlines. The data showed us that these strategies better ensured growth and progress during this past year.

Many in education are hoping for a “return to normal” this coming fall. Although the trends indicate we are going in that direction, we will not see a return to normal for education in many aspects including our use of data. Data on the “whole child” has been eye-opening for all of us and it is here to stay. In this respect, it has been a tremendous year of growth for education.

Christopher Hill is Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Programs and Professional Learning at Oneida-Madison-Herkimer BOCES, and Chairman of the Education SubCommittee of The Genesis Center for Data Analytics

Special thanks to The Genesis Group for facilitating this article. The Genesis Group is a civic organization that unites Business and Community Leaders working to advance regional Economic, Social and Cultural interests, and to foster unity and cooperation in the Mohawk Valley region of Upstate New York. For more information on this type of analytical and analysis and data collection technologies, please visit the Genesis Center for Analytical Analysis website at TheGenesisGroup.org