The Missouri Data Visualization Tool (MO DVT), available at modese.sas.com, was made by data analytics company SAS and prompted by stakeholders throughout the state who requested an easier way to interpret analytics on K-12 schools, according to a news release last week.
“As we work collectively to improve student achievement statewide, it is imperative that local school leaders and teachers have actionable, meaningful data to make decisions and tailor instruction — and we’re excited that MO DVT can do just that,” Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in a public statement. “MO DVT is among a series of resources that DESE is providing to ensure stakeholders — educators, families, and policymakers alike — are better able to understand Missouri’s growth model and use the data to support student learning.”
Data on the MO DVT is organized under three main categories — building reports, LEA (local education agency) reports, and comparison reports. According to the site, users can monitor and measure student performance and growth, and identify best practices that meet student needs.
“We believe that every student deserves the opportunity to be successful, and our goal is to provide resources that make data more accessible in order to support all students’ academic growth,” SAS Vice President John White said in a public statement.
According to its website, SAS counts more than 3,000 education customers in 56 countries and all 50 U.S. states. It has tools that support K-12, higher education, collegiate athletics, educator workforce development, academic research and financial management in education. The North Carolina-based company, established in 1976, also serves the health-care, banking, hospitality and agricultural industries.
Missouri educators are optimistic that the data tool will help local school leaders identify deficiencies and improve academic performance.
“Performance is important; however, students must be growing to reach grade-level proficiency,” Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Grenita Lathan said in a public statement. “It’s imperative that we are analyzing student growth to determine if instruction from classroom to classroom is positively impacting student learning.”
State education agencies across the nation are increasingly providing free data analytics tools to the public. In Hawaii, an online dashboard announced last month displays data sets for student performance, percentages of teachers who have completed training that’s specific to their subject area, and on-time graduation rates. In Connecticut, the EdSight dashboard focuses on taxpayer transparency and provides information on school spending, graduation and suspension rates, and the number of educators of color by district.
