Illuminations and Insights
We shine a light on our partners, the work we've done across the country, and insights from our team members.
Flexibility during COVID-19: What we can learn from California’s use of interim assessments in the 2020-21 school year
Many local education agencies (LEAs) in California administered an interim assessment instead of the state’s summative assessment in 2020-21. Using data from 47 LEAs, we compare participation and proficiency rates in 2020-21 with pre-COVID rates, as well as highlight the work of one school that excelled in supporting their students’ learning during COVID-19.
Future Forward Literacy awarded U.S. Department of Education grant to expand and enhance service to 6,000 new students
Early literacy nonprofit Future Forward (a program of Education Analytics) successfully transitions into the next stage of nationwide expansion with its third award in 10 years from the U.S. Department of Education’s “Education Innovation and Research” (EIR) program.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Making sure everyone has the chance to dance at EA
Education Analytics is committed to being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. This blog discusses why we care about DEI at EA, and it digs into two specific initiatives that are in the works at our organization.
Measuring the impact of test opt-out on achievement and growth
When examining patterns of test opt-out and its impact on student achievement and growth in South Carolina, EA found that test participation in 2021 was higher than expected, but still lower than historical rates. We found some evidence of the negative impact of test non-participation on aggregated achievement.
What on-track measures can tell us about high schoolers during COVID-19: A worrisome pattern in grades and attendance
To understand the impact of COVID-19 on high school students, we need to turn to other sources of data beyond test scores on interim assessments, which are not as readily available for students in grades 9-12. In this blog, we explore how EA's ongoing work to produce measures of students' on-track status towards post-secondary readiness reveals worrisome patterns in many high schoolers' grades and attendance during the pandemic.
Focusing on users to “Focus on Students:” How EA collaborates with partners to develop dashboards and features that meet their needs
Designing dashboards that help turn data from numbers into actionable guidance for our partners requires a mix of user-centered design principles, technical expertise, and a strong data narrative. In this blog, we describe how we apply these elements at EA, and we walk through the development of the recent “Focus on Students” feature added to our Rally Analytics Platform.