MCHENRY, Ill., Oct. 28, 2009 – Seeking to arm itself with substantive student data to “positively impact student achievement,” the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in southwest Indiana is in the midst of implementing one of the most comprehensive custom TetraData warehouses undertaken by Follett Software Company.
“As we more clearly understand our present performance in key areas, we can ask better questions about the way we deliver instruction to our students,” said David Dimmett, the district’s chief academic officer. “The data warehouse allows us to more fully understand the many variables influencing the achievement of our students. When we understand more about the way we teach and learn, we are better positioned to make the instructional and support decisions necessary to positively impact student achievement.”
Evansville–with 22,498 students–becomes the latest K-12 district in the country to opt for a solution that collects test scores, grades and other data to more quickly identify problems and accelerate interventions. With “student achievement” headlining its 2009-10 Strategic Plan, the district stepped up the search for a data-driven decision making (D3M) product that would allow them to gain immediate access to multiple data points to better demonstrate continuous improvement. Their search led them to Follett Software’s TetraData solution.
“In the past, we’ve had to request queries through our Information Systems Department,” said Susan McDowell Riley, the district’s assistant superintendent for assessment and research. “Due to the volume of their work, the results may have taken several days, or more, to pull. Our new TetraData warehouse now allows access to what we need with just a few clicks. Best of all, what we obtain is based on where our students are enrolled at that point in time, rather than being dated information.”
Data is updated nightly to the Evansville district’s warehouse that feeds from different sources. The warehouse merges district-wide historical, factual and dimensional data across multiple variables providing detailed longitudinal analysis, ad hoc queries and reports. As a result, educators have data in their hands sooner and are able to make informed decisions that impact student performance.
“Accurate and timely data are essential to improving student achievement and effect organizational change,” said Vince Bertram, corporation superintendent, who added that he is particularly impressed with the excitement that has resonated district-wide about the new warehouse. “With TetraData, the opportunities are endless in how we can pull data and use it to affect teaching strategies to impact student achievement.”
TetraData is being rolled out in three phases at the Evansville district, with the next release–TetraData DASH–scheduled for the spring of 2010. TetraData DASH is a K-12 education dashboard and data portal that delivers data using color-coded indicators that clarify where each school, grade, teacher, class and student stands in relation to a district’s strategic improvement goals.
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. previously adopted a combination of Follett Software Company’s Destiny Library Manager and Destiny Textbook Manager at 36 of its schools.
# # #
About Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation|http://www.EVSCschools.com
The district serves 22,498 students, in 5 high schools, 10 middle schools, 20 elementary schools, 3 alternate schools and 2 charter schools. It employs 3,000 people. For more information, contact Marsha Jackson, chief communications officer, by phone at 812.435.0206 or via e-mail at marsha.jackson@evsc.k12.in.us, or visit the district’s web site.
About Follett Software Company | www.FollettSoftware.com
Follett Software Company is the partner that more than half of America’s school districts trust to help them manage everything from library resources and school assets to information for data-driven decision-making. Follett Software helps districts of all sizes track and use information and resources more efficiently so their dollars are best leveraged to help each and every student. Follett Software Company is a subsidiary of Follett Corporation – a $2.37 billion, privately held company that provides products, services and solutions to the educational marketplace. Follett Corporation was founded in 1873 and has its headquarters in River Grove, Ill.
About TetraData Solutions
Follett Software’s TetraData data warehousing and analytics solutions capture, integrate and store data from administrative and educational systems and deliver comprehensive and customized data analysis and reporting. With TetraData solutions, educators can easily and accurately assess the factors that drive performance on a district level as well as on an individual student level. With TetraData solutions, educators and administrators from the statehouse to the schoolhouse find it easier to make decisions that can improve instruction and student outcomes.
Media Contact:
Doug Thompson | Thompson Drake Public Relations
doug@thompsondrake.com | 541.322.9345 (office) | 541.419.4471 (cell)
Latest posts by eSchool News (see all)
- Classroom Learning - April 5, 2024
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Classroom Management - April 5, 2024
- What are Disadvantages of Classroom Management? - April 5, 2024