School District Spotlight: McGraw Central

Data Warehouse recognizes district’s focus on data to support students

The CNYRIC’s Data Warehouse is pleased to shine its School District Spotlight on McGraw Central this month. The accolade aims to showcase local districts that are successfully embracing data to improve education and strengthen student achievement. During the 2014-15 school year, the McGraw Central School District (CSD) made data central to its efforts to increase student success. The district has focused on analyzing data to adjust classroom instruction, tracking data outcomes to measure progress toward established Board of Education goals, and benchmarking all students’ achievement.

School district implements proactive student screenings
The district implemented STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading, and STAR Math screenings to gauge student achievement in grades K-12, with support from the CNYRIC’s Data Warehouse team. Teachers met to discuss student data throughout the year at team meetings and in vertical teams on Superintendent Conference Days. Through collaborative efforts, they increased data literacy to inform instruction and interventions, matching student STAR scores to appropriate instructional materials.

Educators embrace state assessment data
McGraw CSD teachers also continue to use information from state assessments to improve student achievements. As soon as item analysis data was available last fall, teachers met in grade level or subject area groups to review their students’ results at the item and performance indicator levels. When available, the teachers reviewed the related questions from the tests and discussed them in relation to content and rigor. Lessons from this review were carried back to the classroom to be embedded into instruction.

Data dashboard provides foundation for efficient progress monitoring
At the district level, McGraw CSD has developed a data dashboard to track key metrics related to overall district performance. By tracking items such as state test results, monthly student attendance, and literacy rates by grade level, district administrators plan to stay better informed about the state of the district and the progress they are making toward the district goals as established by the McGraw School Board.

The Data Warehouse’s district data coordinators look forward to continuing their collaborative efforts with McGraw CSD to increase academic rigor and student success.

Share your success story
Know a district using data to improve student learning? Are YOU the type of district using data to inform decision-making and improve student outcomes? Recommend a school district to "Spotlight" so we can recognize and celebrate great work in the area of data-driven instruction! Contact Lori DeForest at ldeforest@cnyric.org.