This content provides added support for readers of Dr. Rankin’s data books.

This email would be appropriate for an educator leader to send a data system/report provider to advocate for the Over-the-Counter Data Label Standards.

 

Dear Data System/Report Provider,

 

I noticed our district’s data reports do not adhere to the Over-the-Counter Data Label Standards that stipulate research-based ways to provide effective titles and footers on education data reports. Adherence to these Label standards is necessary to best support educators’ easy use and thorough understanding of reports’ data. Consider:

 

  • Only 48% of teachers’ inferences based on given data are accurate at districts with strong data cultures (U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, 2009), with other educators' analyses being less accurate.

  • A footer (adhering to the Over-the-Counter Data Label Standards) more than triples educators’ data analysis accuracy (307% increase) when it is present on a data report, and data analysis accuracy increases by 336% when educators specifically indicate having used the footer (Rankin, 2013).

  • When present, effective footers are used by educators 52% of the time (Rankin, 2013).

 

Please attune our data system/reports to adhere to the research-based Over-the-Counter Data Label Standards. These resources can help you:

 

  • Over-the-Counter Data Standards are available at www.jennyrankin.com/s/OTCDStandards.pdf (the Label standards are on pages 2-3, followed by a paper with related research).

  • Read the book How to Make Data Easy: A Guide for Edtech Providers to Improve Data Tools & Support so Data Becomes Easy to Use, by Dr. Jenny Grant Rankin. This guide explains how to implement each reporting standard within a data system/report (offering specific examples, illustrations, etc.).

 

Thank you very much for your time and assistance. Adhering to these standards will offer tremendous help to educators and students.

 

- Me

 

Rankin, J. G. (2013). Over-the-counter data’s impact on educators’ data analysis accuracy. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 3575082. Retrieved from http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/1459258514.html?FMT=ABS

U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (2009). Implementing data-informed decision making in schools: Teacher access, supports and use. United States Department of Education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED504191)