Here’s to the data system that works

05-13-2011

Blog by John Fensterwald/Educated Guess

California can’t get a computer system right. Its K-12 longitudinal data system has been a disaster. Post-secondary institutions are squabbling; a P-20 data system, from preschool to post-college, remains a concept. You’re heard that before; I’ve written it myself. But that’s not the complete story. Under the radar, Cal-PASS, not to be confused with CALPADS, is working as designed. By sharing data among school districts, community colleges, and universities and bringing instructors of all levels together, it’s changing classroom practices and, to an extent, policies. Run on “budget dust,” as a state finance official calls its budget, it’s attracting smart money – about $4 million from foundations (Hewlett, Irvine, Stuart, Gates, Lumina, Walter S. Johnson) – and is expanding. Next week, it will announce the formal creation of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change, a nonprofit at the University of San Diego that will oversee the work of Cal-PASS. Brad Phillips, the Cal-PASS executive director, will head the Institute. (more...)

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Here’s to the data system that works

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