Responses to COVID-19 have brought about wholesale changes to learning environments that were previously limited to pockets of innovative schools across the country. Schools and districts are implementing virtual education at unprecedented scale via teleconferencing applications and online curriculum resources.
As we move through this pivotal time in history, we will want to reflect on the impact that policies, technology, and innovative school designs are having on students. To study those impacts, it is imperative that comparable data be collected now and moving forward. Without some form of standardized data, stakeholders will have limited ability to pursue studies on the broader impacts across school districts, states, and the country.
Fortunately, many of the learning models being implemented now are not brand new. The Clayton Christensen Institute’s Canopy project offers educators information about how K-12 schools across the country have been innovating for student-centered learning. AEM recently partnered with the Clayton Christensen Institute to explore standardizing school innovation data to make the information more robust for educators. This is the first of three blog posts that draw on this work to discuss the whys and hows of standardization.
What does it mean to standardize?
Data standards are “an agreed upon set of data names, definitions, options and technical specifications.” States and school districts should work now to ensure that as each school and district is collecting information on what happens, it is being defined in the same manner.
However, standardizing can feel scary because it may feel like you are boxing yourself into a concept when new ideas are continually emerging. The good news about data standards is that they are organic, incremental, and dynamic in nature. For example, consider the evolution of blended learning.
The idea of "blended" learning modalities has been around in many different forms for decades (some would even argue for centuries). Rotating students among learning stations, for example, was a common practice in elementary schools even before the introduction of digital learning. Once technology became more common in schools, researchers began to document the ways that educators were connecting online and face-to-face learning along integrated learning trajectories, such as through a "station rotation" with at least one online learning station.
Other distinct models that emerged include flipped classroom, where students watch videos at home and work on assignments in class, and enriched virtual, where virtual classes are supplemented by occasional in-person supports. And blended learning doesn’t stop there. As the impacts of COVID-19 force schools to lean more heavily on online learning, educators may develop new approaches to blended learning that help students to achieve their educational goals.
If standards were static, one-and-done type activities, the data elements would not be able to keep pace with the reality on the ground. This would render the standards useless and obsolete. But standards are dynamic. They evolve as the concepts evolve, incrementally.
Where to Begin
Now you know you need standards. But how do you know where to begin? AEM recommends the following steps based off experience working with standards users:
First, consider the kind of standard you are interested in. Are you interested in learning standards? Are you interested in standards set for learning resources? Are you interested in standards associated with student data?
Second, look to established standards bodies for the type of standard you are interested in. A standards body is an organization that supports and manages the development and use of a standard. The standards body is responsible for determining scenarios for use of the standard, or “use cases,” such as when organizations supporting schools need to maintain and share data on the designs schools are implementing. Throughout this blog post, we have been talking about data standards. A point of reference would be to start with the four largest data standards: the Common Education Data Standards, Access4Learning, Ed-Fi Alliance, and IMS Global.
Third, once you determine the appropriate standards bodies, go to their websites and look for elements of interest to you.
- If you find the element, review it to ensure it meets your needs.
- If it does, you can adopt the definition and option set as is.
- If it doesn’t, consider how you might work with the standards body to modify the element.
- If you don’t find the element, consider how you might define the concept.
Wide adoption and use makes standards powerful. The more organizations use the standard, the wider the breadth of data that can be shared and integrated. When you choose your standard, be sure to circle back to the standards body with your suggested modifications so they can consider how the standard might need to evolve.
At this time of unprecedented flexibility in school systems, it will be important to be able to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Collecting comparable data now will prepare us for valuable research in the future. For more information about data standardization, read AEM’s primer, Standardizing School Innovation Data.
Look forward to the other two articles in this three-part blog series on education data standardization and reach out if you have any questions.
