cmd-019. a spreadsheet and a set of data graphics that track progress over time.
PROJECT COMPLETED: June 2021
THE STORY OF THIS PROJECT
Harlem Link Charter School is a tuition-free, independent charter school located in New York City. It serves 450 children in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5. Harlem Link is committed to equitable programming, inclusiveness and serving its entire community (Harlem and Washington Heights).
At Harlem Link, students who are enrolled in the English as a New Language program take a series of assessments throughout the school year to monitor the progress they’re making in English speaking, listening and writing. The asssmesnts produce a large volume of data that needs to be collected, crunched and reported on within a short window of time. In order to meet that challenge, I took the following steps:
I identified all of the locations where the data I needed to access was being stored.
I combined data from several different spreadsheets by using the IMPORTRANGE and VLOOKUP functions in Google Sheets.
I added context to the data I’d collected by using the IF, COUNTIFS and AVERAGE formulas to create additional columns of information.
I calculated summary statistics by using pivot tables.
I used the pivot tables I’d created to produce data visualiztions for the final data presentation.
The result was a spreadsheet and accompanying set of data graphics that were used to present data to teachers and school leaders at data meetings that were held once a semester. The document I produced gathered all relevant information and presented it in an easy-to-understand format. Also, since the document was based in the cloud, all stakeholders could review the data prior to the meeting and arrive prepared to contribute to the group discussion.
cmd-018. a cloud-based spreadsheet that helps stakeholders conduct collaborative data meetings.
PROJECT COMPLETED: June 2021
THE STORY OF THIS PROJECT
Harlem Link Charter School is a tuition-free, independent charter school located in New York City. It serves 450 children in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5. Harlem Link is committed to equitable programming, inclusiveness and serving its entire community (Harlem and Washington Heights).
At Harlem Link, students take grade-wide math exams roughly every six weeks. Teachers and school leaders then meet to review the results of the exams and discuss ways to improve. The exams produce a large volume of data that needs to be collected, crunched and reported on within a short window of time. In order to meet that challenge, I took the following steps:
I identified all of the locations where the data I needed to access was being stored.
I combined data from several different spreadsheets by using the IMPORTRANGE and VLOOKUP functions in Google Sheets.
I applied conditional formatting to make the spreadsheet more understandable at a glance.
I calculated summary statistics by using pivot tables.
I used the pivot tables I’d created to produce data visualizations for the final data presentation.
The result was a spreadsheet and accompanying set of data graphics (which I named the “Consolidated Tracker”). The Consolidated Tracker was then used to present data to teachers and school leaders. The document I produced gathered all relevant information and presented it in an easy-to-understand format. Also, since the document was based in the cloud, all stakeholders could review the data prior to the meeting and arrive prepared to contribute to the group discussion.
cmd-002. a data analysis tool that helps teachers deliver targeted instruction.
PROJECT COMPLETED: January 2016
Global Community Charter School Data Analysis Kit | Spreadsheet by David White
THE STORY OF THIS PROJECT
Stakeholder’s Problem: “We need a way to quickly identify the areas where our students are strong and where they need more support.”
Global Community Charter School (GCCS) is a tuition-free, independent charter school located in New York City. It serves 400 children in Kindergarten through Grade 5. GCCS is committed to inclusiveness and serving all children in its community (Harlem and Washington Heights). The school employs a rigorous, inquiry-based model of education and it has been authorized by International Baccalaureate to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).
After giving students practice exams and other assessments, GCCS teachers needed to determine specifically what their students’ strengths and weaknesses were. After the tests, they knew that they may need to review or possibly re-teach certain topics. However, it was unclear exactly which topics needed to be reviewed and specifically which students needed extra help to master those skills. To solve this problem, I designed and built a data analysis kit for GCCS. The data tool I built helped teachers quickly identify which topics they needed to re-teach and specifically which students needed help where. The data analysis kit I built saved teachers’ time and it helped them deliver better, more targeted instruction.
Work Process:
Here’s the design process I used to complete this project—
Final Results:
Global Community Charter School Data Analysis Kit | Spreadsheet by David White