Data rooms at schools have for a long time been a common tool used by schools to present and assess the progress of students. These rooms typically feature whiteboards and charts which display academic information to teachers. The idea is to allow teachers teams and administrative staff to quickly examine and discuss student performance in a more collaborative manner.
The issue with these data displays however they could violate FERPA guidelines. These data spaces can be used to shame students in front of their peers or to humiliate them in public. This shouldn’t be happening in schools.
Teachers also face difficulties to track progress of students using these data walls especially when there are a variety of grades and subjects being tracked. It’s much easier for teachers to tackle complex issues in a digital platform that lets them to filter and drill down on specific assignments, trends, classes, dates and student groups or cohorts.
In addition, a digital application will usually include an annotation tool that permits users to add personal notes on any document within it. This feature is helpful for keeping track of tasks and Q&A threads, as well for uploading documents. It would be fantastic if the solution offered access to documents, folders and tasks according to roles, document and folder levels or activities.
As schools continue to be forced to focus on instruction based on data and assessment, it is vital that they have tools to aid them in reviewing and discussing the data in a more collaborative manner. When choosing a digital solution with the right balance of features that satisfy the needs of teachers, schools can be sure they are making a smart choice.