A hodgepodge of disconnected systems — including paper files, homegrown databases and spreadsheets, and vendor software — faced Lisa Bennett and Cathy Yun, Teacher Credential Program coordinators in the Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education Department.
They were writing a grant proposal when it hit them: they couldn’t answer their most important questions with the data they had.
Bennett recalls wondering, “How on earth are we going to even access, let alone analyze, all of the pieces of paper that are all over the place?”
With a goal of understanding the teacher candidate experience holistically, Bennett and Yun wanted to bring together data, including coaching feedback, student reflections, dispositions surveys, course based assessments, performance assessment scores and advising sessions.
For a major shift in data systems to be successful, Bennett and Yun felt it was important that their colleagues in the Kremen School of Education have a voice in the process. They identified three software vendors who offered a candidate data management product and invited each vendor to provide an online demonstration.
Getting a better sense of their colleagues’ concerns and needs helped Bennett and Yun build enthusiasm for how a new system could support their shared work, such as common course-based assessments.
“We really got our faculty to understand what we were trying to achieve and how this would replace a system that … was too complicated and no one knew how to use,” Bennett said.
While the implementation is still underway, faculty and staff have begun to experience some of the benefits of the work, particularly in tracking the development of candidates through their fieldwork experiences.
"It's already been a critical tool for helping us support our candidates," Yun said.
These early successes are increasing the appetite for reliable, relevant data in the Kremen School of Education. And the data system work is well-timed with other initiatives taking place in the CSU system.
This success at the Kremen School can serve an exemplar for other educator preparation institutions.
"Cathy and Lisa are truly an inspiration," said Austen Adair, vice president of sales at Watermark. "Their sense of purpose is crystal clear, and for me, that is the quintessential mark of a true educator."
See more in Kremen News.
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