April 2005 — SETDA
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Decision-Support System Helps Utah Improve Its Student Achievement
OnTrack provides a centralized management system that unifies and integrates disparate databases and systems, as well as connects existing state-owned databases and computer systems. As a result, Utah now has a Web-based database of teacher-training programs and other resources that can be accessed from anywhere in the state. OnTrack also blends with many of the other decision-support needs of multiple district and statewide programs.
Tracking Technology Integration
For federal fiscal years 2002-2004, Utah targeted the roughly $3 million a year in Title II D federal funds to help its teachers in high-need schools become competent with technology integration. It was at this time that SETDA contracted with the Metiri Group to produce the PETI assessment in order to support state efforts to better understand where schools, districts and states are on the path to technology integration.
The comprehensive PETI surveys, which are being delivered to the Title II D
grant recipients through OnTrack, help Utah meet some of its goals such as state accountability and state quality teacher activities. OnTrack also helps the state track and document the progress of professional development outcomes by local districts, and then makes the results available to all districts in the state.
In addition, Utah is feeding the PETI data into OnTrack’s task management program. This allows grant administrators to make the surveys available online to the appropriate people quickly and easily. District and school administrators simply follow the instructions online to fill out the surveys without the need for training. The program allows administrators to cut and paste information gleaned from the surveys, as well as provides those compiling the observation and focus group documents from on-site reviews with a convenient place to print the required documents and enter the information online when they are finished. Automating these procedures saves a great deal of time and energy throughout the data procurement process.
Program administrators know that teachers are the biggest single factor of student academic achievement. Thus, initiatives such as PETI are best used as part of an overarching decision-support architecture to help find out about technology use in the classroom. Utah wants to ensure that its students grow
and improve academically. Fortunately, PETI assists in providing data that not only justifies current resources for technology, but also reinforces the need for continued support of technology to improve student achievement.
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