b'A L D ATA S T E WH I C A RE T D S The Data Literacy Leadership Team, a group of administrators, teachers and divisional staff, championed the initiative and its four commitments. Through collaborative learning cycles Data Dataand training sessions, they gained confidence in navigating informed ur Multi-Yearready Literacy Initiative with teachers in all 40 schools throughout tre: O Str Power BI reports. On May 7, team members launched the Data e n ate LRSD, highlighting the many uses of Power BI. I find Power BI c g ie c user friendly and easy to navigate, said Brittany Bailey, teacher at h P t la Hastings School. I can see how using this data will be helpful in tA ncollaborating with colleagues and guiding future planningand decisions. Following the launch, classroom teachers, student services teachers, and school administrators agreed that Power BI reports would be helpful in supporting tasks such as planning Data literate for instruction, identifying students in need of extra supports, making recommendations for class placements and supporting Being data informed starts by asking ourselves, what are wereport card writing. The hope is that Power BI reports become tracking? What do we need to know and do? We use data tocommonplace in classrooms throughout LRSD. This tool will monitor who we are and how we are doing. Decisions are madehelp continue to develop the collective data literacy among based on evidence rather than hunches. This evidence-based,school teams and across the division, said Patrice Chartrand, data-informed approach increases confidence in our decisionsLearning Team Teacher. The idea of empowering teachers with about what to keep doing and what to try next.this data literacy initiative is relevant now more than ever. Being data ready involves identifying the tools and resourcesThe Data Literacy Initiative is also directly tied to the actions needed. It means working toward having the right data in theLRSD is taking to achieve the goals outlined in the MYSP. right hands at the right time, and in the right (optimized) format.Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the division began Making data available starts with digitizing data collection,measuring the impact of those actions on student outcomes. but it also involves a continuous dedication to data reliabilityThe Senior Leadership Team, school administrators and staff and creating data flow efficiencies. Importantly, we are alsocollaborated to refine and finalize the measures and data points continuously striving toward optimizing data reports, so they areused in MYSP analysis and school improvement planning. accurate, immediate, visually engaging, intuitive to use, and easyUltimately, the goal was to understand the greatest areas of to understand. As we build those tools, we are simultaneouslyneed divisionally and at a school-level to determine where working toward building data literacy across our system. We willimprovements are necessary to ensure all students can thrive know we are successful when we understand a reports purposeand flourish. We believe that using data to identify our greatest and content, have the skills to access and navigate data andareas of need, set our goals, and monitor our progress is at the reports, and commit to a growth mindset while valuing researchheart of achieving our strategic plan in a data-informed way, said and evidence-based action. Christian Michalik, Superintendent. All data is analyzed with an As ethical data stewards, we consistently strive toward usingeye toward growth for all students, equitable access to supports data to help rather than harm. We are mindful of the need forand reducing significant gaps in outcomes. openness and transparency, but considerate of data privacy, andMoving into the 2021-2022 school year, LRSD will continue forthright about data limitations. Using data ethically results inits focus on data literacy to effectively identify improvement, improved trust and striving for the most positive impact possible. successes, and needs. Further developing and implementing One valuable tool in LRSDs data literacy journey is Power BI, anresearch-informed teaching practice and learning theory will analytics application by Microsoft. Power BI allows users toalso be important to remaining responsive to students specific create a visual display of data and helps staff easily interact withneeds. This journey to improvement must be co-created data while quickly gaining insights. School leaders can accessalongside students to ensure they are empowered to self-Power BI reports on student achievement and engagement,monitor and adjust their pace and path. The hope is that if this recovery learning, attendance, technology deployment and more. work is connected to the development of greater intercultural understanding, compassion, and mutual respect, then our We are trying to always use the data as a flashlight, rather than amost vulnerable students will experience positive changes in hammer, said Marnie Wilson, Data Literacy Coordinator in LRSD.achievement, engagement, and well-becoming.Its not about competition or comparison, but rather what can itCO-AUTHORED BYtell us so that we know how to improve.Marnie Wilson, Data Literacy Coordinator41'