Involved parents and teachers improve Student outcomes. One way of letting parents and teachers know what to focus on to support their students is to provide them with adequate student data. But how should student data be used? Who should it be shared with? Let’s look closer at what parents and teachers really think about the use of student data.

Parents Look to Student Data to Support Their Kids at School

Recent polling shows that parents overwhelmingly want access to student data to help them understand how their child is doing in school and how they can support their child’s education. This includes grades, test scores and attendance records. In almost equal (positive) measure, parents indicated they want teachers to have access to that data as well to help teachers make sure students receive the educational support they need.

To a lesser degree, the parents surveyed also want outside organizations, such as those that provide tutoring or after-school programs, to receive information about their child’s school performance. But with data privacy concerns growing each day both inside and outside of education, it’s unsurprising that fewer parents are as enthusiastic at the prospect of delivering student data to people who aren’t teachers or themselves. Still, more than two-thirds of the parents surveyed were in favor of this.

Most Teachers Want to Make Use of Student Data, But Many Lack Preparation and Some Lack Time

Around four-fifths of the teachers surveyed said that student data informs their teaching practice. Yet, around one-fifth did not agree and didn’t think that using student data was a good use of their time.

Teachers also indicated that they are not adequately prepared to use student data. Less than one-fifth of teachers were taught to use student data when preparing to become a teacher and almost one-half of them taught themselves these skills on the job.

In addition, time can be a stumbling block for teachers wanting to use student data effectively. More than four-fifths of the teachers surveyed said they use their personal time to apply student data to lesson plans and learning activities. Slightly more than one-half said that their school administration ensures teachers have enough time.

Existing Student Data

Current offerings vary by school, district and state, but all parents receive some form of student data. This can range from basic facts and grades to more detailed reports providing breakdowns of student performance in different skills and corresponding suggestions for parents. To encourage parental involvement, a number of schools provide regular progress reports that are translated into the parents’ native language.

Teachers generally have less access to student data, but some districts are starting to provide a more holistic look at student performance and provide teachers with more data-based tools.

What do you see for the future of student data?

Allies in K-12 Education

Responsive Translation is a leading provider of translation, adaptation and other foreign-language services, including multilingual studio production, for organizations serving K-12 students and their parents. To learn more about our services and experience, please get in touch at 646-847-3309 or [email protected].

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