Helping educators use data analytics

Smart scoring and reporting represents a key area of thinking with regard to what Riverside Publishing sees for the future. “Next generation” systems ultimately must move beyond simply providing access to test data and scores to helping users derive deeper meaning from their information.

Over time, such systems will begin to help users interpret their data. These systems will begin to utilize data mining techniques to highlight patterns in a user’s data. Future systems will push such data to users via dashboard reports, and visualize the data for the user to enable a richer understanding of the information. Over time, such systems will provide recommendations to the user (suggested paths of optimization) based on the reported results. This movement from simple reporting of and access to test results, toward a deeper analysis of assessment data will allow educators to turn information into institutional wisdom. Riverside’s new assessment platform will help educators move from the lower half of the chart below to the upper half – an area of true analytical use of data.

Smart applications, such as the type Riverside envisions for a  “next generation” system, evolve over time to adapt the changing needs of its users. Our ultimate goal is provide educators with an almost ambient technology that quite simply, yet completely, satisfies their data and assessment needs.