During Step 2, the EWIMS team uses the EWS Tool to identify students in danger of not graduating high school on time. A robust EWS Tool uses readily available student data and validated early warning indicators to identify students who are more likely to miss key educational milestones so that they can be matched with appropriate supports and interventions. Districts or schools may develop their own EWS Tool or identify and use a vendor-developed tool.
The key activities for Step 2 are as follows:
• Use and navigate the EWS Tool.
• Identify a school- or district- technology specialist who will regularly load and review student data into the EWS Tool.
• Provide access rights within the EWS Tool to appropriate staff.
• Access data summaries and/or visualizations.
Key Activities
As a result of the following key activities, the EWIMS team will be able to navigate and use the EWS Tool to identify students in danger of not graduating on time.
Use and Navigate the EWS Tool
For the EWIMS team to use the EWS Tool to properly identify and support students who display indicators of risk, all team members will need to receive training on how to navigate the EWS Tool. Many EWS Tool vendors provide support to help train staff on how to use their tool.
Regardless of the vendor used, training topics should include how to (a) upload student data, if needed; (b) run reports or data visualizations to identify students displaying symptoms of risk;
(c) assign students to interventions within the tool; (d) monitor student progress to determine if an intervention is working or if additional supports are needed; and (e) examine groups of students by early warning indicator, grade level, and demographic information, in addition to individual students. It is important to reiterate that students are not identified for showing indicators of risk due to their race/ethnicity or other demographic information; rather, students are identified by demonstrating one or more mutable early warning indicators. The EWIMS team
Anticipated Outputs of Step 2
1. An understanding of the basic features of the selected EWS Tool and early warning indicator reports by all team members
2. A designated individual who is responsible for regularly uploading student data so that the EWS Tool remains current
3. An updated EWS Tool with the latest student data 4. Data summaries and/or visualizations are provided
to EWIMS team members in advance of each meeting
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH® | AIR.ORG 18 will want to subsequently examine students that have been identified by race/ethnicity, English learner status, and students with disability in order to see if there are broader trends, such as whether a disproportionate percentage of students who are English learners have been identified for showing symptoms of risk. The district can assist in coordinating this training for
participating schools across the district, for greater resource efficiency (see The District’s Role in Step 2 section).
Designate an Individual Responsible for Student Data
So that student data are usable by the EWIMS team, the data within the EWS Tool must be up- to-date. Therefore, someone at the school or district should be the data lead, responsible for reviewing the data within the tool to ensure that it is current and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. The frequency of data review will vary by tool, but at a minimum, will include reviewing available data for incoming ninth graders and students new to the school. This process should include uploading students’ previous intervention plans, if available. Depending on the tool, attendance data may need to be uploaded within the first 20 or 30 days, as well as after the close of each grading period. Similarly, some tools may require uploading of the final grades at the end of each grading period. Other tools will not require direct data uploading because this process occurs automatically from the school’s student information system. In this case, review the data regularly (monthly for attendance data, after each grading period for academic performance data) to ensure currency and accuracy. The quality of data in the EWS Tool directly impacts the decisions made by the EWIMS team, so this is a vital role!
Provide and Maintain Access Rights
To protect student information, the EWS Tool should grant access rights. Specifically, teachers should have access to data only for the students within their classrooms; they do not need access to data for every student in the building. Similarly, interventionists should have access rights to data for the students they are servicing, not other students at the school. An exception to this rule is the EWIMS team and school administration. These groups should have access to data for all students within the school so that they can examine data to identify broader trends within specific student populations, grade levels, subject areas, or across the entire school.
Being thoughtful about the access that different stakeholders will need within the EWS Tool will allow everyone to review the data they need to make decisions.
Access Student Data and Data Visualizations
Prior to every EWIMS team meeting, a designated individual will need to ensure that the team has the necessary data summaries or visualizations for the students or groups of students that will be discussed. All team members should have access to these visualizations prior to the
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH® | AIR.ORG 19 meeting so that they have time to review them before the meeting. The visualizations needed will vary depending on which step of the EWIMS cycle the team is currently in and the time of year, but they may include the following:
• Data visualizations for each early warning indicator after each grading period. These visualizations will identify the percentage of students at various risk levels so that the EWIMS team can examine trends across time.
• Individual student-level data summaries. For students displaying indicators of risk,
individual student-level summaries will provide the EWIMS team with a snapshot of which early warning indicator(s) the students have been identified for as well as any interventions that are in place or have been tried previously. These summaries will be useful when the team identifies students who need additional support.
During each EWIMS meeting, the team will review data summaries and visualizations (Step 3) to identify next steps.
The District’s Role in Step 2
The district can do the following to support the use of the EWS Tool:
• The number of EWS Tool vendors continues to expand. To ensure that the selected tool meets the needs of the district and schools, the district can research potential EWS Tools.
While looking into different products, ask vendors about the research base that determines the risk predictions. Ask for multiple demonstrations to learn about the technical support and professional
development offerings included with the purchase.
• If the district has not already done so, select a tool for districtwide use. Having one EWS Tool districtwide can help leverage resources and reduce wait-time for students who may move between schools within the district.
Guiding Questions for Step 2 1. Who will be responsible for ensuring the EWS
Tool integrates and uploads current data from the school’s student information system? If the EWS Tool does not have this functionality, who will upload the data manually?
2. What databases house the student data needed for the tool? How will the EWIMS team get access to those databases?
3. Who will develop reports for the EWIMS team?
4. How frequently will early warning indicators be reviewed?
5. Who will provide reports to other
stakeholders (e.g., teachers, interventionists)?
6. With whom will you share data from the tool?
How will you protect student confidentiality, as required by district, state, and federal policies?
7. What key features or data displays should EWIMS team members understand and be able to navigate within the tool?
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH® | AIR.ORG 20
• For schools that decide to use an EWS Tool that is not implemented districtwide, the district can still have a supporting role. In this case, the district can assist with data entry, provide professional development, and help build the EWIMS team’s capacity in using the tool they have selected.
• Provide professional development and time for team members to learn how to navigate and maximize the capabilities of the tool.
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH® | AIR.ORG 21