The End of Year Data Handover

“And then she went to the porridge of the Little Wee Bear, and tasted it, and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up, every bit!” — Goldilocks and the Three Bears

For many of us, the sun is shining and we are in the mad dash of wrapping things up before escaping for a well deserved summer. I suspect it would be an easy task if wrapping up was all we had to do, but of course it’s never that simple in a school. We don’t just pack up our class, we need to hand them over to next year’s division and teachers, and get ready to receive our next batch. The data handover is enormous, and figuring out the what and how requires a “Goldilocks” attitude - we’ve got to get it just right.

Quantity: Sharing enough to inform, but not so much that it will overwhelm next year’s teachers.

Ingredients: Not sharing just numbers, but also anecdotal records and holistic data that will help teachers know students better and sooner.

Temperature: Data that is too hot is loaded with bias and preconceptions. Data that is too cold lacks context. Our goal is data that is warm and kind.

Delivery: How and when do we pass the data on? Shared docs and cumulative files are fast but can be impersonal; data meetings to discuss every child can be slow and inefficient.

How does end of year data handover work at your school? And how might a data platform support you to create a process that’s just right? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

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