How Spearfish uses Data
A conversation with Lana Main
The SD-STARS team recently visited with Lana Main, curriculum director and assessment coordinator for the Spearfish School District. Lana is a frequent SD-STARS user. She works with district administration to identify professional development needs and schedules professional development for staff. Lana analyzes school and district data while leading curriculum studies. She also serves as her district’s data committee lead and is co-chair for the school’s improvement committee.
When asked how she uses SD-STARS in her position, she said, “I use SD-STARS to access and evaluate data to review attendance trends, identify professional development needs, evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum, and look for gaps in the curriculum. SD-STARS is one metric I use to make decisions.” In order to use SD-STARS effectively, Main has attended trainings offered by the SD-STARS team. She has attended the STARS Account Manager training, SD-STARS training for district users, as well as the Attendance Trends and Student Performance webinar. Any SD-STARS user can access past trainings in the Training Center in the SD-STARS portal.
Main also said, “Data is used in a variety of ways throughout the district. The Spearfish School District used data to identify and celebrate our strengths. Additionally, data is used to identify areas for improvement. Administrators and teachers regularly use data to look for ways to better serve students and families."
If you want to know more about how your district can utilize SD-STARS, look for training opportunities next school year. These opportunities will be advertised in this newsletter.
Need more information or have questions? Please contact STARSHelp@state.sd.us.