… and counting

Pockets of Success

The Data Driven Districts (DDD) Programme aims to improve learner outcomes by supporting the way SA-SAMS data is collected and used by officials in the education system to support schools and educators more effectively.

DDD Programme Background

How it Impacts Education

Programme Progress

The DDD Programme makes key SA-SAMS data available

to officials via the online DDD Dashboard. The dashboard displays SA-SAMS data on attendance,

achievement, curriculum coverage and promotion from a school level right up to a national view. This empowers

officials to make data driven decisions.

DDD Aim

2012(Diagnostic)

N/A

2013(pre-pilot)

5 districts

2014(Pilot Phase1)

7 districts

2015(Pilot Phase 2)

28 districts

Provincial and district coverage

2016(Term 1)

35 districts

0 901000

4500 72500 54 000 535 000

2 350 000

4 200 000SchoolsLearners

Schools and learners on the

dashboard

Tech Savvy Circuit Manager

Mr Dingaan enjoys an IT challenge and

was eager to learn more about the DDD

Programme and explore its

functionality. He values the convenience

of having his schools' information at a

touch of a button.

Mr Zanemvula Dingaan

Circuit Manager, Xhariep – Free State

My Dingaan was first introduced to the Programme in a District Strategic Meeting held by Frans Kok, the Head of EMIS for Free State. He provided Mr Dingaan with his initial introduction to the DDD Programme and the value it would bring to his role as a circuit manager. Mr Dingaan was immediately eager to see the full

functionality of the dashboard, “ I know that technology requires you to get into it and see what it is all about. If you’re afraid, you’ll never

know! I went into the dashboard and voila! I surfed the whole website to see what each section offered”. `

“As a Circuit Manager, my job is all encompassing and

the dashboard has really increased my passion for the job”. The first thing I look at is the

results and see what is red to identify where there are challenges. Achievement is a top priority and these results are effected by both learner and educator attendance.” Mr Dingaan’s duties include monitoring the basic functionality of the schools and ensuring that documentation requirements are met. “Where there is no information for a particular school, it indicates that there has been no submission

which is a requirement”. “The dashboard allows me to monitor my schools and take immediate action”.

With the mobile functionality of the dashboard, Mr Dingaan can open his phone or laptop and engage in a data driven conversations with school principals across

his circuit. “I make full use of district resources in order to present the dashboard information to the principals”.

Dashboard Assists with Daily Duties

Introduction to the DDD Dashboard

Data Driven Discussions

Achieving Dashboard Success in Gauteng (1/2)

Lineo became involved in the DDD

Programme in 2014 when she was

appointed as deputy principal,

responsible for the school’s curriculum.

Following her DDD training, Lineo is

passionate about making the most of

Lineo Kolobe

Principal – Sedibeng Primary School, Gauteng

Identifying a learner at risk

District Analysis RequestSedibeng Primary was requested to submit a Mathematics analysis to the district office. This can be challenging for some educators as there are no formal

guidelines. “When district requested the analysis, we had to go to the dashboard”. We reviewed the subject’s overall performance from last year and compared them to the first term to see where

the gaps were.” The dashboard provided all the information required in a consolidated package.

DDD DashboardLineo admits “I can’t survive without the

dashboard! It’s functional, user friendly and I can view my school from anywhere on my iPad”. Firstly, Lineo familiarised herself with all the reports

on the dashboard. When she noticed gaps in her school’s data, she consulted her SA-SAMS administrator to address the issue. She then met with her SMT to make them aware of where the school data was going. “On a Friday I analyse the data with

the staff so we know what is happening in the school and discuss a way forward.”

While Lineo makes use of the dashboard to track performance and attendance, it has also brought attention to individual learners who require support.

Lineo noticed a learner’s pattern of absenteeism on the dashboard and investigated further. “There

was an issue of abuse in the household and the family was not aware that the learner was not attending school.” As a result of the school’s intervention, the learner has been reintegrated into

the school and has since been re-homed. “The learner’s attendance is back on track and she is making great progress.”

the dashboard to manage her school effectively.

“On a Friday I analysis the data with the staff so we know what is

happening in the school.”

1

Principal’s 4 Steps to Dashboard Success (2/2)

3

2

4

Quality Data Educator Buy-in

Educator Support Identify Gaps

It starts with SA-SAMS and the quality of the

data. “The one thing I have realised is the importance of the authenticity of the data. If you give the district the wrong data, you get a wrong dashboard. It has taught my administrator discipline in terms of quality data capturing.”

For Lineo, getting the SMT and educators on board was essential. “Now everyone has bought into the dashboard, it’s not a policing

tool, it is a functional tool that is helping the school to move forward.” Educators are looking to improve their performance through the use of the dashboard.

Following feedback from the external district moderator, Lineo addressed how she could support educators in setting their SBA papers. Educators were sent on training to address the gaps in their paper-setting and to ensure that all

the learning areas were covered. “We also identified educators who were excelling and saw how they could mentor or support fellow educators.”

On the dashboard, Lineo noticed that there was a discrepancy between the learners’ Mathematics SBA results and their Common

Assessment marks. This was a concern, “I requested an external district moderator to comment on the SBA papers to explain how it could be aligned to what is expected in the Common Assessments.”

SA-SAMS Superstar Driving Dashboard Usage

Gerda Venter is championing the

clean up of education data in schools

throughout Sedibeng East with her

hands on approach. Since her

introduction to the DDD Programme

in 2013, Gerda has made it her

Gerda Venter

Chief Information Analyst, Sedibeng East, Gauteng

When the DDD Pilot was rolled out in October

2013, Sedibeng East was identified as a district with poor data quality. After spending a significant amount of time getting the first seven schools from her district onto the dashboard, Gerda determined that if they were going to spend time and energy cleaning up school data then she would

ensure that they would get the “full value that the dashboard offered”. Gerda was determined to eradicate the wasted effort of duplicated data capturing and reporting in schools.

Gerda assisted principals in their data clean up by

using examples of common errors that were effecting data quality. “The data revealed that some leaners were up to nine years overage for their grade. It was easy to identify that this is a typing error or alearner that had not been archived.” Gerda suggested

an initiative to encourage the correct input of data by suggesting principals print their learner reports on SA SAMS to ensure alignment with CAPS policy.

Gerda took a hands on approach to the roll out of the DDD Dashboard in her district. She facilitated training on SA-SAMS, Valistractor and the Dashboard to

show how the “puzzle fits together”. She also set up Communities of Practice to ensure that principals had support when required. Gerda took a bottom up approach in her advocacy of the DDD Programme by assisting principals, circuit managers and district

officials. “Awareness of the dashboard is at an all-time high, after lots of ground work it is paying off”. While data quality in some schools is not up to scratch she is pleased that many township school are exceeding expectations.

Identifying Errors

Putting the Puzzle togetherData Clean Up

mission to get the most value from school data.

Making Use of the Dashboard Reports

Including Parents in Dashboard Discussions

Mr Mahlomola Makhanya

Principal, Thabo Vuyo Secondary School, Free State

Dashboard Reports

Mr Makhanya has been using the DDD Dashboard for two years as a management tool for his school. He uses the dashboard to monitor attendance of educators and learners and subject performance.

Not only does Mr Makhanya use the dashboard to identify areas of concern relating to curriculum, educator and learner attendance, SBA results and task coverage. He also makes use of the

reports that are available on the dashboard. “I download the Learner Chart Report and Principals Dashboard Report on a monthly basis in order to monitor my school’s progress”. By using the dashboard, Mr Makhanya is able to examine the teacher to learner ratio and allocate additional staff to support where necessary.

Mr Makhanya is aware of the fact that many of the parents and guardians at the school are not educated and struggle to comprehend percentages, levels or what is written in learner report cards regarding their child’s

performance. For Mr Makhanya, the success of the learner is dependent on the involvement and support from their parents and guardians and aims to keep the lines of communication and engagement open to all parents. For progressed leaners in particular, the involvement of the parents is crucial. When parents are invited to the school to discuss a learner’s performance, Mr Makhanya uses the Learner

Chart Report to discuss how the learner is performing in each subject. “The Learner Chart Report makes it easy for the parents to understand how their child is performing in each subject as the colour indicates where the problems are. They know that red means trouble and can identify that this is a concern”. This approach demonstrates how principals can adapt the dashboard in many ways to meet their requirements.

Mr Makhanya downloads key dashboard reports to engage in data driven conversations with his SMT and to discuss learner performance with parents.

North West’s Dashboard Trail Blazer

DDD Introduction

Addressing Concerns with Planned Interventions

Asking the right Questions

Mr John Thine

Principal, Tsewe Primary School, North West

Despite having no formal training on

the DDD Dashboard, tech-savvy

Principal Thine is an avid user. He is

eager to attend the upcoming training

for principals to further his knowledge.

Mr Thine was first introduced to the dashboard when his data administrator returned from DDD training and informed him about the programme. “When I first logged into the dashboard I only had five minutes to

spare but I was immediately interested in everything it offered and wanted to know more”.

Viewing his school’s data on the dashboard forces Mr Thine to ask crucial questions. “There is no doubt that poor

attendance impacts negatively on the learner and questions need to be asked: how are we recovering lost teaching time? When will the missed content be covered? How is the educator assisting learners who are absent or have lost parents?” “I am able to access important information and identify areas of concern on my cell phone without going to the class or paging through the register”.

Mr Thine uses the dashboard to asses the performance of individual subjects to see what improvements can be made and where an intervention is necessary. “If there is a problem with a subject, I first consult the HOD. If the educators require additional training the school provides inservice training to address any teaching gaps. We also

consult with subject specialists or contact educators from other schools to form workshops”. Mr Thine and his staff also conduct an item analysis to identify where learners have struggled in a particular subject. Accountability

sessions are held in order to make improvement plans to achieve the targets that are set for each subject

Realising the Value of the DDD Dashboard

“Originally I did not see the value, I thought it was very complex. However, after my second training I realised it is a great dashboard that gives me so much

information. “The dashboard is a filing cabinet were all my data is stored and cannot be lost. I can see when teachers are absent, or when a learner is performing well. It also helps me track

curriculum coverage. I can now identify those who are at risk to not reach grade 12. The data shows me that we need to have a strategy for these

leaners. When we do well I can see it reflected on the dashboard and this makes me happy.”

“I had been told before to use data to manage my school, but I did not understand. Now I understand

that the data is a true reflection of what is happening at my school – it is a mirror and there is value in looking at the truth. We now take our SA-SAMS data very seriously. We understand that the data we capture on SA-SAMS is the data that gets reflected right up to national level. What we say is

who we are. It has changed our attitude to data administration dramatically. We now feel accountable for making sure we capture data correctly”.

How has the DDD Dashboard been of value to you?

Mr PhiriPrincipal Vulamasango Primary, Mpumalanga

Despite his initial reservations, Mr Phiri is now an avid user of the DDD Dashboard. He has come to realise the value that the dashboard offers by providing him with data that accurately reflects what is happening in his school.

“I could do with more exposure and training to improve my dashboard skills. We have not yet reached the point

of sharing knowledge between principals and some have different levels of knowledge. There will be

value in starting a dialogue to learn about what the impact is of certain areas and how we can address them”.

What role does data play in your school’s management?

What further training do you require?

Principal Making Waves in Rural School

Mr Mantladi Malata

Principal, Madibong Primary School, Limpopo Limpopo

Mr Malata was trained on the DDD Dashboard in February 2016. He now enjoys the convenience of monitoring his school from his smartphone in the comfort of his home.

Madibong Primary School has recently opened a computer lab with 32 desktop computers and 15 tablets to benefit both learners and eduators. Despite it’s rural location, Mr Malata understands the importance of providing the tools required to teach and

learn effectively. He has requested a science lab to

offer the learners an opportunity to experiment with the scientific equipment they can only read about in text books.

Despite the lack of internet connectivity at the

school, Mr Malata ensures that his school’s data is submitted on a weekly basis with exceptionally high data quality. “The educators and SMT are all familiar with the dashboard even though some were born before technology”. Mr Malata projects the dashboard onto a whiteboard to share the school insights with his staff. As a result both learner and educator attendance has improved

and “morale is high”. A discrepancy on the dashboard alerted Mr Malata to an error his educators were making when distributing marks for the term-this has since been corrected.

Mr Malata’s approach to parental involvement is unique as he views it as essential to a child’s success in school. “On a quarterly basis we have a parents afternoon. If a learner requires additional support

we create a programme of assistance to help that learner progress to the next grade.” Having the parents support the learner in this process is vital. Educators at Madibong play their part by making themselves available after hours to address learners on a one-on-one basis. Mr Malata also invites Grade 12 learners to address his Grade 7 class and

encourage them to stay focused on their studies and complete their schooling.

Sharing School Insights

Teaching with Technology

Encouraging Involvement

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232488 491

491 504 581 803 494

1305

7674 164

164 163390

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1602

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13041284

1748

314

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T4 2013 T1 2014 T2 2014 T3 2014 T4 2014 T1 2015 T2 2015 T3 2015 T4 2015 T1 2016

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Free State Gauteng Limpopo Mpumalanga North West

The number of quality SA-SAMS databases submitted to the dashboard has increased

significantly since project inception.

Number of SA-SAMS school databases submitted per province

Total number of unique dashboard logins per quarter at school and district level

735 372 4491092 1032 1299

6433

896496 652

1147 9751447

4437

625

1631868 1101

2239 20072746

10870

Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2

2014 2015 2016School level logins District level logins

The number of unique dashboard logins has increased across all five provinces, most notably in

quarter two 2016.

DDD Programme Progress Indicators

Any questions ?Send any questions you have to the DDD Helpdesk

help@dbedashboard.co.za

For more information on the DDD Programme visit:

www.datadrivendistricts.co.za

To view an anonymised dashboard visit: www.eddashboard.co.za