10 tips for using adaptive analysis and technology in schools

This article Originally appeared on the COSN blog And it is published here again with permission.

COSN's Driving K-12 Innovation Initiative He recently announced that Analytics & Adaptive Technologies as a Top tech enabler (tool) for 2025 and appeared on the five of the last seven years. The Board of Innovation Board K-12 defines adaptive analysis and technologies such as: these are digital technologies that collect and use data related to teaching and learning. The analysis refers to the data analysis process collected on students learning and the opportunity to take advantage of data to inform instructional decision making.

Adaptive technologies are tools that adapt to the student based on their interactions with technology. These adaptations could be in the way to suggest the next steps, provide remediation, stimulation control or provide comments based on student performance analysis.

But what is this issue exactly and why is it important to advance in education?

During the November 2024 meeting of COSN's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cosn.org/edtech-topics/driving-k-12-innovation/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>edtech Innovation CommitteeThe participants were asked those same questions and shared their perspectives on what educators should do on the subject. Keep reading to obtain 10 key conclusions of the discussion.

1. How much do they cost too many data? “When I moved to Virginia (from Ireland), which surprised me about the education system of the United States was his commitment to the data,” said John Heffernan (CEF Professional Development, Ireland). “In Ireland, we do not use data in the same way. We do not collect the same amount of data, and I wonder, is this something focused on the United States that everything should be measured?
2. We need common language and understanding around these terms. During the conversation, it was necessary to define terms and shared language. For example, adaptive analysis and technologies or customization? Personalized or individualized learning? The member of the Ruben Puenteadura Committee (Hippasus, Massachusetts) explained that we also need to distinguish between traditional data, such as test scores, and the world of data much larger than “can be used in a creative and useful way by students and teachers who can Including a variety of things about students' interests and the type of social networks that exist in a classroom. “Bridge added:” The data can be used, not only as a matter of how to evaluate something, it can be used for scaffolding and underpin what happens in a classroom.
3. Just as edtech's innovators need a common terminology, so we need to be able to communicate it with leadership. “As we observe what the message should be, how can you simplify both school leaders and teachers to understand what it is? And then, what workload we can eliminate from the districts of an agenda already complete, ”asked Andrew Fekete (consolidated school district 93, Illinois). “There is a lot of resistance to saying that we do not have time for this conversation. And my setback is that we don't have time to not have this conversation. “
4. Challenges in data collection and use.“Correct, incorrect or indifferent, we still have significant pockets of the school districts that do not even understand the basic concepts of the data,” said Beverly Knox-Pipes, EDD (former CTO/Education consultant, Michigan). “As a result, they are often reagents instead of proactive, they do not plan to plan and strategies effectively for what they really need. This includes not only establishing and managing your student information systems, but also understanding how to collect and use data to promote students' performance, the last purpose of education. “
5. The impact of ai and automatic learning on educational data. “With the advent of ai and small language models, we will depend more and more on our own data,” said Pete Just, CETL (Just Strategics, Indiana). “I have been talking to many school districts about this while trying to solve it. But the number one is: it must have good data. So, if you are going to try to make decisions and try to deepen the use of an ai tool to help make those decisions. They will be out if their data is not of quality. “
6. The importance of digital literacy. The secondary school teacher in the district of the Kathleen Stephany (Holmen School District, Wisconsin) is testing a new course called Data Science, which will have a mathematical component, knowledge of content and communication. “The teacher, when she proposed, talked about how many data are created per minute,” Stephany said. “If you think of venmo transactions, transmitting videos, there are tons of data. (The course is) how to use that data and what enters that. “
7. From the beginning, this topic has been about the student agency. “The role of adaptive technology and analysis was to grow the student agency on its own learning route, whether to master the results or fail forward. To learn from him and the process, ”said Janice Mertes (CDW State Education level ambassador). “There is an adult use of the term and a student use of this term, to the point of adding knowledge of data, literacy and analysis.”
8. Adaptive analysis and technologies are also about the Teacher Agency. “We should also talk about the need of the Teacher Agency in the same place where we need student agency in conversations like these, especially when we are talking about the professional development of the staff and to choose their way and have more options in the directed professional learning than We offer. We need ways that allow our educators to follow these paths depending on the needs they are identifying and thinking about how we design them, ”Nick Stayas (Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205, Illinois).
9. Current concerns about data privacy. “I am worried about how the data will be used after the student's evaluation. I am a great believer in adaptive analysis and technology. I think there are some defined positive aspects, but I just want to make sure that we do not lose the trail of that data privacy piece that protects our children, “Ryan Cox (schools in the Osseo area – District 279, Minnesota).
10. The role of suppliers when it comes to ethics and transparency in educational technology. An animated discussion arose about the need for suppliers to be transparent about how students are used and evaluated, and Puentedura declared that if the supplier cannot share that information, they could not be considered. Many members of the committee agreed. “It should be a verification box, if they are not transparent in what they are doing with students' data and supporting their privacy, the school should pass and move forward automatically,” Emily Marshall (Vail, Arizona School District).

Thanks to all the members of the edtech Innovation Committee who participated in this essential discussion!