Virginia Department of Education Deploys SAS and IA Solutions to Collect Student Data

To help keep on top of state-mandated regulations like student assessments, the Virginia Department of Education will begin offering its district’s access to SAS (News - Alert) analytic software and Interactive Achievement (IA) solutions. Together, these solutions will help districts keep track of student growth and testing.

“Interactive Achievement and SAS complement each other’s strengths,” says Jacob Gibson, vice president of business development at Interactive Achievement. “IA’s student growth assessments combined with SAS’ EVAAS system will provide an invaluable measure of student and teacher performance.”

The Department of Education in Virginia said it plans on using the SAS and IA software to measure student growth in state testing. In addition, the department will use SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) to analyze test results from students of all ages.

“Through the collaboration between SAS and IA, Virginia districts can implement growth assessments in math, English, science and social studies. The SAS-IA collaboration is the only approved provider of student growth assessments and in-depth analysis in all four required subjects,” the department said in a statement. “IA tests give teachers additional indicators of student performance, while EVAAS measures and reports on student growth and offers one important perspective on teacher effectiveness. Additionally, EVAAS projects each student’s likelihood of success on future assessments and college readiness benchmarks.”

The new solution will be used in more than 2,000 districts throughout the United States as a way of collecting student tests scores. After the data is complied, districts will have access to the yearly scores to compare and contrast within their districts and surrounding districts. In addition, the data can be used as a preventative measure to help students in subjects they might be having trouble in.

"Achievement measures from IA help teachers identify students’ trouble spots and intervene earlier,” said Nadja Young, education specialist with SAS State and Local Government. “At the same time, SAS EVAAS will provide more diagnostic information to guide their own professional development.”

Virginia has implemented the system statewide and has already begun collecting data.