MEDIA RELEASE

The state Department of Education has made available to parents, students and the Hawaii community a public version of the Hawaii Growth Model data visualization website.

This interactive website allows users to click among multiple data streams comparing the state’s Complex Areas, schools and student groups, generating bubble charts that plot how those groups are faring according to two key yardsticks: Proficiency and Growth.

“The launch of the public Hawaii Growth Model data visualization website is an exciting step in the Department’s journey to provide better information about school performance, in timely, easy-to-access, user-friendly ways,” Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe said.

“The ability to visualize growth data in context with how a school or Complex is performing in relation to others over time is critical to building understanding and collaborative action,” Nozoe said.

Explore the website at www.HawaiiPublicSchools.org for key information about this powerful new tool:

* An overview of the Growth Model, with a navigation video of the Growth Model website

* Frequently Asked Questions about the Growth Model

In addition to viewing student growth data by school and Complex Area, users can drill down into rich data sets and view:

* School performance on the Strive HI Index

* Median growth percentiles

* Student proficiency

* Performance among student groups

Since summer 2013, DOE teachers and key staff have been using a private version of the Growth Model website to analyze student achievement data that helps inform instruction and guide school initiatives. The staff website is protected by federal and DOE regulations from being released publicly. Users of the public Growth Model website cannot view data for populations of fewer than 20 students.

By making comprehensive data sets easily sortable and searchable, the Growth Model website supports all three goals of the Department’s Strategic Plan: Student Success, Staff Success, and Successful Systems of Support.

Explore the Hawaii Growth Model website at: http://growthmodel.hawaiipublicschools.org

The state Department of Education is the ninth largest U.S. school district and the only statewide educational system in the country. It is comprised of 288 schools and serves more than 185,000 students.