The Problem with Using Spreadsheets for K-12 Data Analytics

Schools and districts lacking a data analytics solution or data team are likely using basic spreadsheets to see student data. But a spreadsheet is limited. Pulling data into a spreadsheet from different sources is time-consuming and leads to inaccuracies once the original data changes.  

Plus, it’s difficult to gain clear insights or takeaways in a spreadsheet limited to simple cells, rows, and columns.  

A comprehensive K-12 data analytics solution, however, puts your data to work for you—pulling in a wide range of information from multiple systems in real time. A quality solution can display your data in customizable visualizations and offer ways to dive deeper for practical analysis to base decisions on.

Here are the top four reasons why a K-12 data analytics solution supports educators better than a spreadsheet: 

1) Save Time with End-to-end Data Management 

When you rely on a spreadsheet, you’re using data that originates in other systems and software products. After manually finding and bringing that data into your spreadsheet, you’re stuck with data from that exact moment. Once grades change, an assessment is complete, or new students enroll, you must re-enter the latest data for accurate, usable results.

And likely, there will be changes you’re unaware of, so you have no guarantee that you’re always using updated information.   

“Spreadsheets and pivot tables—that was me,” says Laura Elliott, Executive Director of Accountability, Testing, and Student Information at Iredell-Statesville Schools. “Too much time was spent keeping up with spreadsheets, sharing them in Google Drive, and giving everybody rights so they could see the data.” 

With a K-12 data analytics solution, operations are in real-time. The solution pulls data from disparate sources, including your student information system (SIS), learning management system (LMS), and assessment product, together into one system. Whenever data within those products changes, it’s automatically updated within your data analytics solution.  

A quality data analytics solution also saves you time with the ability to decipher different formats within your data sources, like how a student’s birthday is displayed.  

After partnering with PowerSchool, administrators and teachers in Iredell-Statesville Schools now have one place that brings the latest data together from multiple software products and presents it in clear, easy-to-read dashboards that make it easy to drill down deeper into any data sets. That gives them a comprehensive picture of individual students, classrooms, schools, and the entire district.  

“[PowerSchool Analytics & Insights] increases efficiency and helps district and school administrators make decisions and focus on key objectives such as MTSS,” says Elliott.

As a single source of truth, a data analytics solution saves time for your stakeholders, including curriculum directors, principals, and superintendents. No longer must they dig through multiple reports and dashboards, and they can access the data themselves instead of waiting for it to be shared.

2) Gain Deeper Insights

A savvy spreadsheet user can create a year-over-year analysis. Still, they have to pull from multiple sources and look at several systems to get there. It can take so long to make correlations that you end up choosing which analysis to do based on how much time you have.

In the end, because of complexity and time, you end up lacking the deeper insights you really need. Plus, the process of completing a year-over-year analysis requires some degree of expertise to assemble it all correctly.  

With a K-12 data analytics solution, it’s simple for any size school or district to look at longitudinal data for year-over-year analysis or to look at 10 (or more) different metrics quickly to see trends.  

You can gain deeper insights through cross-domain data correlation to evaluate student performance. An example is correlating LMS data with SIS data. Real-time student data can help you identify correlations between student outcomes and digital learning access and engagement. For instance, you can see if LMS participation rates impact student grades and test scores. Connecting LMS data with other data sources through a K-12 data analytics solution provides staff with the knowledge they need to understand digital learning adoption and efficacy, ensure effective learning experiences, and, in turn, improve student outcomes.

Another example is correlating assessment data with SIS data. By doing so, you can see how students perform on state tests correlated with what courses they’re enrolled in or how many absences they have had.

Elliot explains how her district gains deeper insights, noting that “a principal, administrator, or counselor can log in and easily find their at-risk attendance students or at-risk behavior students. They can see all of their grades, build a group of students based on multiple criteria, and pull it all together to see whatever data they want or need to see.”

One more way to gain deeper insights with a data analytics solution is with data visualizations. While a spreadsheet only shows data in cells, rows, and columns, data visualizations (which can be customized) show aggregated results that are informative and actionable. Effective visualizations allow you to drill down further into data and gain more valuable insights. Suppose you’re looking at a visualization of tardy students. In that case, a quality data analytics solution allows you to immediately click into a particular student’s information to see which classes they’re missing or identify the days of the week the instances are happening.

3) Access More Functionality to “Slice and Dice” the Data

If you’re using spreadsheets, it can be hard to see specific data on cohorts that may not be in the same class or grade. For example, if 10 students are identified, you can’t easily sort and filter by a specific field if they’re not in the same grade or class. Teachers may have identified them as potentially at risk, but you can’t see those 10 students without going through a highly manual process.  

A K-12 data analytics solution can give you the ability to break down data into smaller sets or views to provide expanded functionality. With a more complete solution, you can easily filter and customize your data, see student groupings and cohorts, and perform ad hoc reporting. You can use tools for actions like improvement planning, integrated professional development, and intervention management.  

You can also report on student plans and school improvement plans and drill down into deeper data—such as shifting from district to school views, or classroom to individual student insights.

4) Ensure Data Security

Schools and districts hold a tremendous responsibility: safeguarding sensitive student and school data. In today’s digital landscape, where cyber threats are ever-evolving, relying on spreadsheets for data analysis can pose cybersecurity risks. Breaches, online theft, and unauthorized access are all too real dangers, making robust data security measures non-negotiable. 

It’s critical to ensure you’re partnering with companies with proven data security measures to help protect your sensitive student, staff, and school information. PowerSchool understands this vital need and prioritizes data security at every stage. We implement industry-leading security practices to ensure your information is always protected, from data encryption and access controls to regular security audits and threat monitoring. 

Choosing a K-12 data analytics solution that prioritizes security gives you peace of mind, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your students. With robust data security, you can confidently leverage your data to personalize learning, provide targeted interventions, and improve student outcomes.

For Any Size School or District

Though it’s been common practice to use a spreadsheet for managing data—especially for smaller schools, districts, and charters who don’t have a full data team—it takes too much time. It inhibits your ability to see useful analytics. Spreadsheets are limited when looking toward the future.  

You don’t need a data team or advanced technical capabilities to use a successful data analytics solution. A K-12 data analytics solution is easy for any size school or district to implement, saving time by pulling all your key data together and giving you a deeper level of real-time insights you won’t get from spreadsheets.