After attending the SAS Day at Texas A&M University on Oct. 2, I came away with a new perspective on some of the different educational offerings to help fill the analytic talent gap (which according to studies and research continues to grow). In essence, there is a yin and yang of
Last month, SAS launched our new no-cost software for higher education teaching, learning and research – SAS® University Edition. Available to students, professors, academic researchers and lifelong learners, SAS University Edition provides local access to BASE SAS®, SAS/STAT® software, SAS® Studio, SAS/IML® software and SAS/ACCESS® Interface to PC Files. SAS University Edition
Over the past few months, many US states and districts have received data about student growth and teacher effectiveness. Some educators experience the excitement of outstanding scores and, most importantly, the success of their students’ growth. Some quietly plug along, satisfied to be meeting growth targets and deciding if it isn’t broken,
STEM skills are essential for many of the fastest-growing and most lucrative occupations. And SAS programmers are in high demand in all fields. A number of reports have documented a critical talent shortage, especially for graduates with advanced degrees in math, computer science or computer engineering. (See Running on Empty, Report to
As teachers head into the madness of student course registration, the madness of college basketball reinforces a critical point: Data is crucial to making the picks that lead to a winning bracket, and student growth. Value-added assessment has proven reliable in determining which students are ready for their "one shining moment". This
As I embark on 2014, I reflect upon the many competing, yet interdependent, tensions discussed in education circles in 2013. In conferences, classrooms and statehouses, adults who care about kids debated the best ways to implement: New academic standards (Common Core State Standards or other College and Career Ready Standards)
As I crossed the finished line, I could feel the tears welling up. “Don’t do it," I thought. "Athletes don’t cry." Somehow, I managed to pull myself together, but instead of my usual post-race celebration of high fives and cheering on other runners, I walked to the race result board
With the others, I filed into the school gymnasium, my super zoom camera lens at the ready and a nervous smile on my face. Across the room, I caught a glimpse of my unsmiling daughter, and my apprehension grew about how this awards day program would play out for her.
Why is SAS joining hands with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and other corporations to celebrate The Hour of Code? During Computer Science Education Week, December 9 – 15, SAS and many others will draw attention to some startling facts: The number of computer science jobs is growing three times faster than
Like many of you teachers out there, I spent a lot of time recently preparing for the new school year. At home, it began with the therapeutic organization of children's rooms. As I sat amid in outgrown clothes, last year’s school work, and books to donate, I braced myself and
As student growth or value-added measures become more prevalent in educator evaluation systems, many question how those ratings actually help teachers improve their practice. i.e. “How does a level 3 teacher become a level 4 or 5?” Robust and reliable value-added data serve as a great starting point for teachers
Some things are just common sense, and having common academic standards for all states is one of those things. In a national milestone event, 45 states and the District of Columbia recently coalesced around a common set of standards for math and English/language arts. The process did not happen overnight, and there
Students with missing test scores are often highly mobile students and are more likely to be low-achieving students. It is important to include these students in any growth/value-added model to avoid selection bias, which could provide misleading growth estimates to districts, schools and teachers that serve higher populations of these
Dr. Goutam Chakraborty, founder of Oklahoma State University’s SAS Data Mining Certificate Program, was honored at SAS Global Forum with the 2013 SAS Distinguished Professor award. The award is given to individuals for innovative use of SAS in teaching and/or research, and supporting successful student use of SAS. Last year,
Welcome to Part 3 of the value-added Myth Busters blog series. I have heard a variation of this many times. “Why shouldn’t educators just use a simple gains approach or a pre- and post-test? They can trust simpler methodologies because they can replicate and understand them more easily.” Simple growth measures
Welcome to Part 2 of the value-added Myth Busters blog series…have you heard this one before? Educators serving high-achieving students are often concerned that their students’ entering achievement level makes it more difficult for them to show growth. “How can my students show growth if they are already earning high
In the past five years, value-added models have been increasingly adopted by states to support various teaching effectiveness policies. As educators make the paradigm shift from looking at only achievement data to incorporating growth data, many misconceptions have developed. Compounding this issue is the fact that not all value-added and
This is the third in our three part series about the National Online Teacher of the Year Award finalists. Click here for Parts One and Two. For the fourth year, SAS is a sponsor of the award, which recognizes an outstanding online teacher for exceptional quality in online K-12 education.
This is the second of three interviews with the National Online Teacher of the Year Award finalists. First up was Renee Citlau. For the fourth year, SAS is a sponsor of the award, which recognizes an outstanding online teacher for exceptional quality in online K-12 education. Through education initiatives and innovative resources
For the fourth year, SAS is a sponsor of the National Online Teacher of the Year Award (NOTY), which recognizes an outstanding online teacher for exceptional quality in online K-12 education. Through education initiatives and innovative resources such as SAS Curriculum Pathways and SAS Mobile Education apps, SAS is a strong
Or... How will you enhance integration in 2013? Teachers want to more effectively integrate classroom technology. The question is how to achieve that goal, that “resolution.” Teaching is an individual art. Over the past few years, professional learning communities and vertical teaming has improved collaboration. But in the end, an
I started working for SAS more than 8 years ago. At the time I knew it was a great place to work. Everyone in the Triangle area knows that, but I wanted to work here to combine my skills with a passion. I went to North Carolina State University to study computer engineering,
I'm making my debut on television! Tune in to WRAL-TV on Friday evening, January 11, 2013. I'll be featured on a Good Things! segment which airs during the 5:30 newscast. (You should see me approximately 5:55pm EST.) [Update: If you missed the segment, not to worry. They've posted a
As the holidays approach, we’ll all have some down-time to catch up on personal and professional reading, hopefully cozied up by a fire with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. While most books regarding data-driven decision making and value-added analyses can be pretty heavy, I’d like to suggest two
In a recent blog post, I discussed how I enjoy working with the education industry because they are so eager and willing to help. While that post dealt with K-12, this one discusses higher education, specifically the University of Texas System and their public dashboard. If you are interested in
This summer’s education conferences have been dominated by sessions discussing the “next generation,” Common Core aligned assessments in English and mathematics. As 44 states plan for the transition from their state tests to the new PARCC and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessments, SAS has received repeated questions from our partners
Did you ever experience a time where you hear or see the same thing over and over again? Whether you chalk it up to coincidence, immersion or saturation, you clearly start seeing the same ideas or topics discussed in multiple places. Lately, I have been hearing about the topic of
Christian Haxholdt, an analytics consultant in Global Professional Services and Delivery, has a passion for probability. Originally from Denmark, Christian is a former professor of statistics, and although he no longer teaches, he’s still an avid learner. Read on for his spirited interview, and be sure to check out the
“Ohio links teacher pay to test scores” was the headline of a recent CNN School of Thought blog. Yikes! With a headline like that, teachers might start heading for the hills. I kept reading through the blog hoping that it would better explain Ohio’s policy to use student growth data
I love working with the Education industry and with our partners and customers. They are always so eager and willing to help that it really makes my job fun and easy. Plus, they are doing some amazing things to help districts, teachers and students. And everyone knows, teachers and schools
