Agile Development to Support State Assessment Analyses

Intern Update #2

Brian Harrold and Erik Whitfield
July 10, 2025

Recap: Project Objectives

  • Develop modular, reusable R functions to support education data analysis
  • Focus on transparency, reproducibility, and efficiency
  • Build tools for cohort tracking, participation metrics, and student mobility
  • Provide interactive, well-documented outputs for users
  • Shift the role of the state analyst from creator to reviewer

cohortED package

cohortED badge

Significance of cohortED

Package workflow showing data preparation, plotting, analysis, and reporting

Recent Improvements

  • Enhancing Processes
  • Bolster Reporting
  • Clarifying Support
  • Defining Workflow

Enhancing Processes

  • Longitudinal-population descriptors
    • Describing the population in terms of cohorts
  • Persistence-based analysis
    • Visualizing the changes in the population

Visualizing Changes

Screenshot of example report showing new plotting capabilities

Bolster Reporting

  • Auto-generated text
    • Compares outputs from analysis functions
    • Conditionally constructs and combines responses
  • User-oriented logic
    • Suggests plots or tables as needed
    • Driven by conditional rules
  • Report-ready narrative

Within the Report

Screenshot of example report showing automatically generated text

Clarifying Support

  • Cleanly-structured documentation
    • Searchable website with explanations
    • Summaries with collapsible details

Live Example

Screenshot of online documentation showing Quarto-generated collapsible function descriptions

Open Live Example ↗

Defining Workflow

  • Well-defined structure
    • Additive functionality
    • Streamlined procedures
  • Input-structuring tools
    • Facilitate formatting data

Workflow Concept

Diagram of the cohortED package workflow with four stages: make_ and summarize_, then plot_, then analyze_ and compare_, and finally report_

Example Report

View Example Reports

Next Steps

  • Implement school/district filters
    • Develop support for school/district level transitions
  • Document package workflows
    • Supporting users implement functionality
  • Expand reporting capabilities
    • Potential for new reports or additional sections

In the Next Two Weeks

  • Continue developing functionality and reporting
    • Further Reporting and Narration
    • Expound Performance Comparisons
  • Prepare NCME Proposals:
    • Mini (2-hour) Training Session
    • Innovative Demonstration
  • Apply Package to Mississippi Assessment Data

Potential Extensions (Later)

  • Alternative Assessments
  • Support Services
  • Dropout vs. Graduation
  • Chronic Absenteeism
  • Any other transition!

Desired Feedback

  • Frequently asked questions about student mobility
  • Related reports or articles to guide future work
  • Advice concerning NCME Proposals