How to Use Smart Source Data
Next Steps
How to Use Smart Source Data
In addition to this executive summary , the 2015-16 Smart Source pilot results have also been released via data tables with aggregate data by state , region , and district size . 11 Organizations that support school health , such as state agencies , local public health agencies , non-profits , hospitals , universities , funders , etc . can use these publically available Smart Source to :
• Identify general gaps in school health
• Inform decisions regarding resource allocation
• Make the case for policy change
• Garner support for school health programs
• Evaluate the reach and impact of policies and practices
These recommendations for data use also apply to schools and districts for which Smart Source data is available . CEI recommends that , where possible , these organizations partner with schools and districts at the local level to support school health efforts . Schools and districts that received a Smart Source report are encouraged to compare their school health policies and practices to both best practices and to the policies and practices of other schools around the state , including by region and district . Additionally , as Smart Source represents only a single data collection at the school level , schools and districts should triangulate their Smart Source results with other data sources in order to capture a more complete picture of school health and wellness . Related data available at the individual level ( i . e ., students or staff ) include the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey ( HKCS , 2015 ), climate surveys , student and teacher perception surveys , discipline data , and attendance data . Extending beyond the school building , schools can access state and county data about childhood health , including the Child Health Survey and Kids Count ( 2015 , 2016 ). When choosing other data sources to examine in conjunction with Smart Source results , CEI recommends schools and districts begin with those already at their disposal to minimize burden .
Next Steps
Following a period of tool and process refinement informed by respondent and expert feedback , CEI launched the 2016-17 administration of Smart Source in September 2016 and will close administration on January 20 , 2017 . While any Colorado K-12 school can participate , CEI has conducted minimal recruitment , instead focusing on further streamlining with select districts ’ existing assessments for local wellness policy implementation . Furthermore , CEI encourages a biennial participation in Smart Source as substantial change in school health practices and policies is not likely to occur in a single year .
Looking ahead , CEI prepares for its largest administration to date to occur in 2017-18 . In addition to its continued coordination with school-level health and wellness surveys ( e . g ., School Health Profiles , district-level assessments ), Smart Source will expand its partnership with Healthy Kids Colorado Survey ( HKCS ), the secondary student-level assessment of health behaviors and attitudes . While they are distinctly different surveys , CEI recommends that secondary schools administer HKCS in tandem with Smart Source , so they can more deeply understand how school-level practices and policies affect their students .
Many Smart Source indicators have been identified for shared measurement by Colorado Healthy Schools Collective Impact – a group of leading organizations committed to improving student health outcomes by systematically supporting schools in their health and wellness efforts , including through consistent data collection . As an example of this statewide coordination , a growing number of Colorado school health funders required their grantee schools to participate in Smart Source in the 2016-17 school year instead of other disparate survey efforts often required in the past .
In addition to this executive summary and the aggregate data tables , CEI is currently developing a series of one pagers , each dedicated to an identified content area or analysis type ( e . g ., trends in Smart Source results by district size and by school FRL rates ) and will release these summaries on a rolling basis , beginning in 2017 .
11 The district-size aggregate represents data combined within various district sizes , not individual district results .
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