Data Resources 

SAM's work requires access to data spanning the cradle to career continuum.  The deep partnership and data sharing agreements with the seven school districts provides the view of 5K-12 achievement.  The Early Development Instrument (EDI) provides essential data informing action that leads toward Kindergarten Readiness and the Student Data Tracker gives SAM the capacity to monitor Spartanburg county's graduates' post-secondary achievement for 8 years after they leave high school.  Through this incredible access we can now look for correlations forward and backward across the continuum to match strategies, actions, and outcomes. 

EDI Data: This assessment/survey is completed by kindergarten teachers after observing their students for three months in the classroom environment.  It does not interrupt classroom time and yields measures of vulnerability across five developmental domains and multiple sub-domains critical to success in kindergarten. The resulting data, geo-mapped by census tract, informs the investment of community action and interventions for young children before they ever reach the doors of a classroom.  The EDI also provides the means for assessing the impact of interventions on later learning.  Spartanburg's received its first look at county-wide kindergarten readiness in 2018. 

School-Based 5K-12 Data: Assessments given within the schools provide achievement data.  Whether annual state-wide assessments, district-specific, formative or summative, SAM can access the tools used in the seven school districts to monitor skill changes and proficiency to create county-wide perspectives and assess the success of specific interventions.  

Student Tracker:  Through the National Student Clearinghouse and the data sharing agreements with the school districts, SAM can now track graduates' enrollment, persistence, and completion of post-secondary study regardless of where Spartanburg County students matriculate across the country:  in 96% of public, private, technical, institutions and military.  This rich resource informs adjustments in K-12 preparation in support of readiness for post-secondary achievement. 

SAM commissioned a study of post-graduate enrollment, persistence and completion for Spartanburg County students from the National Student Clearinghouse. Results, providing insight from the public school graduating classes from 2013 to present, became available in Spring 2019. SAM’s data team has been analyzing and sharing these data with district and high school leaders. If you would like additional information from these reports you can email Meghan Smith, SAM’s Director of College and Career Readiness at msmith@learnwithsam.org or call 864-573-5804.