Edutools.us is a system of analytical and graphical tools put together to make data collection and decision-making both efficient and accurate for practitioners. Edutools.us allows users to visualize sophisticated concepts like linear trends, confidence intervals and locally weighted regression at the click of a button.
The first tool of the suite of tools being developed by Edutools.us was created out of a need for a better tool to monitor progress. It is an internet based extension to the free templates found on measuredeffects.com. Templates and tools available on measuredeffects.com will continue to be developed, and available at no charge. Unlike measured effects, Edutools is a commercial product, although the per school charge is minimal, the annual charge is necessary to maintain the infrastructure including processing power, storage, and on-going development.
There are many comprehensive assessment systems available to collect benchmark and progress monitoring data. These systems tend to do an adequate job in collecting and graphing data, but they are often limited, sometimes cumbersome to use, slow and unfortunately and most problematic, inaccurate!
Edutools.us does not limit the user to a small set of tools deemed to be research based. Edutools.us is assessment agnostic. Because Edutools.us employs "on-demand" statistics including calculation of confidence intervals, your data will allow you to determine whether what you have collected is sufficiently reliable for the decision you want to make.
Edutools.us was developed to minimize to number of user clicks to produce high quality data visualizations. In our work with several comprehensive data systems we have often asked ourselves if someone is getting paid per click!
Edutools.us is faster than any other system around. Visualizations follow a structure of graphical development that allow for nearly instantaneous, dynamic interactivity between the user and the data.
Edutools.us is accurate. Data are not interpolated, or worse extrapolated. Data are not simply categorized as a point above or below the aimline. Summaries of data are correct (no names, however one very large corporate assessment company regularly provides summaries of data based on a comparison of slopes without regard for level of achievement, which tends to be incorrect about 50% of the time). Edutools.us employs one of two different user selected methodologies to calculate confidence intervals (i.e., ordinary least squares regression, and locally weighted non parametric regression). Unlike one of the more popular comprehensive data systems, edutools.us uses correct formulas, and actual critical values rather than indefensible estimates.
Read the case study that led to the development of edutools.us
Read more about how edutools.us works by looking over our help documentation