Racine Sun

Burlington Area School District recently issued the following announcement.

Connie De Smidt accepted a newly created Data and Systems Analyst position for the Burlington Area School District. The school board approved her appointment at their meeting on December 13. As a Data and Systems Analyst, De Smidt will coordinate the use of data to support learning outcomes and ensure that the district’s data is accurately reflected.

     School districts across the state have seen an increase in the number of items needing to be reported to the Department of Public Instruction and other educational institutions. The position has been under consideration since the summer of 2021 and was posted in October after Norine Koehler, who previously worked with student data, announced her retirement.

     In part, the Data and Systems Analyst will assist the district in overseeing the data needed to monitor opportunities for growth and equity. The district recently invested in two new software tools: Forecast 5 and Baird Analytics. Forecast 5 assists the district with the development of numerous data dashboards allowing the ability to analyze the data from a district, school, grade level, classroom, or individual student lens showing trends over time. Baird Analytics assists the district in monitoring financial, staffing, and student data at a high level while also showing district comparables.

          De Smidt has been employed in the district since 2003, most recently as a Special Education Administrative Office Assistant. She has experience in the district’s student information system, Skyward. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Her family lives in Burlington.

Original source can be found here.