Florida High School Principals' Perceptions of Critical Data Metrics (Paperback)

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions that central Florida public high school principals had regarding data used in their schools. A postal survey and follow-up telephone interviews involving over 120 high schools in 13 central Florida school districts were used to poll the principals regarding their perceptions of data metrics in the Florida School Indicators Report (FSIR). The conclusions drawn from the study were that central Florida high school principals perceived the results on the state's mandated Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to be the most important indicators in the FSIR. In addition, the study sought to determine what barriers impacted principals in the collection and analysis of data. The study findings indicated that principals perceived lack of time for data analysis as the biggest barrier they faced when evaluating the FSIR indicators. After the lack of time, principals rated lack of administrator training in data analysis as the second biggest obstacle to using the FSIR.