Resource Allocation and District Action Reports (RADAR)

Spend smarter and meet your district goals

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on certain data during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. Therefore, take particular care when using data or making comparisons over multiple school years. If you have questions, please contact data@doe.mass.edu.

Download RADAR Benchmarking — Updated December 2020

RADAR Benchmarking Online: beta version — June 2020
The RADAR team is looking for testing and feedback on the online version of RADAR that’s more interactive. Please complete our 5-minute survey!

Download RADAR Special Education — Updated December 2020

Download District Comparison Indicators — Updated July 2020
See a variety of data indicators for all districts: sort and filter for comparisons

Download District and Town Data — Updated December 2020
This tool allows user to select districts and/or towns for a comprehensive data picture, including DOR data for towns

Student Sending and Receiving Report — June 2020
Where do students enrolled in my district come from? Where do students residing in my city/town go to school?

Resource Reallocation to District Priorities: Nine MA Districts' Experiences

Join the growing number of districts using RADAR—a suite of innovative Excel-based reports for a new approach to resource decisions.

• Compare your spending and staffing to other districts
• Visualize district trends over 5 years
• Investigate staffing levels, per pupil spending, special education, and more

Getting Started With RADAR Benchmarking and RADAR Special Education

• Download the Excel file
• Use the Home tab: select your district
• Select up to 10 comparison districts
• Look at each report:
  

  RADAR Benchmarking

  • Home
  • State Context
  • Change Over 5 Years
  • Change Over 5 Years with Guiding Questions
  • Per Pupil Expenditures
  • Staffing per 100 Students
  • District Class Size

  RADAR Special Education

  • Home
  • District Program Trends
  • Special Education Enrollment
  • Special Education Staff
  • ID for Services
  • Placement Trajectories

  
  

RADAR Change Over 5 Years with Guiding Questions is now included in RADAR Benchmarking
 

Use District Comparison Indicators

(All districts' data for about 25 indicators)

Choose comparison districts for RADAR, budgeting, or planning:

• Download the Excel file
• Read the Instructions and examples
• Use filtering and sorting to find districts that are similar to yours in relevant indicators

Help and Information

RADAR Introduction Slides

RADAR in One Page

RADAR Reports Tutorial

Overview of RADAR
Quick Views of Reports
RADAR in Practice: Exploring a Resources Question
Selecting Comparison Districts

Recent Updates

• December 2020
  • The spring 2020 administration of MCAS was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports will continue to show MCAS 2019 results.
  
  
• July 2020
  • Final update of FY19 finance data to RADAR Benchmarking, District Comparisons, District Town Data
  • Errors fixed in District Town Data, RADAR Benchmarking
  
  
• May 2020
  • RADAR Benchmarking
  • RADAR Special Education
  • District Comparison Indicators:
    • Updated with 2020 enrollment, staffing, class sizes, special education placements and trajectories
    • Updated with 2019 school finance
  • District and Town Data (Excel tool) — Posted May 2020
  • Student Sending and Receiving (online report) — To be posted May 2020
  
  
• November 2019
  • RADAR Special Education now available online
  • RADAR Benchmarking:
    • District Class Size added
    • Special Education Enrollment and Staff reports moved to RADAR Special Education
    • 2019 performance data; final 2018 finance data
  
  

Updates Calendar

Related Tools and Data

DARTs

School Finance Reports

Profiles

Planning for Success

'How Do We Know' Initiative

Contact the RADAR team with comments or requests: radar@doe.mass.edu

Last Updated: December 21, 2020