As Daarel Burnette II reported in the October 26th issue of Education Week, state-issued school report cards are in for a make-over in both appearance and information, and that’s no easy matter. It’s also a concern for those dubious about the merits of data collection. As Burnette explains, “The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to visualize in an ‘easily accessible and user-friendly’ way plenty more data points than was required under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), including school-by-school spending, stats on teacher and principal quality, school discipline rates, and preschool, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate offerings–all broken out by more than 10 student subgroups.”

And here’s the kicker: “In all, states will have to shove into its report card an estimated 2,107 data points about its public school system…” Or so predicts the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Daunting, no? How about a waste of time, energy, and lots of money?