As classrooms grow more digital and schools increasingly rely on real-time information to guide instruction, the ability to understand and interpret data has become an essential skill for today’s educators.

Beginning Spring 2026, the University of Iowa College of Education will offer its first undergraduate certificate in education data analytics (EDA), giving students across the college—and beyond—an opportunity to build those skills through a focused, highly practical academic program.

Designed by faculty in the Educational Measurement and Statistics (EMS) program, the certificate responds to a clear and growing need: helping future educators navigate the flood of information generated by modern learning tools, assessment systems, and student data dashboards. Faculty consultations with Iowa teachers, school administrators, and national organizations all pointed to the same conclusion—data literacy isn’t optional anymore; it’s foundational to effective teaching.

“The importance of data literacy continues to grow in educational settings,” says Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Educator Preparation Mark McDermott. “With this growth, the expectations for future educators are evolving as well. The new certificate in education data analytics will provide students with tools and strategies for understanding and using data to create effective learning environments for all.”

For Stephen Dunbar, certificate coordinator and Hieronymus-Feldt Professor of Educational Measurement, the launch of the program marks an important step in supporting students who will soon enter data-rich schools.

“Analyzing and interpreting data from classrooms – and often now produced by digital learning tools – is a continuing need in every school setting,” Dunbar explains. “Educators need to develop a level of data literacy that empowers them to make good instructional decisions, and to differentiate data that are trustworthy from data that aren’t. This is the critical connection between assessment and analytics built into the EDA certificate design.”

While data analytics programs exist across campus, Iowa’s new certificate is the only one designed specifically for education settings. Unlike traditional analytics coursework, this program emphasizes the quality and measurement properties of assessment data, the context of real K–12 classrooms and schools, and the communication of results to audiences such as families, colleagues, and administrators.

Most general analytics programs teach data analysis broadly, but few address what Dunbar calls the “critical connection” between assessment and analytics—a link that teachers confront daily when interpreting test scores, progress-monitoring tools, and classroom assessments.

The 18-semester-hour certificate is open to any University of Iowa undergraduate student, though it was intentionally designed with College of Education majors in mind. Because several of the certificate’s course options overlap with existing degree requirements, many students can complete it without adding significant time to their programs.

Teacher Education Program (TEP) majors, Counseling and Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) students, and Education Studies and Human Relations (ESHR) students will find multiple entry points. The certificate is also expected to appeal to undergraduates in psychology, social work, and related fields seeking a future working with youth or in human services.

The coursework is organized into three integrated components, including working with data, statistics in education, and assessment and applications.

Students gain hands-on experience using software tools, visualizing data, and adapting to emerging methods. Through courses in descriptive and inferential statistics, students learn how to communicate analytic results clearly and ethically. In the required new course, Testing, Testing, 1-2-3, students explore the role of assessment not just in education but more broadly with respect to the role of testing in everyday life — including how data quality influences decisions and outcomes — before selecting additional application-focused electives.

Ultimately, the certificate aims to prepare graduates who can confidently navigate data-informed environments—and help their schools do the same.

“We hope the certificate not only makes our graduates more marketable,” Dunbar says, “but also positions them as valuable resources for their future colleagues.” Students who complete the program, he adds, will have a “lasting influence on schools and related organizations who have adopted a philosophy of using data for continual improvement.”