Data…..use it or lose it??Tests, assessments, data collection, data-driven instruction, formative assessments, and summative assessments can all be overwhelming. As teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches, how do we design it, use it, manage it, and what do we do with it all? Where to start can sometimes be the hardest part, but we first have to make sure that the data we use is relevant. We have to be measuring and looking at what matters. Are our assessments measuring what we, as stakeholders, feel matters most? Do our goals match what we feel is most important for our schools and communities? Then once we have this data, what do we do with it all? I am not only referring to the annual tests but also the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, formative and summative, formal and informal assessments that teachers gather. Gone are the days of teachers looking at annual testing results once a year and saying, “Hmm, maybe I should change a few things,” and moving on to the next year. No longer is it acceptable for teachers to have students failing to master concepts without making changes to their instruction in the classroom. Teachers are now collaborating, looking at data in creative ways, working with their peers and mentors to figure out what needs to be done to make all students successful. Gathering and organizing data takes a great deal of time, and, thankfully, many systems have employed instructional coaches to assist in that role. But in most, if not all, schools, teachers are no longer “islands unto themselves” but functional parts of school communities that work together to ensure student success. Collaboration has become part of most school’s culture. The collaborative model for data-driven instruction also makes use of a teacher’s natural inclination to turn to other teachers for support.
One of the most creative ways to incorporate data collaboration that I found while looking at data-driven instruction research is data walls. I think that this is a wonderfully visual way of looking at student progress throughout the year, and I have talked to my grade-level team about possibly using them in the future. Here is a clip explaining the process.
I think that this process is a great example of what “fosters and utilizes a sense of community.” (Picciano, 2011, p.89) Teachers have to work together and be creative to craft our instruction to meet our student’s needs on a daily basis. In our chat, it was mentioned that in a team setting with collaborative planning and data collaboration, each student gets multiple advocates who get to know them well and have the ability to speak for them. I think that this type of collaboration has become a vital part of what teaching and data-driven instruction looks like in our time. Teachers collaborating with other teachers can be one of our most valuable resources; It can also be one of our most valuable assets. This collaboration can not only benefit our students but also our teachers. According to Sparks (2013), effective teams strengthen leadership, improve teaching and learning, nurture relationships, increase job satisfaction, and provide a means for mentoring and supporting new teachers and administrators. There are several things that the Center for Teaching Quality recommends for best practices in collaboration: scheduling adequate time for collaboration, aligning collaboration for both horizontal and vertical collaboration, structuring collaboration meetings formally, and creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. (Berry, Daughtrey, and Weider, 2009)
References:
Berry, B., Daughtrey, A., & Wieder, A. (2009). Collaboration: Closing the Effective Teaching Gap. Center for Teaching Quality.
Data Walls. (n.d.). Retrieved 8 March 2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/differentiated-instruction-with-data-walls#
Picciano, A. G. (2010). Educational leadership and planning for technology (5th ed.). United States: Allyn & Bacon.
Sparks, D. (2013). Strong Teams, Strong Schools. Learning Forward, 34.
Creating a collaborative approach is extremely important. According to Picciano (2011), discussing strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum is a priority when planning for academics. I teach special education, and I am constantly collecting and reviewing data to ensure all learning needs are met. In order to be effective, it is imperative that I work with the general education teacher to ensure we are moving toward the educational goals.
ReplyDeleteI love that data has transitioned directly into the classroom. According to Picciano (2011), test-scoring equipment and software are common in many schools [today] and provide quick marking of objective tests (p. 64). This has allowed me to change my practices on a weekly basis and constantly assess my students' mastery of standards and objectives. I use software and programs to create assessments and analyze the results. The spreadsheets can be easily shared with my colleagues or with the student's parent(s). It's hard to argue with the data in a parent meeting!
ReplyDeleteThis video example showing the way data walls are used is encouraging and eye-opening. I really liked the visual display of student achievement and how different teachers can get together to discuss what practices in the classroom work for different students. I would want to digitize that information and store it over time, expand it for multiple subjects with the same students, etc. The case study Picciano provides in Chapter 4 emphasizes the importance of "teachers meeting and discussing student performances class by class" as the success of the school's data-driven decision making (p. 66).
ReplyDeleteExcellent choice of videos; I have used that one often to explain this process. It is also vital, as you expressed, that students have multiple advocates. I remember the first time I became part of a teaching "team" where we all had the same students. The ability to collaborating and even just compare notes on what worked with this kid or that kid was invaluable!
ReplyDelete