Using Data to Plan Instruction:

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Using Data to Plan Instruction

• Making the Pieces Fit Together

Cathy Wishart Literacy Coach
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Arrival Activity Thinking About Individualizing

• How would you complete each of these sentences?
  ADD IDEAS TO THE CHARTS POSTED ON THE WALL.
• To me, individualizing means _____________________
  _____________.
• In my classroom, one way I individualize is to
  _______________________________________.

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Data data everywhereSo much it's hard to
think.Data data everywhereIf only it would link.
James Turner, Educator
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The Math Problem Analogy

• A man has to be at work by 900 a.m. It takes him
  15 minutes to get dressed in a suit and tie, 20
  minutes to eat and 35 minutes to walk to work in
  his Reeboks. He likes to eat Raisin Bran for
  breakfast. His friend at work, Jeanette, is
  usually late for work each day. What time should
  he get up?

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What is Data?

• According to dictionary.com, data means
• Factual information, especially information
  organized for analysis or used to reason or make
  decisions.

This definition goes beyond test scores and
numerical values. It encompasses factual,
objective information about the child.
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Levels of Data
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Why Bother With Data?

• Data leads to a teacher being able to
• Reflect on own practices
• Generate new strategies to reach students
• Make practical educational decisions
• Meet the needs of individual students learning
  styles
• Determine and reevaluate previous decisions for
  effectiveness
• Ultimately, be a more engaged, effective,
  productive, confident, and happy educator

Gall, Joyce P. and M.D., Borg, Walter R. Applying
Educational Research A Practical Guide. NY
Longman, 1999.
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Using Data to Plan Curriculum Meet Individual
Childrens Needs

• Data is only meaningful when it is linked to
  decisions about teaching.
• Data is used to make decisions about individuals.
• Observe, reflect, and respond
• Jasmine brings you a book and pointing to the
  cover, says what does that say?
• You think shes aware that print carries a
  message and notices print in the environment.
• You respond Ill call attention to how I read
  from top to bottom and left to right when I read
  with her next time.

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How Do I Use What I Just Learned?

• What is the students current level?
• What is the student ready for next?
• How can I support this?
• Will I design an activity, have an interaction,
  offer a material, adapt the environment?
• Data is used to make decisions about groups of
  students.
• Planning is essential!

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From Where Do I Get the Data?

• Informal Assessments
• Teacher observations, conversations
• Anecdotal records, portfolios
• Formal Standardized Testing
• Terra Nova results from last year, Screening
  Assessment
• Formal Classroom Testing
• Reading program generated tests
• Teacher-generated tests
• Running Records
• Formal and Informal Student Surveys
• Student Interest Surveys
• Classroom discussions
• Learning Profiles
• Teacher-child interviews

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Okay, Now What?

• Looking at the data helps the teacher with

Small Group Instruction

• Determining groups
• Determining needs
• Determining interests
• Determining support

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What is Small Group Instruction?

• Small group instruction is when a teacher works
  with a group of students (two to six) to
  accomplish a given task.
• (Opitz Ford, 2001)

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What Are The Benefits of Small Group Instruction?

• Teachers are better able to observe, monitor, and
  attend to the needs of readers
• Students are more comfortable taking learning
  risks in a small group
• Students are afforded more opportunities to
  interact with one another
• Instruction can be targeted and focused to meet
  the needs of the group members
• (Strickland, Ganske, Monroe, 2002)

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Some Types of Effective Small Group Lessons

• Demonstration
• Intervention
• Shared Response
• Combination
• (Opitz Ford, 2001)

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A Demonstration Lesson

• In a demonstration lesson, the teacher models
  using a specific skill, strategy, or learning
  behavior in an observable way.
• If a teacher is modeling making text-to-self
  connections, the teacher thinks aloud.
• If a teacher is modeling re-reading for a clearer
  understanding, the teacher says aloud what is
  confusing, re-reads, finds additional
  information, and then continues to read.

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An Intervention Lesson

• An intervention lesson is designed to address a
  specific need that has become evident from
  watching and listening to children as they read
  and write.
• Children with similar needs are grouped together
  to make efficient use of instructional time.
• To assist the students to move from where they
  are to where they need to be, the teacher focuses
  less on modeling and more on scaffolding
  instruction.
• (Opitz Ford, 2001)

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A Shared Response Lesson

• A shared response lesson is designed to enable
  children, regardless of perceived reading level,
  to share what they are reading with others.
• The primary purpose for this type of lesson is to
  enable children to learn from one another through
  meaningful, focused discussion.
• To maximize its potential as a learning
  experience, this discussion is often provided a
  structure by the teacher.
• (Opitz Ford, 2001)

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A Combination Lesson

• A combination lesson is one in which any
  combination of the first three experiences are
  used. How to best help children understand a
  given aspect of reading is what guides the
  combination.
• (Opitz Ford, 2001)

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Types of Data

• Formal
• Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement
  by Clay
• Fox in a Box
• Terra Nova Results
• Running Records

• Informal
• Anecdotal notes
• Teacher observation
• Student Interviews
• Attitude Surveys
• Interest Inventories

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Using Data to Assign Flexible Groups

• Achievement
• Use performance on a reading measure. Students
  with similar scores are placed in the same group.
• Mixed Achievement
• Students with various scores are placed in the
  same group.
• Interest
• This group is based on interest inventories,
  student interviews, or attitude surveys. Assign
  students to a group based on interest or topic.
• Skill or Instructional Need
• Students lacking in a skill or strategy are
  grouped together.

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A Kindergarten Scenario

• While the students are in centers, Ms. Smith
  takes an anecdotal record on William. She notices
  that William is recognizing the names of some
  upper and lower case letters and can locate his
  own name. As she continues to observe, she also
  notes that William often incorrectly names
  letters that are easily reversed. She decides to
  have a skill group of four students meet so she
  can review the letters b, d, and p.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping technique did she use?

Informal
Demonstration Intervention
Skill or Instructional Need
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Another Kindergarten Scenario

• While administering the district screening
  assessment, Ms. Cappello notices that four of her
  kindergarten students scored below the benchmark
  for identifying rhyming words. She decides to
  bring this group together to play several rhyming
  games. She thinks out loud for the students, and
  then encourages them to match pictures of rhyming
  words.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping technique did she use?

Formal
Demonstration Intervention
Skill or Instructional Need
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A 1st Grade Scenario

• In September, Mr. Jones uses the big book Mr.
  Grump during a shared reading experience
  conducted with the whole class. During this time,
  he notices that some readers seem to need
  additional instruction to strengthen their
  concepts about print, especially directionality
  and voice-print match. He decides to group these
  students together to provide this instruction.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping technique did he use?

Informal
Demonstration Intervention
Skill or Instructional Need
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Another 1st Grade Scenario

• Running records have enabled Mrs. Harris to see
  that her twenty-two first graders have diverse
  literacy needs. Six of the students read at the
  same level. She pulls the group together and
  selects six copies of a book that is at their
  instructional reading level as determined by the
  running records. She facilitates a discussion of
  the books main character.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping technique did she use?

Formal
Shared Response
Achievement
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A 2nd Grade Scenario

• Mr. Doman has taken a close look at the students
  ability to activate background knowledge and
  monitor comprehension. He observes that they all
  have a pretty good handle on this, but he wants
  to introduce a new strategy. He models the
  strategy for a group of mixed ability students
  who have indicated an interest in sea-life. He
  chooses a non-fiction text on sharks. He then
  asks the students to choose a book from a stack
  of multi-leveled books on sea-life. The students
  are then given time to apply the new strategy and
  read their books. He includes the two students
  who are in another group and reading at the
  lowest level in the class. Mr. Doman assists as
  needed.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping strategy did he use?

Informal
Demonstration
Interest Mixed Achievement
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A 3rd Grade Scenario

• When Mrs. Anderson was working with her class on
  the story, The Olympic Games Where Heroes are
  Made, she noticed some interesting behaviors by
  four of her students. While most of the class was
  able to find facts presented in the story,
  Javier, Julie, Drew, and Robin had difficulty
  finding facts they were asked to locate. For
  example, when Mrs. Anderson asked the class how
  many countries competed in the first modern
  Olympics, hands flew up, but Javier, Julie, Drew,
  and Robin kept flipping pages without finding the
  information. Mrs. Anderson has decided to take
  these students as a group and model how to locate
  information in a factual textbook format.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping strategy did he use?

Informal
Demonstration Intervention
Skill
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A 4th Grade Scenario

• When reading Saguaro Cactus, Mrs. Phillips
  noticed that Mary read the word spiny as
  spinny. When Mrs. Phillips asked what the word
  meant, Mary explained that it was when things
  spin really fast. Other students looked confused
  at Marys answer, but Joey and Adele shook their
  heads in agreement. Mrs. Phillips decided to
  review all of the vocabulary words for this story
  with this group. She made a game to help the
  students review the words, their pronunciation,
  and their meanings.

• What type of assessment was used?
• What was the purpose?
• What grouping strategy did he use?

Informal
Intervention
Skill
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How Can We Group These Children for Small Group
Instruction?

• Try to form five different groups of at least
• two to six children.
• What assessment is informing your decision?
• (Formal, Informal)
• What is the purpose of the group?
• (Demonstration, Intervention, Shared Response,
  Combination)
• How are you assigning students to each group?
• (Achievement, Mixed Achievement, Skill or
  Instructional Need, Interest)

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Bibliography

• Dobson, Treneire Moorman, Emily. Small Group
  Instruction Power Point. NJ DOE, 2006.
• ELAS Power Point. NJ DOE, 2005.
• Fry, Edward, Ph.D. Informal Reading Assessments
  K-8. Westminster, CA Teacher Created Materials,
  2002.
• Gall, Joyce P. and M.D., Borg, Walter R. Applying
  Educational Research A Practical Guide. NY
  Longman, 1999.
• Gould, Judith S. and Burke, Mary F. Creating
  Managing a Writing Workshop. Carthage, IL
  Teaching Learning Co., 2005.
• Opitz, M.F., Ford, M.P. Reading Readers
  Flexible Innovative Strategies for Guided
  Reading. Portsmouth, NH Heinemann, 2001.
• Strickland, D.S., Ganske, K., Monroe, J.K.
  Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers
  Strategies for Classroom Intervention 3-6.
  Portland, ME Stenhouse Publishers, 2002.
• Wishart, Catherine. Using Data to Drive
  Instruction. Easy Literacy. http//www.easylitera
  cy.com, 2009.