How a Teacher can use Data to Improve Classroom Instruction

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How a Teacher can use Data to ImproveClassroom
Instruction

• Doug Prouty
• Contra Costa County
• Office of Education

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For data analysis techniques to be valuable to
educators, the techniques must enhance the chance
that educators gain insight into student
performance and that they translate this insight
into improved educational experiences for
children.

• Without data, you are just another person with
  an opinion.
• Boeing Aircraft Company

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Avoiding D3

• Data Driven Decision-making makes it seem as if
  you can take the data and make a decision.
• D3 should mean Data Driven Discussions. Create
  a forum and culture for examining and talking
  about data.
• Its about student needs and instructional planning

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If you are serious about using data, be ready to
address change

• School Administrators and Teachers need to take
  the lead

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Who is Here?
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75
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ClassroomTeachers
Admin
Other
TSAs
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Assumption

• Student learning can and should improve on a
  continuous basis
• Learning environments that are meaningful and
  engaging

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Teachers Using Data

• Evaluate student progress
• Define the problems and needs
• Select improvement strategies and academic goals
• Initiate change

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Keep it Simple

• Data presentations are confusing to many teachers
  and principals
• Long tables and scatter plots are not encouraging
  us to use data
• Keep it simple using graphical displays like pie
  charts and graphs

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Needed

• Reflection Thought-provoking information and
  time to study it
• Time for teachers to meet, discuss, reflect upon
  data, and make informed instructional decisions
• Data Continuous exposure to build a culture

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Daily Data

• Feedback to the teacher
• The quicker the better
• All teachers use constant feedback as data to
  modify instruction. Intuition or Raise your hand
  if you know the answer

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4 Types of Data

• Perception surveys
• Program Data scheduling, remediation
• Demographics race, sex
• Student Learning - assessment

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Data Gathering Exercise
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Do you know the answer?

• 1/2 ? 2/3

3/4
How did you solve it? Why does that work?
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Quadratic Equation

• Who knows what a quadratic equation is?
• Who knows the application of the quadratic
  equation?
• Who can recite the quadratic formula?
• Who can recite the quadratic formula and apply it
  to the solution of an equation?

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eInstruction.com
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State Test (CST/STAR)

• How many here feel that the yearly state
  assessment is valuable to you as a teacher?
• If so, why?
• Purpose Public Accountability, Evaluating
  Instruction and Curriculum, and Analyzing Trends

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CAT / CST Data Tool
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STAR/CST is my friend

• At a minimum get that data for your students
  (early in the year) broken out by strand data.
• School-wide data
• Find your students that are not testing well
  and target them.

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Start Simple and Small

• Use a system that is easy to use.
• Energy on assessment and alignment to standards,
  testing and recording of data leaves little
  energy for interpretation.

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Assessment Data Tools

• Must handle all types of data
• Must be easy to use
• Must reach the teachers in the classroom

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Data Director - Achieve!
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Sample High School
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When you change the way you look at things, the
things you look at change.

• Wayne Dwyer

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Data as a Conversation

• Patterns in this years results?
• Similar patterns in past years results?
• Are trends moving toward our goals?
• Do these data surprise us?
• Are there other broad data that show similar
  patterns?

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Data Leading Questions

• Assessment
• How are we measuring our students?
• Student
• Which students are not at proficient levels?
• Program Implementation
• Is our intervention program working?
• Perception
• What do the members of our school community think
  about the job we're doing?

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Looking at Data
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Source NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
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4th Grade Reading (2003)
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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4th Grade Reading (2003)
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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There is a 19 point gap between Poor African
American 4th graders in the District of Columbia
and Boston (roughly equivalent to 2 years worth
of learning)
SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Trial Urban
District Reading Assessment.
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BASRCAfter the Test How Schools are Using Data
to Close the Achievement Gap
www.basrc.org
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BASRC

• Looked at the past three years of CST data for
  schools
• Identified those that closed the achievement gap
• Extensive interviews and visits to see what they
  were doing

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Use Data to Understand Skill Gaps of
Low-Achieving Students
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Administer Assessments of Students
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School Leaders Encourage or Lead Inquiry into the
Gap
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Discuss Low-Performing Student Achievement Data
with Colleagues
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Visits to others classrooms toobserve
instructional strategies
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Putting Data into Action
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Cycle of Inquiry
Academic Focus
InquiryQuestion
DataAnalysis
Measurable Goals
Actions
Major Strategies
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Academic Focus

• While making progress towards efficacy for all
  students, more needs to be done to sufficiently
  close achievement gap, particularly for Hispanic
  males.

Cycle of Inquiry
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Inquiry Question

• How can we better use assessments to drive
  instruction, improve student achievement, meet
  state grade level and ELL standards.

Cycle of Inquiry
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Measurable Goals

• Meet or exceed API goals in all areas
• Increase student achievement for Hispanic males

Cycle of Inquiry
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Major Strategies

• Continue school focus of data driven teacher
  practice and student achievement in literacy
• Align professional development with classroom and
  school COI
• Increase of classroom visits by admin and
  Literacy Coach

Cycle of Inquiry
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Actions

• Tri-Annual Assessments
• COI Meetings and Retreats
• Professional Development
• Before and After School Programs

Cycle of Inquiry
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Data Analysis

• Continue focus on language development, fluency
  comprehension
• Focus on Hispanic males
• Use COI in classrooms
• Continue use of assessment

Cycle of Inquiry
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Simpler Process

• Assess
• Analyze
• Act

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Assess

• Teachers need frequent information on students
  individual strengths and weaknesses to guide
  instruction.
• Multiple assessments on specific skills ie oral,
  written, discrete material
• Frequent feedback on student progress

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Analyze

• Teachers and school-site administrators need both
  the ability and multiple opportunities to reflect
  on and discuss data.
• PD on how to understand student achievement data
• Structured, data driven discussions focused on
  achievement gap data

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Act

• Teachers need structure and support to make
  targeted changes to meet the needs of all
  students.
• School-wide Focus
• Professional development on how to take action
  on data
• Collaboration time for teachers to work on best
  practices

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What have we learned from the places that are
improving?
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• No excuses Everybody takes responsibility for
  student learning
• Student performance isnt blamed on kids and
  their families.
• Embrace state standards and assessments as
  benchmarks and leverage
• Build systems that support all involved
• Clear and specific goals

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How to start (NCREL)

• Develop a Leadership Team
• Collect and Organize Data
• Analyze Data Patterns to Define Problems/Needs
• Pose Hypotheses
• Set Improvement Goals
• Identify Specific Strategies
• Define Evaluation Criteria
• Make the Commitment to
• Adjust Strategies as Necessary

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Thanks!

• Doug Prouty
• dprouty_at_cccoe.k12.ca.us