Using Student Assessment Data to Analyze and Modify Instruction with a Focus on Collaborative Data Analysis Process
by Jill Palmer, Manager, Quality
Improvement & Accountability
A picture may be worth a thousand words,
but assessment data can speak volumes. Assessments can provide a snapshot of
what students know and what needs to be completed to meet their academic needs.
Through analysis of assessment data, educators can make informed decisions that
positively impact student achievement. Assessment is
an integral part of the instruction process and is crucial for helping students
learn.
The steps listed below will
assist collaborative teams to evaluate assessment data and guide instructional
practices. Leading steps and questions for analyzing assessment data include:
Collect and chart data and
results: What do the data say?
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What are we attempting to
measure/monitor?
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Did we include too many
items on the assessment, or was it the right length?
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Did our assessment measure
what we need to monitor?
Analyze strengths and
obstacles: Analyze, and then prioritize
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What is an example of a proficient
response?
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What learning needs are evident?
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Do any responses standout?
Establish goals: set, review, revise
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Do we complete all the details related
to a powerful goal?
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Are we all committed to helping students
reach their learning goal?
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What obstacles stand in our way?
Select instructional strategies
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How will we monitor progress and rigor?
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How will we know if we’ve achieved
proficiency?
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What strategies will we implement for
those students who lack foundational knowledge?
Determine results indicators
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What responses to questions will reveal
specific strategies were effective?
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How will we know if students are
learning as a result of our specific instructional strategies?
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What questions will reveal specific, but
on-target learning?
I encourage you to adopt a systematic process for using data in order to make instructional decisions and meet students' learning needs. Once the process is in place, the cycle repeats.
Hamilton, L.,
Halverson, R., Jackson, S. S., Mandinach, E., Supovitz, J. A., & Wayman, J.
C. (2009). Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision
Making. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2009-4067. National Center for Education
Evaluation and Regional Assistance.
Taking Time to Reflect Supports Learning
by Myki Williamson, Professional
Learning Specialist
STANDARD # 7: Student Assessment and Data
Analysis
Quality Indicator #2: Assessment data to
improve learning
Reflection is a powerful tool for transforming learning
beyond isolated skills to integrated understanding. In their book Data-Driven Dialogue, Bruce
Wellman and Laura Lipton write, “Adults do not learn from experience, but from
processing experience.” If we apply this
theory to learners of all ages we can conclude that the most significant
learning occurs when the learner takes time to process, or reflect on, that new
learning.
The power of reflection can support all areas of our lives. For example, one of my favorite things to do
is plan Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t
wait until family members sit down for their first bite to reflect on how
everything is going. The process of
reflection begins when I remember what went well, and what didn’t go so well, for
previous Thanksgiving meals. Reflection is a continuous part of my process as I
plan, cook and share my ideal meal. I
begin by anticipating my ideal meal, and then I actively reflect and adjust as
I look for recipes, shop for supplies, and plan the preparation of each
dish. Finally I take time afterwards to recall
how the actual event went compared to the picture in my mind.
We can apply the same process to our classroom. While we are accustomed to reflecting at the
end of a lesson, I suggest that doing so before and during the lesson helps create
a culture of risk taking and higher level thinking. Having students reflect at the beginning of a
lesson activates prior knowledge. As the
lesson progresses, stopping to process and integrate new understanding with
previous learning makes information transferable. Finally, reflection at the end of the lesson
helps students check their thinking and plan where they need to go next with
their learning.
Below is a list of questions from Thomas Farrell's book Reflective Practice in Action: 80 Reflection Breaks for Busy Teachers. To support your students as they reflect, consider posing questions from this list based on where in the lesson you want students to pause to process their thinking.
Anticipatory Reflection – This allows students and teachers to
plan, decide on a course of action and anticipate outcomes.
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What might be some things I want to be able to do at the
end of this lesson/unit/activity?
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How might I be able to show my understanding of new
information?
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How could this information help me become a better_______?
Active Reflection – This allows the students and teachers to
process new information as the lesson unfolds.
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How is what I’m learning connecting to what I already know?
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How comfortable would I feel explaining this information to
a new student?
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What might be some ways I can help myself figure this out?
Recollective Reflection – This allows the students and teachers to
make sense of past experiences and create meaning for those experiences.
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What do you think today’s lesson was about?
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Which part of the lesson was the easiest? Hardest?
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What changes could be made to help you as a learner?
As I begin to consider my favorite meal of the year, I hope
you too will consider how a regular reflective practice could benefit your
students.
Farrell, Thomas (2004).
Reflective Practice in Action: 80
Reflection Breaks for Busy Teachers, Corwin Press.
Wellman, Bruce and Laura Lipton (2003). Data-Driven Dialogue: A Facilitator’s Guide
to Collaborative Inquiry, MiraVia.
Knowing Where You Are Going and How to Get There
by Angela Mansel, SPS Professional
Learning Specialist
STANDARD # 7: Student Assessment and Data
Analysis
Quality Indicator #2: Assessment data to
improve learning
November is the start of what can be a
frantic season of traveling to see family and friends. As we prep for trips we
not only map out a travel plan but we also consider what to do when there are
bumps along the way. What if the flight is delayed or the highway is under
construction? What detours will be required?
The journey of learning for our students
requires similar planning. What is our destination? How are we going to get there? What detours do
we need to be prepared to take?
Formative assessments are the “travel
guides” teachers use to help gather the answers to these questions. These assessments
offer guidance to teachers on how much more “traveling” students still need.
Students also benefit from knowing the results of formative assessments as it stimulates
growth and initiates self-regulation within the student. So share formative
assessment information with students, and they can also plan for the journey.
Formative assessments are not special quizzes
or something extensive that teachers have to add into their lessons. These on-going
assessments are simple checks of learning for the purpose of informing students
and teachers on what the next steps are in making it to the final destination.
The following are a few examples of informal,
formative assessments.
Questioning/Directed
Discussion -
Ask students questions about what they have learned or what they are to learn. It
might be to simply restate in their own words what they have learned, or how it connects to something they have already learned. A
variation that allows more students to share answers and to collaborate with a
peer is to use the Kagan Cooperative Learning structure Timed Pair Share.
Entry or
Exit Slips - Pose
a specific question about the content and have students respond in writing. This can occur as students exit the class or
the next day as they enter. The teacher looks for a critical mass in relation
to how the majority of students respond.
This information can guide the teacher in making decisions about the
next lesson.
Brain
Dump –
Give students an opportunity to either write down or tell a partner everything
they learned during the lesson. The teacher either collects the written information
or monitors the partners to see what misconceptions may have occurred.
Rate of
Understanding –
Ask students to rate how well they understand the lesson. Here are three methods for rating
understanding.
- Show of fingers, 0-5 (or
sometimes called fist to 5)
- Show of thumbs up, down
or sideways
- Show a colored
card. Red is for “Stop! I don’t
understand.” Yellow stands for “I’m
starting to understand but I’m still not completely there.” Green is for, “Keep going. I understand.”
No matter what type of journey you are
planning, knowing where you are going and how you are going to get there helps
make the experience not only more efficient, but more enjoyable in the long
run. Wishing you all safe travels (both in learning and on the road)!
Black, P., & William, D. (2010). “Inside
the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment.” Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 81-90.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New
York, NY: Routledge.
Moss, C. M. & Brookhart, S. M.
(2009). Advancing formative assessment in
every classroom: A guide for instructional leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Sousa, D.A. & Tomlinson, C.A.
(2011). Differentiation and the brain:
How neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. Bloomington, IN:
Solution Tree Press.