Data can help educators identify and address the real issues that affect student performance, said Joanne Quinn, director of continuing education at the University of Toronto, and Eleanor Adam of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at their session, Getting Results: Creating the Assessment-Literate School.
Joanne Quinn
Eleanor Adam
Adam and Quinn suggested a four-step process for using data to make wise decisions:
Adam and Quinn suggested a four-step process for using data to make wise decisions:
- Identify the types of data that are of interest. Potential categories include the following.
- Student learning—reflecting the degree to which students have acquired certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
- Demographics—providing an understanding of students and their needs.
- Processes and practices—revealing aspects of school organization, staffing, and use of resources.
- Perceptions—shedding light on what students, teachers, parents, and others think about the school.
- Collect data. When collecting data, be selective, Adam and Quinn advised. "Avoid data frenzy." Balance types of data. Look, for example, at standardized test scores, teacher insights, report cards, and samples of student work. Perceptual data—such as teacher insights and others' opinions—can be collected through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and discussions. When discrepancies arise, seek more data to clarify muddy issues, they suggested.
- Analyze the data. Involve teachers during data analysis. Ask questions, and collect more data if necessary to answer them. For example: What trends or patterns do we see? What is surprising or unexpected? What are the similarities and differences among data from various sources? What circumstances have had a strong effect on student achievement?
- Set priorities. Lead a consensus-building discussion to select the two or three areas that will have the most impact on student learning, Adam and Quinn suggested. Set performance targets—ones that 'stretch' you but don't set you up for failure. Make sure you can measure progress toward your target.
"There's a lot of data around," Adam and Quinn said. "We need to tap into it." But, they emphasized, data collection must be a priority of the school district, and principals must be involved. And data collection should never be seen as threatening, even if it uncovers deficiencies. "There needs to be a safe environment."