Building a Data-Driven School Hilary Shea September 26, 2006

Words to the Wise Building a data driven school takes a lot of time Real change does not happen overnight It is not enough for a plan to look good on paper Best data system means nothing if data is not used Making data-based decisions impacts all parts of school life, not just instruction It is essential to set realistic and attainable goals

The Big Picture Interlocking system of teams Efficient data management Effective meetings Meaningful peer observation Real internal accountability

Interlocking System of Teams Time to meet Strong Instructional Leadership Team Communication between teams

Efficient Data Management Data coordinator Data inventory Data binder

Effective Meetings Careful planning Use of protocols Teacher leadership Action-oriented

Meaningful Peer Observation Frequent visits Shared language for discussing instruction Beyond “culture of nice”

Real Internal Accountability  All staff accountable to each other for: Productive meetings Learning together Improving practice

Zooming In Efficient Data Management

Four steps to successful data collection 1.Create a data inventory 2.Assemble and maintain a data binder 3.Develop data templates for recording raw data from each assessment 4.Create data displays that summarize information from raw data

1. Data Inventory Answers the questions: Which assessments do we use? Who is tested? When? Why? What happens to the data?

2. Data Binder Choose level: school, grade, class, student Choose organization: by subject, assessment, and/or teacher Plan maintenance: decide what roles data team, teachers will play

3. Data Templates Start with big picture: what do you want to know? Address details: what info should you include on form? Plan structure: make it easy to use and to read

What Not To Do… TOO MUCH DATA GOING ON!

Example 1: Guided Reading Template

The Form Alone Provides a Helpful Visual The gray column denotes the end- of-year grade level benchmark. The two arrows highlight one student’s progress from the fall assessment to the winter assessment. At the classes current rate of improvement the majority of students will be at or above grade level by the Spring.

Looking at Charts from Year to Year The yellow boxes highlight two students progress from kindergarten to second grade. Both students were placed in Reading Recovery in 1 st Grade. Both students finished second grade at nearly benchmark level.

Example 2: Writing Prompt Template 6 Trait Rubric Fall, Winter, and Spring Scores

4. Data Displays Visual representation of specific aspects of the raw data Can be generated from the data entered into Excel templates Can inform classroom-level and school- wide discussions

Displays Allow Data to Drive Instruction Charts are created for each trait Charts are used to identify areas of strength and weakness across grades and across the schools The data is used to inform mini-lessons, the focus of CCL, and identifying needs in the scope and sequence between grades.

Helpful Hints Hold teachers accountable for submitting their classroom data on time. Use the data in meaningful and relevant ways…you can’t have data-driven instruction without using the data! Go electronic so data is recorded on a standardized form and automatically stored in multiple places.

Questions?

Data in Action: The Development of an Action Plan to Improve Reader’s Notebooks ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Data on Learner-Centered Problem  4 th Grade ELA MCAS from last two years: average score on open response questions is 2.3 out of 4.  Reader’s Response Notebooks: entries are weak in organization and thesis development.  Guided Reading Assessments: students perform worse on the open response question than on the oral portion of the test ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

4 th Grade ELA MCAS ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Learner-Centered Problem Students are unable to consistently respond and reflect when writing about texts they have read independently or with the class. ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Data on Problem of Practice  Reader’s Response Notebooks  Fall CCL reflection on practice: teachers identified ineffective use of reader’s notebooks as a problem  Ongoing Observation: principal and coach found teachers not effectively using mini-lessons as a means to teach written responses to text. ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Problem of Practice Teachers are not effectively using the Reader’s Notebook as a forum for students to respond and reflect in writing about what they read. ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Statement of Solution Devote this spring’s intermediate CCL to supporting teachers in using Reader’s Notebooks more effectively. ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

What will we do?  Create statement of purpose for Reader’s Notebook  Use student letters as the primary data source  Create rubric for assessing letters  Create grade-level expectations for letters ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

What will we do? (continued)  Model lessons on different types of letters Prompted Non-prompted Topic cards  Model mini-lessons related to improving letters  Generate exemplars for all grades ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

What will we see in classrooms?  Effective mini-lessons  High-quality student letters (from students of all ability levels)  Notebooks that include both non-prompted and prompted letters ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

What will we see in classrooms? (continued)  High-quality teacher responses to letters, that have the purpose of improving their content  Use of the rubric and exemplars in all classes  Use of notebooks as means of assessment ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

How will we confirm that classroom changes are occurring?  Peer observations  Principal and coach learning walks  Focus groups ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Where will we look for evidence of improved student learning?  Reader’s Notebooks: Prolific and high- quality letters from all students  Classroom reading response assessments: Well-organized, well developed answers (teachers can use students’ actual letters as the means of assessment)  4 th Grade ELA MCAS: Improvement on open response questions ©Hilary Shea, June 2006

Potential Pitfalls  Keeping up the momentum following the spring CCL  Effectively using student letters during looking at student work sessions  Monitoring teachers’ use of the rubric and exemplars after this year ©Hilary Shea, June 2006