1 Beyond Re-grouping and Re-teaching: Using Data to Dramatically Improve Instruction

2 Data List the data sources available to you in your classrooms and/or buildings. Circle the data sources you use to inform your teaching and/or leadership. Write examples of how teaching changes based on these data sources Share out 0:04

3 Overview Examine how the increase of data in education is impacting schools Clarify why data is naturally leading to regrouping and reteaching Explore how we can better leverage student data to improve instruction and impact student learning Identify concrete next steps 0:05

4 Data-driven reform 2010 US Department of Education Study Examine how the increase of data in education is impacting schools 0:06

5 We are collecting a lot of data Source: USDOE US Districts with Electronic Student Data Systems by Type 0:07

6 What can that data tell us? Type of Query % of Districts with This System Capability Individual student history over time83% Drill-down capability76% Individual student assessment performance over time72% Student performance linked to specific teachers67% Student performance linked to specific instructional programs42% Student performance linked to teacher information or characteristics 38% Source: USDOE Most data provides historical information, little is connected to instruction. 0:08

7 What is the result of all that data? Year Source: NAEP No Child Left Behind 0:09

8 Explanations Data-driven reform might be a flop Insufficient time has passed to witness the impact There are flaws in the implementation of data systems and reform Why are we not seeing results from data-driven reform? 0:10

9 Question Why does the data we generate lead to minimal improvement? 0:11

10 State Data Result: Re-Teaching – Spend more time teaching standards that last year’s students failed to understand 0:12 State Data Test in the spring, receive data in the fall Good: Identify general areas of needed improvement Bad: -Received after the students have left our classrooms -Will past data apply to new students?

11 Result: Regrouping and reteaching – Regrouping students according to their performance on standards – Reteaching the standards on which students performed poorly Interim & Formative Data 0:13 Interim & Formative Data Test several times a year, receive feedback immediately or within 2-3 weeks Good: -Data more timely and pertinent to specific groups of students Bad: -Intense focus on counting and trends— while the numbers provide some information, they do not explicitly provide insight into student thinking -Often cannot break down data by sub-standards

12 Feedback and change Teachers receive feedback from standardized assessments Feedback leads to reteaching and regrouping by design Reteaching and regrouping are not dramatically impacting student learning 0:14

13 Reteaching and Regrouping Why aren’t they “game changers”? Teachers often work in isolation, making it tough to learn new strategies that may improve reteaching or regrouping Reteaching often involves teaching something the same way we taught it the first time Regrouping students does not directly address the specific reasons why students do not understand a skill or content area 0:16

14 The goal: Better student outcomes We are giving teachers the same flawed feedback and expecting different results Enabling better teaching “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein 0:17

15 Question What is the greatest data need among districts? 0:17

16 Greatest data needs Source: USDOE, “Use of Educational Data at the Local Level”, % 80% Answer: “The greatest perceived area of need… is how to connect student data to instructional practice.” – US DOE 2010 Ranked #1, #2 and #4 on list of data needs for districts nationwide. 0:19

17 Question How can we better connect data to improving instruction? 0:20

18 Instructional Core A Guiding Belief: – Effective reforms focus on that which is in our control: instruction – The most effective reforms intervene at the level of the instructional core TEACHER STUDENT CONTENT Richard Elmore, HGSE 0:22

19 From Data to Improving Instruction 0:23 Standardized Test Data Teaching Practice Data Student Work Data

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets What do you see? 0:25

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets What do you see? 0:27

22 Questions What other questions do the state data data raise? What other data would you like to see? Are you ready to improve instruction? 0:30 Let’s examine typical interim data…

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets What do you see? 0:32

24 Now What? What recommendations would you make to improve proficiency based on the data you have examined? 0:35

25 From data to improving instruction Started with one source of state data Identified math as a possible problem area Looked deeper and found Algebra and Functions is an area of difficulty Found that students were least proficient in “expressing quantitative relationships using algebraic terminology” Standardized Test Data Teaching Practice Data Student Work Data 0:37

26 Looking at Student Work Let’s examine student thinking 0:38

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets Looking at Student Work  Solve this problem (2 minutes) 0:40

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets Looking at Student Work 0:47  What does each student understand and not understand?  How does this student work examination help us understand student thinking?  Pair (3 minutes)  Share out (3 minutes)

29 Next Steps What recommendations would you make to improve proficiency based on the data you have examined? Are the suggestions different now that we have examined a second layer of data? What other questions would we want to answer before committing to a specific change or reform? 0:51

30 Are we there yet? Standardize d Test Data Teaching Practice Data Student Work Data 0:52

Roosevelt Middle School Home of the Rockets Observing Practice 0:54  In their observations, teachers observed that while teachers frequently used variables in their instruction, most often they were used to represent a fixed amount. For example: Solve for x. 3x=15 Chantel bought three songs (s) on iTunes. Using the formula below, determine how much she spent. (0.99)(s)=Total spent  They determined students had little exposure to variables that clearly could represent a variety of values.

32 From data to improving instruction Standardize d Test Data Teaching Practice Data Student Work Data 0:55

33 What was necessary? What did we need for this level of understanding to occur? – A broader definition of data (student work, observation of practice) Revisit the list you created at the beginning of the session—Is there anything you would now add? – Relevant data (timely, predictable) – Best leverage resources Knowledge/expertise Time – To examine data (student work, observe teachers) – To collaborate with colleagues 0:56

34 Why does this matter? Using data for accountability is not going away Popular U.S. reform efforts miss the target – Merit pay – One-to-one computing – Extended learning time – Charter schools Reforms that are most impactful focus on the core TEACHERSTUDENT CONTENT Richard Elmore, HGSE 0:57

35 Now what? Reflect: – What does this mean for the way you use data within your school? – What can you do to collect and collaboratively analyze more classroom relevant data in your schools? 0:58

36 Session Survey You are currently attending session Please visit to provide feedback on this session. Thank you! 0:59

37 Thank you! Trent Kaufman, Ed.D (801)