1. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Improvement
Theodore J. Kowalski
Thomas J. Lasley II
James W. Mahoney
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2. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
Chapter 7:
Collecting and Assessing Data
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3. External Data Sources (Selected)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
State Department of Education
Google the state department for your state
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4. Nondirect Data Sources (Selected)
GreatSchools
Private School Review
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5. Observer draws on only Observer has too little
one type of evidence evidence
Observer fails to observe for a long enough time
Evidentiary
Inadequacy
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6. Indirect Observation (Key Questions)
Are specific learning targets established for each unit of study?
What specific content must students know and be able to demonstrate?
Are appropriate assessments in place to determine if students learned what they need to learn?
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Reasoning Compare & Contrast
Knowledge
Basic Understandings
Product
Tangible Outcomes
Skill
Oral fluency or manipulation skills
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8. Learning Assessments Recall of Synthesizing of Information Information
True-False Essay
Matching Performance
Fill-in-the-blank Assessment
Multiple Choice
Key Question:
Does the teacher use
a variety of methods
to collect data about students?
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9. Creating Quality Assessments of Student Learning
Set clear, well-defined
learning targets
Identify appropriate
methods of assessment
Ensure that enough
information/data about
student performance is collected
Ensure that “outside” factors do not bias
student results (e.g., a noisy
classroom)
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10. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
Action Research
Step 1: Reflect on what is or is not working
Step 2: Focus on something specific
Step 3: Clarify the specific question to be answered
Step 4: Collect data
Step 5: Analyze data
Step 6: Take informal action
Step 7: Report results
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008