Session Two Review SEF analysis –Benefits –Issues

Data Wise Section II: Inquire Step Three Creating a Data Overview Step Four: Digging Into Data Step Five: Examining Instruction

Step Three Create a Data Overview (data team) Decide on an educational question. Issues

Step Three Create a Data Overview Decide on how to present the data framing the question. Issues Determine the purpose of the data display based on the conversation you want your audience to have about the data.

Data Overview What do you want to emphasize? Celebrate what you do well. What else can we work on to improve our school?

Graphics Keep focus on specific issue Condense information in a small space Stimulate conversation Tailored to audience Trends easily identified Defines importance of data Provides rationale and purpose

Good Displays Clear coding and labels Uncluttered, clear data Stimulate questions for deeper inquiry

Drawing Comparisons Make logical comparisons Base comparisons on student achievement Moment in time snapshot Focus attention to emerging questions Keep evaluation out of the conversations. Talk about data, not people Raise questions, don’t make judgments

Analysis Questions What do you see? What do you make of it?

Protocols/Strategies Pair/Share Continuum Question Formulation

Look at the Data Use Pair/Share to “see” the data and begin developing questions you want to ask about the data. Share with another pair. Choose the question you think will get you the most valuable information if it were answered.

Elementary Schools Fifth Grade First Quarter Scores

Data Overview Create graphic displays to make underlying educational stories and themes transparent. Use the graphic displays to stimulate conversation.

The Data Overview helps the staff ask the “What” questions. What does the data say about student achievement? What areas can we celebrate? What areas can we strengthen? What should we focus on? What are we missing?

Step Four: Digging Into Data Just looking at quantitative data gives an incomplete picture of what is happening in the classroom. Remember, don’t make assumptions based on the data overview! Find rich, targeted data sources that can give you more detailed information to identify a learner centered problem.

Find a way to examine student thinking processes. If you want to know why the students perform poorly on the writing test, what data source could give you rich, targeted, detailed information about student writing?

Identifying the Learner-Centered Problem Do students have any skills and knowledge to build on, or do they need a total re-teaching of the information? Are students lacking skills and content knowledge, or is the design of the assessment itself giving them difficulty?

Triangulate Data The purpose of triangulating various pieces of data is to explore new information, not to find validation for an assumption!

Questions What questions do we still have about the Learner-Centered Problem? Where could we look for more information/evidence?

Challenge Assumptions Don’t confuse assumptions for evidence. Do we mean it when we say all students can learn? Are we willing to change our practice to facilitate student achievement? Are we willing to embrace unexpected trends and leads?

Decisions Based on Evidence Based on Data Gather Evidence Make Informed Decisions Start with Data

Step Five: Examining Instruction “Before deciding on a plan of action, you must understand what you’re doing now, and do so in a way that enables teachers to take responsibility for solving the problem, rather than feeling that it’s not their problem or that they can’t do anything about it anyway, or that they’re being blamed for it.” (98)

Linking Learning to Teaching What instructional data can we look at to give us more detail about the teaching in this school? What practices do we currently use? Which effective practices would address the learner centered problem?

Why? Why? Why? Let’s look at the chart on page 102

Thermal Layering What is the teacher doing? What are the students doing?

Peer Observation Completely voluntary Teachers work as partners Utilize pre and post observation conferences to set purpose and educational question Give meaningful, thoughtful feedback of what happened in class, not judgments Research best practices together

You are an elementary teacher and your partner for peer observations is the teacher who taught thermal layering. In the pre- observation conference, she asked you to look for student engagement and rigor in the lesson. You are starting your post- observation conference. What will you say to your peer observation partner? Practice with a colleague.

Sentence Starters I observed… I noticed that… I didn’t see… I didn’t understand... I saw evidence of… I can tell that… I was surprised by…

Homework Complete Reading Guide Ch. 6-8 Create a Data Overview using your school’s data to share at our next session. Bring along the data you used to make the overview. Not all the data you bring has to be included in your overview. You should be able to explain your choices.