Testing and Accountability Using Data to Help Improve Student Achievement By Charity Bell Executive Director, West Learning Community

Using Data to Help Improve Learning & Teaching ~Scheduling ~Designing Lesson Plans ~Re-teaching ~Creating Formative and Summative Assessments ~Discussing Data in Professional Learning Communities ~Conducting a Needs Assessment

Scheduling Using Data ~Student Transcripts ●Grades ●Prior Coursework ●Number of Credits ●Age ●Previous End-of-Course or End-of-Grade Results ●Attendance

Scheduling Using Data (Continued) ~EVAAS ~CMS Report Wizard ~Data Dashboard ~DIBELS ~North Carolina Department of Public Instruction ~Formative and Summative Assessments

Developing the Master Schedule Using Data ~ Course Offerings ~Using Teacher Allotments ~Analyzing Teacher EOC or EOG Results using Growth and Proficiency ~Determining Class Sizes ~Teacher Retention vs. Teacher Turnover

Designing Lesson Plans ~“A lesson plan is a plan for learning.” In North Carolina, teachers use the North Carolina Standard Course of Study as a guide in developing their lesson plans. Objectives are taught based on this guide using a variety of instructional strategies. Activities are prepared. Essential questions are asked. Assessments are done to check for student learning.

Re-teaching ~What happens when learning did not occur as a result of the initial lesson plan and delivery of instruction? Teachers analyze the data. (Ex. Examine the number of students who did not master a particular objective or question.) Teachers redesign the lesson based on the data, the assessment, and student feedback.

Formative Assessments ~ A method of immediately assessing students and providing information to adjust learning and teaching. This type of assessment coincides with the day-to-day instructional process. Examples: Questioning Strategies Observations (Gathering evidence of learning) Self and Peer Assessments Goal Setting Criteria for Reaching Goals Student Record Keeping

Summative Assessments ~Assessments given periodically to determine students’ knowledge base at a given point in time. Examples: End-of-Course Test End-of-Grade Test Benchmark Test Chapter Test Semester Exams

Professional Learning Community ~A defined process and structure to ensure that teachers collaborate, develop common lesson plans and assessments, and analyze and interpret data to help improve student achievement.

Next Steps: Conducting a Needs Assessment ~ Determine How You Will Design Your Master Schedule ~Brainstorm What Additional or Different Teachers You Need ~Analyze and Interpret Your Data Carefully to Determine Your Areas of Focus ~Create Your School Improvement Plan or Framework for Action Based on the Data and Needs of the School ~Use Your Funding in Accordance with Your School Needs Taking into Consideration What the Data Says

Please Remember... The data is only one aspect to consider when determining how to help improve overall student achievement and test scores. In everything that we do as educators, we must keep learning at the forefront of our planning.