1. Find the One Thing: Classroom Root Cause Analysis for Teachers
Alyssa Reinhart Ph.D, Senior Data Analyst
Dennis Robillard, Data Analyst

2. Icebreaker
“People use statistics as a drunk uses a lamppost – for support rather than illumination.”
Whiparound
Share your name, school, position
Describe your reaction to this quote as it pertains to using data in your practice

3. What we’re doing here
Objectives
Guiding Questions
TWBAT: Utilize an objective process for analyzing their data.
TWBAT: Correctly interpret and analyze the data in their individual memo.
TWBAT: Identify one specific, data- informed outcome that they want to focus on for next year.
TWBAT: Identify strategies to achieve their outcome.
How can I quickly and systematically make meaning of all the data I have access to?
What do I do once I’ve reached a strong conclusion about my data?

4. A quick note about language…
We prefer to use the phrase “data-informed” as opposed to “data-driven.” Quantitative information is essential for student learning and growth. However, achieving success just on those things is not what we strive for. Rather, quantitative information should be used, in conjunction with anecdotal evidence to inform the decisions that you make in the name of student success.
Equity. Access. Opportunity. Fairness.

5. Avoid Data Pitfalls
Consider the big picture – What are you working towards? What is your purpose?
Focus on what the data you have is telling you – not what data isn’t there
A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships – focus on whole-class before individual students
Be Critical, but not dismissive – All data is accurate to the best of our ability – but it gets complicated

6. Root Cause Process Create several hypotheses about the data
Guided interpretation and coding of data
Check hypotheses
Decide on one specific measure you would like to see improved and set a goal
Identify possible root cause of that problematic outcome
Identify what needs to change for teachers and students for the outcome to be different
Action Plan!

7. Step 1: Create Several Hypotheses (5 minutes)
You will be receiving data broken down by subgroups (Race, IEP Status, ENL) for:
Behavior (Referrals, Classroom Incidents, Suspensions)
Academics (STAR, 3-8 Tests 2017, Regents)
Attendance (Chronic absenteeism and overall attendance percentage)
What do you expect the data to show you? Why do you think this?
1) I hypothesize that my ENL students will show more growth on STAR, but less overall mastery. I think this because while they work hard, I don’t do a good job of giving them grade-level material to work on
2) I hypothesize that my IEP students will have higher numbers of classroom incidents because I can’t always meet their needs in my inclusion classroom with 20 other students.
3) I hypothesize that my lower readers have lower attendance as well, but I’m not sure if they can’t read well because they don’t come to school, or if they don’t come to school because they can’t read well.

8. Step 2: Guided Interpretation
Note the title, axes, units and legend of each chart or table.
What information is this showing me?
Review each part of data individually
By bar, column, row, etc.
Note any trends in the data (use annotations!)
Annotations
? – When you have a question
- When a thought is confirmed
______ – Essential for understanding
! – A surprising data point
- When you want to highlight a specific data point
 - connections (to real life, to other data, etc.)

9. Step 3: Check your hypotheses
Were you right? Wrong? Why or why not? What else might be connected?
1) I was right that ENL students have lower overall mastery rates but decent growth rates – I didn’t expect that their overall attendance would be so low.
2) I actually have higher referrals AND classroom incidents for IEP students, in fact, I only gave out three referrals to non-IEP students the whole year. Those students also have much lower reading ability.
3) My lower readers do have lower attendance as well in general, but black students that are lower readers generally have decent attendance.

10. Step 4: Choose one area to focus on
Choose one student outcome/data point that you want to focus on.
Be specific, but not too specific
Stay within your locus of control
Write out a statement that defines what you want to focus on and set a goal aligned to the district goals
One Specific Student Outcome or Data Point to Focus On
SMART Goal Statement
 Choose:
Behavior, Academic, Attendance
Metric (referrals, STAR proficiency, etc.)
Subgroup (or whole class)
I want to improve STAR proficiency in math for ENL students by 5% by the mid-year test administration.

11. Step 5: Root Cause Analysis - What’s causing the current outcome?
Student-Level
Knowledge
Skills
Mindsets
Students get confused between different division signs (/, %, fractions)
Students are thinking in terms of formulas instead of applying concepts to math.
Students feel more comfortable doing computations.
Students don’t know how to interpret a word problem.
Students can’t identify appropriate information in a word problem.
Students need to see word problems as “real” math – not worksheets.
Teacher-Level
Practices
Beliefs
I let ENL students skip the more rigorous problems.
I don’t always think that ENL students can do Common Core-level work.
I give ENL students more computational worksheets to help them internalize symbols.
I don’t have the time to differentiate for every different language my kids speak.

12. Step 6: Root Cause Analysis - What must be true for your goal to be met?
Student-Level
Knowledge
Skills
Mindsets
Students need to know the order of operations.
Students can apply the order of operations to unfamiliar settings such as word problems.
Students will believe that word problem are “real math.”
Students need to know key words to look for in reading word problems
Students will be able to circle key words and box key numbers before doing word problems.
Students view computations as “exercises” to strengthen their math muscles for real-world problems.
Teacher-Level
Practices
Beliefs
I will scaffold up to a word problem every day in my instruction.
Students can truly “do math” when they can apply it to the real world; not when they can do calculations.
I will create additional tutoring opportunities specifically for ENL kids.
ENL students deserve to have achievement of the same rigorous standards as other students – they’re going to go to college too!

13. Step 7: Action Planning – What will you do?
Prioritized Student Knowledge/Skill/Mindset
Teacher Knowledge/Skill Development
Students will have a consistent process by which to read and answer word problems.
Students will be able to identify their unique skills and weaknesses in math so they can create their “training plan.”
I will to re-immerse myself in the CC standards and their alignment with STAR so that I can be sure my sequencing is strong.
I will plan to scaffold math literacy as well as math content so students can apply math computational knowledge to word problems.
I will intentionally plan modifications on a daily basis so ENL students can achieve grade-level mastery.
I will research and share stories of recent immigrants to America that have achieved great things in math and science to inspire and motivate students.
Prioritized Teacher Practice/Belief
I will include Common Core-aligned word problems in every daily assessment.
In unit plans, I will include days to build student mindsets and attitudes about math. We spend part of the day in the “math gym” – building our skills, and part of the day in the “game” where we apply our skills in the real world.

14. Closing Alyssa – areinhart@scsd.us Dennis - drobillard@scsd.us
Please complete the survey on sched and let us know what additional questions you have