It’s not about the data!
OK, so it is about the data, but that’s not all it’s about.
One of my responsibilities is to compile, distribute, and facilitate discussions surrounding student data from the state assessments. While this is a worthwhile endeavor, it’s important to point out that data is information that can only take you so far. There are so many variables associated with every assessment and how students perform on that assessment, that putting all of your eggs into one basket and trusting only the assessment data is a potentially hazardous practice.
One of the first things I make clear when working with teachers is that it’s not my job to interpret their data, only to ask questions to help them interpret it. I emphasize that teachers are the experts when it comes to their curriculum, their students, and any external variables that might have impacted student performance. For me to state that I know students performed poorly on an item because they clearly didn’t understand order of operations is to undermine the expertise of the teachers who taught that content to that group of students.
By taking my hands off of their data, the conversations teachers have with one another regarding data, instruction, and students amaze me. These conversations exemplify the expertise, professionalism, and care for children that most teachers have when given the opportunity to display it. Given the opportunity to examine the data and being empowered to make changes for the benefit of students, most teachers rise to the occasion and willingly admit when they feel they taught something poorly or could have designed activities that engaged students in deeper understanding of concepts and thinking skills. It’s at this point when I’m often asked for resources that might support students in different ways.
What I’ve realized that it’s not about the data, but the conversations that come out of talking about the data. In the wide world of curriculum, there isn’t always an easy starting point regarding how things are taught and assessed, but assessment data can be a good start. Once the data have been introduced, it’s often helpful to sit back and listen to teachers’ reactions to it. Most of the time teachers don’t fight the data, but accept it on an “it is what it is” basis and move on to trying to find ways to improve instruction. They also reflect on their formal and informal classroom assessments to determine if the data from the state assessments is consistent with their exisiting thoughts around student performance on a specific set of skills and content.
