Data to me does not just include standardized tests, but instead includes both formal and informal data points including students surveys, family-teacher-student conferences, observation, formative assessments, discussions with students and more. I believe that a good balance of both formal and informal data leads to a well-rounded evaluation of teaching/learning efforts and programs.
As I assess the past year of teaching I am first aware that we received a reasonable group of students who had a good level of qualified support and a long history with a solid educational program, dedicated, qualified staff, and loving, invested families. Upon entry these students were strong, invested, and capable. Beginning assessments, surveys, observations, and conferences demonstrated what they knew, what they wanted to know, and what we needed to know about them to teach well. We used that data along with systemwide and state-wide standards to set learning/teaching goals. Then we refined the year's loose-tight teaching map, a map that provided a guide with points along the way to review, reflect, and revise.
Clearly some programming worked very well and some programming needs revision.
Our Response to Intervention efforts and special education efforts, in my opinion, are ready for review and revision. This is not due to educators' individual efforts, but instead, due to new knowledge and the need for structural change to better meet students' needs. In my opinion, we need to revisit these areas of intervention as a team to determine what we can do to offer greater consistency, needs-based instruction, and positive, growth-producing pedagogy. We also have to revisit our timeline and process for identifying students who are not making progress and looking at ways to change course earlier than later with regard to those students' programs. Generally when children are not making progress something is standing in their way, and it is up to us as educators to work with administrators, family members, and the students themselves to look for ways to remedy this situation sooner than later. I think we can be more timely with this effort.
I also believe that we can use inquiry-based instruction more to elevate engagement and successful learning in both science and math. I want to look closely at MCAS scores to see the areas that students did well in and the areas where they struggled. Systemwide assessments demonstrate some of this data and that data combined with observation, student surveys, and MCAS data will paint a detailed picture of where we can work to teach better.
Reasonable class sizes and good numbers of interventionists related to students' needs were clearly in our favor when it came to good teaching this year. The year before both of those data points were skewed in a direction that did not favor student advancement. Also a positive schedule, a good amount of autonomy, sensational grade-level teamwork, adequate materials/supplies, and good planning time supported overall success.
Relationships are clearly integral to student success and for the most part, teachers had strong partnerships with students. Many efforts were put into place to develop this critical aspect of teaching, and we will continue to develop this effort in ways that matter. Our regular and responsive inclusion of family members in the teaching/learning program was also a positive aspect of the teaching/learning year which contributed to the overall success of the program.
When I look at MCAS data, I'll look for the following:
- Did students perform as expected which means did they perform in ways that informal observation, formative assessment, and systemwide assessment would predict?
- If students did not perform as expected, what specific data points stood in their way?
- In what areas did students as a group exceed expectations, and in what areas did students not meet our expectations?
- Which students demonstrated the greatest growth--what did those students have in common with regard to gender, incoming grade-level data, instruction, intervention services? Which students demonstrated the least growth?
- How did we fare compared to other schools in our district and other schools that are similar to us in socio-economic make-up?
I am a fan of holistic data analysis which means analysis based on multiple data points. I am still a fan of streamlined standardized tests as well as more personal systemwide tests, surveys, observations, and analysis.
My goal is to provide a holistic program that helps students to grow with a strong foundation of skill, concept, knowledge, confidence, and capacity to learn and choose well for their lives today and into the future. Fortunately I work with a team of educators who shares the same goal and commitment which makes teaching and learning a positive collaborative challenge. Onward.
