Four things to remember about data
You want to light it up, too.
Low math data might tell you that your students are struggling to read on grade level. Or that they aren’t identifying the correct operation in a problem. Or that they have difficulty with algorithms. Or that they were really tired and just circled some answers.
You have to look back at students’ actual work to figure out what they were doing and where things went off the rails. Without really trying to understand how the student is thinking, data is just a bunch of numbers that stress us out.
All of these are things people to do spend more time with kids. But doing more of the same doesn’t mean you’ll get different results. You’ll probably just be more tired, and the kids will be more frustrated and disconnected, and then they’ll do the same thing on their test.
3. Data is for helping you figure out next steps
This is where the wheels usually fall off the wagon. Instead of using data to figure out how to respond to student learning, we say things like, “We gotta get after it,” or “Let’s do Saturday School.” Ok. So you “get after it” and “do Saturday School”.
But what does that mean?
When you look at data, make sure that you’re actually planning for the ways to revisit content in a different way, reteach what needs to be retaught, and reinforce the strategies and skills that students need.
One way to do this is to analyze the assessment you gave by question. Really dig in and see which students chose which choice.
Group together the students who need to work on the same skills and pull them in for a small group.
To look across the whole test, talk to your colleagues. Have a conversation about what patterns you notice and what those patterns can tell you about your (and their) teaching practice.
What possible ways can you respond to the challenges students are having? What have your colleagues done that has helped students be successful in this way? How can you build a bridge from the learning students have done to the format of the test?
Make your conversations purposeful instead of fear- and frustration-driven, and you’ll walk away with some great ideas. Need help facilitating this kind of a meeting? Check out my post on data PLCs!
And yeah, that would’ve been awesome. Of course, I want kids to do well on the test because it can limit their opportunities if they don’t.
Walking down the halls, and hearing students implement things they’d learned from me, or choosing great books to read, or being engaged in learning something new showed me the impact I was making on my class.
Want to learn about some fun, hands-on ways to get kids excited about multiple choice questions (without having to buy anything?) Check out my post on 7 Ways to Make Multiple Choice Fun!
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