April 2005 — Industry Perspective
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The Quest for Quality Instructional Data
Administrators and teachers are learning how educational data can
guide their efforts to improve student learning. Those who have truly mastered using data to inform decisions have a more comprehensive view about the relationship among data, the professionals who use it, as well as what happens in the classroom. The most successful school districts are embracing the philosophy that accurate data plays a critical role in driving instruction and making informed decisions. But there is still much more to learn.
Many districts are still in need of good instructional data during the school year, not only when summative
assessment scores arrive. Creating quality interim assessments and aligning them to student learning goals (academic standards) are critical actions in determining the next instructional steps and, ultimately, increasing academic achievement for all students. Progressive school districts have pioneered the practice of using formative assessment to improve academic achievement.
However, along with their successes have come some painful lessons. For instance, several districts have spent large sums of money to develop teacher-made assessment items that do not reflect the calibration of high-stakes test items. A number of schools purchased item banks that were used long ago for another purpose; therefore, they did not reflect the complexity of current state standards. Still others relied on text-embedded assessments that often included a myriad of additional skills and standards from a variety of grade levels. Unfortunately, none of these actions contributed to the marked improvement of student achievement. As a result, many of these districts are seeking newly released item banks that are aligned to state standards, reflect the rigor and calibration of state tests, and can be validated through correlation studies based on summative and formative data.
Managing Academic Data
Given high-quality data, districts must learn how to properly use hardware and software as an instructional tool. Educators are recognizing the advantages of using state-of-the-art technology, and are anxious to increase the learning curve for all administrators and teachers.
Recently, I visited a district that has a strong commitment to using technology for guiding instructional decisions. The district had transitioned from a limited amount of state-released assessment data to a full-scale, Web-based, instructional data management system. One of the principals brought up the issue of speed: “I had to wait four minutes to bring up my AYP results for all disaggregated groups and grade levels.” Other principals chimed in with similar complaints. The superintendent calmly reminded the group that last year at this time they had waited four months to receive their data.
The good news is that these are great examples of educators whose schools benefit from the advantages of Web-based, real-time data management. The bad news is that there are many more educators who need access to these technology-based tools.
Having accurate data about your students’ academic achievement at your fingertips is a powerful tool, but using an advanced data management system is not always intuitive for the user.
