Deciphering Data

Does data drive educational decisions? If so, does it drive decisions on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? How should I use data in my classroom to be a more effective teacher?

While pondering these questions and others about data, I've come to the conclusion that data is an important facet in education. Most importantly is how I collect and utilize data to improve my classroom instruction.

There are a variety of methods I use to collect my data- observation, discussions, and tests are the most prevalent for me. At the start of the school year, I do not look at students files (unless there is a specific IEP, 504, or something urgent) to investigate. I like to formulate my own ideas about the capabilities and learning styles of my students. Obviously, after a few weeks I do a thorough investigation of the student files.

One of the new methods that I utilize is Learnia. Learnia is an online formative test from Harcourt that is aligned with the NJCCCS. The online test is designed to inform teachers which areas students excel and which areas need more focus. I find that the program is easy to use and the results help guide my future lesson plans. For example, recent results indicate that my students are weak in inferencing. Therefore, I've made multiple lesson plans focusing on that concept, and hopefully the next Learnia test will show improvement in that area.

One final thought: the debate over data will continue, and I fully plan on utilizing it to make my classroom more conducive to learning.