Data - not just another 4 letter word

I have to admit, I haven’t always been so keen on data. In my earlier years of teaching, “data” was just another 4-letter word, simply results of standardized tests. Our students are more than a test score, right? Now that I’ve been through a few districts, a couple graduate programs, and a number of administrators, I can say that my view of data has changed. What I came to realize is that I was using data all along; the data just weren’t the test scores that I came to associate with the word.

Now that I’m in the position of being able to guide teachers to looking closely at data, I don’t want to think of it as just another 4-letter word. Data is actually pretty awesome! I could get lost in miscue analyses - where is the student missing words? What is going on with them that their comprehension varies so much between fiction and non-fiction? What is their background? Could they be more successful with a different text? What strategies would work best with their strengths?

So being smart about data is not only about knowing *what* to focus on, but also keeping in mind that behind the data is a living, breathing human.

New Responsibilities

I am pretty excited about how my job will look this year. Four days a week I will be focusing on small group instruction with students receiving Tier 3 intervention. On our half-days (Friday afternoons are reserved for PD) I will have time to do progress monitoring and meet with teachers about students, do some coaching/strategy sharing, and take a close look at data to plan instruction. Jennifer shared a story at the end of this chapter that I anticipate will stay with me throughout my career. Reading about her listening to a colleague after being asked to advise on LLI procedures was very powerful. I believe that this kind of data collection is so important! Jennifer affirmed, for me, the value in listening to colleagues and observing behaviors to drive instruction.

I appreciate my school’s commitment to professional development and the recognition of the importance of data analyzation to drive instruction. The time that I’ll have will allow me to keep in mind that the student is the most important part of the equation, and be able to plan instruction based on what they need most.

I call that smart!