Data-Driven Decisions 3

How Does NJSMART Work?

During this THIRD session we will CONTINUE to focus on the educational, legal, ethical, and moral issues related to assessment and use of data within the context of high-stakes testing and accountabilities. To do that we will analyze the new mSGP scores that will be available through the NJSMART window this summer.

We will also demonstrate an understanding of district/schools as complex political & social systems, principles of organizational culture and development, and effective applications of research-based strategies to drive district.school change and continuos improvement with a focus on enhancing learning for all students. We will accomplish this goal through the the Admin Science Fair task and through the following bellringer activity that looks into grades.

Bellringer Activity: GRADES as DATA

You are a building leader and you are holding your last faculty meeting of the year. You want teachers to reflect on grading/feedback during the summer.

Check out the ON YOUR MARK reading

What do you think about the grading system in your school/district?

Read the "Looking Deeper Into the Data" article (by the same Douglas B. Reeves).

Science Wall Activity

• What kinds of important data are readily available in your district/school to inform educational decision-making and improvement planning? To improve teaching and student learning?

• Are data routinely used for these purposes, and by whom?

• What policies, procedures, and support exist to ensure effective use of data by staff? Is training provided?

• How would you organize the types of data by category to facilitate its use and analysis (e.g. student performance, community, demographic, school practices, perceptual)?

• How would you represent each type of data? What are the data saying?

• How can the data be used for a cause and effect analysis that would identify the areas needing improvement and underlying causes, and connect the causes to positive or negative results?

• How would you improve the use of data in your district/school?

• Based on the data and your analysis, what strategies might be used to improve schools, teaching and student achievement?

Teaching Channel Data Walls

Shaw Middle School uses data in a variety of ways to improve instruction. Watch how a teacher and coach use a data wall to discuss one student's strengths and areas in need of improvement, and then plan instructional responses.

Data-Driven Decisions 1 Data-Driven Decisions 2 Data-Driven Decisions 3 Data-Driven Decisions 4

Data Module Assessment Practice

Click on the link above to apply your module knowledge with a SLLA Sample Test

& remember to complete the NJEXCEL Module Instructor Evaluation too

Recent Articles (Updated Monthly)

Although your module might be over, come back to this

site for recent articles and/or books on data use in schools