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Effective Use of Data

Effective processes to track and monitor progress

What does this look like in a high-quality experience?

There is clear information on learners’ progress across all curricular areas.
Staff have an overview and can speak in detail about each learner’s progress and achievement over time.
Staff provide a range of evidence, both formative and summative that demonstrates learners’ progress.
Staff share information to plan for improvement in learning.
Staff plan and implement strategies that lead to improved outcomes for learners.
Learners speak in detail and with confidence about their progress.
Learners show and talk about what helps them make progress and what they need to do next.

Updated July 2024

Real-life examples from different stages or sectors (click to expand)

Highly effective practice would show with clarity how an intervention or set of interventions has impacted positively on an individual or group’s progress in relation to expected outcomes.
Highly effective practice would show a language of learning used by children and young people consistently to describe and explain their progress.
Highly effective practice would show children and young people who could talk clearly about where they have been with their learning, how a particular intervention has improved or made them think differently about their learning and finally, be able to talk about the changes they have made to improve their learning and progress.

Early Years example:

Planning tracking and assessment processes have been simplified. Staff look at each child’s starting point, in collaboration with their parents/carers and recognition is given to prior learning. Professional learning time has been spent building a shared understanding of high quality observations amongst all staff. They have developed and use a tracking tool for tracking and monitoring each child’s progress. Staff also monitor children’s engagement with different learning spaces – eg outdoors, as well as wider achievements through monitoring personal plans and engaging with parents and carers. As a result, learners are participating in a wider range of activities both at home and in the centre.

Primary examples: 

In an upper P5-7 Gaelic medium class almost all pupils have a clear understanding of the CFE levels they are working within and the progress they are making. The teacher can confidently discuss the progress of all children in the class and plan and implement interventions to meet the needs of all.  Interventions are planned effectively for a specified time and linked to the needs of the individual learner. The interventions are reviewed regularly to evaluate the impact and amended/changed as required.  Children are involved in this process and as a result all children in the class are included, confident and feel valued. 
To support transition between ELC and Primary 1, teaching staff together with Early Year Practitioners, review developmental overviews and use these to inform adaptations to interactions, spaces, and the environment to address any areas for development linked to movement, coordination, routines, social/emotional development, play and imagination, and language understanding and expression.

Secondary examples:

In an S1 Maths lesson, all students have a progression booklet that allows them to qualitatively self-assess, on a regular basis, how they feel they are progressing against key components of a unit of work. This is something that the teacher talks to the students about regularly, both as a whole class and individually. Students are confident in how best they can self-assess their progress as the member of staff has spent time engaging them in the language of learning at the start of the unit of work. The summative assessment for the unit of work links directly to the key components of the qualitative self-assessment so that when the young people complete this they can compare their results and learn as to whether or not their self-assessment matches their summative assessment. Most young people in the lesson have a confident approach to their learning and can speak about their progress consistently.
In an S5 Modern Studies lesson young people have interviewed an MSP regarding the prison service in Scotland. Prior to this the member of staff had asked individuals to respond to some key questions around cause and effect associated with this topic. The learning from that experience has been brought back into the classroom and the young people can talk, in detail and with clarity, about how their understanding of the key challenges in the prison service has changed and is now better informed. The same set of questions are asked again, and young people then compare and contrast their findings based on this to inform their learning and progress.

Strong use of data analysis skills

What does this look like in a high quality experience?

All teachers have access to a range of relevant data on the learners in their class.
All teachers understand what the data says about the learners, including their progress.
Data is used regularly and systematically to identify trends and patterns that inform decision making about learning, teaching and assessment.
Staff can accurately articulate any gaps in learning and the steps they are taking to address this. This includes the prompt identification of learners who either require increased challenge, who are falling below their expected milestones or whose progress has slowed.
Staff work together to make sense of data, formulating questions and interpreting results.
Reference is made to stage and school, local authority and national data to broaden discussion and draw comparisons.
As a result of data analysis, learner outcomes are improving, and specific approaches which are making the biggest impact in improving children’s progress and attainment are identified and shared systematically.

Real-life examples from different stages or sectors (click to expand)

Highly effective practice may include, selecting appropriate data sources and methods, collaborating together, using technology, identifying patterns and trends, defining issues, and focusing priorities to improve and close gaps in educational outcomes.
Teaching staff worked together engage in collaborative data analysis of SNSA information using a Data Driven Dialogue template to guide discussion. This provided an effective technique to examine patterns and trends using data-based facts. This could also be applied to support analysis of attainment over time for a group of pupils – e.g. stage progression from P1 to P4, FSM, SIMD etc at points of transition.

Early Years example:

Closing the attainment gap is a key priority within this ELC setting. Staff know their learners well and track progress towards developmental milestones. As a team, they set an ambitious target each year and work with targeted learners to support them to achieve. Staff make use of improvement methodology and data is analysed every 8 weeks to help the staff team understand how learners are progressing. Staff also provide ‘numeracy challenges’ for learners who require increased challenge and all activity is supported by the national benchmarks. This activity helps staff to gather a clear picture of every child and their learning journey.

Primary examples:

Development of whole school data tracker which includes attendance, Risk Matrix data, SNSA results, CfE levels, Early Years data, other relevant assessments. Accessible to teachers and used to interrogate data as part of tracking, to inform future actions, measure impact of interventions and reflect attainment over time.

Attendance data is reviewed and tracked regularly to identify children who would benefit from a nurturing starts to school intervention supported by partnership working. Attendance/late coming continues to be reviewed to measure impact of intervention. Attendance improved by over 10% in some cases.

Secondary examples:

The English team can show how they have taken the Primary 7 SNSA data for their feeder primary schools to identify any positive trends in areas of knowledge and understanding to ensure pace and challenge going forwards in their S1 course as well as identifying gaps in the data that may require adaptations in overall course provision in S1 as well as differentiation of activities in particular classes to ensure that the needs of all students are being met in the classroom.
Teaching staff use the Risk Matrix tool within Seemis to inform understanding of class context.
Regular analysis of data as part of termly tracking meetings to:
1. track and monitor the ongoing progress of all pupils
2. promptly identify pupils who are falling below their expected milestones or whose progress is beginning to slow
3. identify and support more able pupils
4. measure the impact of interventions
Data analysis includes information gathered linked to health and wellbeing and participation:

1. Boxall Profiles
2. Leuven Scale (this is used responsively e.g to adapt the physical environment to better meet needs, review resources, identify children’s interests)
3. Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile
4. Wellbeing indicators
5. Pupil surveys
6. Wider achievement and participation

Continuous Improvement of Student Learning - planning

What does this look like in high-quality experience?

As a result of tracking and monitoring pupil progress and the analysis of data, all learners experience appropriate support and challenge within their learning.

Learners are fully involved in planning their learning. In daily learning children and young people are involved in co-creating learning intentions and success criteria, they have a sound understanding of what they are learning and how they will be successful.
Planning is specific to the needs, interests and local context and provides appropriate challenge to ensure progression in learning across the curriculum.
Learning is planned to ensure progression and continuity in learning; developing the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children and young people. Learning outcomes are derived from the planning and are clear, specific and linked to what is to be learned and assessed.
Teachers plan appropriately over different timescales to meet the needs of all learners across all areas of the curriculum.
Assessment is an integral aspect of planning and delivery of learning and teaching. It is well matched to the learning needs of children and young people and teachers reflect and assess their progress on a regular basis.

Information and data is used effectively to plan progression in learning. Teachers use a range of formative, summative and standardised assessments to assess the children’s progress. These approaches are used to capture progress and allow children and young people to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and capabilities across the four contexts of learning. Children and young people are confident and articulate in sharing their learning.
Teachers are confident in reviewing assessments and change and alter planning accordingly. Assessment information is valid and reliable, based on a shared understanding of the national benchmarks.
Teachers engage in school and across school moderation to make informed robust judgments related to children and young people’s progress. The data and information gathered is analysed and allow teachers to make holistic judgements and report on the progress of children and young people at key milestones over the course of the school year.

Real-life examples from different stages or sectors (click to expand)

Early Years example:

In an outdoor ELC setting, staff assess children’s progress through high quality observations, writing down what they notice and what they see within a floorbook. In order to ensure progression in learning, practitioners identify ‘possible lines of development’ (PLODS) which are documented within the floorbooks and explored with the children. As each possible line of development is explored, practitioners document progress along with the children and date upon completion. At the back of the floorbook, there is a summative mindmap which enables practitioners to monitor progress within the experiences and outcomes and identify possible gaps.

Primary example:

In a P1-4 Gaelic Medium class learning is play based. Learning is skilfully planned by the teacher to meet the needs of all learners in the multi-composite classroom whilst ensuring total immersion in Gaelic language. Assessment is used to effectively to plan progression in learning across and within all classes, ensuring all needs are met. Ensuring that Gaelic is main language of the classroom is a key driver. The teacher has key teaching moments throughout the lesson to ensure all pupils understand the purpose of their learning and are progressing as required. Children are confident in sharing their learning and identifying how they will be successful. Through the effective planning of the teacher, all children are clear about the tasks they are required to complete and can do so independently.

Secondary example:

In S1 and S2, young people are following distinct courses that enable them to further develop project-based learning skills learnt from their primary setting. Learning is focused on real world examples with a skills wheel central to this and the progress of young people. The evaluation happens not only through self-evaluation by the pupil but also through formative assessment by the member of staff. Pupils have opportunities throughout the course to share their learning, think about their progress and next steps in their learning.