My Coaches' Couch: Now That You’ve Assessed: Next Steps

Last week’s post explored the importance of having a plan for using assessment data before its “expiration date.” Because our students are continually learning, results from last spring’s state assessments may not be a good starting place for planning this fall’s instruction when it comes to considering the needs of individual students. Looking at patterns within assessment data and trends over time, however, might help us pinpoint areas where the curriculum is weak and big picture changes should be made. That is the value of having data discussions. To keep these discussions purposeful, I’ve found it helpful to use a protocol like the following:

Step One: Predict. Predicting brings out our prior knowledge and assumptions, allowing participants to examine their perspectives. This lays the foundation for collaborative inquiry. Sentence starters for this step include: “I predict…” and “I expect to see.” Asking, “What leads me to make that prediction?” may uncover both prior knowledge and unfounded beliefs.

Step Two: Explore. While exploring the data, we determine priorities and make statements of fact about the data that reflect the best thinking of the group. We might highlight, reorganize, and create graphic representations of the data. Looking for patterns or trends helps us turn observations into helpful statements. At this point, don’t attempt to pinpoint underlying causes. Phrase your findings objectively: “The data show….”

Step Three: Explain. Now’s the time to generate theories - explanations for what is observed in the data. Dialogue helps the best explanations to surface and may uncover the need for additional data to test these theories. Our hypotheses attempt to get at the root causes of the findings that have been identified as priorities.

Step Four: Plan for Action. Prepare to take action by identifying specific strategies that are tied to the root causes. Determine a goal and both how and when progress will be measured.

Steps one through three ensure that the plan for action reflects real data (rather than assumptions), aligns with priorities that have been determined, and will be most likely to produce results. I’ve found that this four-step plan makes data discussions focused and productive. Data is only as useful as the plan of action that is created by it. If your school has expended time and energy collecting student data, crafting a meaningful plan ensures that time has not been spent in vain.