Timeliness is Key for Teachers When Analyzing Performance Data

It's not difficult to find a quote about the importance of good timing. The dangers of procrastination are easily apparent today when the pace of information available to us comes at a break-neck speed via the Internet and social media.

But my favorite quote on timing, which was uttered long ago, surprisingly applies nicely to our world right now, especially when thinking about data and education:

“It gets late early out there.”
- Yogi Berra

In our frequent conversations with school districts and how they use performance data, timing comes up often. One administrator mentioned it’s tough on their schools and teachers when it takes several weeks for the district to receive its NWEA Map results in a usable format. Because of the time lag, teachers often can’t use the last round of results to prepare for the next assessment, which can undermine their purpose of administering predictor assessments to help with student performance.

Otherwise the data can become obsolete because the teachers are not able to analyze it as they prepare their students for the next assessment. Research has shown a huge value of interim assessments is that they are taken several times throughout the year, giving teachers benchmarks to address with the same group of students:

As with annual assessments, interim assessment results generally have the advantage of being comparable across classrooms, but the frequency of their administration means that teachers can use the data to evaluate their own instructional strategies and to track the progress of their current students in a single school year. For instance, data from a district-wide interim
assessment could help illuminate whether the students who were struggling to convert fractions to decimals improved after receiving targeted small group instruction, or whether students’ expository essays  improved after a unit spent reading and analyzing expository writing.

So for districts it’s not a question of if they have the data to help teachers analyze and improve student performance. It’s a matter of getting the data into a format teachers can use and obviously being able to place it in their hands in enough time before it gets too late to use it.

This issue demonstrates where technology will play a huge role, especially the ability to aggregate different types of data quickly. Otherwise, with the Common Core State Standards shift for most states set to occur in 2014-15, as Yogi Berra said: “It will get late early out there” for districts that aren’t thinking about this.

Teaching and Learning

The Role of Curriculum Mapping and Assessment in Health Science Education

What is more important – Teaching OR Learning?

It would be nice to believe that when someone says they “taught” someone something one could reasonably infer that the other person “learned” that something. In today’s society however we know that this is often not the case. How many times do we leave class thinking “What on earth was the professor trying to convey today?” or, take a prerequisite class just to find that we still aren’t prepared for our capstone major course. These are everyday instances of when students are being “taught” but the learning piece has been lost in translation. 

In Complex Teaching Environment, Access to Data is Key

I read author and English teacher Jim Burke’s excellent list of “10 Elements of Effective Instruction” he developed, and two things struck me.

First, he notes with the complexity of the classroom, managing time is critical for teachers.

“Every year it seems we are asked to do more, though never, of course, given more time in which to accomplish the goals,” he wrote.

In the work we do with districts, we’re constantly finding ways so that technology can help teachers do their jobs the best way possible. I often go back to something an administrator told me once:

 “Put yourself in that mindset, hurried, low frustration level, interrupted continually…” 

I thought of that description again in reading Burke’s list that he modeled after a surgeon’s checklist.

The second part that struck me was No. 5 on his list: “Integrate assessment throughout the instructional process, using the data to establish initial understanding, measure progress, provide feedback, refine instruction, and prepare students for future performances; this includes students reflecting on and assessing their own performance and progress.”

In the work we do with districts, it’s common to discover most schools have more data than they know what to do with it, and often it’s not presented in a format that can useful to them. Burke is right on that integrating assessment and using data to help students improve is critical. The context of his list related to the lack of time that teachers have is even more significant. 

To be able to use data effectively for instruction, it needs to be in format that’s accessible and easy to use for teachers with their busy and complex schedules. It’s also important for data to be timely or in the hands of the teachers as quickly as possible. That’s where technology, if applied correctly, can make a huge difference. Otherwise, “using data” is something that sounds good in a checklist, but it can easily be either scrapped or not used to its fullest potential because, like Burke noted, teachers are never given more time, only more to do.

Daunting task, but great potential for schools in Common Core switch

Remember the line from the 2004 Disney movie “Miracle” when Kurt Russell, playing 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, gave a pre-game speech before the historic upset of the Soviet team? 

“Great moments, are born from great opportunity.”

Here’s a video that makes me laugh all the time based on that scene.

 

I thought of that quote when I read this article about the recent Kentucky assessment test scores where proficiency levels dropped by a third or more for elementary and middle school students. The results are significant because this is the first set of scores tied to the Common Core Standards. Most states will start taking assessments linked to the new standards by 2014.

This is a one-state sample, but experts expect this to play out similarly in other states. It will be discouraging for districts, educators and students because the bottom line will show a drop in proficiency levels as they apparently move to more rigorous standards.

But if you think about it, this does present a huge opportunity. As districts and states are already preparing for the change, they should be motivated to get the most out of students, especially if the Common Core Standards are tougher than what they are doing right now. Think of it as an “achievement wake-up” call. It’s a major challenge for schools and teachers.

Even if proficiency levels lag or drop initially, if districts are pushing themselves and their students to measure up to tougher standards, the students will benefit in the long run.

In our daily conversations with districts in a number of states, the switch to the Common Core is in the forefront of their minds. It’s one aspect that makes it critical that districts are using as much data as they can on how students are performing to prepare not only for the change in standards but to give teachers the most effective tools for daily instruction.

It’s a huge challenge. It will be difficult. But it is such a great opportunity that can result in so much more than one “great moment.” It will drastically improve schools in nearly every state and ensure that students are better prepared than they ever have been for college and entering the work force.

Do we have a College Readiness Gap?

I was a little taken aback when I came across this detailed info-graphic recently at thebestcolleges.org.

There is a lot of good information from  National Association for College Admission Counseling and American Youth Policy Forum to digest here, but one statistic jumped out to me about whether our high schools are adequately preparing students for college. The fact that 40 percent of admitted and enrolled college students take a remedial course should set off alarm bells itself. 

The graphic also lays out why that creates such an uphill battle. It cites a survey as well that only 17 percent of students who must take a remedial reading course in college earn a bachelor's degree or higher.

This lists some good factors that contribute to the problem, especially with what areas are valued in the admissions process. It also suggests some strategies for high schools and students in preparation for college.

"College Readiness" and "Career Readiness" are huge buzzwords in both education and politics these days. Because a significant portion of American students are legitimately unprepared for college, it's obvious we need fundamental change. This topic also highlights the importance of intervening with students much earlier than the point when they get to college. According to the conversations we have daily with school districts and universities across the country, this is obviously a big focus. And teachers and administrators have made progress in the last decade or so.

However, based on this, we still have a long way to go. So, take a look at this graphic. What advice would you give to either a high school freshman or an educator? What do you think would be most helpful to chip into the number of students taking remedial courses and to make sure more students are ready once they get to college?

No shortage of school data; it’s just critical how schools can dissect it

In the conversations I’ve had in recent weeks with school districts across the country about using data to improve classroom performance, I keep coming back to something an administrator in Missouri said to me.

 “There’s no point in collecting data if you don’t have it available for teachers to use,” said Michelle Kratofil, director of curriculum, assessment and staff development for the Smithville R-2 District outside Kansas City. “We’ve had some great data in the past, but to get it out to teachers has required me to bring it to them and explain it to them or show them how they can filter through a spread sheet.”

Last month’s announcement that statewide Kansas assessment scores dropped for the first time in more than 11 years set off alarm bells in many directions, and state education officials said they are analyzing data now to look for trends.

There’s never any shortage of data available for school districts, but the key, as Michelle said, will be what strategies and adjustments will come from that analysis to make the biggest impact in the classroom for each individual student.

I was also talking recently with Stephanie True, the curriculum, assessment and professional development coordinator of the Affton School District in Missouri. She gave me a great example of one way teachers can use data in the classroom. District administrators noticed a trend -- a dip in assessment scores from fifth to sixth grade. So at the beginning of the year they had teachers look closely at how students scored in past years.

"The kids come in and say 'I didn't learn that. I didn't know that,'" Stephanie said. "And (the teachers) have proof right there at their fingertips. 'No look, look how well you did last year. We can hold you to higher expectations.'"

School performance in every state is a huge topic, and it’s a fascinating area to work in. After several years of boosts in scores, it’s going to get tougher and tougher for schools to show improvement. That's why it's more critical for schools to get their vast amounts of data into formats they can easily work with.

Breaking through the skepticism to find ways to elevate student achievement

It’s been an eye-opening first week for me at AllofE. I was excited step into this role working with school districts. “I am passionate about helping improve our education system,” I kept telling myself. So let’s do this.

The more I thought about it, that was just a blanket statement. It was too generic. Go deeper, George. Most people would say that. Who isn’t passionate about education?

I mulled it over, and I figured my excitement was coming from past experiences. I’ve been a reporter for eight years, and I’ve sat through dozens of school board meetings, both in Liberal, where I grew up, and here in Lawrence.

At times, those meetings aren’t the most exciting things to cover. (No offense, board members, but you know it can be true.) However, the ones that do stand out were the most controversial, like about budget cuts and school closings.

In the news, it was my job to highlight conflict, but that also led me to a mindset focusing on problems instead of solutions. Refreshingly, in my first few days here, I was able see how our products are making a real impact for districts across the country, especially with achievement the classroom.

A superintendent of a northern Ohio school district during a meeting last week about our assessment data analysis and warehousing software, Matrix, told us how huge it would be for a teacher to instantly have access to every single one of her students’ assessment scores from previous years by making just a few clicks. Later that same day, at a Matrix presentation for a Missouri district in the Kansas City area I heard several administrators rave about being able to quickly see the performance of a certain cohort of students over several years within a either specific school or the entire district.

So there we go. I felt like I was no longer swimming in generic thoughts about being “passionate about improving our education system” or focusing only on the problems that school board members, administrators and teachers face every day. I felt elated to find a real and tangible path that can result in helping schools improve teacher and student performance in the classroom.

Now I know why I was so excited, and I can’t forget that.

Because there is a lot of work to do.