Delivering on the Promise of Data to Transform Teaching and Learning

Posted by on August 24, 2009

Data rich, information poor

A new policy brief from the Alliance for Education brings attention to data use in the classroom, stating “while many policy discussions focus on data-driven decision-making as the answer, too often these conversations do not include how classroom teachers can and should use data to improve instruction.” Ensuring effective data use by teachers requires focus from policymakers at all levels, and the recognition that it’s a significant shift for most teachers in how they perform their jobs. Not all data are equally useful for daily instructional practices. The brief argues against summative assessments for teachers (while acknowledging their usefulness for administrators and the public), and cautions against district-administered interim assessments. Instead, the brief endorses formative assessments, “the process whereby teachers diagnose where individual students are in their learning and adjust instruction to ensure that all students are mastering the desired outcomes.”

Read more: http://www.all4ed.org/files/AchievingWealthOfRiches.pdf