Evidence-based student data should drive targeted teacher support.
That requires a focused and sustainable protocol.
The protocol described below, partnered with the Data Dive Tracker, provides administrators, supervisors, and instructional leadership with a structured method for grounding coaching and professional development in student trends. The protocol provides Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) or School-Based Teams, with a framework for analyzing student performance data, identifying patterns, and making informed decisions to better support teachers in their pedagogy and ultimately, student success.
The protocol reflects an alignment between District/School goals, student needs, and subsequent steps for teachers.
Analyzing Student Work Protocol
Resources Needed:
Student artifact
Student success criteria, such as a rubric or Look Fors, Indicators
Protocol Steps:
1. Ahead of the meeting: Set up for success
As a team, determine the skill that will be the focus of the inquiry cycle. In other words, what student skills or strategies will be analyzed and evaluated? This skill is considered the focus of inquiry and drives the instructional decisions and pedagogy of each teacher, and therefore, should align to the needs of students as determined by performance or benchmark data. See Figure 1 above.
Individuals of the team identify the data collection instrument, also known as the student artifact. It might be an exam, a homework assignment, a check for understanding- this will be the data-point analyzed during the meeting. For instance, if the team wants to analyze students' ability to provide textual evidence, the data collection instrument could take the form of a short response. Irrespective of the specific question posed, each teachers' short response should unveil students' proficiency in identifying textual evidence. The data instrument that each teacher uses does not have to be the exact same, but needs to demonstrate student understanding of the same skill, enabling the identification of trends and patterns that emphasize specific strategies or skills during analysis.
For accountability purposes, the team leader should share ahead of time in an email to the team, the skill that will be analyzed. If the data has not been collected yet, individual team members are responsible for collecting it before the meeting.
2. During the meeting: Determine the gaps in student performance
Using the data collection instrument, team members individually engage in Data Dive Tracker.
Establish and share the number of minutes provided to complete the tracker. Set a timer.
Typically, the time required for completion can vary, between 25 to 45 minutes, contingent upon factors such as the data collection tool, caseload, and established meeting time.
The goal is to analyze student performance data to identify trends, strengths, and areas to provide targeted and individualized teacher support.
Team members come back as a whole-group to debrief their findings, summarize key takeaways and share their next steps.
Each teacher shares out their 1-2 instructional strategies that they agree to consistently implement in their classroom. This information should be documented on the team agenda for accountability purposes.
Based on the findings of student-work, the focus of the next inquiry cycle is established. Will the skill-focus remain the same? Can it change? This is dependent on how many cycles have been dedicated to a strategy or skill and the growth that has been made. I recommend at least two cycles be dedicated to a strategy or skill to ensure that the growth trend is steadily moving upward.
Confirm the date of the next inquiry cycle.
3. After the meeting: Summarize the work and share with leadership
Team members engage in next steps as identified on the tracker, documenting anecdotal and observational evidence to support proceeding inquiry meetings.
Determine who from the team will summarize inquiry-cycle findings, goals, and next steps with leaders and the team to create collective responsibility for supporting growth.
4. Ongoing: Ensure accountability and follow-up
Encourage teachers to share evidence and examples that support growth of inquiry focus.
Encourage teachers to commit to their goals and discuss how they will be held accountable for their progress.
Establish a system for follow-up and check-ins with teachers.
Ultimately, the protocol promotes a collaborative and data-driven approach to evaluating student progress and ultimately, improving student outcomes.
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