Presented by: Bridget Harrison, Secretariat

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data: Making it Precise,Personal, and Relevant to Students and Teachers Presented by: Bridget Harrison, Secretariat John Herbert Assessment and Evaluation Coordinator

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data Up to this point you have assessed and collected and reported but now you and your school want to know how to make a difference for students. In this workshop you will learn how to assess for learning, how to go from assessment for learning to instructional design and how to apply the design to make a difference for those students who struggle to make the level 3 standard. This is the session that will facilitate you and your schools perform at a high level of effectiveness. Find out the processes that will help you to achieve the goal of 75% by 2008.

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Grade 6 (2007 – 2008) • Grade 5 (2006 – 2007) • Grade 4 (2005 – 2006) • Grade 3 (2004 – 2005) Provincial “Pledge” That 75% of our Grade 6s will be at or above Provincial Standard (level 3) by 2008

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data HOW DO PRINCIPALS USE THIS WITH THEIR STAFFS TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING? Our recent thinking is that we use IIR data and Student Roster data to bifurcate the planning in schools: one plans BACKWARD for issues in each division of program and instruction, and one also plans FORWARD for individual students, as this data tells us specifically what the areas requiring attention are, for each student. So for example, in one school we examined, not one student in grade three answered correctly the question about the difference between fiction and non-fiction. ERGO - this is an issue for program and instruction in the entire Primary Division, and teachers can plan to remedy this. At the same time, in planning forward for individual students, for example, we can employ flexible groupings to gather students together who need intervention around similar weaknesses, and use explicit teaching to move these students ahead. B. Harrison, Secretariat

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Looking at the EQAO information • 2004-2005 • Grade 3 – individual concerns with students • Grade 6 – concern about the program • Looking at the Classroom data • Last year’s results • Individual concerns about students • Comparing term CASI results • Concern about program if no improvement • Focusing on Writing, today!

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Looking at the EQAO information • 2004-2005 • Grade 3 – individual concerns with students • Using the Student Rosters, circle those marks below standard for writing tasks 1,4,5 (questions 19, 13, 14) • 40 mark question – 20=level 2; 10=level 1 • 60 mark question – 30=level 2; 20=level 1 • What does the Gr. 4 teacher do with this? • What does the Primary Division do with this?

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Looking at the EQAO information • 2004-2005 • Grade 6 – concern about the program • Using the Item Information, consider question 21 • 40 mark question – Add percentages for level 40 – 30 • 60 mark question – Add percentages for level 60 – 40 • Repeat for school, board, and province, and for question 13 and 14 • Star areas of concern • What does the Gr. 7 teacher do with this? • What does the Junior Division do with this?

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Looking at the Classroom data • Last year’s results • Individual concerns about students • Report shows writing and oral results • (no reading, CASI, LAP, or math results) • What does the new teacher do with this? • What does the last year’s teacher do with this?

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data • Looking at the CASI data (new report) • Comparing term results • Concern about program if no improvement • Need to consider type of question especially! • What does the new teacher do with this? • What does the last year’s teacher do with this?

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data And what does the principal / vice principal do with … • Item Information Report? • Student Roster? • Classroom Profiles of Achievement Data? • CASI comparison charts?

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:What do others say on the matter? • “In an ideal world, the teacher would have precise and current knowledge of each student’s starting points and also of what assistance each student requires to move to the next level.” • “The teacher’s role … is to scaffold the learning of the new task, revealing to the learner how to move from what he or she can currently do independently to a higher level of functioning.” Fullen, Hill, Crévola Breakthrough, Corwin Press

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:Fullen, Hill, Crévola • In Breakthrough • Explains where other plans have failed • States what is required • Personalization, Precision, Professional Learning • Expands on Student Learning Profiles • Promotes the use of Assessment for Learning to a new level! • EXPERT INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:Fullen, Hill, Crévola • Assessment for Learning • Teacher expected to use assessment to shape and direct further instruction • Requires good assessments (based on curriculum, student aware of expectations) • With good feedback, student is aware of how to improve in areas which the teacher feels in important.

Fullen, Hill, CrévolaModel of a daily cycle of assessment and instruction, focusing on the individual student.

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:Fullen, Hill, Crévola • Expert Instructional Systems • Modeled after Health Care Systems • Still requires good instruction, good assessments, and good feedback • EIS helps teacher in suggesting appropriate instructional strategies and class groupings, based on data of the student and classroom results • Requires developing Critical Learning Instructional Paths for learning • Will still require teacher to make decisions, but allow for Focused Instruction

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data: • Expert Instructional Systems – FOR NOW • Still requires good instruction, good assessments, and good feedback • PLCs, Principaland Coordinators can help teacher in suggesting appropriate instructional strategies and class groupings, based on data of the student and classroom results • Requires teacher to share results, and time to meet with other(s) to discuss options • Will still require teacher to make decisions, but allow for Focused Instruction

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data: • So what can you do??? • Ask for the assessment before the unit? • Help teacher / division to analyze last year’s results AND USE THE INFORMATION! • Ask the focused question “Why are you teaching that student that way?”

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:What do others say on the matter? “In a changing world, a healthy school is one where teachers constantly revisit and renew their purposes; always looking for evidence and feedback about how well they are doing, and honestly examining whether they need to do things differently or better.” Hargreaves, Fullan What’s worth fighting for out there.

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:What do others say on the matter? “… ask questions that might highlight … uncomfortable answers that challenge us to change. …each idea should become a hypothesis that can be investigated and examined by considering data. …. Guard against ending it too soon or staying on the surface with issues that may be interesting but are not controversial.” Lorne, Katz Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World

Unraveling the Mystery of School Data:What do others say on the matter? “ Working with data does not produce obvious answers out of the fog. Instead it brings issues and ideas to the surface for discussion and clarification. … It requires patience, sensitivity, and trust. ” Lorne, Katz Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World

Presented by: Bridget Harrison, Secretariat