Archive

• Season's Greetings — December 30, 2011
• Class Size — November 11, 2011
• Functional School Consolidation — October 28, 2011
• Effective Professional Development — October 14, 2011
• Kindergarten Readiness — September 30, 2011
• Social Media — September 16, 2011
• Magnet Schools — August 26, 2011
• Teacher Induction Programs — August 12, 2011
• Social-Emotional Learning — July 29, 2011
• College Faculty and Student Success — July 15, 2011
• School Turnaround Models — July 1, 2011
• Language Testing and ELLs — June 10, 2011
• Math Teacher Educational Background — May 27, 2011
• Urban Inclusion Models — May 13, 2011

The Reference Desk, using available evidence and research, provides quick-turnaround responses to questions submitted by education stakeholders around the Northeast and Islands Region. Every Friday, REL-NEI highlights one or two questions submitted to its Reference Desk.

Question of the Week

How Can Professional Development Help Teachers to Effectively Use Data?  

The Reference Desk has received a number of questions in past months asking how teachers, schools, and districts can use data effectively to improve student achievement. This week’s Digest features a question from a school district seeking to help its teachers use data from a newly implemented formative-assessment system to inform instructional practice.

Question

According to the research, what are the essential components of professional development for teachers’ effective use of data?

Research Synthesis

Reference Desk researchers found several resources pertaining to professional-development support for teachers’ use of data. For instance, an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guide contains a table listing the essential elements of professional development and the staff members (teachers, principals, IT staff, etc.) for whom they are relevant (Hamilton, 2009; see below). Another resource from the U.S. Department of Education includes teachers’ suggestions for professional development on data-informed decision-making (Means, 2009; see below).

Publicly Available Resources

1. Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making. September 2009; Hamilton, L., Halverson, R., Jackson, S. S., Mandinach, E., Supovitz, J. A., & Wayman, J. C.; Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education; NCEE 2009–4067; 70 pages.

   “Provide targeted professional development regularly….The skills needed for effective data use range from data entry to data analysis to leadership; they also vary depending on professional roles (i.e., teacher, administrator, or technology support staff), content area and curriculum, experience with data analysis, and level of comfort with technology. For most staff, professional development should focus on how users will apply the data to their daily work and instructional planning, rather than on the functionality of the system. Staff with the specific role of maintaining the system, however, should receive specialized training that prepares them to maintain the system for all users” (pp. 35–36). Table 3 provides a checklist: Suggested professional development and training opportunities (p. 37).

2. Implementing Data-Informed Decision Making in Schools: Teacher Access, Supports and Use. 2009; Means, B., Padilla, C., DeBarger, A., & Bakia, M.; Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, US Department of Education; ERIC Document #ED504191; 92 pages.

   This report includes teachers’ suggestions for professional development on data-informed decision making: “Fifty-eight percent of teachers with access to a data system thought that additional professional development on how to develop diagnostic assessments for their classes would be beneficial, and 55 percent said that they would like additional professional development on adjusting the content and approach used in their class in light of student data. Almost half (48 percent) reported the need for more professional development on the proper interpretation of test score data, and over a third (38 percent) for more professional development on how to formulate questions that can be addressed with data. Half (50 percent) reported that they could benefit from additional professional development on how to identify types of data to collect to monitor school progress against goals for improvement, and 44 percent reported a need for more professional development on the mechanics of using their data system. Over a third (37 percent) of teachers with access to a data system said that they would like professional development on techniques for collaborating with colleagues on the use of data” (p. 29).

3. Achieving a Wealth of Riches: Delivering on the Promise of Data to Transform Teaching and Learning. August 2009; Miller, M.; Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education Policy Brief; ERIC Document #ED506783, 11 pages.

   “This brief addresses why using data represents a significant shift for most teachers in how they perform their jobs, explains the importance of using multiple types of data to affect learning, details the infrastructure necessary to encourage teachers’ use of data, and provides federal policy recommendations” (p. 1). From the section titled ‘Using Multiple Types of Data to Improve Teaching and Learning’: “In order for teachers to move away from being data rich but information poor to using data to transform teaching and learning, they need to know which assessments to use and when and how to read and understand data. At the foundation, teachers need assessment literacy skills. They must be able to create valid and reliable assessments when applicable, embed assessment practices in instruction, and use multiple kinds of assessment data to make informed decisions about instruction. Teachers also need data literacy skills in order to access, convert, and manipulate data to make informed decisions in the classroom. Specific skills include the ability to compare multiple data sources, identify performance trends, link the data to student learning needs, and adjust lesson plans accordingly. Few teachers, especially those that have been in the classroom for several years, have been taught assessment or data literacy skills in their teacher preparation courses” (p. 6).

The Reference Desk also found this organization and university website to be helpful in learning more about data use in general:

1. The Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (CDDRE)

   From the website: “The Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education conducts research into how school districts can use data-driven reform to improve student achievement.” CDDRE provides training services to state, district, and school leadership teams through its Raising the Bar program.

2. Data Use: Improving Education Practice Through Data Use: Data-Driven Decision-Making

   Hosted by the University of Texas at Austin College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration, this website “provides resources to support the effective use of educational data at the K–12 level.” The ‘Publications’ section contains links to many articles on data use authored or co-authored by University of Texas at Austin professor Jeffrey C. Wayman.

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