Fall 2021 The Beacon
Head Lines
Through the Looking Glass: Examining Data to Inform Instruction By Jamie Williamson, EdS, Head of The Windward School
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he debate about the importance of data in education is far questions, then I would argue that the process is doomed from the from new. For years, educators have been working to better start. The answer is not necessarily more data, but rather better data. leverage data for student outcomes, but when we examine So, what does it mean to acquire better data? It begins with overall reading proficiency in the U.S., it’s clear that we are losing addressing the three questions above. that battle. As I discussed in the Head Lines article in The Beacon Spring 2020 issue, the National Assessment of Educational Progress What Are You Trying to Assess? This key question sets the context for the next two questions, and it (NAEP) scores in reading have barely moved in the last 20 years: will help us home in on the real priorities. (Hint: The answer is not “The most recent report, released at the end of 2019, shows that reading, math, social studies, or academic achievement in a broad only 35% of fourth graders and 34% of eighth graders are at or sense.) Since Windward’s program is focused on remediating above proficient in reading, which was a decline from the 2017 language-based learning disabilities, I will keep our focus on reading report. If you dig a little deeper into the data, you’ll find that the and approach this question from a somewhat granular perspective. most impacted readers, or readers who scored in the bottom 10th First and foremost, it helps to clarify whether we are assessing percentile, have not improved at all since 1992 (NAEP, 2019).” The students’ understanding of content or acquisition of skills. We impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only cannot simply stop at the broad category of heightened the need to support students’ literacy reading. We need to break it down to the specific efforts, as data will almost certainly show that The answer is set of skills that we are targeting for improvement. these scores have sunk even lower since 2019. A solid starting point, elucidated by the National not necessarily To compound the achievement issue, schools Reading Panel in 2000 after its extensive, threeare struggling to implement effective practices in more data, but year study, as well as the decades of supporting order to most effectively utilize data to inform encompassed in the Science of Reading instruction. The results are that students are rather better data. research and supported research-based practices, is with the losing too much instructional time to poorly Big Five components of Reading: alphabetic designed and deployed assessment programs, principal, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and schools are becoming overly focused on the wrong types of data, comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000). An additional and teachers are being shamed or penalized for outcomes, without factor is the need for these components to be assessed in a receiving the proper support or training to leverage the information developmentally appropriate way. For example, I would not be they collect. There is surely a better way. To educators who follow assessing or monitoring the reading comprehension of Grade K-1 research-based methodologies and practices, the science provides a students, because they are still primarily working on acquiring the clear guidepost: “Data use is critical to alignment: it should drive alphabetic principal and phonemic awareness skills necessary to instructional improvement, differentiate resources for students, and break the code and begin reading. Once specific skills are identified strengthen collaboration among teachers, families, and for assessment, we need to address the why. administrators” (Kauerz & Coffman, 2013). Assessment then becomes a critical piece in mapping effective systematic change. The Why: What Is the Purpose The natural follow-up question is: What assessment are you of the Assessment? using? I have been fielding and redirecting this question for the For the last decade, the notion of Big Data has been at the forefront better part of two decades, and, every time I encounter it, I reframe of conversations around how organizations can best serve their this query to ask a few, often overlooked but incredibly important, customers or constituents. Corporations collect and aggregate questions: What are you trying to assess? And why? How is the data massive data sets to precisely target consumers’ needs. In the going to be used? If there is no clarity and transparency around these education sector, the Big Data conversation has centered around
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