The Secret Sauce is Data

The teacher’s goal is to help the students learn and grow.  Educators do this by providing instruction that includes engaging exercises, scaffolding, differentiated activities, and more.  After providing such instruction, the teacher will often give an assessment to learners. This isn’t always a formal assessment, sometimes it is an exit ticket, sometimes it is a small handout or form with a few basic questions to check for understanding, or it may be a series of low depth of knowledge questions the teacher rattles off to the whole class just before the bell.  Having some form of assessment throughout and between lessons is important, but how does one know what the student has truly learned if the absence of knowledge was not identified prior to instruction?  This is why data-driven instruction is vital.

Data-driven instruction is the good practice of collecting and monitoring information about what students know, or don’t understand so well, then responding to the information by teaching what is needed.  Data-driven instruction includes:

A Pre-Assessment given prior to introducing learners to a new unit or concept. This is the tool that is used to identify the needs of learners.  The needs identified in this assessment should be used to direct the teacher’s instruction.

Progress Monitoring, which is a series of assessments given throughout instruction to monitor the effectiveness of instruction.  Progress Monitoring tools are also used to identify the needs of learners. These tools help instructors answer questions such as: Have students mastered this concept? What do students need to continue practicing? Was my lesson effective and helpful for learners?  Are students ready for a formal assessment? Like pre-assessments, progress monitoring data should be used to direct instruction; teachers should use this information to refine their lessons and assure they are teaching to their learners’ needs.

A Post-Assessment given after teaching a unit or concept.  Through this assessment, the teacher is looking to see students demonstrate growth and mastery of skills that were taught throughout the unit.  Post-assessment results should not bring about surprises, especially if the instructor monitored progress and responded to the progress monitoring data appropriately.

The practice of data-driven instruction yields two key benefits: It improves the effectiveness of instruction, and it improves student achievement.  Data-driven instruction is all about teaching what is needed.  When an educator commits to identifying needs and providing instruction based on those needs, the students are guaranteed opportunities to close learning gaps and grow.