Using Assessment (and other) Data to Improve Instruction

1Use multiple sources

Data exists at many levels. In order to effectively target your efforts to improve instruction, you will need a number of sources:

• National• State • District/System

• School • Program• Teacher

• Class• Student • Standards

•Achievement gaps•Differences between subgroups• Trends • Progress

What Data Reveals

2Practical Improvement Plan

There is a difference between data use for instructional improvement and data use for accountability.

Comparing Accountability Purposes to Improvement Purposes

Data Source Accountability Purpose(Generally answers - How many? What?)

Instructional Improvement Purpose(Generally answers – Who? To what degree? To what end?)

Attendance records Obtain reimbursement from state or federal funding source Reduce student absences

Grades Prepare student report cards Reduce failure/dropout rates

Test Scores Comply with Federal/State requirements to assess students

Assess and modify curriculum and assure alignment of instructional strategies used with intended student outcomes

Transfer recordsReport to board or funding agency who requires reporting on this measure

Facilitate successful transfers for students; identify reason for and trends in transfer that might be related to labor market trends or institutional programs or processes

Graduation Rates Federal/State reporting requirements Improve student success, preparation for postsecondary or the workforce

3Positive Change in Student Outcomes

An outcome is a change in a student’s skills, attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, status, or life condition brought about by experiencing a program.

o While attention to outcomes matters so does attention to the experiences that lead to those outcomes.

Goal: Students will know about the human body.

Objective: Learner will be able to identify 175 of the 206 bones in the human body and explain the normal structures and functions of the skeletal system without referring to notes.

Student Outcome: Student will relate selected diseases of the skeletal system to the alteration of normal structures and functions in order to effectively provide direct care in clinical setting

Outcomes…VERY Different than Learning Goals or Objectives

Connecting Outcomes with Instruction

Goal: Students will know about the human body.

Objective: Learner will be able to identify 175 of the 206 bones in the human body and explain the normal structures and functions of the skeletal system without referring to notes.

SMALL GROUP REFLECTION:

Brainstorm specific ways you might teach content related to this objective.

Then brainstorm specific ways you might assess student learning of this objective.

Shifting focus to student outcomes…

Goal: Students will know about the human body.

Student Outcome: Student will relate selected diseases of the skeletal system to the alteration of normal structures and functions in order to effectively provide direct care in clinical setting

SMALL GROUP REFLECTION:

Brainstorm specific ways you might teach content related to this outcome.

Then brainstorm specific ways you might assess student learning of this objective.

Another example

FOUR DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES FOR SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

•Review the steps of the Scientific Method

•Understand the Scientific Method

•Define the steps of the Scientific Method

•Use the Scientific Method in an experiment

SMALL GROUP REFLECTION:

What are the differences between each objective?

Think of the simplest and most complex way you could assess each objective. Does it change the rigor of the objective?

Where do you start?

Start with a questionWhere can I look to start improving instruction?

Teachers/Faculty Students

• How do I know I am delivering instruction well? Does the way I currently teach this contribute to a performance gap?

• How confident am I that my own content knowledge has kept up with changes in the field?

• To what degree are all students in my class given the same opportunity to learn successfully?

• How do I know that my students have adequate opportunity to practice new skills and apply them in unpredictable situations?

• What do I know about my students’ readiness to learn and how might that change how I teach?

• Which students are succeeding or struggling? Are there similarities? Differences?

Program Design Program Implementation• To what degree is this program aligned with

industry standards and expectations?• How clearly has this program articulated its

goals and objectives?• To what degree have we identified the

necessary entry skills and knowledge of our participant population?

• Does this program have appropriate materials to facilitate learning?

• Do I have the right facilities for delivering the program effectively?

• Does the scheduling allow for adequate delivery of the content?

The Process

National/State

• Demographic/workforce trends

• State assessments

• Standardized achievement tests

• Enrollment trends

• Accountability measures

Campus/District/School/Program• Enrollment trends (transfer, drop-out)• Student demographic data• Student transcripts• Program participation (free/reduced

lunch, first generation, etc.)

Classroom/Student

• Accuplacer results• ACT PLAN or EXPLORE results• Guidance/Advisor records• Student portfolios• Student Surveys (CCSSE, graduate

follow-up, etc.)• Authentic assessments (performance-

based assessments)

• Work-readiness assessments• Daily teacher records and observations

(attendance, participation) • CTSO participation records• Enrollment trends• Parent demographic data• Employer evaluations

Practical example

Health program has average enrollment of 38 students each year.

One course outcome: Students successfully pass CNA and are prepared for entry level employment.

Teacher/faculty member uses NOCTI assessment about 2/3 of the way through the course to see how prepared students might be for CNA (results on next slide)

CNA results:School year 09-10 Attempt: 29 Pass: 24School year 10-11 Attempt: 45 Pass: 35School year 11-12 Attempt: 38 Pass: 26

Other information about the class:74% of students are femaleNearly 26% of the class misses an average of 6 days per termCurriculum was last reviewed in 2010.CNA assessment was revised in 2011.

Nursing Assistant Pretest

What can an educator do next?

What initial observations can you make from the data and information?

What questions might you develop to guide your instructional improvement?

What additional information or data might you need to develop a plan?

What ideas might you brainstorm for your improvement plan?

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