- Digging into Data – in this course, I learned how to look at aggregated data and disaggregated data, analyzing demographic information that helps me see my school as a whole. I learned some things that many would view as surprising, such as there appears to be no achievement gap in writing among races/ethnicities in my schools. I was pleased to learn that all subgroups in this domain passed or failed the Georgia High School Writing tests in approximately the same percentages. Digging into school-level and item-level data was also a new experience that will aid me as a member of our data team.
- Going Visual – when I started this course, I felt I was proficient in Excel, but quickly found out that I had much to learn, such as what graphs to use for comparisons, to show parts of a whole, or to analyze longitudinal data. Learning to chart data effectively helps me identify learning problems and potential causes and solutions to these problems.
- No Blame - I liked learning about the “No-Blame” norm. In all my years in education, I have repeatedly heard teachers and administrators complain that lack of achievement is due to the home lives of students, their poverty, or their race/ethnicity. I have also seen teachers get defensive as they are blamed for low achievement in their classrooms. This incessant finger pointing leads to stagnation, not improvement. I look forward to helping my school establish a collegial atmosphere where we look impartially at the data rather than at the students or each other.
I had many assignments over the semester, but the most valuable one was the Data Overview. In this field experience, I really got to dig into the data, go visual, and identify problems, their possible causes, and potential solutions. I looked hard at a variety of writing scores in my school. I was able to disaggregate the data on the Georgia High School Writing Test which revealed some encouraging trends and also some challenges we need to work on in my school. Working on the charts in my disaggregated data taught me a lot about how to be successful in Excel and what techniques to avoid.
As a future instructional technology coach, I look forward to practicing what I have learned in this class. ISTE-C Standard 2h states that instructional technology coaches, “Coach teachers in and model effective use of technology tools and resources to systematically collect and analyze student achievement data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.” Data Analysis and School Improvement has done an admirable job of preparing me to take on this task. It has also made me very aware of the challenges I will face in my efforts. After working in education for 18 years, I feel fairly sure that my biggest challenges will be to institute a policy of no blame, to find time for teachers to meet to analyze their students’ data, and to keep them focused on the data when the conversation turns negative.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2009). ISTE Standards for Coaches. Retrieved
December 11, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-C_PDF.pdf