Data analysis and school improvement is somewhat intimidating by name. Over this course I have learned so much about data digging, making choices about what data to analyze and how to build charts and tables to share and represent data in meaningful ways.
I’ve always know where I could find data about my school, but this course provides an abundance of resources and links to specific data sources that enable an effective data analysis. Data digging takes time and thought. Determining what data to utilize is key in the using data process. As I sift through data, I have a better understanding of what information will be most helpful for determining the next steps for school improvement. These two skills go hand in hand. Having the knowledge of where to look for data and having the skill to sift through all the data that is accessible to target student achievement. The process of representing data through excel was completely new to me. I actually signed up for a course on using excel. This course provides data tasks that promote the ability to successfully chart data to create graphs that highlight trends, strengths and weaknesses in student achievement. Determining achievement gaps is essentially important when considering populations of schools to ensure students have an equal opportunity. Using data in this fashion is incredible and promotes faculty development and school improvement in amazing ways. For these reasons, the Data Overview task was the most beneficial activity. I enjoyed creating a presentation that represents the data at my school. It was especially helpful since this upcoming year will be my first year at my new school. I am in the process of transitioning and it was helpful to see the data.
I plan to keep applying my new knowledge and skills for sifting through, creating charts and analyzing data in my everyday formative assessments in my classroom, continuing to develop my disposition as a teacher leader through sharing this information with my teams and keeping student data achievement in mind as I plan and structure my lessons and assessment for content standards. Remembering that I teach children and the goal is to see growth. Data has the power to model these trends. Utilizing data is a powerful tool in instructional practice and pedagogical knowledge.
The only challenge I foresee is not getting too bogged down in the negatives when viewing student achievement. Weaknesses are difficult to face. Staying positive and using the data to make instructional decisions is easier said than done.
I’ve always know where I could find data about my school, but this course provides an abundance of resources and links to specific data sources that enable an effective data analysis. Data digging takes time and thought. Determining what data to utilize is key in the using data process. As I sift through data, I have a better understanding of what information will be most helpful for determining the next steps for school improvement. These two skills go hand in hand. Having the knowledge of where to look for data and having the skill to sift through all the data that is accessible to target student achievement. The process of representing data through excel was completely new to me. I actually signed up for a course on using excel. This course provides data tasks that promote the ability to successfully chart data to create graphs that highlight trends, strengths and weaknesses in student achievement. Determining achievement gaps is essentially important when considering populations of schools to ensure students have an equal opportunity. Using data in this fashion is incredible and promotes faculty development and school improvement in amazing ways. For these reasons, the Data Overview task was the most beneficial activity. I enjoyed creating a presentation that represents the data at my school. It was especially helpful since this upcoming year will be my first year at my new school. I am in the process of transitioning and it was helpful to see the data.
I plan to keep applying my new knowledge and skills for sifting through, creating charts and analyzing data in my everyday formative assessments in my classroom, continuing to develop my disposition as a teacher leader through sharing this information with my teams and keeping student data achievement in mind as I plan and structure my lessons and assessment for content standards. Remembering that I teach children and the goal is to see growth. Data has the power to model these trends. Utilizing data is a powerful tool in instructional practice and pedagogical knowledge.
The only challenge I foresee is not getting too bogged down in the negatives when viewing student achievement. Weaknesses are difficult to face. Staying positive and using the data to make instructional decisions is easier said than done.