What is the Impact on Kids?

No matter what we are doing - whether we are planning, analyzing data, collaborating with teams of teachers, or looking at student work - we should be asking ourselves "What is the impact of this work on our students?" In other words, how are we making a difference each and every day for every single child we serve? This is quite a shift in thinking. If I am continually reflecting on what is the impact on kids, then when my students don't "get" my lesson or my approach - I adjust. I change it. I think about how I can reach and teach that child and I make adjustments. That is a very different approach from writing plans that I will teach no matter what.

We administered writing benchmarks as part of our turnaround goal to increase 75% of our students' writing scores by at least one point on the NYS rubric. Our grade level teams have been able to look at student work to identify trends (across classroom or grade level teams) and gaps (individual or small groups of students who lack specific skills or conceptual understanding). This has allowed us to plan more effectively - even within our curriculum - to give students more of what they need. The impact for our students has been clear as we see students who are aware of what quality work looks like and what they need to do differently to get closer to their goals. Involving students in understanding their own data by looking at specific growth on individual indicators within the rubric has had a powerful impact on students owning their own progress and targeting their own improvement.

So, what is the impact of using data to identify gaps and trends in student learning? Why is it worth the amount of time and effort that it takes? If we think about the amount of time that we, as educators, spend planning, wouldn't it make more sense for that planning to be targeted to the needs of students in order to ensure that we are moving students to where they need to be? If I give myself permission as a teacher to say, my team mate needs to focus on this strategy because that's what his/her students need, but my students need something different, AND then I share this thinking with my colleague through collaborative discussions and unpacking the standards - we both benefit from understanding our students more deeply and have increased our toolbox of strategies to meet different learners. The impact on using data to drive instruction is far reaching. Our students grow in their learning and understanding and are better able to meet or exceed grade level expectations. Our planning becomes more effective at reaching and teaching all of our students. Our school communities become more collaborative and better able to determine the specific competencies and skills that students must master to be proficient in the standards. It is time well spent and is the work that we need in order to turnaround our schools.