M-4 Data-Driven Instruction

Teachers use data and aligned resources to transform instructional methods and empower students to take ownership of their learning.

What does this look like in our schools and classrooms?

Use pre- and post-assessments to assess growth
Use common formative assessments within grade levels / content areas to monitor progress
Offer remediation and re-teaching for specific students based on their specific weaknesses
Encourage student reflection and ownership of learning after assessments
Involve students in designing their next step strategies through student conferencing
Flexibly group students based on interests, ability, CFA results, and/or learning styles
Use self-correcting and prescriptive digital resources (iReady, Ten Marks, Study Island, etc.)
Look beyond overall data scores and trends to individual student results and needs
Provide multiple checks for understandings and methods to assess understanding
Implement data walls / notebooks, student data trackers, digital portfolios and self-evaluation
Provide small group instruction with flexible, data-driven groups
Use assessment results to drive lesson planning and design
Participate in data discussions based on student learning in PLCs, Grade Level, School and District levels
Give assignments based on student need and differentiation
Collect data to support MTSS
Review item analysis with students after assessments and correct misconceptions

Exemplar Lessons & Strategies

How Can Technology Support this M-Powerment Strategy?

Mastery Connect
Formative Assessment & Data tracking

Have students track their progress toward goals
Identify learning targets that need more work
Focus on growth and progress toward mastery

Playposit
Interactive video quizzes with results tracking dashboard

Flip the classroom and assess students’ knowledge on a subject through in-video quizzes and post-assessments
Browse gallery to use as remediation resources

Socrative
Online quizzes and games in a teacher classroom

Use Space Race for warm-ups and exit tickets
Give checks for understanding to determine groups

For Future Reading, Exploration, & Learning

Educational Articles

Check out these additional research-based articles and books related to this M-Powerment Strategy.

How to Share Data with Families - Educational Leadership
Are We Motivating Students with Data? - Educational Leadership
How to Turn Rubric Scores into Grades - Cult of Pedagogy
How PLCs do Data Right - Educational Leadership
Going Quantitative But Using Common Sense - Educational Leadership
The Danger of Data-Driven Instruction - Educational Leadership

Self-Paced PD

To explore more about this strategy, check out some of the sessions that have been offered at previous Summer Institutes related to this strategy. Each one contains lots of strategies you can implement and resources you can use to improve your practice.

Instructional Coach-Created Resources

Newsletters and contests created by our Instructional Coaches and School Library Media Coordinators have lots of resources and ideas you can implement. Here are a few that relate to this strategy.