In this week’s Discussion you and your Walden colleagues analyzed a variety of data related to Magnolia Middle School. What data do you have available in your study school to help you focus your professional learning in order to address gaps in student learning? In this assignment, you will investigate what is available and what is missing in terms of data in the school you are using for this course and plan how you will collect the data you need. Next week, you will play the role of data facilitator with your Learning Team and share the data and data needs you discovered.
For your school, list the sources of data for each type of data below:
- Student Learning Data
- Demographic Data
- School Process Data
- Perception Data
Also, in preparation for your Learning Team meeting next week, consider the following design questions related to data use at the school. Next week, you will submit a synthesis of your responses to the data questions for each area (context, process, and content).
Context
- What level of experience do educators have in terms of data collection and analysis?
- What attitude do educators have about data collection and analysis?
- Have educators used data before to make substantive change and what results they have achieved?
Process
- How can you involve educators in planning data collection and analysis?
- How can you ensure that data collection and analysis are embedded in the workday or otherwise compensated?
- How can you reduce the fear of data analysis and help educators see its value?
Content
- How will you know what data to collect and how to present it?
- What will you do about data you need but do not have?
- How can you help educators draw valid conclusions from the data?
- You do not need to submit anything this week.You will submit a synthesis of your responses for each area (context, process, and content) next week. Take time this week to collect available data from the school and prepare for your Learning Team meeting next week.
- Looking Ahead:Next week you will meet with your Learning Team, share the data you have collected, and collaboratively analyze the data. Review the requirements of this assignment and plan accordingly.
This week’s “Taking Data to New Depths” Required Reading (Tool 9.2 on the Becoming a Learning School companion CD) discusses the role of a data facilitator in leading teachers through the data analysis and goal-setting process. In this Application Assignment, you will practice your data facilitation skills by engaging in a collaborative inquiry about the data you have collected. You may wish to invite team members to share other relevant data.
Prior to meeting with your Learning Team: