Make Data Your…..Friend

Data. Does the word strike fear in your heart? Does your pulse begin to race and your head hurt when you think that word? If so, you are not alone!

Data was a curse word for me, until I learned to use it to the advantage of my students.

As teachers, we constantly assess our student’s academic, social, and behavioral skills. Were anyone to ask you about how your students are doing in a particular skill area, you could explain in great detail exactly where each of your students are excelling or need improvement. You could tell your administrator how your student feels about a subject, how quickly they are progressing, and whether they are on track to master the skills needed to move on to the next grade.

Yet, despite our hard-earned knowledge about our students, the minute someone wants to see data, we freeze, or (if we are completely honest with ourselves) we become defensive angry. We think: “WHY do I have to show them that, I just TOLD them! Why don’t they just listen??” Many teachers see the request for data as a personal attack on their knowledge of their students. I have often wished that I could just tell administrators or district specialists what my students need…after all….who could possibly know my students needs better than me???

Also, the time. Oh my goodness the time! Teachers do NOT have time in their days to add more things to do. A request for data equates to more paperwork, more time spent on paperwork, and more frustration due to adding more assessments into the classroom. Just let us tell you what we know and continue on doing what we do best….TEACHING!

Am I right?

All of that changed for me when I learned how to use data to make and win arguments with administrators and district officials. Most of which resulted in my students getting more services, materials, or enrichment activities. Now, I hear a request for data, and a huge smile crosses my face. You want data? Oh man, have I got some data for you!

Want to make data your friend? Start simple. Start with one student, and begin tracking a skill you have seen some progress in. For example, assess your student on letter or sound proficiency. Count how many letters they know, write it down, and 2-5 days later repeat. After you have collected this information for 2 weeks, use either a sheet of paper or an Excel spreadsheet to graph your data. I bet you can’t help but smile when you see your student’s progress shown graphically. Seeing a graph which proves their progress (and your awesomeness as a teacher) never fails to bring a smile to even the most doubtful face.

Why start with a skill you have seen progress in? Well, I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have the world on my shoulders most of the time. A small bit of positivity (read- proof that I am making an impact) goes a long way to preventing burn out for this teacher! Track and view a little progress, and I am willing to bet you will be hungry for more!

I will be posting frequently about data, and how using it in my classroom has made my work not only easier, but often more pleasant. I will also be posting tips and tricks to improve data collection and progress monitoring in your classroom. To stay up to date on all things data, teaching, and adventure, click below to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest where I will share the latest posts!

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