30 Minute Data Dialogue

Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

Adams 14Principal Professional Learning Community

November 9, 2006

Can you imagine working at Microsoft and not focusing on software, or at

General Motors and not focusing on building cars? That's what the

schools were doing. We had forgotten that academic achievement is the

core of our business.

—Major General John Stanford

Problem• Regular meetings with between teachers

and instructional leaders (principals and assistant principals) are frequently significantly constrained by time.

Problem• How can a data

dialogue be completed with a teacher in 30 minutes? A data dialogue that can make a difference in student learning?

Spend time with colleagues piloting the adapted “Thirty Minute Data Dialogue” for classroom

discussions

Outcomes:

(1) Develop facilitation skills using a thirty minute protocol for evaluating classroom level data.

(2) Pilot the proposed protocol for thirty minute data dialogue

What: Work through the proposed process of a “data dialogue” for the

those of us short on time

Why: Develop skills at facilitating important discussions about improving teaching practice

How: Using actual teacher data while playing the role of principal and teacher.

Agenda 1. Review the “Data Dialogue”

2. Role of scale

3. Facilitation

4. Thirty Minute Dialogue

Data-Driven Dialogue

Colorado Consortium for Data-Driven Decisions (C2D3)

Data-Driven Dialogue

Predictions and Assumptions•Activating•Engaging

Explorations/Observations•Make fact statements•Use multiple sources

Explanation/Causation•ID testable explanations•Confirm with data

Taking Action•Generate Solutions•Use data to guide implementation

Principals

Predictions and Assumptions

• With what assumptions are we entering?

• What are some predictions we are making?

• What are some questions we are asking?

• What are some possibilities for learning that this experience presents to use?

Explorations and Observations

• What important points seem to “pop-out”?• What are some patterns, categories or trends that are

emerging?• What seems to be surprising or unexpected?• What are some things we have not explored?

Explanation

• What inferences/explanations/conclusions might we draw?

• What additional data sources might we explore to examine our explanations?

Taking Action

What are some solutions we might explore?

What are the data we will need along the way to examine the implementation of our solution?

Scale of analysis affects the relevance of certain data and the use of the “data

dialogue”

Student Level Analysis

Classroom Level Analysis

School Level Analysis

District Level Analysis

Scaling Analysis

Student Level Analysis

Classroom Level Analysis

School Level Analysis

District Level Analysis

Scaling Analysis

System Level

System Level

• Trying see through the complexity of a structure. Need to analyze the interdependencies.

• Focus on multiple measures: survey (affective), demographics, student achievement, and program data.

• Data Dialogue can be implemented from activating through action.

• Significant time is spent on observation (repeatedly requesting new data) and cause (evaluating many potential reasons for trends and patterns)

Objective: Change direction of the system by introducing reforms for the entire system

District School

Student Level Analysis

Classroom Level Analysis

School Level Analysis

District Level Analysis

Scaling Analysis

Individual

Individual Level

• Objective is to act on data rapidly o improve learning for individual students or small groups of students.

• Activating and Engaging is of reduced importance and root cause is frequently skipped.

• Focus is on changing instructional practice given available information.

• Not systemic, but largely individual. (Should be impacted by systems change )

Objective: Improve teaching behavior and align student needs with curriculum design.

Classroom/Student

District School/Grade-Level

Classroom

Student

CSAP Y Y Y Y

MAP Y Y Y Y

CELA Y Y M Y

IPT Y Y N Y

Attendance Y Y M Y

Discipline Y Y M Y

Grad Rate Y Y N N

Demographics Y Y N N

Perception (Survey) Y Y N N

Common Assessment Y Y Y Y

DIBELS Y Y Y Y

Key to a good dialogue is facilitation…

Characteristics of Well Facilitated Data Dialogue

Focused on improving student achievementFocused on factors that can be impacted by dialogue participantsUses exploratory language (Wellman and Lipton)

Characteristics of Well Facilitated Data Dialogue

Open-ended questions are essential (Wellman and Lipton)Facilitator focuses on making clear that administration works to make teachers successful.Always leave with a task.

Characteristics of Well Facilitated Data Dialogue

•Choose a focus for the discussion. Today we will focus on the classroom level reading data.•Choose a format for the data that is easy to read.  Teachers are always encouraged to bring their own data, in addition to anything available through district technology. Set ground rules for the discussion and enforce them. No fault, no blame for the data. Ask questions and describe the data before seeking cause or understandingLook to learn, not to confirm belief or bias

Objective: Improve teaching behavior and align student needs with curriculum design.

Classroom/Student

Step #1 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Develop relationship and set expectations (most done before hand)(30 seconds to 1 minute)

– Write a memo to your staff that describes your expectations. Identify the reason, focus, and end products for these dialogues

– Make sure norms are shared (no blaming teacher or student)

Step #2 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Observation (student data)(5-6 minutes)

• Activity #1: Mark-up– Analyze data and mark areas that are

striking. Individuals are also expected to write questions that arise concerning these data.

– What important points seem to “pop-out”?– What are some patterns, categories or trends

that are emerging?

Step #3 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Debrief of Observation (5 minutes)

• Activity #2: Discussion between principal and teacher– What observations were in common? What

observations did you not have in common? Do you agree they were striking?

Step #4 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Curriculum Brief Evaluation (3 minutes)

• Activity #3: Quick View of Curriculum– Review the curriculum for the upcoming

period (month, unit, etc…). Write any questions regarding curriculum for this period.

Step #5 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Curriculum Questions (2 minutes)

• Activity #4: Rapid Answer Session– Answer as many curriculum questions

as you can in 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes the principal will take ownership for following up with the teacher.

Step #6 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Fill-in the Blank (5 minutes)

• Activity #5: Identify student strengths and weaknesses– My students will have trouble with [blank].

Fill-in the blank with the curriculum power standard and also answer why (clear about which students are going to struggle and which are not)?

Step #7 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Follow-up on Fill-in the Blank (5-7 minutes)

• Activity #6: Creating an Action Step– Given that some of my student are going to

struggle on [blank] what can I do as a teacher to mitigate the impact and ensure that students are all ma progress towards proficiency?

– What are you going to start doing, stop doing, and keep doing based on the data analysis.

Step #8 in Thirty Minute Data Dialogue

• Closing (2 minutes)

• Activity #7: Creating Next Steps– Make sure that both the principal and the

teacher can answer the following questions:• How will my principal know that I am doing

it? • What am I expected to produce as end

products to these dialogues? • What am I expected to do with these end

products?

31

to count, compute

(something done to schools)

Accountability Versus Responsibility

Accountability

to be responsive; response-ability

(an internal drive for continuous

improvement)

Responsibility

• http://www.ascd.org/ed_topics/el199309_raywid.html