Improvement Cycle
Recommended Practice: Make data a part of an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement.
- Overview & Tools: Video overviews and professional development materials
- Learn What Works: Expert interviews about the improvement cycle
- See How It Works: Videos and sample materials from schools
Making Data Part of an Ongoing Cycle of Instructional Improvement
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > Overview & Tools
As part of a coherent approach to using data for instructional improvement, teachers can use a cycle of instructional improvement. This cycle begins with collecting and preparing data using results...
Resource Type
Overview
Prepare, Inquire, Act
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > Learn What Works
Dr. Elizabeth City discusses how teachers can enact a three-step “Prepare, Inquire, Act” cycle of instructional improvement. Dr. City encourages teachers to work through this cycle testing...
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Expert Interview
What Do You See in These Data?
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > Learn What Works
Dr. City suggests that teachers work collaboratively as they learn to use data efficiently in a cycle of instructional improvement. Dr. City offers examples of examining the data, developing...
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Using the Three-Week Assessment Cycle
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Listen to a testing coordinator and teacher talk about their perspectives on the three-week assessment cycle. Administration uses the testing cycle to assess teachers and students on a building and...
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School Example
Intervening Early Using Data From Multiple Assessments
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Listen to the curriculum skills specialist describe various assessment tools used by the staff to gather student data and identify their strengths and deficits. The sample material, Classroom...
Resource Type
School Example
Start With the Data
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Listen to the science skills specialist at a middle school describe how she supports teachers in their use of data. The teachers start with the data to determine their students’ areas of strength...
Resource Type
School Example
Supporting Data Use Through Teacher Collaboration Time (Part 1)
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Listen to a teacher describe the ways that teachers use data to guide their discussions and make school decisions. Refer to the Consultancy Practices and Standards in Practice Steps sample...
Resource Type
School Example
Supporting Data Use Through Teacher Collaboration Time (Part 2)
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Watch three teachers model a teacher collaboration session where they use data to make instructional decisions. Access the Using Data to Drive Action and the Collaborative Assessment Conference...
Resource Type
School Example
Helping Struggling Students by Using the SAT Process
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Hear a principal describe how staff work to remove barriers to student learning through its Student Assistance Team (SAT) process. Teachers are able to intervene quickly and support struggling...
Resource Type
School Example
Teacher Scorecard
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
Thompson Elementary School (TX) Teachers at one elementary school use this scorecard to track their students' performance data for each six-week period. They analyze the information...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Classroom Walkthrough Notepad
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
The administrative team at one elementary school conducts classroom walkthroughs every six weeks to observe instruction. The team examines this instructional data alongside achievement data to...
Resource Type
Sample Material
English Class Data Reflection Sheet
Data for Instruction > Improvement Cycle > See How It Works
High school English teachers use this data reflection sheet after each six-week unit assessment cycle. The audio interview, Using the Three-Week Assessment Cycle, explains the assessment cycle used...
Resource Type
Sample Material
