A Deeper Understanding of Achievement Results in Leading Change in One Washington District
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Data walk
Purpose: The data walk is used to give teachers time to study student data, discuss it with their colleagues, and consider implications for the school and classroom. Materials: Charts posted around the room, displaying student data in reading and/or math for each grade level; sticky notes for teacher observations and questions; pens or pencils; timer. Time: 60-75 minutes. |
Steps |
1. Create charts displaying student data for each grade level in word-processing program, and enlarge to poster size at local copy store; or create chart by hand and fill in labels and data points. Display charts on walls around the meeting room. |
2. Have group form teams of four to five people with broad representation (primary, intermediate, specialist, paraprofessionals). |
3. Appoint a timekeeper. Have teams visit each data poster and discuss:
• What ahas do you notice? • What questions do you have about the data? |
4. Have each group leave at least one sticky note with an aha and at least one sticky note with a question about the data. |
5. After five to seven minutes, timekeeper gives signal to move to the next poster. |
6. After teams have visited all of the posters, reassemble the whole group and ask group members to divide into grade-level teams and assign a recorder. Each team visits its own grade-level poster for 12 to 15 minutes, reads the comments on the sticky notes, and discusses implications for the school and for its grade level. Recorder writes these comments on a sheet of paper. |
7. Reconvene the whole group and ask members to be seated. Each recorder reads comments and posts them in the front of the room. |
8. Discuss: What did we learn as a school about the strengths and needs of our students from today’s data walk? |
9. Facilitator copies comment sheets and returns them to each grade level for use in future collaboration and goal setting. |
Barbara Bergman (bbergman@fwps.org) is principal of Sherwood Forest Elementary School in Federal Way, Wash.
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