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1.) Data means more and makes more sense to teachers when they ask the questions, ". The problem is that we frame data as an entity teachers need to meet and engage with, rather than as information that rises organically out of teachers' work with learners. When teachers don't embrace an idea or mandate, it's often because they feel overburdened: They don't see the time or need for a new professional love interest. There must always be a point to what administrators ask teachers to do with data." This quote shows me that when teachers are told to record data, or use data without reasoning or their input they are less likely to understand the data and less likely to continue tracking data after it's required of them.(Also related: "Too often, questions about data in schools originate with administrators and district office personnel. Teachers feel no ownership or curiosity other than, Did we make our scores this year? and Do I get my bonus? Teachers cannot take the lead in data mining until they pose their own simple, measurable, and relevant queries.')
2.) Data sharing helps all stakeholders feel responsible and gives them space to reflect. "This kind of data sharing and the resulting discussion was a tremendous help in developing relationships with students and parents at my new school, in part because parents could clearly see that I'm a thoughtful practitioner who cares about each student. Sharing data also elicited important information about my students' learning needs." Students and parents should be involved in data talks throughout the school year in order to know where their student is excelling and where they are falling behind their peers. To me, parent involvement and parent awareness of student achievement is SO important to student growth.

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This article was a good article to read because it helped teachers at our school realize that the things we do or have been asked to do exit tickets, test,quizzes, etc. have purpose and are meaningful. They are tools that we need to help improve our teaching and our students performance. We can not only rely on state test and computerized data like the article mentioned. The idea of making a notebook gives teachers ownership of the data they collect and assessments they create because they get to ask the questions about their students and classroom they want answered. When you have ownership of what you’re doing the results are more powerful. Teachers will be more likely to use data in meaningful ways and be able to reflect more intensely on the data and more comfortable with making necessary changes in their instructional practices to help students learn more.

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I was very grateful in reading this article and the ownership this teacher possesses as an educator who thrived on data retrieval from her students and from her teaching peers. Its imperative for teachers to gain an interest on the level of learning the students are receiving and how effective it is in order for them to be successful in the classroom. Having a data group was a great idea as well as the data notebook to keep account of the progress of a scholars achievement. Also, asking scholars the hard questions on “how they feel they are growing and learning” in the classroom as well as the school as a whole can indeed give imperative information that will help administrators and stakeholders be accountable and aware.

The key interest in my learning of data is the motivation aspect. We are all aware of the push, press and pull of admin and those of higher stands of position that require us to “be data driven” and the must-haves and must-dos that go along with it. But, how to be data driven and how to go about retrieving the data without feeling over burdened comes from a different place other than being told to “input data” in a spreadsheet or in a notebook. One must have desire and one must have a love for the growth of the student. One must also know the aspects of being a person of research and not just a person turning in an assignment. It’s just all relative and needed as a data analyst. But, how do we stay motivated and appreciated in doing so? The reward is knowing we’ve helped not only ourselves as a teacher but indeed the student and knowing where they can grow and be amazing in the process.
Good article! Thank you. ~Mays~

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As a musician, I struggle with data. It’s overwhelming, and not something I enjoy. I completely agree with the author when she states “Number are important, but they CAN’T provide educators everything, especially when we’re looking for root causes of students’ learning difficulties.”

However, the author makes a compelling case for the benefits of creating teacher engagement with data. She noticed a trend saying “teachers feel no ownership or curiosity...” and “cannot take the lead in data mining until they pose their own simple, measurable, and relevant queries.” As a result, “prodding teachers to collect meaningful data on their own ensures that they will begin to ask questions.”

This meaningful data was collected through data notebooks, leading to reflection on teaching practices. I believe this method could be easily implemented and greatly effective, and executed in a variety of ways that best suits the needs of each educator.

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Just as the author stated, I also love data. It helps me reflect and improve on my teaching and learning. The author makes a great point that "if teachers are ever to use data powerfully, they must become the coaches, helping themselves and colleagues draw on data to guide student learning, find answers to important questions, and analyze and reflect together on teaching practice." However, in my opinion, this only works if a teacher is highly self motivated and if the school is offering autonomy in the classroom when it comes to teaching and learning. Which in reality this is not the case and the reason teachers get frustrated, overwhelmed, and threatened as the author states.

I hope this articles encourages us as a school to reflect on the data we collect and how we use it to better our teaching and learning. We have an opportunity to create a guide "what to do next" after we collect a data point and remove the stress and frustration from teachers.  Currently we focus on all data: NWEA data, Anet, MStep, SFA, Exit tickets, Reteach Data, Mid Modules, End of Modules, Constructive Responses, CER, Baselines, Language, and C3 /R&R data. Majority of time is spent collecting the data and reporting the data. At this point, as a school we only use ANet data to reflect with sort of a game plan how to improve but without time to actually implement the action plans because new data is being collected from the next units that need to be covered.

It seems that all stakeholders have different opinions which data is most important and as a school we need to pick the most important one and create a plan to improve it. So what is the most important student data?

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This article resonated with my because we do a lot of this in Teach For America already.  We are asked to give our students surveys three times a year.  The surveys are to gauge their perceptions in our classroom and what we are doing well/what we aren't as educators.  The article discussed this in terms of family engagement as well and I do think this plays a role in being an educator but I think we should be asking our students how they best learn.  Sometimes this conflicts with having a scripted curriculum.  Yes, we can annotate and try our best to align it to each student but it becomes very difficult when certain things need to be done with fidelity and I think the students' perspective can be lost in this.

Another interesting thing from this article was that the author noted how different data should be from classroom to classroom and teacher to teacher.  It is very difficult to find meaning in data when there is no time to stop and think about what the data means because we are required to do so much of it.  She was speaking in terms of being an eighth grade teacher who most likely teaches one subject and can continue to refine her craft quickly and with fidelity.  As an elementary teacher that teaches all subject areas, too much data in each subject becomes a burden and meaningless.  There needs to be a balance between what is absolutely essential and what the teacher can choose to reflect upon in terms of their own class and their learning needs.

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As a first year teacher this article sheds an important light on data. There is no class on data or testing; it is a learned pratice from the trade/ field, not something that can be taught. It is relieving and overwhelming because I know I have my career to build and grow this practice of data collection but it is something you want to be on top of regularly as students and things can grow and change rapidly in just one school year. 1. The author is making great strides to put in perspective that data collection is something teachers do not need to be afraid of but that they need to embrace to both grow their practice and their students education. Data collection seems to me, to be an important part of the reflective process as an educator. 2. To reflect is to eventually look for trends over time; without data this cannot take place. Sharing and compairing data with colleugues seems to be a great way to develop the habits and different ways of keeping data and how to look at it/analyze it. Data collection doesn’t need to be some daunting task but something that will make our jobs easier by using it to guide how and what we teach thus enriching and growing our practice and students learning.

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This article was enjoyable to read because it offered different aspects on data. First, not all data has to come from state standardized tests on end on module tests. It’s important what teachers do in the meantime. How is data being collected trough out the lesson? What will be changed based on that data? It’s importanr for educators to catch students before they slip.
Also, when the author states, “Numbers are important, but they can't provide educators everything, especially when we're looking for root causes of students' learning difficulties. Teachers must see that data stretch beyond what's expressed on test company spreadsheets”. To me, this means identifying each students’ strength and weakness will allow the teacher to resignate with the child. Testing allows us to see where the child is, but we have to figure out how to enable them to grow, and that is done by knowing how they learn.

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1.When teachers take ownership of the data then it becomes more meaningful and useful. Data should be also shared with students, parents and all teachers teaching those students should have dialogue and share the data.
2. Data is very important to help students and understand what we as teachers have to do to help learners but it should not be imposed but rather what teachers do on their own.

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Teachers must be Data Experts because:

1.     It allows teachers to understand and connect with how students learn.

2.     We must change our mindset on how data is looked at. Data drives instruction in the classroom.  (Teaching +Learning= DATA)

3.     If we as teachers understand data, we can share with all stakeholders.

-Once the teacher understands the data properly, they can make meaningful connections to help all stakeholders, especially the students. In sharing the data with the students, they can understand what goals they need to set/meet. The teacher also benefits by being able to tailor instruction to meet the needs of their students based on the data.

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The discussion about data excites me every time I read or talk about it. But, it’s the afterwards (actions) that just makes me feel a little overwhelmed. I like that the author stated data is more than just the students test scores because I know as a homeroom teacher I was pleased and then again not so happy with students NWEA scores. I didn’t have anyone drop however, I was expecting the growth to be higher for some individuals. So, it had me thinking what can I do to make sure I meet the goal for those individual students? So one thing she stated, which is weird because I was actually going to do this, was having a data notebook. I created a binder and just individualize it for each subject. That way I can reflect and look for key things throughout my day/week. I have to understand that it needs to be a purpose behind my data. So, yes students may did well on today’s exit ticket but what led it to be well? I also like how she shares her data with other teachers, parents, etc.. I personally feel like data communication is important in order to see growth. That way if students see where they’re at it can drive them. However, I know students sometimes lack the motivation to do well daily. That’s when we need parents and other administrative support that way it can be a continuous push towards meeting our goals. Great article though overall! Just have to do the work.

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After reflecting on the article, "Why Teachers Must Be Data Experts", I had two main reflections or "ah-ha" moments:

1. In the section titled, Data, More Than Test Scores, the author states, "remaining unaware of the range of assessments and how to use them and accepting (frequently inadequate) standardized tests as the single measure of success is irresponsible." This statement supports the work we are doing to regularly collect and analyze formative assessment data from our students. Whether it be through the CAS form in SFA or exit tickets in Math and Science. It is imperative that we understand the purpose behind the data we collect and how it will shape our instruction.

2. The second point that resonated with me was the section on, Dialoguing With Data. Often times, we work so hard to ensure students are setting goals and focusing while taking assessments but the question then becomes, what do we do with the data from there? This is a reflection for me as a coach. I believe strongly that data focused PLC, data chats with students and data chats with parents will engage all of the stakeholders in our school community into doing something meaningful with the data we collect. I believe these conversations and this type of dialogue will allow data to become more than just a number on a chart but an actual path towards students increasing their academic achievement.

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Reflecting on the article, “Why Teacher Must Be Data Experts” I found a few key points to be true.

1. Data can be overwhelming and often times, it can be ineffective. A prime example of data being ineffective would be a previous district that I taught in, tests such as NWEA and AZMerit (MStep equivalent), and others were often administered, however the  data was not analyzed in a timely fashion. Because the data was not analyzed in a timely manner, often times, we could not use the students’ scores effectively. This article by Morrison says it best, “Realize that data include more than end-of-year standardized testing.” To understand why I think this quote is powerful, see #3.

2. Two quotes  that I enjoyed in this article were, “Teachers must see that data stretch beyond what’s expressed on test company spreadsheets.” and  “...standardized tests as the single measure of success is irresponsible.” I believe often times in the teaching profession, professionals get incredibly worked up over data. I’m not saying that data is not important, in fact, I think it is incredibly important, but what I am saying is that one test may or may not accurately reflect a students’ knowledge. In undergrad, we were often that students bring all sorts of baggage and backgrounds into a standardized test. After teaching for a number of years, I couldn’t agree more. I believe it is essential to gather several data points to accurately understand student performance. Test day could be an “off day” for the student and they could perform extremely poor or vise versa.

3. An interesting idea that I believe we do very well at DEPSA is keeping a “data notebook”. The article describes a “data notebook” as,  “Prodding teachers to collect meaningful data on their own ensures that they will begin to ask questions, as I found out when I put together a sample data notebook. In the process of collecting, analyzing, and reflecting on information about my classes, I stepped outside my assumptions and understood students more clearly.” I believe that at DEPSA we keep an extremely accurate account of students’ progression. This can be especially seen in, standardized tests,  exit tickets and pre and post tests that are administered regularly.

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I agree with many of the author's opinions regarding data, the importance of data dialogue with students, parents, and staff, but what resonated most with me was the quote, "Participants set up data notebooks and shared them with one another. We kept requirements for the notebooks open-ended but had teachers note three dimensions of any data they recorded: the frequency with which they collected these data; the type of teacher thinking this entry showed (descriptive, analytical, or reflective); and the kind of information it represented (such as evidence of student learning; demographics; teachers', students' and others' perceptions; or instructional processes)". Often times the required data isn't as beneficial to my students than other data. I end up spending time collecting so much that I lose time to reflect. I feel the data collected needs to vary from classroom to classroom and from teacher to teacher.

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1. As we stated before and heard about before through our discussions for our first Data Day planning with the DOAs, data is much more than an end of the year test score, and this article connects to that.  It is what we do to collect formative data on a daily basis as educators to adapt and reevaluate instruction on an ongoing, in-the-moment basis to differentiate our instruction for our students.

2. Understanding where our students currently are and how to push them to the next level enables us to use our data in a strong and meaningful way.  Taking a look at exit tickets and quizzes on a daily and weekly basis, end of unit/module assessments on a monthly basis, midterm assessments on a quarterly basis, NWEA 2-3 times per year, and MSTEP annually allows us to get a complete picture of where our instruction is successful as well as room for growth.

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1. Admin should encourage teachers to think about what questions they would ideally like to ask to improve their classroom conditions, instruction, and repertoire of interventions if they want teachers to embrace and utilize data.

2. Teachers should talk about their classroom data with colleagues who share their students, as it offers a broader potential for classroom growth.

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