Using Student Assessment Data to Inform Instruction
This microcredential represents an educator's ability to use student assessment data, analyze instructional practices, and collaborate with other professionals to make necessary instructional adjustments to improve student outcomes.
To earn this 0.5 USBE credit microcredential you will submit two types of evidence from the list below to demonstrate your effective use of student assessment data to inform instruction. You will also complete a short written or video reflective analysis. Click Earn This Microcredential to learn more!
Collaboration with teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff is necessary to support students’ learning toward measurable outcomes and to facilitate students’ social and emotional well-being across all school environments and instructional settings. Teachers collect, aggregate, and interpret data from multiple sources (e.g., informal and formal observations, student work samples from teacher-created materials, curriculum-based measures, information from families, other data sources) to inform instructional decisions. Collaboration with individuals or teams requires the use of effective collaboration behaviors (e.g., sharing ideas, active listening, questioning, planning, problem solving, negotiating) to develop and adjust instructional or behavioral plans based on student data, and the coordination of expectations, responsibilities, and resources to maximize student learning.
Data can be collected through formal assessments, assignments, or through regular classroom interactions with students.
High Leverage Practices:High leverage practices are frequently occurring, educational practices that all educators should know how to do. These practices are evidence based, meaning that they reflect effective methods that when successfully implemented can improve results for each learner.
Jerry Baldwin teaches 3rd grade and is working with his students to connect the introduction of fractions to the processes of division taught earlier in the school year. In an effort to see how much they remember and what needs to be activated in their prior knowledge as well as what needs to be revisited he administers a pre-test where students solve a few different kinds of division problems. Mr. Baldwin then takes the results to his weekly PLC meeting and the team compares their data, having administered the same pre-test for their students. The PLC works together to plan the introduction to the new unit and steps for assessing further once the students have had a chance to build their knowledge through the instruction and application opportunities. Mr. Baldwin and the team use the results from this pre-test to weave in the concepts that are well understood and explicitly review those that appear to have been forgotten or never fully mastered. As the result, students are more able to connect their new knowledge of equivalent fractions to their understanding of the process of division.
Paula Perez is teaching a high school AP History course. The students are engaging in a lesson about the Cold War. To gauge the learning of her students throughout the class period, students answer questions through a technology platform. As they answer she incorporates their answers into the lesson and moves her pacing as their thinking is revealed. Several students were found to misunderstand some key terms. She addresses these misconceptions immediately and checks for understanding through asking more questions through the platform to ensure that she knows who will need more support and who has shown understanding of the terms. She finds that her plans for tomorrow’s lesson needs to change to accommodate the ideas that rose from the class discussion and responses to questions she gathered in her lesson. She makes the needed changes and prepares to continue the learning connections created through the work the students accomplished in this lesson. In her content team meeting she shares some of the misconceptions revealed through this experience. The team considers ways they can integrate more critical thinking skills into their teaching in their instruction so that students have cohesion as they move through their Social Studies courses.
Category: Preparation and Planning
Submit the evidence described below to demonstrate how you used student assessment data and collaboration with others in your planning to improve student instruction.
Submit a lesson plan that contains the following: 1.) A description of least one type of student data artifact that you used (e.g., video, observation notes, student work, surveys, etc.). 2.) An analysis and interpretation of what you discovered from the student data artifact(s). 3.) An instructional plan for your students based on the findings of the artifacts, including necessary instructional adjustments to improve student outcomes generated through collaboration with others (e.g., colleagues, PLC team, related services providers, etc.). In a separate section of the lesson plan, include citations for research supporting your instructional approach. (See the resources section for examples to cite.)
Category: Implementation
Submit the evidence described below to demonstrate how you used student assessment data and collaboration with others to improve instruction.
Have a peer, instructional coach, or administrator observe your lesson and complete the observation checklist (see the link in the resources below). A post observation discussion may be helpful so that the observer may ask for more information or seek clarity based on observation.
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: The lesson plan describes at least one type of artifact.
Criterion 2: The lesson plan includes an analysis and interpretation of the artifact(s).
Criterion 3: The lesson plan describes an instructional plan based on the findings of the artifacts and necessary instructional adjustments to improve student outcomes generated through collaboration with others.
Criterion 4: The observation checklist is included and shows that the educator met all criteria.
Identify at least one Utah Effective Teaching Standard used in this lesson (see link to standards in the resources below) and discuss how analyzing and interpreting student data prior to and during instruction helped improve student outcomes.
How did collaborating with colleagues on the analysis and interpretation of student data help you support students' learning?
Reflect on the feedback from your observation. How will this inform your instruction in the future?
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: Response demonstrates a level of professionalism and personal reflection that demonstrates the teacher’s learning experience.
Criterion 2: Response includes reference to at least one Utah Effective Teaching Standard.
Criterion 3: Response describes how the use of student data and collaboration with colleagues helped improve student outcomes.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger
This article gives you the research behind feedback and the ways to effectively give feedback to your students.
Utah High Leverage Practices Course
https://usbe.midaseducation.com/professional-development/courses/course/59174
This is a 2 USBE credit course that builds knowledge about each of the 5 Utah High Leverage Practices
High Leverage Practices: An Introduction
https://www.schools.utah.gov/file/ff54b5fa-43f9-47a1-a751-8cbed146cf72
This document was created by the Utah State Board of Education, Teaching & Learning Section to support the implementation of the 5 Utah High Leverage Practices.
High Leverage Practices
https://highleveragepractices.org/
This site explores the research-based high leverage practice that include the 5 HLPs for this stack as well as others that have been shown to be effective. It is published by the CEEDAR Center.
Utah Effective Teaching Standards
https://www.schools.utah.gov/file/f0e86540-5617-4166-a701-fea403f2f848
The Utah effective Teaching Standards articulate what effective teaching and learning look like in the Utah public education system.
Utah High Leverage Practices: Using Student Data Observation Checklist
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hl6RGYlf0Rrlcdmj89AE54iPco89uN9I/view?usp=sharing
Have an instructional coach, administrator or peer complete this observation checklist. Upload a completed copy of the checklist as your evidence of implementation.
Joshua Aulava
Candice Brindley
Jonatan Diaz
Tisha Eggleston
Emalee Elkins
Tracy Evert
Nathan Foster
Erica Hall
Madison Hoffman
Jessica Kempter
Betsy Lopez
Sarah Mazuran
Sharon McGarry
Bailee Monteiro
Stephanie Nasser
Amber Rosen
Mindy Timothy
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807