We know, we know, teachers collect a lot of formal and informal data! They use a variety of assessment tools and are constantly assessing as they observe and collect anecdotal notes, pictures, videos, and the list goes on. While formal assessments provide a broad view of student (performance) knowledge, informal data provides more detailed information. Both types of data are often used to report student progress and outcomes, but what is the best way to use it to inform instruction?
Data-driven instruction involves going beyond just collecting and reporting data. It requires analyzing data and then responding to the analysis with ACTION. It goes deeper than discovering “what” by figuring out the “why” and then the “how”. Gathering the information to answer the “what”, “why” and “how” is the basis of data driven instruction.
Assessment data identifies “what” children know/exhibit in regards to specific early literacy skills. For example, data might reveal that several children in a teacher’s classroom are unable to identify the first sound in their name (what).
Next, the teacher must determine if children are lacking proficiency or performance. For example, is it because they really don’t know it (lack of proficiency) or because they are shy (lack of performance)? The answer to this will determine “how” a teacher proceeds with instruction. If the child is shy and the teacher thinks they probably do have this skill, they might try some additional informal assessing by planning some 1:1 assessment during child-directed play time.
However, if the teacher finds that some children do lack proficiency, they must then determine which precursory skills, if any, a child is lacking to know what type of instruction to provide. For example, is it because the child is unable to auditorily discriminate, unable to segment sentences into words, or words into parts (e.g., beginning and end)? If so, understanding which precursory skills a child is missing will inform where to start planning instruction. Here’s a link to a literacy concepts continuum document that can support you to identify which precursory skills a child a might be lacking : http://www.bcps-literacyguide.com/downloads/Early_Literacy_Concepts_Continuum.pdf
Perhaps some of the children are not missing any of the precursory skills to identifying the beginning sound of their name. This is also powerful information and equips the teacher with what they need to know to plan some Tier II targeted interventions (additional support for some children) beyond what is offered during Tier 1 universal instruction (what everyone is getting all the time). In this case, the teacher might plan some additional small group beginning sound lessons and/or some additional practice by either joining children during child directed play time, or sitting with children and emphasizing beginning sounds during meals.
When children are receiving additional Tier II support with a particular skill, it is important to keep more frequent data (ideally weekly) to know if the supports are being successful. If so, children return to receiving just Tier I instruction, and if not, the teacher should either adjust the Tier II supports or decide if intensive Tier III interventions are necessary. Keep in mind, and this is true for the majority of skills, that when high-quality Tier I instruction is provided most children (80%) will make adequate gains, some children will need Tier II support, and a very few will require a Tier III intervention.
Collecting, interpreting, and responding to data are essential to providing individualized instruction that meets diverse learning needs.
Lynne Hall is a research associate at the Indiana Institute on Disability & Community’s Early Childhood Center. She holds a Master of Science in Education and an Indiana instructional teaching license (Early Childhood Education and Services; Elementary/Primary Generalist; Elementary/Intermediate Generalist). She formerly taught preschool in a variety of settings for over 15 years. Her expertise includes early literacy instruction and inclusive preschool classroom practices.
Email her at hallma@iu.edu
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