Introduction:
It was a challenge finding an article that was solely based on professional development being the result of collected data. The articles I did find were a bit brief, so I included three articles that share and build upon common themes.
In the process of looking for articles, I did find a lot of lengthy studies that centered on successful professional development which I have bookmarked to return to later.
Summary:
The article, simply titled Data Driven from Learning Forward (http://bit.ly/jFCzs6 ) profiles the ways data can be used to direct and analyze professional development. The author begins with the thought that data from multiple sources can assist in determining professional development. The most obvious being state test results that could reveal areas of instructional weakness. Other tools of data that could determine professional development focus are student portfolios, sample work and other curriculum based assessments (http://bit.ly/jFCzs6).
Other ways data can be used by the administration is to measure the improvement of instructional practices by looking at assessments in areas of a curriculum (http://bit.ly/jFCzs6). Teachers can also use data to reflect how professional development has improved their own practice through analyzing focused test scores prior and post to the delivered professional development (http://bit.ly/jFCzs6 ). This type of focus is also emphasized in an interview with Bruce Joyce (Sparks, 1998). In Joyce’s opinion, a key feature of an emerging data culture is the district focusing on collecting data in one area of the curriculum that is to be development and improved rather than casting the net wide (Sparks, 1998).
Joyce, a noted scholar on adult learning, gives the example of a school wanting to collect data on newly placed reading program and whether or not it is encouraging independent reading with students (Sparks, 1998). When asked by Sparks (1998) on how specific and analytic data needs to be, Joyce responds that data does not always need to be broken down to a numerical science in order to give information (Sparks, 1998). Joyce does state that data should be collected on a regular basis; a combination of recorded data (he gives an example of student completed reading chart) and cross referenced with the students one to one interviews (Sparks, 1998). Other simple techniques such as teachers keeping teaching logs (or blogs) that show reflection of the implementation and connection to the professional development can be a good resource for data (Sparks, 1998). An example of this type of data-driven learning community is profiled in an article by Cara Erenben (2011) which outlines how data culture can be put in place and lead to improved student learning (Erenbran, 2011). One example given is a school in Michigan that has restructured its school day so that “data teams” may work with their peers to analyze collected data from assessments while students attend enrichment or remedial sessions (Erenben, 2011). This type of example carries through Erenben’s (2011) article, including a school in North Carolina who attributes its success to becoming data centered to teacher training and support as well as consistency with planned meeting times for staff (Erenben, 2011).
Sources:
Data-Driven. (n.d.). Learning Forward: Welcome. Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://www.learningforward.org/standards/datadriven.cfm
Erenben, C. (2011, June 2). eSN Special Report: Turning data into achievement. eSchool News. Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/06/02/esn-special-report-turning-data-into-achievement/
Sparks, D. (1998). Interview with Bruce Joyce: Making assessment part of teacher learning. Journal of Staff Development, 19(4). Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://www.learningforward.org/news/jsd/joyce194.cfm
