how to use data from standardized tests course

This Digest addresses two ways that classroom teachers can use the results of standardized tests: (1) to revise instruction for entire classes or courses and (2) to develop specific intervention strategies for individual students. USING TEST SCORES TO REVISE GROUP INSTRUCTION

Full Answer

How do you use standardized test data in the classroom?

While the idea of data-driven decision-making is not new, it does require a special skill to focus on a few key pieces of information from a test and use them to make instructional changes. This Digest addresses two ways that classroom teachers can use the results of standardized tests: (1) to revise instruction for entire classes or courses and (2) to develop specific intervention …

What is standardized testing?

One of the best ways to encourage parental and student buy-in for assessment is to explain how data from many kinds of tests is used to improve teaching. When discussing data, it’s important to note that schools gather several types of data that is used in a number of ways. Standardized testing unearths district, school, and grade-level data; individual assessments give educators …

Should I use standardized test results?

May 15, 2017 · For ACT scores, inewsource standardized test results under the same approach as the SAT scores: inewsource removed any schools where students did not take tests, in addition to removing schools that redacted scores because fewer than 11 (15 for some years) students took the tests.The schools with reports of 15 (or 11) students or fewer are listed in …

Can standardized test data be used as a guide to intervention?

ISBN: N/A. ISSN: N/A. Using Standardized Test Data To Guide Instruction and Intervention. ERIC Digest. Mertler, Craig A. This Digest addresses two ways that classroom teachers can use the results of standardized tests: (1) to revise instruction for entire classes or courses; and (2) to develop specific intervention strategies for individual students.

How are you supposed to use the results of a standardized test?

This Digest addresses two ways that classroom teachers can use the results of standardized tests: (1) to revise instruction for entire classes or courses and (2) to develop specific intervention strategies for individual students.

How do you use student assessment data?

5 ways to utilize assessment dataPlan individual instructional intervention. ... Develop daily instructional strategies. ... Determine targeted goals for students and teachers. ... Monitor student and teacher progress. ... Discover professional development gaps.Feb 4, 2021

How do teachers use standardized test results in the classroom?

Standardized testing unearths district, school, and grade-level data; individual assessments give educators information on student performance in individual classes, and summative and formative assessments give teachers feedback on classroom instruction.

How do you collect data from student behavior?

6 Ways to Collect Data on Your Students' BehaviorFrequency counts. To monitor behavior in real time in your classroom, you might consider using a tally and adding to it each time a behavior of concern occurs. ... Interval recording. ... Anecdotal recording. ... Reviews of school records.Feb 27, 2018

How do you use data to inform instruction?

4 Ways Student Data Can Inform InstructionUse Data to Identify At-Risk Students. When it comes to at-risk students, early detection is critical. ... Use Data to Close the Learning Gap. ... Use Data to Predict Student Achievement on End-of-Year Targets. ... Use Data to Promote Success in Subsequent Grade Levels.Sep 1, 2016

How do you use data to differentiate instruction and support students?

In order to differentiate instruction using data, educators should:Adjust whole-group instruction to meet the broad needs of the entire class.Strategically group learners to differentiate instruction based on shared needs.Create individual learning pathways to support the unique needs of each student.

What is standardized test data?

What makes a test “standardized”? A test is standardized when all the students taking the test have to respond to the same set of carefully selected questions. This allows people who look at the results to make comparisons among groups of students.Jun 8, 2021

How is data used in education?

Schools use data from parents, students, classroom, and teacher to assess the success of the school (teacher performance, test scores, graduation rates, etc.) and to allocate resources where needed. Schools then provide data to their district, which facilitates comparative analytics across cities and regions.

How do teachers use data to improve instruction?

Interpreting data allows teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an entire class as well as individual students. As they examine the data, teachers can develop hypotheses about factors that affect students' learning and ways to improve instruction to help all students achieve.

How do you collect assessment data?

The data collection process consists of three basic steps:Gathering: gathering necessary student work and other information,Evaluating: evaluating the results, and.Storing: storing the data electronically.

What are the 5 methods of collecting data?

Here are the top six data collection methods:Interviews.Questionnaires and surveys.Observations.Documents and records.Focus groups.Oral histories.Sep 27, 2019

What are some ways to collect data?

7 Data Collection Methods Used in Business AnalyticsSurveys. Surveys are physical or digital questionnaires that gather both qualitative and quantitative data from subjects. ... Transactional Tracking. ... Interviews and Focus Groups. ... Observation. ... Online Tracking. ... Forms. ... Social Media Monitoring.Dec 2, 2021

What is standardized testing?

Standardized testing unearths district, school, and grade-level data; individual assessments give educators information on student performance in individual classes, and summative and formative assessments give teachers feedback on classroom instruction.

What is the most commonly used measure of student learning?

For teachers, the most frequently-used measure of student learning is summative assessment : grades on individual assignments, essays, and exams. This data gives provides information about individual function and classroom performance, and can be particularly good for helping teachers to identify learning roadblocks or overall curriculum dysfunction.

Why does Eberhart encourage teachers to do individual assessments on their entering students?

After reviewing standardized testing data, Eberhart encourages teachers to do individual assessments on their entering students to confirm standardized findings and acknowledge individual student needs. This data gives classroom educators a deep understanding of their students’ personalities and abilities, and even insight into their learning styles.

Why should teachers reexamine their teaching process?

If an entire class does poorly, though, teachers may want to reexamine their teaching process to see if the student gap is the result of a failure to connect students with the material. According to Marcy Emberger, former director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium and former professional data development specialist, this should motivate teachers to consider revising or restructuring class materials or teaching strategies in order to ensure class learning goals are met.

Where is Monica Fuglei?

Monica Fuglei is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Omaha and a current adjunct faculty member of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, where she teaches composition and creative writing. Learn More: Click to view related resources.

Brandon Quester

Brandon Quester was the director of data and visuals at inewsource. To contact inewsource with tips, suggestions or corrections, please email contact [at] inewsource [dot] org. More by Brandon Quester

Brad Racino

Brad Racino was the assistant editor and senior investigative reporter at inewsource. He's a big fan of transparency, whistleblowers and government agencies forgetting to redact key information from FOIA requests. Brad received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri... More by Brad Racino

Why are standardized tests used?

Standardized tests, along with interviews, classroom observations, medical examinations, and school records are used to help diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses. Often the standardized tests used for this purpose are administered individually to determine if the child has a disability.

What are the components of a standardized test?

For example, an elementary school child may have difficulty in reading and one or more diagnostic tests would provide detailed information about three components: (1) word recognition, which includes phonological awareness (pronunciation), decoding, and spelling; (2) comprehension which includes vocabulary as well as reading and listening comprehension, and (3) fluency (Joshi 2003). Diagnostic tests are often administered individually by school psychologists, following standardized procedures. The examiner typically records not only the results on each question but also observations of the child’s behavior such as distractibility or frustration. The results from the diagnostic standardized tests are used in conjunction with classroom observations, school and medical records, as well as interviews with teachers, parents and students to produce a profile of the student’s skills and abilities, and where appropriate diagnose a learning disability.

What are achievement tests?

Achievement tests are used as one criterion for obtaining a license in a variety of professions including nursing, physical therapy, and social work, accounting, and law. Their use in teacher education is recent and is part of the increased accountability of public education and most States require that teacher education students take achievement tests in order to obtain a teaching license. For those seeking middle school and high school licensure, these are tests are in the content area of the major or minor (e.g. mathematics, social studies); for those seeking licenses in early childhood and elementary the tests focus on knowledge needed to teach students of specific grade levels. The most commonly used tests, the PRAXIS series, tests I and II, developed by Educational Testing Service, include three types of tests ( www.ets.org ): 1 Subject Assessments, these test on general and subject-specific teaching skills and knowledge. They include both multiple-choice and constructed-response test items. 2 Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Tests assess general pedagogical knowledge at four grade levels: Early Childhood, K–6, 5–9, and 7–12. These tests are based on case studies and include constructed-response and multiple-choice items. Much of the content in this textbook is relevant to the PLT tests. 3 Teaching Foundations Tests assess pedagogy in five areas: multi-subject (elementary), English, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science.

What test is used to diagnose learning disabilities?

The diagnosis of learning disabilities typically involves the administration of at least two types of standardized tests—an aptitude test to assess general cognitive functioning and an achievement test to assess knowledge of specific content areas (Peirangelo & Guiliani, 2006).

How do norm-referenced tests help teachers?

Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced standardized tests, among other sources of information about students, can help teachers make decisions about their instruction. For example, if a social studies teacher learns that most of the students did very well on a norm-referenced reading test administered early in the school year he may adapt his instruction and use additional primary sources. A reading teacher after reviewing the poor end-of-the-year criterion-referenced standardized reading test results may decide that next year she will modify the techniques she uses. A biology teacher may decide that she needs to spend more time on genetics as her students scored poorly on that section of the standardized criterion-referenced science test. These are examples of assessment for learning which involves data-based decision making. It can be difficult for beginning teachers to learn to use standardized test information appropriately, understanding that test scores are important information but also remembering that there are multiple reasons for students’ performance on a test.

What is a norm-referenced test?

Norm-referenced standardized tests are also used, among other criteria, to determine if students are eligible for special education or gifted and talented programs. Criterion-referenced tests are used to determine which students are eligible for promotion to the next grade or graduation from high school.

What is standardized achievement test?

Standardized achievement tests are designed to be used for students in kindergarten through high school. For young children, questions are presented orally, and students may respond by pointing to pictures, and the subtests are often not timed.

1. From the Classroom

Formative Assessments: Low-stakes assessments are really the most important and useful student data. Exit slips, brief quizzes, and thumbs up/thumbs down are a few of my favorite ways to gather information on where students are and where we need to go next.

2. From Cumulative Files

It’s difficult to find the time to read students’ files, but if you haven’t before, trust me, it’s well worth it. Much information is found in these files.

3. From Standardized Test Scores

Taking a look at previous standardized test scores for your current students is beneficial in several ways. A disclaimer: Just as one grade does not determine all that a student is or isn’t, neither does one test score.

How do teachers collect data?

Teachers can collect data in a number of ways. The more traditional methods include the use of formal assessments, such as tests, essays, or final projects, to gather information. Assessments demonstrate individual progress and illustrate trends in the classroom as a whole. Observation is another method for gathering data. By watching a class, teachers can see how well students, both individually and collectively, understand and interact with content. Then, they can decide whether they need to review and modify any components.

Why is data driven instruction important?

While educators have long used data-driven instruction to improve student success, the benefits of using student data to inform and enhance teaching methods are now widely recognized among teachers, educators, and administrators. One common misconception about data-driven instruction is that it only focuses on teaching methods ...

What is data driven instruction?

One common misconception about data-driven instruction is that it only focuses on teaching methods that lead to higher test scores. In reality, data-driven instruction looks at the whole picture and uses dynamic student data to gauge individual and classroom comprehension, giving teachers insight into specific adjustments they can make to ...

Why should teachers build lesson plans with the findings from student data in mind?

Teachers should build their lesson plans with the findings from student data in mind, focusing on improving any skill deficiencies, as well as understanding which learning activities and teaching methods have been successful . Classes with lower overall test scores should receive targeted support from the administration to make sure teachers have what they need to meet students’ needs. All changes made as a result of data analysis should be tracked in order to gauge their efficacy.

Why is collaboration important in education?

Collaboration is a key element of success when it comes to data-driven instruction. Once educators have collected and analyzed data, made the resulting modifications, and tracked the changes for success or failure, they can communicate their findings to their administrators. Educators should use supporting charts or graphs to illustrate what practices have worked, what problems persist, and any insights that may benefit the educational community as a whole.