Data collection is a vital part of our job as Special Educators but what do you do with the piles of data sheets you have or the information collected online through websites that automatically provide data.
It's easy to get overwhelmed with information and be paralyzed by the thought of an upcoming progress report season or an annual IEP.
My goal is for you to take away some practical ways to tame the data mountain and turn data points into meaningful instructional decisions.
I know that collecting data can be an absolute chore if you don't have a system in place. In a previous blog I shared my system and how it works in my self-contained classroom.
Let's assume you have a system of some kind in place and have piles and piles of data that you took, but aren't really doing much with. (No judgment...it happens to all of us).
The very first thing you need to do is find a time in your schedule that you can look at data. Some ideas of free(ish) times (I know they are rare): when kids are at their specials, when there is a structured movement break that your teachers assistants take charge of, or my personal favorite-Fun Fridays.
Now that you have found a free time block off that time every two weeks for data analysis. Do it. I'm not kidding. I have a time during my class fun Friday time that is blocked off in my google calendar as data collection review. I do this so I don't schedule over it and to have a reminder for myself to do data review. Our time as teachers is so limited, which is why it's important to block off time to ensure you can get stuff done.
Action step 1: Find a 30-40 minute period of time that you can block off every two weeks and block it off for data review.
You have now set aside time to review data. Right? Right! So now we need to know what to do with the data we have been so diligently collecting. If you collect data consistently you will have multiple data points to review every two weeks. I like to shoot for at least 6 data points to be able to see trend lines and such. Which if you are collecting data on the goals at least 3 times a week, you'll have around 6 data points per goal.
Action step 2: Take the data.
Data collecting tip is to use data sheets that you and your staff put the average on the data sheet every time they collect data.
Okay, okay. You have the time that you protected. You have the data that you have been rocking collecting. It's time to learn the data based decision rules to help you analyze the data to drive instructional choices.
Decision making supplies needed: data sheets, a calculator, your favorite pen (you know you have one)
Action step 3: Collect your super hero data review tools (calculator, a pen, and your data sheets that have data points)
During your data review time you are going to average the most recent data points (hopefully you have 4-6 per two week period) for each goal you are working on. Write that average down some where on your data sheet. I personally keep a running list at the bottom and go onto the back if needed. Once you are done collecting your averages you are going to compare it to the previous data collection period.
Action step 4: Average your data points for the last two weeks and record it on the data sheets and then compare to previous average.
So here the different scenarios you will run into when looking at averages across the past two weeks of instruction:
Student is at MASTERY! (Big yay for you and your student!)
This is awesome, but it doesn't mean you can never work on that skill again. Mastery is an opportunity to increase fluency or generalization of the skill (things we know our students need extra support on). It can also signal that it is time to move to more complex skill or different skill to spend your focus on. Just don't forget to revisit mastered skills every so often to ensure that they are still mastered.
Gaining >5 % progress every two weeks
Make no changes to your teaching because your student is on the way to mastery of the annual goal.
Let's think about some math facts! On average most schools have around 36 weeks (9 week grading period x 4). If you start at 0% mastery of a skill and gain at least 5% every 2 weeks, your average will be 90% (higher than most IEP goal mastery levels). This means that your students will reach annual IEP goals even when you are starting from 0% and most of our students do not start at 0% baseline.
No progress or gained less than 5% progress since the last data collection review
No worries this happens. It just means that your student might need the skill simplified because they could be missing a prerequisite skill or not be grasping what you are presenting yet.
Trending down means something has happened, but it is most likely a motivation problem.
To correct a motivation problem you can change the presentation of the materials or change how you present the skill. You could also need a different reinforcer because lets be honest some goals aren't super fun to work on. (Looking at you subtraction with regrouping).
One of my fabulous grad school professors shared data based decision rules with our class, but I am not sure who the original smarty-pants was that came up with these, but it wasn't me. I did make it into a cute little printable that I use to make instructional decisions when I sit down to review my data. I do think these decision rules make a lot of sense and I have seen a lot of growth using them with my students!
Using these rules/ guiding principals can give you a road map of where to go to support your students and it also gives you justification for your instructional decisions with parents and administrators.
I know the school year is finishing for most of us, but this could be a great tool to implement in your class next year and you can be mindful about scheduling time for yourself to do it when creating your classroom schedule.
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