Examining Student Work and Data

Professional Learning Community Action Teams

PUSD Instructional Services-PLC Action Team Training Fall 2008

Outcomes

Participants will:• Understand the essential components

of examining student work • Connect the process between

examining student work to student achievement and interventions

• Engage in the practice of examining student work

Essential: Student Work & DataExamine student work and data

to drive instruction and professional development

• School staff uses the STPT process to analyze. . .student work…: to plan instruction

• School teams(grade level/dept.) collaborate as part of the STPT process to analyze… student work, plan instruction…

• Student work reflects the implementation of district wide initiatives such as Thinking Maps, Systematic ELD, Write From The Beginning, and direct instruction.

Say, Mean, Matter. . .

• Get into groups of 5 to 6 people.

• Read your assigned quote.

• Create a tree map which identifies what the quote says, how your group interprets it and how it matters to your work.

• Be prepared to share.

What is Examining Student Work?

A team of teachers working together in order to:• Identify the “artifacts” that provide evidence of

teaching and learning• Use the selected work to determine what

students know and still need to learn • Use the work to inform instruction to take

students to or beyond proficiency on any content standard indicator.

Examining Student Work

Collaboratively

Gives another objective measure of

student progress

Allows for reflectionupon the extent to which

the assignmentdemonstrates

mastery

Allows teachers to reflect upon and

share best practices

Informs instructionfor re-teaching as

well as lesson planning

The Process• Prior to examining actual student work, the team must

establish the following• Agreement with a protocol• Objective being assessed• Alignment of the assignment to the objective/standard• Considerations for differentiation• The definition of a “Proficient” response

• Listen to a Team in Action• Question, Text, Objective Assessed• Agreeing on “Proficiency”

Examining the Work (audio clip)

Questions to keep in mind1. What are the behaviors of the presenting teacher?2. What are the behaviors of the team?3. What is significant about the “next instructional steps”?4. Keeping in mind the “Cycle of Inquiry” (plan, do, check, act), what should be this team’s next action?

• Listen to a Team in Action

The Tuning Protocol• Introduction/Norms• Presentation of the Work• Clarifying Questions• Examination of Student Work Samples• Pause to reflect on suitable comments and questions

for “warm” and “cool” feedback• Warm (deliberately supportive and appreciative) and

Cool (deliberately questioning and identifies need or absence of…) comments to identify what students know and what they still need to learn

• Reflection by Presenting Teacher• Debrief

Guided Practice

• Objective: Students will describe a character from A Christmas Carol using a Thinking Map.

• Assignment: Students were asked to create a Thinking Map describing Ebenezer Scrooge.

• Step 1—Work with your group to define “proficiency” for this objective

• Step 2—Examine the sample you’ve been given and come to agreement on:• Did the work demonstrate proficiency? Why? Why not?• What does the student know?• What do they still need to learn?• What will be the next instructional steps? (reflections)

∆+

Watch Debrief Video

• Debriefing the Feedback39:45-44:23

http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1287

Critical Questions• PLC Action Team must address the following

questions:• When and how often do you expect the teams to

collaboratively plan and examine student work? • What do you want the product (s) to look like?• How can teachers demonstrate that they’ve used

the information to make the kinds of instructional decisions that would result in improved student achievement?

• How will you assess the effectiveness of the process you are using for examining student work?

Site Level Reality Check

Reality at ______School

What is done well?

What still needs improvement?

“One clear message is the value of a nimble balance

between ‘systematicity’ and flexibility. System is essential to make these complex conversations focused and generative…[but]…Protocols do not mean catechisms…educators roll up [their] sleeves and assemble their own protocols to serve particular agendas.”

--David N. Perkins, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Looking Together at Student Work

Links• Here are the links that pertain to our presentation:

• Listen to a Team in Action --hyperlink1. Question, Text, Objective Assessed with teachers2. Same Teachers Agreeing on “Proficiency” Response3. Diagnosing students strengths and needs using an

unnamed protocol, but documenting the process to inform “Next Instructional Steps”.

• Debriefing the Feedback --hyperlink39:45-44:23

Teachers may view one part of the Tuning Process (Debriefing) or view it in its entirety from the beginning.