Article Reviews

1. Data Articles Reviews; EdPsy 510
Traci M Frank
Solving the Data Puzzle

2. What The Right Data Can Do. Holmes, E
This article articulated the necessity to use not only academic
data but non-academic as well as student perspective to get a
true picture of student growth. In addition, a focus should be
made on using student data to design relevant professional
develop for teachers.
Agree Aspire Argue
•Multiple forms of
assessments are a must
including attendance,
surveys, formative &
summative.
•Need to be tied to
ongoing professional
development.
•Teachers must have time
to learn what to do and
how to do it.
•Create relevant
professional development
opportunities for staff
using student data.
•Allow for open and
transparent conversations
•Visit assessments every 6
weeks as RTI model. Make
this a priority.
•When and how can this
PD be scheduled?
•Allocating building funds
for RTI, creative
scheduling, guests.
•I question the
“anonymous data from
teachers”.

3. The Main Idea: Driven By Data
Bambrick-Santoyo
This article was a summary of the book, Driven By Data. It outlines
the four components (assessment, analysis, action, and cultures)
necessary for schools to implement a data-driven culture,
changing a schools mindset from “what was taught” to “what was
learned.”
Agree Aspire Argue
•Frequent assessments
with prior and current
learning
•Assessments should
mirror state-assessments,
rigor, length, format
•Data needs to be in
friendly language action
plans
•Students must know
what their expectations
and goals are
•Add more individualized
assessment criteria to
reports (concept, skill)
•Continue working on
making reports ‘user
friendly’ and creating a
response tool.
•I never really thought of
a “Data-Driven Culture”
•Predicting student
results. *If you know a
child won’t get the
answer, why are you not
teaching/re-teaching the
concept?
•Time. Where do we find
it?

4. Multiple Measures, Bernhardt, V
This article was the first article I read that really looked at factors
outside the “assessment” realm. She introduces the need to look
at demographics, perceptions, and school processes, in addition
to assessments to gain a true perspective of the growth of a
school in order to meet the needs of its students.
Agree Aspire Argue
•Assessments are just one
indicator of success.
•The school processes
needs to be looked at
closely to see if systematic
changes need to occur.
•Although we might not
have control over
attendance, we have
control over attitudes
which can increase
attendance.
•Engage the community in
conversations about
perceptions. Form
relationships
•Schedule common
planning for teachers
•Find ways to increase
attendance through
changing attitudes and
perceptions
•State and Federal
mandates have such a
strong hold in community
perceptions of schools.
• Until this changes,
changing community
perspective will be
paramount

5. Building a High-Performance Data Culture
Love, N
This article focused on creating a high-Performing data culture. It
highlighted several research results to show how implementing
Using Data Process increased student achievement and created a
data-rich culture.
Agree Aspire Argue
•The need to minimize
excuses of external
factors and focus on what
we have control of
•Collaborative efforts
must involve all staff
members
•The steps needed for
improvement include
leadership and capacity,
collaboration, data, and
instructional
improvement
•Find common
assessments for K-2
grades
•Common planning and
release time for teachers
to participate in data
analysis, professional
development, and
collaboration
•Refer to the standards
making sure our goals
match the goals we are
charged with teaching
•Instructional
improvement is the last
link on the bridge. I
believe it needs to be a
‘handrail’ or checkpoint
that continuously
improves as we move
along.

6. Straw Men and Performance Assessment,
Reeves, D
This article was a critique of Professor E.D. Hirsch’s address
focusing on performance assessments. Out of all the articles this
one made me think the most, particularly with the notion of
multiple choice vs. performance assessments and their reliability
and validity.
Agree Aspire Argue
•We need both types of
assessments
•Teachers need to go
through each assessment
question methodically
looking for the errors and
the ‘why’.
•Increasing rigor is a must
•Create and implement
professional development
on item writing
•Create a cooperative
learning culture for both
staff and students.
•Not all performance
assessments assess
accuracy
•Developmentally
appropriate questions can
have high rigor.
•How many questions are
needed to show rigor?

7. Coming to Terms with Classroom Assessment, Frey
& Schmitt
This article looked at various definitions of performance tasks,
authentic assessments, and formative assessments stressing the
importance of a common language. Varying definitions produce
various results and confusion.
Agree Aspire Argue
•Teacher preparation
classes lack appropriate
training in the area of
assessment
•Performance
assessments must be
“real-world” in order to
create relevance to
students
•*Authentic assessments
mean real-world context
•To be transparent with
my own expectations.
•Create a culture of
common language to
minimize confusion of
expectations
•Provide opportunities for
discussions and
collaboration to occur
•That authentic and
performance assessments
are different.
•Formative assessments
are just for teachers.

8. Multiple assessments must occur to gain a true picture of growth.
Assessments include survey’s, attitudes, school processes,
community perceptions and more. Culture of learning for all is
paramount.
Professional development must be aligned with and designed
using student data. Trust, transparency, collaboration, objectivity,
reflection and action are the foundation for this PD in order to
create Data-rich culture.
Is there access to deeper analysis for state testing? Do we have
access to the State of the District report? What are some K-2
benchmark assessments that can be used? What are some
strategies administrators use to deal with the time constraint
issue?
Article Summary
Aspirations
Themes
Professional
Development
Wonderings
Creating a culture of trust with staff and the community.
Creatively find ways to bring all staff to the table when
discussing student achievement.
Collaborate with other administrators
who are in similar situations or have
proven success. Provide professional
development for staff. Know that we
are a team with a symbiotic relationship.