Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making

To establish a culture of data use and help teachers make instructional decisions supported by student achievement data, schools and districts need to provide a range of supports. Schools and districts can encourage effective and consistent data use through investments in leadership and professional development and structured time for collaboration on data use. Providing leadership through data facilitators or other instructional leaders and ongoing professional development helps teachers, principals, and other school staff obtain a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities in using data and gain knowledge and skills to use data appropriately. Leadership, professional development, and time for collaboration do not establish the culture of data use; rather, they provide the supports needed to build a culture that fosters data use to guide instructional decision making.