By: Kim Fisher - Instructional Coach, Benton Community
Our district chose to implement the data team process with our collaborative learning teams four years ago. I remember the initial unveiling of the process and being excited to have a structured protocol to guide my grade-level meetings. As we progressed through that first year of implementation, my excitement was replaced with a mixture of confusion and frustration on how this seemingly rigid process would impact our team and students. I was reminded many times that initial year (and for the next four years) to trust the process...luckily I accepted that advice. The data team process has impacted our district by empowering teachers to make evidence-based instructional decisions. I have had the privilege to see this transformation as a classroom teacher, a Data Team Leader, and now as an Instructional Coach. The data team process has conditioned our staff to collect and analyze student data to drive instruction. It has allowed us to build capacity within our staff by the in-depth analysis needed to match instructional strategies. This deep analysis has shown up in building meetings, planning of intervention groups, and everyday lesson planning. Our district has committed to this routine habit by protecting team time. Weekly, our teams meet in district-protected time to allow for personalized professional development to regularly occur. Here is an impact statement from a Data Team Leader who I have the opportunity to work with. “The data team process is so powerful! In the data team process, you are ensuring you are differentiating your instruction to meet the needs of all the students in your class. I have learned how to TRULY analyze data, and plan next steps to take students to the next level. You are collaborating with your team and sharing instructional strategies and looking for GROWTH! Teaching takes a village, and being in a data team gives you that support system to provide the best possible instruction for your students. You then reflect with your team on how the instructional strategies worked, and celebrate the amazing growth your students made.”--Katie Dirksen, Kindergarten Data Team Leader - Benton Community School District Key Action Steps for Implementation So, what did our district do to transform those first-year feelings of confusion and frustration to fourth-year routines and shared philosophy? A large contributor to our success within data teams is a trusting staff. That cannot be mentioned or celebrated enough in our profession. To find success within your district, I would encourage you to try these three action steps.
Disclaimer: If you are looking for resources, our data teams implementation has been influenced by: Allison, E., Besser, L., Campsen, L., Cordova, J., Doubeck, B., Gregg, L., … White, M. (2010). Data teams: the big picture. Englewood, CO: Leadership and Learning Center. Peery, A. B. (2011). The data teams experience: a guide for effective meetings. Englewood, CO: Lead Learn Press.
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