Do you hear that? It is the sound of autumn’s last leaf falling.
I am sure for most of us, the school year seems to have started only yesterday. And, somehow, we have already made it through the majority of a semester, established routines, made a few new friends, and completed our first round of MAP® Growth™ testing.
Those routines, some familiar and maybe some you’ve implemented new this year, can typically fall into two categories: planning or implementation. The routines we have in implementation typically involve instruction and executing planned differentiation best practices and teacher agency. The routines we have in our planning—the data-driven decisions we make in combination with our observations and reflections—can lead to a successful implementation.
You may have read a previous article here on Teach. Learn. Grow. highlighting ways to differentiate in the math classroom. If we zoom in a little closer to one of the three non-negotiables mentioned there—embrace student assessment data—we can begin to rely on data as an essential aspect in our data-driven instruction, regardless of content area.
Choose your own MAP Growth data journey
Data fluency—the ability to understand, interpret, and apply assessment data—is a best practice every teacher and school leader should strive to develop. However, not every data journey begins the same way or heads in the same direction.
For those who are just starting their data journey, the MAP Growth Class Profile report is a great first step. It provides current achievement data alongside important test details such as test duration and rapid guessing percentage. The Class Profile report also breaks down results by instructional areas, so you can be intentional about the steps you take and focus on the data that informs your current or upcoming unit plan. You also may notice that students are grouped in ten-point RIT bands, which provides context and justification when creating flexible groups.
If you feel you’re at level two in your MAP Growth data journey, the Student Profile report provides data consistent with the Class Profile but zooms in for a closer look at each individual student. This, combined with your knowledge of your students’ academic, social, and motivational preferences, helps inform ways to create access to grade-level content or the conditions for productive challenge, that is, working within each student’s zone of proximal development (ZPD).
Journeys are better together
Using data to drive instruction is an evergreen best practice that can be successful in isolation, but it really soars when it is used to collaborate with colleagues and students.
MAP Growth data is a great resource to bring to a professional learning community or common planning period. The assessment is typically administered across grades, if not school-wide, so it serves as a wonderful compass to drive a data journey. Grade teams can look at trends to brainstorm best practices and share success stories.
Just as important as collaboration among colleagues is the impact data conversations can have on students. Using the Student Profile report during conferences gives students a glimpse into their data, provides a jumping-off point for them to advocate for their academic and learning needs, and fosters a sense of agency that keeps them invested and interested in their learning journey. It even contains a section dedicated to growth goals. (For more on using MAP Growth for goal setting, see “Everything you need to know about goal setting for students.”)
Understanding the academic variability of your class also helps you better plan for obstacles along your data journey. The MAP Growth Class and Student Profile reports, in tandem with your standards, help you create a roadmap and anticipate bumps along the way. Knowing your content, and what success looks like beyond the week you’re in, are key to differentiating using data to create the conditions necessary for student success.
Embracing data-driven instruction
Wherever you are in your MAP Growth journey, your students are going to benefit from an educator like you who analyzes assessment data to get a better understanding of where students are in their learning. Analyzing MAP Growth data without a clear intention can quickly turn into information overload, especially with so many numbers and metrics to consider. The key is to start somewhere, even if it’s small. Choose one specific area of focus, perhaps one of the many ideas offered in this post:
- Use the Class Profile report to understand achievement and test engagement details or to guide student groupings for an upcoming unit.
- Use the Student Profile report to plan more targeted individual supports or to engage students in data conversations.
- Collaborate with colleagues to analyze data trends and share best data practices.
Remember that every data journey’s starting point will look different and that using even a small piece of the assessment data you have to inform your instruction is a meaningful step forward. With a clear focus, MAP Growth data can become a powerful tool in embracing data-driven instruction to improve student outcomes.
