Capacity to Grow

Comprehensive data should be used to maximize each student’s learning experience. Most parents and many educators think of data as high-stakes assessment information. Naturally therefore, they worry that data-based decision-making is the source of a whole host of problems, from narrowing the curriculum to limiting options to extinguishing the love of learning in our students. We think of data much more broadly than that. We think data empower. We use data as road-maps to understand our children’s learning needs and maximize their potential. Data that affect student learning are far more comprehensive than summative assessment data. Additional data may include information about classroom activities, attendance, behavior, motivation, engagement with learning, health, disabilities, language barriers, demographics, etc. Combining multiple and varied sources of information for each student provides the teacher with much-needed information to tailor classroom instruction to specific learning needs.