Using Data to Improve Student Achievement

Dear colleagues

In the context of education, data is a synonym for information. Data can be words, numbers, or observations that are collected systematically, usually for a specific purpose. 

Research tells us

• Planned use of data is a common characteristic of high-performing schools
• Successful use of data to drive decision making results from a strategic focus on specific issues.
• Translating data into priorities, goals and strategies requires that data are clearly linked to school-planning and decision-making processes.

Changes in Teacher Practice

As a result of using data to drive educational decision making, teachers report:

• greater differentiation of instruction
• greater collaboration among staff
• increased sense of teacher efficacy 
• improved identification of students' learning needs

I am pleased to share with you an excel template the Mathematics Department has developed to do marks analysis for individual questions for Mathematics paper. The template is able to analyse the results of individuals/classes/cohort based on the marks attained by the students.

Below are some examples (but are not limited to) for your consideration:

• Example 1 (English and Mother Tongue):

Comprehension involved different answering skills and techniques. Using the excel template, we are able to clearly identify the specific questions (and the techniques involved) which the students answered incorrectly. When we are doing error analysis, we are able to surface it to the team of teachers and seek to improve on the processes involved.

• Example 2 (Sciences):

It is relatively easy to do error analysis for MCQs as we can identify the percentage of students choosing each option. Imagine you are able to do that for the other sections as well! You will be able to see the percentage of responses for those short-answered questions and structured essays too!

• Example 3 (Humanities)

Ever wondered the exact number of students who chose to do Essay Question A over Essay Question B? Wondering if the students are avoiding certain 'difficult' topics because they lack the confidence to answer them? Now you can have a clearer picture on the number of students who attempted the different questions and their percentage of marks attained.

In conclusion, the conversations and collaborations that arise from teachers' use of data to plan for improvement can strengthen the link between teaching practice and success for students. While it may be time consuming, it offers an insight to our students' learning and I assure you that the end product is worth the effort. Please feel free to look into the template to customize it to the needs of your department.  The respective department eCoaches will always be ready to help!

You may wish to access the link here for more information on the academic paper 'Using Data to Improve Student Achievement' and the Marks Template.

Happy holidays!