A data-informed plan for improving literacy instruction is a blueprint or roadmap that describes your goals for improvement as well as the steps you will take to achieve these goals. A data-informed plan uses a range of information: student performance data, literacy needs and expectations, the school’s capacity to support literacy development, current teaching practices, and data on the effectiveness of a research-based literacy program.
Many campuses already have improvement plans that include literacy as well as other goals. In implementing the TSLP, your team will focus on the goals related to literacy. This may become a subset of a larger plan, such as a school-wide improvement plan or a literacy-specific plan. In either case, the components of your data-informed plan for improving literacy instruction should include the following:
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Targeted goals
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Steps to accomplish targeted goals
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Multiple data sources
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Interim progress monitoring checkpoints
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Resources to support the goals
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Individuals responsible for monitoring progress towards the goals
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Timelines or deadlines for completing the steps to accomplish targeted goals
A data-informed plan is one part of an effective school-improvement effort. The plan lays out both the priorities for school-improvement activities and a set of specific plans for bringing about the desired changes. The process of creating and implementing a data-informed plan guides the leadership team’s decision making around instruction, programming, and resource allocation. Naturally, one key component of the plan is the data itself. Data sources in your plan may include the following:
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Screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring assessment data (The Commissioner’s List of Reading Instruments, found on the TEA's English Language Arts and Reading web page by scrolling down to the “Documents” list, provides a list of assessments you might use.)
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Language proficiency data (e.g., TELPAS) for English learners
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Outcome assessment data such as national standardized assessments, state accountability tests, and district tests
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Classroom assessment data such as teacher-developed tests and observation checklists, curriculum-based assessments, homework assignments, class projects, and end-of-unit tests
To make informed decisions, it is critical that you and your campus-based leadership team examine various data sources and ask what those data sources reveal about students’ performance and learning. The scenario that follows demonstrates how to use a questioning approach with data.
Scenario: To ensure effective goals are in place to improve student achievement, the campus-based leadership team at Jones Elementary analyzes its campus data looking for performance gaps and trends at each grade level. The team asks questions such as the following:
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What do you notice about the data?
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Are there significant gaps in our students' understanding or skills?
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To what might poor results be attributed?
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Are some groups of students underperforming others?
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Are there gaps in our sources of data?
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How might we assess other perceived challenge areas?
These types of questions inspire rich conversations among members of the Jones’ team leadership. After reviewing second-grade data, team members arrive at a consensus on the primary areas of concern: weak spelling scores and low reading fluency rates. Team members then focus on creating a data-informed plan with a clear goal and concrete action items that target improving instruction related to spelling and reading fluency. Based on the data, the campus-based leadership team sets specific performance goals for both the middle and end of the year.
TO LEARN MORE: View a blank data-informed plan template and a completed template. For your plan, you may choose to use the blank template (and modify it as needed) or use a similar template created by your team or another source.
NEXT STEPS: Depending on your team's progress in creating the data-informed plan for improving literacy instruction, you may want to consider the following next steps:
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Review the format for your plan to ensure that it includes all the necessary components. (See To Learn More above for a sample template.)
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Identify the data sources you want to use for developing your annual goals, interim progress monitoring checkpoints, and planned actions.
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Collect, organize, and review your data.
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Analyze your data and determine patterns of students' strengths and needs.
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Determine your goals.
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Plan the steps to achieve your goals.
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Determine ways to communicate with teachers and other stakeholders regarding the plan.
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Establish times, dates, and procedures for revisiting the plan regularly.