Using testing data
Quantitative data seems to be the king for non-educators for measuring how our students and schools stack against each other or if we’re lucky as a way to measure student growth. While those of us in the classroom know that observations and qualitative data are really our best friends, we do have to still take part in standardized tests. Since the students are aware they have taken the test I like to have a conversation and a chance to use the data so that it can be meaningful for the students rather than ignore it afterwards.
How I like to use it is as a way to reflect and as a way to analyze the value of the data. Students can see what areas the test has outlined as the student’s strength and areas that need work. Then have a chance to reflect on if they feel that is true for them. Do they agree with what the test found or perhaps does some of it not seem quite right? This is a good time to talk about the test only being a blip of information that was taken on one day and by no means shows who this child is as a learner. Also, we let the students know that it can be a tool for helping us pinpoint areas that maybe we do struggle with. What I really want is for the student to reflect on if they agree or disagree with the information, and then set goals for moving forward in the year. If they agree that maybe they could use a little more work on reading comprehension that’s a great goal and something we can talk about and I can be mindful when planning. Or if they feel the test didn’t quite get it right, then they should come up with another area they are hoping to improve and we can talk about what experience they have that makes them say they disagree with the test findings. We of course can provide scaffolding to determine areas for improvement if the student is struggling, but we too should be open-minded about the students’ self-reflections.
What I like about doing this is it makes the test data meaningful and useful to the students, allows us to evaluate the data and discuss the concept of data, and open a discussion about how this data was a collection that happened on one day under a specific circumstance. Allowing students to share if they feel they excel or struggle in something counter to what the data shows, that is also a valid point to consider when making our goals and opportunity for student voice to accompany standardized test scores.
