Last week, I posted about ways I respond to student feedback on Exam Wrappers and surveys. In addition to that direct feedback, I also gather data weekly on student activities during WIN (What I Need) block.
A huge part of why I want data is to cover myself. In the data-driven culture currently in vogue, data is king. I have my WIN sheets, like the one above, with lists of students who failed MCAS or are struggling with current content and the days I can see them in WIN block and the days I can’t, since those days are dedicated to Learning Center and access to their ELA teacher (the other half of the failing MCAS equation).
I cross-check this (teacher-maintained) form by having students fill out a WIN Google Form daily to provide a sense of what work they are doing, what choices they are making each week, how much time is spent on intervention, how often I see them, etc. I will always be on the hook to justify my choices as a teacher, so having a record of the data is key–it allows me to speak from a solid foundation of fact, rather than from a general sense of what is happening with a class or a group of students or a specific student.
Of course, the surveys themselves are data, evidence that I’m asking students to engage in self-reflection and also to provide me with feedback on my practice.
Universal Design for Learning 