How Teachers Can Turn Data into Action

From state and Common Core tests to formative and summative assessments in the classroom, teachers are awash in data. Reviewing the data can be time-consuming, and the work of translating data into real change can seem overwhelming.

Tapping more than 30 years' experience as an award-winning teacher and a trainer of PLC coaches, Daniel R. Venables, author of The Practice of Authentic PLCs: A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams, soothes the trepidation of even the biggest "dataphobes" in this essential resource. Field-tested and fine-tuned with professional learning communities around the United States, the Data Action Model is a teacher-friendly, systematic process for reviewing and responding to data in cycles of two to nine weeks. This powerful tool enables you and your teacher team to

* Identify critical gaps in learning and corresponding instructional gaps;

* Collaborate on solutions and develop a goal-driven action plan; and

* Evaluate the plan's effectiveness after implementation and determine the next course of action.

With easy-to-use templates and protocols to focus and deepen data conversations, this indispensable guide delineates exactly what should be accomplished in each team meeting to translate data into practice. In the modern sea of data, this book is your life preserver!

Daniel R. Venables is founder and executive director of the Center for Authentic PLCs, an independent consulting firm committed to assisting schools in building, leading, and sustaining authentic PLCs. He is the author of The Practice of Authentic PLCs: A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams (Corwin Press, 2011). Daniel has been a classroom teacher in both public and independent schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Connecticut for 24 years, serving as a math department chair for 18 of those years. He was Professional Development Coordinator with the nation's 18th-largest district, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.