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Data Days

Non-instructional days for staff to review, analyze, and act on new student data

Context

Valor creates highly intentional time for its faculty to focus on data throughout the year. “Data Days” are non-instructional days that occur towards the end of each instructional quarter and usually align with a student holiday. Data Days give educators ample time to dive into data driven instruction, leveraging new data created from the previous quarter of academic instruction. Illuminate, a platform that administers assessments to students, houses the data and quickly creates easy-to-read reports for teachers.

Valor students take benchmark assessments every quarter, and Data Days give teachers time to analyze these assessments. During Data Days, teachers look at big picture questions, such as “how are students progressing?” and “which standards have we seen success on and which still need work?” The extra time enables teachers to approach the data in multiple ways, with teachers often viewing it from a standard or skill lens, a student lens, and a student group lens. Multiple approaches allow the teacher to not only identify the gaps in learning but also determine conceptual misunderstandings that lead to these gaps.

This process helps teachers determine more specific student needs and match them with instructional interventions to best meet those needs. Examples include:

  • Re-teaching a skill when a large amount of the class lacks a conceptual understanding.
  • Working through a common error when many students made a similar mistake.
  • Providing small group instruction when different types of errors were made by students.
  • Matching peers to help individual students struggling with a concept when the majority of the class has mastered it.

Student Does

  • Takes benchmark assessment approximately every nine weeks.

Teacher Does

  • Analyzes student data from benchmark assessments, identifying skill gaps and student progress trends.
  • Modifies instruction for the next instructional cycle based on benchmark data.

Technology Does

  • Serves as a repository for benchmark assessments and data.
  • Creates data reports that enable teachers to more quickly and easily analyze data.

Strategy Resources


Data Driven Instruction Template at Valor Collegiate Academies

Valor uses this spreadsheet template to guide teachers through data analysis. Learn More

Data Days Schedule at Valor Collegiate Academies

Valor provides staff with multiple days throughout the year to focus on student data. Learn More