becoming "data wise" to drive high achievement and success

RYHT AND SAISD: BECOMING DATA WISE

… will change the way you think about data.*

* Especially if you think schools are already too data-‐driven as it is.

What is it? The RYHT and SAISD: Becoming Data Wise program is a transformaIve

methodology designed to revoluIonize public educaIon by fostering a culture of data-‐driven decision-‐making across

San Antonio Independent School District.

It’s a collaboraIve, cyclical process designed to keep instrucIon-‐related

decision-‐making grounded in objecIve, observable, measurable data at all

Imes.

Who designed it?

Based on research by and in collaboraIon with Dr. Kathryn

Boude? at Harvard University, the iniIaIve was created in partnership between RYHT and San Antonio ISD.

What’s the goal? The goal of the iniIaIve is to dramaIcally

increase student achievement by transforming the way instrucIonal changes are made to address specific challenges in our schools.

Which is no small feat…

… and yet it’s surprisingly simple.

It all comes down to how we look at things.

But wait… What if I am someone who thinks schools are already too data-‐driven

as it is?

“data”

Then we should probably take a step back and define what we mean by

A common misconcepIon when we say “data” is that we are talking about

standardized test scores. While these are an important source of data, they are not

very good at driving day-‐to-‐day instrucIon.

What we mean by data is anything that you can count, hear, or see.

This could be anything from exit slips from a lesson to the number of students with their heads on their desks during class, to the

instances of bullying in a given Ime frame.

Data is just another word for concrete evidence.

And the first thing you need to do to solve a problem is to locate it, gather evidence on it, and define the soluIon

based on where you are now.

So how does the system work? A team of educators from various

leadership levels is assembled and sent to the Data Wise program at Harvard, where they are trained in the step-‐by-‐

step applicaIon of the process.

A mindset A common language

A new way to collaborate

The ability to effect a sea change in campus

culture

RYHT and SAISD: Becoming Data Wise

The team returns to school having acquired four new skills or paradigms:

A mindset: The main point to remember is that the RYHT and SAISD: Becoming Data Wise program is not a finite project but an ongoing process, a way of thinking, talking, and acIng that

enriches conversaIons about data.

A common language: Because it is a collaboraIve process that only works when it is applied in a systemic fashion, it requires that everyone speak the same language.

A new way to collaborate:

These shared goals and methods result in a collecIve evidence-‐

gathering that never feels personal, value-‐laden or threatening, but

rather transparent and construcIve.

Teams are beTer equipped to idenIfy systemic problems than

individuals because they are able to observe one another and locate systemic issues as

a team.

When you keep seeking evidence of your progress and acIng on it, you can’t help but improve your performance.

The result?

A sea of change in campus culture. When used consistently, the system results in dramaIc improvements in student achievement and success!

In 2010, RYHT sent a team of educators from Poe Middle School to the Data Wise Summer InsItute.

They were trained in instrucIonal pracIces, data analysis, and best

pracIces in how to examine instrucIon.

Their big “A-‐HA!” moment? They thought they knew how to look at data, but realized they didn’t.

In the first year alone, they saw big results.

Over a one year period, students at Poe Middle School grew from a passing rate of 72% to 80% in math on the TAKS. Special educaIon students grew from 34% to 71%

passing in math.

… not to menIon:

11%

13%

15%

17%

14%

17%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

Grade 6 Math Percent Commended



Poe Middle School: Percent Commended Performance in Math on TAKS, 2010 vs. 2011

Pre-‐Data Wise (2010) Post-‐Data Wise (2011)

66% 65%

80% 79% 75%

81%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Grade 6 Math Percent Met Standard



Poe Middle School: Percent Met Standard in Math on

TAKS, 2010 vs. 2011

For Principal Maria Yesenia Cordova, the experience at the Data Wise

Summer InsItute was transformaIonal:

“I went from manager to instrucIonal leader and I learned what good teaching looks like.”

becoming "data wise" to drive high achievement and success

Education