For any assessment to truly serve its purpose, teachers must be able to interpret and apply the data to help their students. Helping students grow is the whole point of having an assessment like MAP® Growth™, after all. When assessment data informs instruction, teachers can help every kid learn—no matter where they’re currently performing academically.

The challenge

The problem countless schools and districts face is that many teachers have little or no training on using assessment to guide their instruction. To make the investment in assessment pay off for everyone—especially students—teacher assessment literacy should be a priority. And efforts to give teachers the training they need should be incorporated into the school year seamlessly.

Some solutions

Here are five proven methods for improving assessment literacy:

1. Implement assessment-focused professional development. Ongoing education is invaluable for teachers. Try partnering with assessment providers who do more than product training and cover topics like assessment education. We offer data coaching and teacher professional development courses
2. Take advantage of professional learning communities (PLCs). Put them to good use if they exist. Start some if your school or district doesn’t have any. Whether they take place in person or online (or both!), these communities can give teachers an ongoing source of education, ideas, and support—and they help newer teachers learn from the pros
3. Identify and support teacher leaders. When an educator becomes an expert on using assessment data, leverage that valuable resource. Designate them as a teacher leader who can share their knowledge and develop programs to support others
4. Structure team learning time. Giving teachers time to work in teams and learn from each other can be an effective way to support professional learning and deepen teachers’ knowledge of the appropriate uses and limitations of assessment data
5. Read more posts about assessment education on Teach. Learn. Grow.

Assessment literacy is different for every role: school leader, policy maker, teacher, family member, student. Making assessment literacy possible for teachers is a good place to start.