{"id":24516,"date":"2025-01-07T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=24516"},"modified":"2025-04-18T09:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T16:57:14","slug":"using-assessment-data-beyond-the-benchmark-window-two-key-considerations-for-classroom-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2025\/using-assessment-data-beyond-the-benchmark-window-two-key-considerations-for-classroom-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"Using assessment data beyond the benchmark window: Two key considerations for classroom teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Attendance submitted. Warm-up complete. Student devices charged. Test tickets distributed. Students logged in and fully underway in their midyear benchmark assessment<\/a>. As the teacher walks around the room, noting which question each student is on, he starts to consider if all the lab items are ready for the activity coming up after lunch. \u201cThey should be done testing by then, right?\u201d The next table of students brings yet another train of thought to Mr. Wood\u2019s mind, this time about using assessment data: \u201cI wonder if I can complete a few of the student data trackers at lunch. Our team is meeting in a week to review this assessment data\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Mr. Wood gets to the next table, his thoughts are interrupted by a student who has raised her hand. Mr. Wood stops and looks at the student\u2019s computer screen. The student says, \u201cI\u2019m finished. What do I do now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this were a choose-your-own-adventure story, Mr. Wood would be faced with several possible choices for how he could engage with his students as, one by one, they finish their mid-year benchmark. He could simply say, \u201cTake out a book and silently read while others work on their test.\u201d He could encourage them to work on other work, quietly, to help them stay on track with their coursework. Mr. Wood could also take the opportunity to do mini data conferences with each student about the score they received and how they feel about the content of the assessment. In any possible outcome, Mr. Wood\u2019s interactions demonstrate a string of decisions and systems he has set in place to help make sense of data in his classroom. His actions give insight into how he engages with data as an educator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily for us, Mr. Wood is a teacher who opted for an adventure that helps guide us through the awe-inspiring twists and turns of being an educator who uses data beyond a single moment in time and finds ways to integrate data as part of his classroom \u201csetting,\u201d leading to a core \u201ccharater-istic\u201d of his \u201cpart\u201d in any educational storyline. If you\u2019re looking for guidance on using assessment data in your classroom, here\u2019s how you can follow in Mr. Wood\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 1: Build a routine of data-driven instruction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Routines are part of every aspect of Mr. Wood\u2019s day. He has a routine for arrival, lunch, dismissal, turning work in, small group work, and even how students request a pencil. The importance of routines is grounded in maximizing time and supporting every student he sees in his classroom. When it comes to using data to drive his instructional decision-making, Mr. Wood has a routine for that as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using assessment data is most impactful when it supports students. Teachers can leverage ongoing data points to guide daily decision-making and inform their strategies. For example, once students in Mr. Wood\u2019s class complete their benchmark assessment, they know to pull out their own goal-tracking folder and mark their new score, whether they did (or did not) meet their goal, and why they think that is. After each student is done with their assessment and goal-tracking sheet, Mr. Wood conferences with each individual to set a new goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While goal setting<\/a> lends itself to a data routine, it does not have to live within a specific assessment window. Once Mr. Wood and his students construct a goal, a wide range of options becomes available for him and each student in his class. Mr. Wood now gets to align small groups for the next several days with students who are working on similar goals or share similar skills. Students know what they are working toward when they engage in practice or other instructional activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Wood leverages the goal-setting process to inform how he structures table discussions and plans to monitor student progress through teacher observations. This allows him to track and provide meaningful feedback for each student in his class. Furthermore, each time he introduces new concepts, he can quickly engage students by connecting them to their individual goals. This allows something that started in a benchmark window to expand during the months in between, giving students meaning to their learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three questions to consider for your data routine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n