Write+a+Summary+for+First+Things+First+by+Mike+Schmoker

=[]= =One of my personal favorite education authors, Mike Schmoker, hits the nail on the head for this session. Write a summary in 25 words or less of his writing. After the summary if you see details that popped out at you, use bullets to list them.=

K. Douglas-Schmoker in my opinion is saying “simpler” is the most effective way to go in setting goals to ensure progress of our students. · School improvement processes do not require sophisticated analysis or expertise. · Over analysis of data can cause overload for teachers and students Our school has gone from very little data to an excess of it, so I think we all will relate to this article.

Sharon Sewell: Kim, I totally agree. We did the same thing. We are still doing it, but have cut down on the amount required by the teachers. However, our reading coaches pick up the slack of keeping up with the data, of which I am one. I've worked with reading for many, many years and the data plays a big part. I think all of us have used data to some extent when data was not the "cool" thing to do.

Personally, I wish someone would hire me to be a data analyst.

K. McCain-Schmoker said that we have to determine which data can help us improve teaching and learning. Teachers and students should both benefit from the use of the data. Data should NOT be gathered just to have it, it should be used to enhance teaching.
 * We should focus our efforts by setting goals.
 * We should use assessments to set priorities for improvements.

As K. Douoglas said we have gone from NO data or only positive data to so much data it is confusing.

M. Hopkins- Schmoker acknowledges that as teachers we have to limit the amount of goals set for students. He seems to be very realistic. Overloading a teacher with data and paperwork is not effective. He seems to be saying that less is more. Setting goals should be simple. Identifying progress in students should be easily examined.
 * We should be realistic in setting goals
 * Our school sometimes seems to focus on data more than what the teachers are doing in their classrooms.

T. McArdle- Schmoker said that data is important but effective use of data depends on simplicity and economy. Overloading a teacher with data can be a bit overwhelming. Keeping the goals simple and idealistic is more realistic then creating goals that are never gonna be met.


 * The most important school improvement processes do not require sophisticated data analysis or special expertise.

Data is important but like mentioned above, going from no data to stacks of data is definitely "DATA OVERLOAD."

 Yuliya Grecu -- To avoid the problem of not knowing the goals and the weakest areas in the subject area, Schmoker suggests using realistic and simplistic goals. He says that data isn't there to overload and confuse the teachers, but to help them set simple goals and clear directions to help their students achieve better results.

Heather Turvin - I think what Schmoker is saying is that __**effective**__ use of data is important. The amount of data is not necessarily important, it's the use of the data that is important. Think smarter, not harder. I agree with everyone else's posts on here. We have gone into data overload this year. Marla Harris - I think that Schmoker is saying that data is important but it needs to be kept simple. Teachers need clear, precise information that they can take and directly apply in their classroom so that they can help students focus on their weaknesses.
 * To improve student achievement results, use data to focus on a few simple, specific goals.
 * Teachers themselves can easily learn to conduct the analyses that will have the most significant impact on teaching and achievement.

Marci Harrison- I think that Schmoker is saying that in order for data to be an effective tool in improving student achievement, it needs to be presented in a manner that is easy for teachers to interpret so that they can easily use it in their classrooms. I can definitely agree that our school has gone from little to no data to data "overload". We have all had a crash course on these assessments and data, but we need more time to review the data and decide how to better use it to formulate a plan for student learning.
 * If we take the time to keep the goals simple and to avoid setting too many of them, then teachers and students can better focus their efforts to improve student learning.
 * Over-analysis can contribute to overload—the propensity to create long, detailed, "comprehensive" improvement plans and documents that few read or remember