Facilitator+Notes+by+Sharon+Sewell

=March 3, 2011: I am so excited about the responses I am reading on the Wiki dealing with the articles. I see you wrapping your minds and hearts around the information as you see connections to your practices and student outcomes. Did I say outcomes? If you have ever read any of Stephen Covey's work, he always encourages people to "begin with the end in mind". Another thing that has helped me for years is "first things first".=

=﻿As I read your comments, I keep thinking back to the time I first started using data. I felt like someone was pouring numbers into my head and I had no clue how to sort them, much less use them to help students. So, I began with first things first, I created Excel spreadsheets on the students I wanted to target.=

=﻿Wait just a minute. I need to back up. First, I made a list of students I wanted to target. Not every student needed their data analyzed. So, how do you choose which students' data you want to analyze? Look at your summative data (state tests) and see who did not do well. Find a test for your content area to retest them in the fall to see if they really need data analysis, or if they are having test anxiety.=

=Yes, I would most definitely decide who needs help before I try to create any data profile, create any plan of action, or stress out over data overload. Thinking that way causes me to calm down, and now I have a sense of urgency for students that I can begin to drill down and figure out what the root cause of their failure is. Hmmm, that might not be so hard after all.=

= More to come and feel free to add your own thoughts........... =