Linking Teacher Benchmark Data Use With Student Achievement in Urban Schools

• In Event: Examining Benchmark Assessments

Abstract

Teachers are increasingly encouraged to use benchmark data as a regular part of instructional decision making. However, little is known about which data use practices actually improve teaching and learning. This study was conducted in four large urban districts and used survey data from 1,581 teachers and achievement data for 61,798 students. HLM analyses examined links among practices within five key dimensions of data use and results suggest that there is a significant and positive relationship between teachers working with data and their students’ achievement, while there was a negative relationship between teachers’ perceived barriers to data use and their students’ achievement. This paper describes the methods and findings, and discusses implications of data use in large urban districts.

Authors

• Ann-Marie Faria, American Institutes for Research

• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research

• Sharon Lewis, Council of the Great City Schools

• Suzanne Statchel, American Institutes for Research

• Yibing Li, Tufts University

• Jinok Kim, American Institutes for Research

• David Miser, American Institutes for Research

• Renata Charles Uzzell, Council of the Great City Schools

• Candace A. Simon, Council of the Great City Schools

• Amanda Corcoran, Council of the Great City Schools