The two most important factors in maximizing student achievement are data and teacher preparedness. Teachers collect many data points throughout the school year. Those daily observations, class work, benchmark assessments, and yearly standardized assessments all go together to show us the big picture to identify gaps in our curriculum, and areas of strength and weakness, as well as needs of individual students. This information should be utilized regularly to impact instruction, remediation, challenge, and achievement.
Likewise, we need to make sure our teachers have all the tools necessary to best instruct their students. The data is only one piece of the toolkit. We need to invest in them to ensure they have the proper training, and knowledge on educational best practices.
The data is the roadmap, the teachers are the navigators. These two together can maximize our students’ achievement.
