Step 1: Organize and set the context

All members of the school improvement team, and in essence, all educators, should understand the value in collecting, analyzing, and using relevant data to guide decision-making. With all sights on improving student achievement and maximizing learning for all students, the collection of data should be seen as a natural and essential process for the organization.

This awareness and understanding can be achieved in several ways:

• Supervision and evaluation expectations that require evidence of student achievement to be collected and reported
• Professional development opportunities that train educators in the processes of assessment and the use of data as a basis for decision-making
• Putting systems in place to collect and manage the data
• Continual reinforcement of data collection and use through district practices and procedures
• Ongoing communication of student and school performance data