5.20: Why Are They Waiting Months Later?
Bill "challenges" a teacher who says the teachers need shorter turnaround time for data reporting. Bill asks, "Why are they waiting months later? Why aren't they looking at their rosters?" Then he recounts how teachers at the school with whom he has talked start tabulating their scores and making instructional decisions without waiting for someone else to do it. The K representative then describes how they did that as a grade level, since they had to tabulate and discuss C track's scores before C track went off track (recall this is a year round school; there is always one track off). As the K representative finishes, Bill says that "coming together as a grade level"--and the K rep adds, "right after they were due"--"is really important for individual teachers to go back and look at individual results for their class."
T Well, I asked them, I said, if we gave immediate feedback for you and how your kids perform in your classroom, if there was a way to do that, like, we had talked about being able to tabulate it quickly and get it back. I said, would you find that information valuable? They said, Oh, yeah, you could do that? so it was kind of like well, I'm giving the test but I'm going something right away that I can use in my classroom to make a decision about how many kids I am going to teach differently and modify, as opposed to something that's going to be given months later that-- Bill Well, but, Mark, why they are waiting months later? I mean, why aren't they looking are their rosters, you know what I mean? T I can't answer that question, I can't answer, I'm just saying that, Ts (talking) T What was that? Bill Cause I've talked to a lot of teachers who say, you know, independent of what AALT does in tabulating school-wide, who basically do the assessment, record the results (T: Yeah) before they tally, and then they start scrutinizing (T: Right), you know, which of my kids move from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. T Yeah, I am not arguing, I am stating a fact Bill But, they're probably not doing that T It's possible Bill Ok, fair enough, I'm just... T One thing I noticed, was C track finished their, you know, their results earlier, so we kind of had to tabulate C track results so we could show them how they did and then B and A finished more at the same time. It was I think it was like B and C finished at the same time and then in the beginning of the year because when they are on track together, and then, at the end of the year, B and A finish at the same. But if you don't, if you don't, show them how they did like right after the results were done, like we did show C track before they went off track and finish their year, it was helpful. Also by doing it that way throughout the year you could-- the other tracks even if though they haven't done their testing yet saw what was happening and then it kind of drove what lessons we were going to pick all along. Bill So, what, if I am hearing you right (they start speaking at the same time) T The AALT chairperson did it Bill --coming together as a grade level to look at the results (T: mm hm) probably-- T Right after they were due. Bill --is really important for getting individuals teachers go back and look at the individual results for that class. T Right.