What Data Do We Use and How Do We Use Them?

Presentation by Thomas Hoerr (trhoerr@newcityschool.org)

New City School, St. Louis, MO

Facilitated dialogue format.

Question:  If you weren't here, what would you be doing back at your home setting right now? (8 am on a Friday)

• Dealing with school bus issues
• Answering emails
• In meeting talking to a faculty member
• Doing something with students
• Dealing with upset parent
• Teaching

Showed picture of tombstone:  Here lies Frederick Jones - verbal 680 - math 720

Question:  Which students are successful at your school, and how do you know it?

• Demonstrated college readiness (ACT?)
• Portfolios
• Definitely not course grades (at least not by themselves and not if they are disconnected from learning standards)
• Completion of first year of college
• State assessments
• Formative assessment
• School attendance and participation in activities and events
• Smile quotient
• School climate says to you, "This is the place you want to be."

Need to measure student success more widely than we do now.

Question:  Are there differences between success in school and success in life?

• Can students apply in life what they learn in school?
• Can students solve problems and learn without teacher involvement?
• School and real life are very different
• Some students figure out the "system" of schooling but don't necessarily figure out the system of life
• Becoming independent in thinking and learning
• Kids need to hear more about real life from outsiders while in school
• Technology restrictions in schools don't mirror real life
• Students not given opportunity to provide input in how schools are run
• Tom Hoerr: Too often success in school is considered the 'ceiling' instead of the 'floor.'"
• Not enough schools are having this conversation in staff meetings or even in the teachers' lounge
• Tom Hoerr: Schools are not assessing student growth for success in real life. Stuck on standardized tests.

Question:  What formal mechanisms exist - besides standardized tests, besides anything with a % - to assess student growth?  How is it reported?  What other assessment mechanisms could be used? What are the obstacles to this?

• Student surveys and focus groups
• ePortfolios
• Demonstration in outside activities such as internships, community service, mentorships, leadership programs, etc

Great "wake-up" discussion this morning.  I sat at a table with a wonderfully diverse group of building administrators and teachers.

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