An Interactive and Reflective Method for Reviewing Data (Using a Write Around Strategy)

Each year (like many of you) we take the time to review data as a building leadership team, as a building staff, and within grade level and content area teams.   This has been often facilitated by presenting the data on slides or in PDFs with staff reflecting on sheets of paper in small groups.  This year we wanted to attempt to mix it up and increase the interactiveness, reflection and engagement around the data.  The instructional strategy that we decided to utilize was a write around.  This ensured that each staff member would have an opportunity to independently reflect and comment on the data and would provide an opportunity for all voices to be heard.

You may have specific data that your team is interested in looking at.  We chose to use the following data and arranged it in the following (7) stations:

• MAP
• Growth for Math & Reading
• Achievement for Math & Reading
• Special Education Gaps
• Panorama (Student & Families)
• Attendance Data, Discipline Data, PBIS
• Panorama (Staff)/Communication/Announcements/Instructional Support/Professional Learning
• ACP/Advisory/Mentoring/Intervention

Here was an outline of what we did:

1. Warm Up(On Scrap Paper) Prompt: You have written a short story from a funny incident or trip or memory from the 2019 Summer so far.  What is the title of the short story? (Write on scrap paper and put into bucket.  Pull them out, read them and match them with the person that wrote it.)
2. (45 min) Gallery Walk Write Around on Posters REFLECTION: Staff members rotate around each station (spending 3 minutes at each). While they are there they should: review the data and write a question, comment, draw a picture or respond to another colleague's comment. While they are rotating they are also keeping track of: Data Points We Are Proud of & Data Points That Must Improve on a handout they are provided.
3. (5 min) Gallery Walk Write Around on Posters SUMMARY: Each piece of chart paper poster had the bottom folded underneath. The bottom of the chart paper should be unfolded and a one sentence summary should be synthesized and written on the bottom part of the chart paper. Once those summaries are completed, do a whip around and share them to the entire group.
4. (15 min) Snack Break
5. (30 min) Synthesis of: Data Points We Are Proud of & Data Points that Must Improve After everyone has had a chance to review the data, collect data points as a team using a similar graphic organizer:
6. Once the graphic organizer is filled out, use the data and synthesis to create 100-day plan goals and supporting action steps in your school or district goal setting format.

Reflection:  For some staff members this activity was a bit uncomfortable.  What we found is that by facilitating it this way, there were opportunities for everyone to be heard.  One thing that was also advantageous was that the comments and ideas presented by staff provided additional staff voice to inform our school goals.