The Power of Focusing on Student Products

I was reading an article titled "Using Data to Guide Instruction and Improve Student Learning" and this paragraph stuck out to me:
“In our work with teacher teams, we’ve observed that collaboration centered on building a common understanding of content standards prior to the planning of instruction and assessment has resulted in greater consistency in expectations for student performance,” explains SEDL program associate Dale Lewis. “When teams return to review student work products based on these shared expectations and common understandings, discussion about how to improve future instruction is more focused.” Using interim assessment information to adjust instruction is a central feature of PTLC. Teams analyze data such as student work samples and brainstorm adjustments to instruction to meet both the enrichment needs of high-achieving students and the intervention needs of struggling students (Jacobson, 2010; Tobia, 2007). Recently, SEDL staff facilitated professional learning on analyzing student work samples.

I feel like we, a campus are really understanding how to familiarize ourselves with the curriculum content through the IFDs before planning specific instruction. This, along with many other common practices in our PLCs go right along with the PLC cycle. The thing I have noticed after discussing with many fellow educators is, that we don't bring in the student work piece very often, if at all. We have gotten used to solely looking at common assessments and reading benchmarks with our PLCs. Just recently I was able to see why bringing in the student work samples is TREMENDOUSLY important. 

Here are a few things I have noticed in conversations around student work:

1. The kids are the focus!

2. We are able to see examples of the good, the bad..and yes (hopefully not often) the ugly!

3. Teachers have a better understanding of what expectations they shoud have for their students.

4. We can collaborate about what makes the difference between a "almost there" piece of work and a "nailed it" piece.

5. IT IMPROVES INSTRUCTION for our students based on their SPECIFIC needs!

If you haven't had the time to bring in some student work samples to your PLC, please give it a go!

Here are some tips for when and if you do:

• Make sure the student work is something that is in your IFD
• Develop NORMS for what this should look like (the student work and the conversation about it)
• Sort student samples into piles: didn't get it, making progress, nailed it
• Ask questions about WHAT THE KIDS ARE TELLING US:
• Common Errors?
• Similarities/Differences in Piles?
• What does the "nailed it" pile have that the others don't?
• Was there anything that stood out?
• How do we get the kids in the first pile to improve?
• Scan in an example of a really good "nailed it" and  "making progress". Save these for next year to have good models for student conversation about the difference. Great way to show what level you expect their thinking to get to!

References:
Lewis, Dale, Madison-Harris Robyn, Muoneke, Ada & Times, Chris, Using Data to Guide Instruction and Improve Student Learning, sedl.org