Data Based Decision Making

Jennifer Black
EDUC 6540
Southern Utah University

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Abstract

Data based decision making is a focus in educational reform efforts. Data is used by
administrators and teachers to make educational decisions. There are benefits to using data to
inform instruction, but there are concerns and limitations on its effective use. Administrators and
teachers can work together to use data to make the best decisions for their students learning.

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Data Based Decision Making

Introduction
Data based decision making is a popular topic in educational reform. Current United
States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (2009) said, I am a deep believer in the power of
data to drive our decisions. Data gives us the roadmap to reform. It tells us where we are, where
we need to go, and who is most at risk (para. 5). With lawmakers and educators championing
the use of data, it is important for administrators and teachers to understand what data based
decision making is and how they can incorporate it into their own practice. It is important, also,
to understand the drawbacks to an over-emphasis on data so that potential problems can be
addressed before they arise. Data based decision making is a reform that is here for the
foreseeable future. Administrators and teachers need to work together to use data to meet the
needs of their students.
Data-driven decision-making is the process of collecting data through a variety of forms
and using it to make decisions about education that will produce increased student learning and
performance. It started as a popular manufacturing principal in the 1980s. It grew to influence
other industries, finally reaching education by the 1990s. The No Child Left Behind Act
solidified its importance in the education world (Young & Kim, 2010, p. 2-3).
Federal legislation, like No Child Left Behind and the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 2001, with their associated funding requirements have caused school systems to
increasingly focus on building data systems (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning,
Evaluation, and Policy Development, 2011, p. 3). One government report suggests that the data

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system incorporate, data from a variety of sources, a data team in schools to encourage the use
and interpretation of data, collaborative discussion sessions among teachers about data use and
student achievement, and instruction for students about how to use their own achievement data to
set and monitor educational goals (Hamilton et al., 2009, p. 5-7). School districts are doing
their best to meet these expectations.
Districts collect data from their schools, and it becomes the responsibility of principals to
assemble the necessary data. Principals are responsible for collecting data on student and teacher
performance. They also may collect data from other stakeholders, like parents and other
community members. The principal must then decide what they data mean, and what changes
need to be made at the school to increase effectiveness as a whole.
Teachers are responsible for collecting data on their individual students. This happens
primarily by administering assessments, both summative and formative. While the summative
data is the primary focus of administrators, it is the formative assessment that may most benefit
teachers. Formative assessments can be used to decide how to proceed with instruction. When
teachers are using data to inform their instruction, they use it to change the way they teach. By
looking at and assessing the data, they may choose to present lessons differently, regroup
students, or change the way they give feedback on student work (Frohbieter, Greenwald, Stecher,
& Schwartz, 2011, p. 3).
Working together, districts, principals and teachers can use data to improve education for
their students. Schools can reap many benefits by collecting and using data to make educational
decisions.

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Benefits
Data based decision making has the potential to change education for the better. There
are many benefits for teachers and principals choosing to incorporate it.
Teachers who collect and use data can improve their instruction by adapting it to more
closely meet the needs of students. Teachers collect data on students constantly through
observation and assessments. Informal observations of students can provide teachers with data
on how well students appear to understand lessons, but is particularly useful in assessing
behavioral and temporal needs of students that may need to be addressed. The greater focus in
data based decision making, however, has been on formal student assessment. Formative
assessment can be a powerful tool for teachers. Assessment data can be used to determine
whether or not learning has occurred, and where misunderstanding are taking place. Teachers
who use this data may choose to reteach lessons, change student groupings to focus on particular
needs, or modify the way that they provide feedback. All of these changes help to improve
student performance. In a meta-analysis by Black and William, a mean effect size of 0.92 was
found for studies in which teachers had procedures for reviewing data and determining next
steps, compared with a mean effect size of 0.42 for studies in which teachers used data when
they felt necessary (as reported in Young & Kim, 2010, p. 3). Using data to inform instruction is
clearly valuable for increased student learning.
Using data to inform decisions also provides concrete proof that the direction instruction
is moving is valid. When decisions are based on professional judgment only, biases may come
into play. Using data in decision-making helps teachers be objective in order to accurately
identify a problem, identify a solution, and assess the solutions effectiveness (Gage &

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McDaniel, 2012, p.1). Every person has preconceived notions, values and beliefs that shape the
way they act. This is as true for educational professionals as for anyone else. Administrators and
teachers may believe that their professional judgment is reason enough for the decisions they
make, not realizing that their beliefs are shaping the decisions instead of the realities of the
situation. In one school, teachers believed that administering a lengthy school wide assessment
was too taxing for their students and would result in lower test scores. The test was given in its
entirety, but when the next assessment came, administrators allowed the teachers to break up the
test into shorter sessions. The data showed that the students performed at the same level on both
tests. The teachers belief that the lengthy test would result in lower scores was based on their
ideas of what students were able to do, which wasnt the reality in this situation.
Principals benefit from using data to make decisions, also. They can use data to inform
decisions about teachers and educational programs in the school. Looking at classroom and
grade level data helps the principal to determine the needs of teachers. They may decide to
modify the ways that they are interacting with teachers, and the professional development to be
provided. The data may influence the principal to change the organization in the school, or hire
certain people to meet deficits. Analyzing data also keeps the principal from making judgments
based on personal feelings and biases instead of on what actually works.
Data driven decision making is valuable for increasing student and teacher performance.
Data are empowering when they become a tool that helps people analyze and act on their
environments (Hess & Mehta, 2013, p. 74). However, there are drawbacks to the intense focus
on data use in education.

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Drawbacks
Data seem to be the biggest and best idea in educational reform at present. However,
there are drawbacks to the increased focus on data collection. Hess and Mehta (2013) likened
the focus on data to the use of Deus ex Machina in drama, where some unforeseen event resolves
an unsolvable problem in the plot. Would-be reformers too often suggest that this wonderful
thing called data is going to resolve stubborn, long-standing problems (p. 71-72). In fact,
there are several drawbacks to a data driven focus.
First, data is difficult to understand. Education Secretary Arne Duncan (2009) has stated
that, one of our collective challenges is to talk about data and research in ways that people
understand. That is the only way that good ideas can lead to action and not just remain on a shelf
somewhere (para. 20). He was speaking of public understanding, but there is a deficit in
educational understanding of data, also. Data may be collected, but lack of pre-service teacher
training, professional development and poor district data practices mean that educators dont
know what to do with data knowledge (Hess & Mehta, 2013, p. 72).
Another problem is that teachers may not be taking any action in response to their student
data. Even when data show that students have not learned a concept, some teachers feel
compelled to move on to the next subject. Reasons for failing to address deficiencies include, a
rigorous district pacing schedule that left no time to revisit material, the breadth of material they
were required to cover during the term, the demands of a large class size, and the pressure to
focus on content most heavily represented on district tests (Frohbieter, Greenwald, Stecher, &
Schwartz, 2011, p. 23).
It is rare for teachers to disregard data and make no changes, but it is quite common for

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teachers to make only small changes in instruction in response to data. Common practice is for
the teacher to review assessments that have been given to go over problems that were missed.
The teacher may review a lesson using similar methods from the first instance of instruction. In
a 2011 study of the use of formative assessment in middle school classrooms, Frohbieter,
Greenwald, Stecher and Schwartz found that this was the case. They wished that they had seen
more teachers with greater insight into the assessments they gave. They found few instances of
highly responsive uses of information, and patterns of practice that we could characterize as
true formative assessment (p. 41).
Data collection and analysis is often perceived by educators to be a negative reform.
They often feel that data is used as another way to disparage their performance. Data is collected
to evaluate teacher performance, but it is seen as a punitive measure, rather than one to help them
improve. Former Tennesee Governor Phil Bredesen made a good point by saying that, no data
system will ever be successful if thats seen as its primary goal. The data is for so much more.
(Maxwell, 2012, p. 6)
Clearly, there are many problems with a data driven focus. This does not mean that using
data is not important. Instead, it becomes important for administrators to work to overcome
these challenges so that data driven decision making can improve their schools.
Recommendations
There are several things administrators should do to maximize the use of data driven
decision making in schools. Principals need to ensure that data is being used in their school, and
work to address its drawbacks.

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Data use has many drawbacks, but it is important that the school principal becomes a
champion of its use. The principal needs to insist that data be kept, and provide ongoing training
in its use for those who need it. If it is clear that the principal values data, teachers and staff will
be more likely to follow suit.
The principal should remember that data can be summative, but it is better used when it is
formative. Instead of focusing on using the data to point blame, it needs to be used to fuel
change. Hess and Mehta (2013) insist that weve overinvested in data that are useful for public
accountability, and were underinvested in data that improve management or instruction. If we
want increased performance, we need to reverse these priorities (p. 74). When the data shows
that there is a deficit, the principal should work with teachers to fix the problem. Working
together, principals and teachers can overcome problems in collecting and making changes based
on the data.
Conclusion
W. Edwards Deming may have been summing up the current climate in education when
he famously joked, In God we trust, all others must bring data (as reported in Gage &
McDaniel, 2012, p. 1). Data based decision making is a powerful tool in the work to increase
student learning and performance. There are drawbacks, but they can be overcome. Education
Secretary Arne Duncan (2009) summed up data-based decision making well when he said that,
its about systematically examining and learning and building on what were doing right and
scrapping what hasnt worked for our children (para. 45). Educators must do what is best for
students. Data based decision making will help educators in that endeavor.

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References

Duncan, A. (2009, June 8). Robust data gives us the roadmap to reform. Retrieved from
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Frohbieter, G., Greenwald, E., Stecher, B., & Schwartz, H. (2011). Knowing and doing: What
teachers learn from formative assessment and how they use the information (CRESST
Report 802). Retrieved from National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards
and Student Testing website: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED522825.pdf
Gage, N. A., & McDaniel, S. (2012). Creating smarter classrooms: Data-based decision making
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