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Lesson 2, Task 4 - Student Learning Data

When I think about the schools that I have worked in and the data that is collected by ePlan, what stands out to me is the primacy of literacy and numeracy. Although a focus on 'the basics' is important. This quantitative data is not the only learning that occurs. A challenge that schools face moving forward is the measurement of what Greg Miller describes as the 'non-negotiables of the next-generation'. These so-called 'soft' skills captured within the new capabilities:
  • Critical and creative thinking - learning how to think and find ways to approach problems
  • Personal and social - recognising others’ emotions, supporting diversity and working together
  • Ethical - understanding values and concepts that underpin views
  • Intercultural - learning about your own and others’ cultures and beliefs.
Although many of these are called out within school visions, the measurement of growth is not so clear. As Bill Lucas explains,
Assessing capabilities is harder than assessing subjects – and the evidence base is much less well-formed. Knowing that a student achieved a level 8b in critical and creative thinking is not particularly useful. But from the trial we are finding that students need to become more critically reflective and develop digital portfolios of evidence.
Using qualitative data, such as portfolios and documentation, changes the way in which data is collected, analyzed and celebrated. As Peter DeWitt explains,
We collect surveys but don't follow through enough looking for common themes or things we can change. In our effort to collect soft data we sometimes get waylaid by other things that come our way and the surveys take up a place in our filing cabinets or document folders in the cloud.
Some of the other soft data that can be profound are documentation of the feedback principals provide to teachers or teachers provide to students. Do we take a close enough look at the feedback that students provide to us? What about their parents? Soft data can tell us a lot about our school climates.
This is where the opportunity exists. I wonder if there is any that needs to be removed from the 'filing cabinets' for it to happen?
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