In an increasingly data-driven society, making decisions with data is a requirement not only for research scientists but also for navigating life more generally (Kjelvik & Schultheis, 2019). An informed citizenry must be prepared to discover patterns, predict outcomes, make decisions with data, and evaluate data-based claims for legitimacy and…

Data literacy enables teachers to use information collected about students and their learning to take data-informed instructional action. This article outlines two approaches developed by teachers to provide teaching targeted to the immediate needs of specific students that moved beyond "gap-filling". The pre-teaching and "fresh…

Data-based individualization (DBI) is a framework that allows educators to make timely and informed decisions about student progress in academics or behavior. In this article, we focus on the DBI framework as applied to math intervention within a tiered support model for students experiencing math difficulty. We review how DBI starts with an…

This study investigated the process of instructional change required to translate data on student progress along learning trajectories (LTs) into relevant instructional modifications. Researchers conducted a professional development session on ratio LTs, which included analyzing 3 years of district-level data from Math-Mapper 6-8, a digital…

In March 2022, RAND researchers administered the fourth and final Learn Together Surveys (LTS) via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels. The 2022 LTS differs in two key ways from its predecessors. First, the 2022 sample includes K-12 educators whereas previous administrations of the LTS sampled only educators in schools serving grade 6…

Response to intervention, direct instruction, and data-based decision-making are all effective teaching practices that can impact student math performance. When educational technology is implemented in classroom settings, it can address both the needs of teachers and students. However, there is little information detailing how educational…

Formative assessment helps teachers make effective instructional decisions to support students to learn mathematics. Yet, many teachers struggle to effectively use formative assessment to support student learning. Therefore, teacher educators must find ways to support teachers to use formative assessment to inform instruction. This case study…

Grounded in the belief that data will drive instructional change, data-driven decision making continues to be a prevalent reform strategy in schools. However, the use of data does not always prompt teachers to change their instructional practices, particularly in low-performing schools where accountability pressures loom large. Drawing on in-depth…

Data-based decision making (DBDM) is presumed to improve student performance in elementary schools in all subjects. The majority of studies in which DBDM effects have been evaluated have focused on mathematics. A hierarchical multiple single-subject design was used to measure effects of a 2-year training, in which entire school teams learned how…

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) supports research that contributes to the identification of effective strategies for improving the performance of current teachers and other instructional personnel, and related services providers in ways that increase student learning and achievement, social and behavioral skills, and…

Ever-growing expectations exist for educators to use assessments to collect, analyze, and interpret data, but how, if at all, are these processes affecting instruction? This descriptive case study of one team of second grade teachers offers an analysis of the links between teachers' use of data within their collaborative team meetings and…