A seamless practice in most classrooms today is one of reading assessment as the tool that informs instruction. When data is used effectively, teachers can provide essential early intervention instruction to prevent reading difficulties from occurring. In most cases, data retrieved from various classroom assessments provide authentic student information allowing teachers to make decisions about "next steps" for supporting students' learning employing effective instructional strategies. The Data Meeting Model has become a central piece of the K-12/university partnership between Samford University's teacher education program and the elementary school. This model provides developing practitioners with opportunities to gain experiences during pre-internship as they observe the classroom teacher and partner with them to observe, assess and interpret data among the students in the classroom. Candidate growth and improvement in K-12 student achievement provide the impetus to continue growing and developing this model. It is the desire of the Samford University faculty that a model such as this one be added to present practice in any teacher education program wishing to advance teacher leader behavior in teacher education candidates and demonstrate candidate impact on K-12 student achievement.