Teacher's Engagement with and Understanding of Assessment Data to Inform Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) is a common goal of both educational policy and institutions. The evidence to support the extent to which this goal is being met will come from the data that teachers collect, analyse and use in their teaching and decision making. Teachers’ data literacy skills are a key determinant of the effectiveness of EIP. Most data for EIP come from assessment processes that need to be synthesised with other relevant information for teachers to develop a valid interpretation of where students are in their learning. This interpretation is neither a straightforward nor an exclusively rational process. Teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, competence, professional judgement and the nature of assessments play a role in shaping their interpretations. This study sought to present a micro-level investigation into how teachers incorporate data into their daily teaching activities. A mixed methods design utilising both a survey questionnaire and interviews was used to investigate how a convenient sample of Year 4 teachers enact EIP and action their students’ assessment data to enhance teaching and learning. Analysis of closed ended items of the survey responses was conducted using descriptive statistics and correlations. Content analysis was used to analyse the two open-ended items of the survey. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts from interview and think-aloud protocols, and teacher documents. Findings suggest that EIP is a complex multilevel phenomenon requiring teachers to be data literate. However, there were many challenges to this implementation. Some of these challenges were their own understandings of assessment data, their data literacy and assessment literacy skills, and the little time and high workload they faced. The findings were used to present a Teacher Data Literacy Framework to create a coherent link between teacher practice, standards, curriculum objectives and student learning.