Closing the chapter on winter break means testing! Where ever you are with getting your Winter testing done - we're here for you. 

This second round of testing will give you insight into how students are progressing and how they’ll perform on end-of-grade tests. How can you use your screener data to give students a greater chance of success? Read on as we uncover three practical recommendations to help you maximize your winter testing data to see greater learning gains.‍

Use the Data to Impact Student Growth

To make your winter data actionable, use the results to match the appropriate levels of support to students or movement. Your assessment reports provide tier recommendations based on each student’s results. The National Center of Intensive Intervention (NCII) provides percentile recommendations for identifying students needing additional support. Choose programs that incorporate these recommendations into their data and reporting to identify which students need intervention or intensive intervention and which students are ready to move to a different tier. 

Some students may show significant growth from their Fall to Winter screeners, and others may show a decline or stagnant growth from previous screeners. Consider this data along with other data sources to confirm that all students are receiving the types of supports and services appropriate to their current level of performance. If you are documenting for a referral to Special Education, your winter testing data should provide you with an additional data point. 

To have the most significant impact, students' test data should inform their interventions. Data-driven interventions shouldn’t be just a buzzphrase. However, with more students in the classroom needing added support, data-driven interventions can be a challenge. This is where technology is your friend! They will never replace the knowledge and skill of teachers or the benefit of intensive one-on-one support. However, a quality intervention program provides each student with activities they are ready to learn to help them close gaps quickly and better comprehend grade-level lessons. 

For example, Classworks analyzes test data from our assessment or other nationally-recognized assessments. Then, the program automatically assigns the exact skills a student is ready to engage with and learn in an evidence-based learning progression. Even if students are ready to tackle more challenging skills, Classworks places them where they should be in their learning progression. Moreover, Classworks instructional units include direct instruction, activities to apply the skills, and a formative check. This structure ensures students are not just practicing skills but learning or reviewing the concept first. Learn more about the individualized experience in Classworks.  

Use the Data for Professional Learning Opportunities 

Winter test data provides a great opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and administrators about how best to support students. During staff or PLC meetings, use the data to create an environment of growth and learn from each other. Discuss patterns in the data and what they might mean about your intervention and referral processes. This is an excellent opportunity to share what is and isn’t working in classrooms and how to pivot efforts. 

Are you looking to improve your SST process and have more meaningful SST meetings? Here are some time-tested suggestions. 

Use Data to Predict Performance on End of Grades Tests

Winter test results and other information you know about your students can give you an idea of how students will perform on their spring assessments. Predictive Validity studies like these from Classworks give you confidence that performance on winter tests can predict which students are more likely to score in the proficient range and which are likely to fall into the not proficient range on summative or high-stakes tests. 

Use this information and the detailed skills and standards-based reports your assessment data provide to inform instructional and intervention adjustments. Do students need remediation or acceleration to master grade-level concepts? Do they need to receive tier 2 or 3 interventions? Get ahead of end-of-year performance with more data up front. Ask your assessment providers how well their assessments predict future performance. Ensure your assessment and instructional reports make it easy to identify students who need interventions and easily provide the exact interventions they need. 

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Classworks Customers

Would you like help viewing Classworks Universal Screener data for your students? This quick video will show you in under a minute.

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Helping all Learners Succeed

Would you like to learn more about how Classworks for intervention or Special Education? Chat with us using the chat button in the bottom right or email hello@classworks.com.