Promoting Literacy with Teacher Knowledge in Analyzing and Using Student Data: A Review of Literature

Abstract

The concept of data based decision making has been in the forefront of educational reform for decades. Despite the fact that data could better inform the educational decisions teachers make, some educators lack understanding of data and assessment. This could lead to misinterpretation and poor use of the scores. The purpose of this literature review is to learn more about English language arts (ELA) and literacy teachers' current practices and experiences in using assessment data to shape their literacy instruction and to learn more about their perceptions of how this assessment data should be used to shape classroom instruction. This literature review will describe five themes: (a) school leaders and teachers' level of understanding related to interpreting assessment results, (b) use of data types having different applications for school, (c) data collection methods schools employ, (d) the process of utilizing the data, and (e) creating a data culture within school. Finally, possible ideas about the future areas of research are shared.