1. Running Head: DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING 1
Data-Based Decision Making
Amy Maiden
EL 5623- Developing Teacher
October 24, 2015
Dr. Julius L. Wynn Sr.

2. DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING 2
Introduction
Teachers primarily work in isolation inside of the classroom with their students
away from their colleagues. Due to this isolation, it is imperative that new teachers
receive additional support through professional development to help improve their
teaching skills. Induction programs “aim to improve the performance and retention of
new hires and to enhance the skills and prevent the loss of new teachers with the ultimate
goal of improving student growth and learning” (Ingersoll, 2012). Knowing the
importance of professional development for new teachers, I surveyed nine teachers at
Madison Elementary that have five years or less experience in the teaching field. This
survey provides an inside look at what skills need the most attention for teacher
development.
Part One: New Teacher Needs Assessment
In the New Teacher Needs Assessment, teachers were asked to rank their ability
level for effective teaching skills. The abilities are ranked from 1 being the area of
greatest need to 10 being the area of least need. Below are the results to the Needs
Assessment from new teachers at Madison Elementary:
Professional Development Need Tally Total/Average
Content Knowledge and Skills 6, 8, 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, 6, 6 55 / 6.1
Classroom Management 9, 5, 4, 7, 4, 7, 3, 3, 5 47 / 5.2
Relations with Parents 4, 5, 2, 9, 7, 5, 8, 6, 6 52 / 5.7
Student Motivation 5, 9, 6, 5, 2, 8, 6, 5, 7 53 / 5.8
Student Engagement 6, 6, 7, 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6 44 / 4.8
Needs of Diverse Learners 4, 4, 3, 1, 1, 9, 5, 1, 6 34 / 3.7
Student Assessment 3, 5, 8, 2, 5, 6, 1, 2, 5 37 / 4.1
Organizational Skills 3, 5, 10, 6, 8, 3, 7, 9, 8 59 / 6.5

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Communication with Colleagues 3, 8, 9, 8, 9, 1, 9, 10, 8 65 / 7.2
Other: Planning Instruction 6, 6, 7, 6, 5, 5, 7, 6, 6 54 / 6.0
Part Two: New Teacher Professional Development Rationale
Description of teachers
In order to be effective, professional development must provide teachers with a
way to directly apply what they learn to their teaching. “Research shows that
professional development leads to better instruction and improved student learning when
it connects to the curriculum materials that teachers use, the district and state academic
standards that guide their work, and the assessment and accountability measures that
evaluate their success” (Matter & Learning, 2004). I surveyed nine of our new teachers
for areas that they felt needed professional development. Here is a breakdown of the nine
teachers and their experience teaching:
Teacher Name Years of Experience Grade Level Subjects Taught
Alyssa Elliot 3 Kindergarten all
Carly Powell 3 Kindergarten all
Sara Loving 2 PK-2 Intervention
Specialist
all
Amanda Woodruff 5 1st Grade all
Shelby Dalton 1 3rd Grade all
Elizabeth Herzog 1 3rd Grade all
Emily Phillips 2 3rd grade all
Amy Conley 1 6th Grade Math/ Science
Elizabeth Davis 1 6th Grade Language Arts/ S.S
Topic Choices for Professional Development
Looking at the data results, our new staff seems to feel strong in their
communication with colleagues and organizational skills. These two are great

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foundations that are required to become an effective teacher. Although all areas could
use improvement, three areas stuck out as being the greatest need for professional
development. These three areas are also related and intertwine with one another. The
focus topics for professional development of the new teachers are: needs of diverse
learners, student assessment and student engagement.
The first topic of professional development that is needed is using and planning
effective assessments that help guide instruction. This topic is indicated to be the 2nd
highest need for the new teachers in my school building. At least one full professional
development meeting should focus around the importance of pre-assessing teaching a
new unit and using formative assessments throughout the unit. Educating new teachers
about the many different pre-assessment strategies to help learn where their students are
at prior to teaching a unit can help the teacher differentiate instruction for students.
Formative assessments are ongoing assessments that provide “specific feedback to
teachers and students for the purpose of guiding teaching to improve learning” (McTighe
& O’Conner, 2005). Assessing students is an extremely valuable strategy to learn more
about students’ strengths and weaknesses. Learning as much as possible about students
through these assessments helps lead to the next two topics for professional development
that the new teachers at Madison Elementary need.
The second topic that needs to be in professional development for the Induction
Program is meeting the needs of diverse learners. This is the biggest need that was
indicated in the survey. This should follow the first topic due to assessments giving us the
data we need to show where students are, and how we as teachers can propel them
forward. In the professional development meeting for this topic, educating new teachers
how to effectively use the Planning Pyramid would help show how lessons should be

5. DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING 5
planned to meet all diverse learning groups. Gould and Vaughn discuss the three layers
of the Planning Pyramid (2000) asking teachers to answer three valuable questions about
their lesson:
Figure 1. Matattall, 2008; Katz, 2012.
1. What aspects of the lesson do I want all students to learn? (Low students
included)
2. What do I want most students to learn? (Low students excluded)
3. What information will a few students learn? (High students only)
Observations of teachers using the Planning Pyramid inform us that teachers increase the
explicitness and clarity about what students must learn. This pyramid is a great teaching
tool to organize the lessons and ensure that each learning group is being taught to their
ability.
The third topic indicated in the needs assessment results is student engagement.
This third topic is correlated with the first two topics. With assessment data and planning
instruction to meet diverse learners, teachers see an increase in student engagement. If a
child does not understand what is being taught, then the bottom of the pyramid is being

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neglected. If the higher students are bored and non-responsive, teachers are not teaching
to the top tier of the pyramid. Student engagement comes when a student feels
challenged but can still be successful. Professional development for this topic should
stress using data and appropriate teaching strategies that help meet the needs of all
students.
Conclusion
“The most effective professional development is ongoing, wherein teachers and
school personnel have access to a variety of topic areas over an extended period of time”
(Vaughn & Schumm, 1995). In the Induction Program, the teachers are in continuous
support of the administration and mentor teachers. These topics do not get solved in one
meeting, but must be an area for continuous improvement through feedback and
discussions with colleagues. Creating an open communication between new teachers
and a support system of teachers and administrators is key to helping to continuously
develop the skills needed for teachers to becoming more effective leaders in education.

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References
Gould, A., & Vaughn, S. (2000) Planning for the inclusive classroom: meeting the needs
of diverse learners. Retrieved from
http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/domain/168/research%
20you%20can%20use/Planning%20for%20the%20Inclusive%20Classroom%20-
%20%20Meeting%20the%20Needs%20of%20Diverse%20Learners.pdf
Ingersoll, R.M. (2012). Beginning teacher induction: What the data tells us. Retrieved
from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/16/kappan_ingersoll.h31.html.
Mattatall, C. (2008). Gauging the readiness of canadian school districts to implement
responsiveness to intervention. Canadian Society for the Study of Education,
Vancouver, B. C.
Matter, F. O., & Learning, S. (2004) Teaching teachers: Professional development to
improve student achievement. Retrieved from
http://www.tolerance.org/article/teaching-teachers-professional-development-
improve-student-a
McTighe, J., & O’Conner, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning. Educational
Leadership 63(3), 10-17. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/nov05/vol63/num03/Seven-Practices-for-Effective-Learning.aspx
Vaughn, S., & Schumm, J. S. (1995). Responsible inclusion for students with learning
disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 25(5), 264-270, 290.