Data is Everywhere!
This week’s blog is brought to you by my anticipation of instant football trivia that will be rapidly spouted by Super Bowl LV’s commentators this coming Sunday! You know, statements such as “That was [insert player’s name’s] 85th catch on the 32nd yard line within the first quarter while running at half speed…” These types of statements have data behind them, researchers who collect it and people (or programs) that pass it along to the person behind the microphone.
This is a serious process, one that is mimicked in the special education environment - only the statements are on IEP’s, teachers and other professionals collect the data, then it is passed along to parents and administrators.
Data Collection and Special Education
Whether you are a teacher, para-educator, or administrator, data collection is practically synonymous with working in the Special Ed field. Not only is it required under certain federal legislation, it is definitely used at the local level for evaluating and informing about a student’s progress as well as outcomes. In addition, it also speaks to the effectiveness of different teaching practices. Student data is extremely important, however, there is a wide variability in teachers’ data collection efforts and protocols.
A research study conducted in 2018 and published in the Early Intervention Journal discussed common barriers to data collection as well as teachers’ perceptions and intentions toward data entry as it relates to the actual act of collecting data. This study is interesting and useful to take steps to remove hindrances toward data collection, and also to make sure staff understands the data collection process. I’ll share some simplified results of the study, but also encourage you to peruse the it yourself for more “information nuggets”.
Highlights of Documented Results
· Overall, teachers reported positive attitudes toward collecting data and agreed that data entry was important. 48% reported the reason to collect data is for progress monitoring of IEP goals, 39% said it’s used to make educational decisions. For example, to “determine needs for extended school year “and “make adjustments in instruction or other areas”.
· Staff reported that administrators, coworkers, and parents support data collection, but gave lower ratings to how much attention is actually given to the data collected.
· Teachers agreed that unclear measurement systems are a barrier to timely data collection somewhat more than too little time, too much to do, and too many students.
· Self-efficacy was the only variable that uniquely and significantly contributed to staff intentions. In other words, the staff who felt confident to meet specific challenges exerted more effort, were more willing to persist and persevere, and were better equipped to cope with any barriers along the way.
· Teachers’ perception of how difficult collecting data is, as well as the amount of admin support, significantly impacted whether or not they actually collected the required data.
Data Collection and Assessments for Students with Special Needs
The article also states that due to the fact that IEP goals are so different for each student, an assessment that can be customized is “necessary “. And, typically, the burden of identification of a data collection approach falls directly on the special educator.
Look no further than The Practical Assessment Exploration System to follow the above mentioned recommendation. PAES is a valid, data-driven assessment that contains more than 1500 data points. It suits a wide range of ages and abilities and is customizable to a student’s level of need. AND, when you add the PAES Scan 2.0 application (currently in development) to your system, it makes data collection even easier! Click on the link to get a free demo launch invite for the app as soon as it becomes available.
Thanks for reading! Drop us a comment on your thoughts about data collection – or, Super Bowl LV (KC Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Bucs) predictions. Interesting PAES trivia: PAES Author, Judith Swisher, lives in the Kansas City area – Gooo Chiefs!
HAPPY FRIDAY!! Regardless of whether or not you will be watching this year’s super bowl, I hope you enjoy your weekend!
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