Interpreting data to evaluate growth

Abstract

This chapter promotes the development of competence in data analysis for monitoring progress in teaching and learning. It draws attention to the importance of reliable data and the role of both direct and indirect evidence in the inference-making process. The chapter introduces teachers to the use of two-points-in-time data as a means of evaluating both student progress and the efficacy of teaching practice. It asks teachers to consider the implications flowing from the use of quartile comparison analyses, which often show that low-achieving students make progress while supposedly higher-ability students stagnate. The chapter also encourages teachers to consider the value they add to individ..