After aggregating the results of several research studies, McREL researchers found that articulating academic goals at the school level and monitoring student progress toward those goals were associated with 12 percentile-point gains in student achievement.

In short, student achievement gains have been strongly correlated with schools collecting data on student achievement and using those data to guide instruction. This also includes comparing the results of student scores on standardized or state-level assessments with those at the classroom level.

Next: Communicating that High Academic Achievement is the Primary Goal

Source: Marzano, R.J. (2000). A New Era of School Reform: Going Where the Research Takes Us. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.

Resources

The following resources offer school leaders and curriculum developers with practical guidance on how to establish clear academic goals, monitor student progress toward those goals, and use the results to guide instruction.

Evaluating for Success: An Evaluation Guide for Districts and Schools. This guide provides practical information and tips and tools to help those who do not have extensive evaluation experience or are unclear as to how to evaluate school improvement effort.

Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems that Support Professional Growth. This publication from SERVE offers an overview of the benefits of and methods used in formative teacher evaluation. It is meant for schools or districts interested in designing feedback systems that encourage improvement in teaching and based on SERVE's work with three school districts whose formative evaluations are described. Design questions are included to help schools initiate a formative system.

Data-driven Implementation Tools. This collection of tools created by SERVE are designed to help schools guide comprehensive reform initiatives by analyzing school climate data, student achievement data, and data from school observation measures.

The ToolBelt. This online resource from NCREL includes information-gathering tools ranging from checklists to surveys. These tools are designed to help educators collect data about their classroom, school, district, professional practice, or community. The information from these tools can be used to assess status and growth, plan for improvement, and make decisions based on facts rather than impressions or intuitions.

Learning Point: How Schools Use Data to Help Students Learn. NCREL's Summer 2000 issue of its quarterly magazine focuses on using data-driven decision making. It contains articles on Helping Schools Distill Data, Teachers and Students as Action Researchers: Using Data Daily, and Measuring Student Success.