Schools' use of data in teaching and learning
Catherine Kirkup, Juliet Sizmur, Linda Sturman and Kate Lewis
Further information
The NFER was commissioned by the DfES to conduct a study of primary, secondary and special maintained schools in England to assess the use of data in teaching and learning.
Key findings
In all types of schools, it was found that data was perceived to promote teaching and learning by facilitating:
- more effective allocation of staff and resources
- performance management
- monitoring the effectiveness of initiatives and strategies
- evidence-based discussions with the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), local education authorities (LEAs), governors, among others
- challenging expectations of staff, pupils, parents, among others
- transitions and transfers - particularly transitions between key stages within schools
- identification of pupils’ achievements and setting of targets.
‘Good practice’ emerged from the use to which the data was put rather than specific systems or tools. A recurrent theme was that data only becomes effective if it stimulates questions about the actual learning that is taking place and how it can be developed further.
Schools reported that effective use of data resulted from meaningful dialogue between staff, and was supported by user-friendly systems. Useful discussions of data amongst staff tended to occur in schools where one person took a proactive role in using data to move learning forward, either by focusing on specific areas or supporting colleagues in the interpretation of outcomes.
Rather than closed data analysis packages, school-devised systems and Excel spreadsheets were the most popular data management tools because they tracked individual pupils and allowed schools the flexibility to input internally generated data such as interim assessments and targets, that is such tools were easier to customise to the school and its particular needs and circumstances.
The greatest challenge to the effective use of data for primary and secondary schools was finding time to update and analyse the data.
The key challenges for special schools were finding systems that enabled them to monitor pupil progress in sufficient detail, and obtaining reliable comparable data by which they could evaluate their school performance. To this end, some special schools wanted a system of moderation for the P scales.
Focus groups reported that inadequacies of training or support could result in staff experiencing lack of ownership of their data systems and viewing data as a threat.
Users of the Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT) software provided by the DfES generally made positive comments about the visual presentation of data and the ability to compare groups of pupils. However, many questionnaire respondents and focus group participants found PAT very difficult to use and were confused as to how to input data. Back-up information provided with the package and the training offered by LEAs were both considered to be poor. There were also complaints of incompatibility with other school systems.
Aims
The aims of the study were:
- to identify how data is used to promote learning in primary, middle, secondary and special maintained schools in England
- to identify good practice in the effective use of data to promote learning
- to investigate possible challenges to using data of this nature
- to provide recommendations to support school staff in making effective use of data to promote learning, including the future development of the Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT).
The ethos or assumption underlying the provision of data to schools is that such information leads to improvements in performance. This study gathered evidence as to the impact of the use of data in schools and the perceptions of users as to how successful this has been in raising attainment.
Methodology
The research was carried out during the period January - June 2005. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of questionnaires and focus groups.
- Four separate questionnaires were developed. One questionnaire was sent to the headteachers of 300 primary schools and 120 special schools, and a set of three questionnaires were sent to 400 secondary schools and addressed heads of departments in English, mathematics and science respectively. Online versions of the questionnaires were available for respondents to complete if they preferred.
- Six focus groups were held, three for primary headteachers together with special school representatives and three for secondary school heads of departments. Participants were recruited from amongst the questionnaire respondents.
The school samples were drawn from the NFER database of schools in England and were stratified according to school performance in national curriculum tests, school type and geographical region. For special schools, teacher assessment results were used in place of national curriculum test results.
Of the 1820 questionnaires dispatched, a total of 529 responses were received from 187 primary schools, 50 special schools and 292 secondary school heads of departments (an overall response rate of 29 per cent). The achieved samples were checked against the relevant school populations and the primary sample and the secondary sample were found to be representative of schools in England as a whole.
Other research findings
Uses for data in teaching and learning
The findings suggest that the impact of data on teaching and learning operates at two levels, directly by means of interventions targeted at individual pupils, and indirectly by means of whole-school approaches.
Commonly reported uses for data in all schools were:
- to track pupil progress
- to set targets
- to identify underachieving pupils for further support
- to inform teaching and learning and strategic planning.
A key use of data in secondary schools was to inform the setting and grouping of pupils.
In special schools, important uses of data included monitoring the effectiveness of staff and initiatives, and providing reports to parents.
At the classroom or pupil level, effective use of data enabled schools to:
- highlight specific weaknesses for individual pupils
- identify weaknesses in topics for the class as a whole
- inform accurate curricular targets for individual pupils
- provide evidence to support decisions as to where to focus resources and teaching.
Specific uses of data to promote learning in the classroom were identified, that is the most common types of interventions employed by schools, where data analysis had highlighted issues to be addressed.
- The most frequently reported interventions, across all schools, were providing additional support (including booster groups, one-to-one support) and making changes to the teaching programme or curriculum, such as more personalised or differentiated teaching and learning.
- Primary schools employed a large number of literary or numeracy strategies, such as Additional Literacy Support (ALS), Reading Recovery and Springboard.
- Special schools identified whole school approaches, such as behaviour management programmes, and used data to inform training needs.
- Secondary schools commonly reviewed pupil settings or teacher groups. Other strategies employed by secondary schools were to involve parents through home-school partnerships and to encourage mentoring and peer mentoring of pupils.
Challenges to the use of data
The main challenges to the effective use of data for primary schools were reported to be:
- lack of time, particularly time to update and analyse the data
- difficulties in applying data to classroom situations
- limitations of data, that is that the data collected/recorded was too narrow/academic or did not accommodate individual needs
- ICT-related issues, for example insufficient resources or restricted access
- challenges to the effective use of data for secondary schools were similar to those experienced by primary schools. However, having sufficient trust in the data was also of concern to secondary schools (some respondents believed either that it was unreliable or arrived too late to be of use).
Special schools reported two key challenges to the effective use of data:
- data systems that do not accommodate the complex needs of individual pupils
- insufficient comparable data (year-on-year or with similar schools).
Data management systems
In order to make more effective use of data schools need systems that are simple to use, are well supported and therefore quickly build levels of confidence and familiarity. All schools wanted data management systems that:
- are easy to use
- produce outcomes that are easy to interpret
- allow flexibility of input
- have compatible school management and assessment components
- offer comprehensive training and support
- are accessible to staff
- encourage engagement and ownership.
For pupils with special educational needs it was considered particularly important to record achievements at a much finer level of detail than was possible with many commercial data management packages, in order to demonstrate and celebrate progress.
Recommendations
The report makes a number of recommendations for schools, LEAs and policy makers.
General recommendations
- Raise awareness of data systems and their potential capabilities and availability.
- Encourage the use of linkable or compatible systems - to prevent difficulties with the input or transfer of data.
- Promote training and support in the use of data - not only software training but also how to use the outcomes from data analysis and how to share such outcomes with colleagues.
- Review demands on schools (Workforce Reform) to ensure staff have sufficient time to analyse data at a meaningful level.
- Encourage the sharing of good practice, for example through networks/ clusters of schools/ workshops.
- Encourage the appointment of dedicated co-ordinators to drive the process of interpretation and action (not just the input of data).
- Provide a means of comparing the performance of very low attaining pupils with special educational needs (for example,moderation of the P scales).
Recommendations for the Pupil Achievement Tracker
- Improve the compatibility of PAT with other schools’ systems.
- Improve tracking capabilities
- year-on-year
- progress in smaller steps.
- Make PAT easier to use, particularly the input of data.
- Clarify instructions and provide an ‘At a Glance’ Guide.
- Offer more information, training and support.