To provide effective academic intervention, educators need more than just a general sense of how students are doing—they need specific data. This blog highlights the importance of using different types of data, especially formative assessments, to guide intervention instruction. In this article, you will learn practical ways to gather, analyze, and act on data in order to better meet student needs and to accelerate their growth.
Assessment and Data are Essential to Effective Intervention
Imagine riding along in your car one day when the check engine light comes on. You take the car to the service department and without looking at your car or examining the engine components, the mechanic simply says you need a new engine. Would you agree to getting a new engine or would you ask for a more complete diagnostic test?
Now, think about struggling students who have been identified as in need of instructional support. Should they continue to be taught amongst their on-grade level peers without delving into their specific needs for additional support? I think not, which is why using various forms of data collection is critical to closing achievement gaps and informing intervention instruction.
The Importance of Student Work
The use of student work as a form of data to address the needs of students is an essential part of planning for intervention instruction. Luckily, it does not have to be cumbersome and can be as simple as
- Conferring with students about their work—talking to students about the expectations of the work and their personal performance
- Administering tests, quizzes, and/or tickets out the door—assessing what students have learned based on what has been taught
- Observing how students approach their work—do they make an attempt, give up easily, or solicit help before trying
- Collecting and analyzing student work that is targeted and skill-specific
The use of student work is beneficial in helping educators gain insight into how students are thinking and learning. Because it is so important, it is the first step of the Formative Assessment Cycle. However, as a standalone, student work does not provide enough data to holistically inform instruction, especially for learners who are “at risk” academically. Therefore, more formalized types of assessments are beneficial when planning targeted, skill-specific intervention instruction.
Main Types of Assessment in Education
In the education world, there are two main types of assessment, summative and formative. Both are equally important when it comes to gathering data on student performance.
Summative assessments are more formal and based on normed and/or criterion-referenced data collection that summarizes the performance of students at the end of a term, semester, or school year. While summative assessments inform instruction relative to overall student knowledge and learning outcomes, they do not readily offer the ongoing data necessary to inform instruction at the skill level.
Formative data, however, is less formal, skill-specific, and collected more frequently. Diagnostic and benchmark assessments are the most common types of formative assessments. Typically, diagnostics are administered three times a year (beginning, middle, and end) while benchmarks are given at various intervals throughout the year after explicit instruction. Consequently, formative data is more likely to have an immediate and direct impact on planning for and providing effective intervention instruction.
A Focus on Formative Assessment Data
As the focus shifts to gathering skill-specific assessment data to address student learning needs, think back to the check engine analogy. By now, it’s clear that it makes more sense to request diagnostic information than to agree to buy a new engine outright. I like to think of formative assessment data as taking your car in for scheduled maintenance and diagnostics throughout the year. Since maintenance is standardized by model, year, and mileage, technicians know exactly what’s needed. When a problem is detected, they assess and address that specific issue—just like formative assessments do. These “check-ins” at various intervals help determine whether instruction and strategies are effective. If not, like diagnostic codes for mechanics, benchmark and diagnostic data alert us to make immediate instructional adjustments rather than waiting until the end of the term or year. Collecting multiple forms of formative assessment data throughout the year is essential for identifying student needs and monitoring progress.
Using the Formative Assessment Cycle Process to Inform Intervention Instruction
Gathering formative assessment data while providing intervention instruction should be an intentional, ongoing process with clear expectations and evidence of student learning. Therefore, the process must be driven by students’ specific needs, knowledge level, and performance. This cyclic four-step data collection and assessment process is often referred to as the Formative Assessment Cycle and is as follows:
Collect Student Work
Collected work should be based on clearly defined, skill-specific criteria aligned to the individual needs of the students. Since not all student work will be collected for analysis, work that is collected should be done with intentionality and with the goal of learning more about how well the student is able to demonstrate their learning. The best student samples are those that are authentic (student-generated) and/or performance-based. Examples include KWL Charts, Frayer Models, Tickets Out the Door—not worksheets or rote activities.
Analyze Student Work Based on Learning Target and Success Criteria
Use a rubric or assessment protocol to assess how well students are performing. Often, I suggest sorting collected student work into three categories: met, working towards, and did not meet based on the skill and intended outcome of the work. Sorting the work allows one to readily know where students are with mastery or lack thereof, which is important data when providing intervention instruction. Additionally, it aids the educator in making instructional decisions for delivering explicit and direct instruction. For instance, if most students mastered the work, but a few have a partial understanding of the work (working towards), they may benefit from a quick skill review lesson in a small group. However, a student who did not meet may need individual instruction to move towards mastery.
Create an Intervention Action Plan
Collaboratively, the educator and student engage in a conference-style meeting. During this dedicated time, the student is encouraged to reflect upon his/her performance using feedback provided by the educator that is specific to the task (skill) and expected learning outcome(s). With both forms of data (student and educator), personalized instructional adjustments are made and an action plan for next steps is created.
Implement the Intervention Action Plan
Using multiple forms of formative data collection (student work, feedback, conferencing, skill-based assessments, etc.), the refined plan of data-driven, skill-specific intervention is implemented. As one mastery process ends, another begins, and true differentiation occurs. Hence, the cycle continues as the student experiences academic growth while consistently acquiring new skills and working towards mastery.
Overall, by using the four-step Formative Assessment Cycle, educators use “real time” comprehensive data that allows them to adjust intervention instruction and accelerate student learning by moving them towards mastery in the shortest amount of time. Thus, optimizing intervention time and improving student learning simultaneously.
Instructional Practices and Supports that Inform Intervention Instruction
Effective instructional practices used in conjunction with the formative process allow educators to plan and execute intervention activities that are intentional and skill specific. Although the list below is not exhaustive, it highlights a variety of research and evidence-based strategies and learning support tools that promote the collection of formative student data which includes
- Direct and Explicit Instruction that is skill-specific and targeted based on the intervention needs of students.
- Small Group Instruction, with a group of two to six students, for providing focused intervention instruction
- Conferencing, or meeting with students individually or in small groups about their work and providing verbal and/or written feedback with the intent of moving student work forward towards mastery.
- Peer-to-Peer Learning in which students with similar knowledge/skill levels are grouped together to work on specific intervention skills. This reinforces learning by giving the students the opportunity to “teach” and learn from each other.
- Graphic Organizers that help students organize, show, and validate their thinking. Examples include Frayer Models, Concept Maps, Timelines, Venn Diagrams, Thinking Maps, and Flow Charts.
When used consistently and with intentionality, the aforementioned strategies and instructional tools provide a glimpse into what and how students are thinking about their work, which in and of itself yields valuable data, especially when captured as anecdotal notes. All of this can be used in the continuous process of using formative data and processes to inform intervention instruction.
Instructional Benefits of Using Formative Assessment Data
As a natural form of differentiation, collecting and using data from varied and on-going formative assessments allows educators to meet the needs of all students. Additionally, knowing the instructional entry point of students is essential when planning and providing targeted interventions. The more data educators have about the student, the more effective they are. Consequently, students are more likely to increase their knowledge and experience academic success. Hence, the reciprocal relationship of data collection and use is value-added for both the educator and student.
Additional benefits of using formative assessment data to drive intervention instruction include
- Improved student growth and achievement
- Deeper conceptual knowledge understanding
- Increased foundational skills and fluency
- Fewer misconceptions (no tricks)
- Doesn’t feel like a test (less stress)
- Increased student efficacy
While there is no one type of data that reveals all the instructional needs (and deficits) of students, the gathering of various forms of data provides educators with the opportunity to address student needs based on what is known. It is important to remember from our check engine scenario that students “are not their symptom.” Rather, when there is an academic cause for concern that requires intervention instruction, it simply means it is incumbent upon educators to provide solid, data-driven learning opportunities.
Holistically, the use of formative assessment data is an educator’s best effort at positively impacting the academic career of students by being intentional, providing skills-based targeted instruction, and creating a safe learning environment. Comprehensively speaking, that, in my opinion, is the power of using formative assessment data to inform intervention instruction and is how student success is actualized.
