Data informative decision making is a decision is a decision making process the makes use of critical information in order to come up with a sound decision. For instance, a decision improvement on learning can be done using relevant background information and data generated through the assessment of students. Here the data is used to inform the decision being made. The knowledge of how to used this data to informal the decisions can be referred to as data literacy.
Staff professional development literacy cycle, is a cycle that is meant to improve on the ability of staff to use data to inform decisions concerning the development of instructions for teaching and improvement of the classroom environment. The literacy cycle involves conducting assessment, obtaining relevant data, analyzing the data determining the conclusion, Planning Instruction and implementing the instruction after which assessment is conducted again keeping the cycle alive (Walker, 2009).
Conducting assessment
Assess to determine level of achievement of the current instructions and professional practices
Data meetings to determine the data needs for the process
Determine the gaps that require attention
Comparison with other similar institutions
Assessment at the heart of the process
It is the action around assessment - the discussion, meetings, revisions, arguments, and opportunities to continually create new directions for teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment - that ultimately have consequences. The 'things' of assessment are essentially useful as dynamic supports for reflection and action, rather than as static products with value in and of themselves.
Obtain relevant data
Data meeting are necessary to determine the data needs for the process
Determine the sources of the data needed
Determine how the data will be collected and availed to inform the decision making process
Analyze the data
The data is analyzed to determine its validity
A variety of analysis tools and techniques are used depending on the kind of data and the desired output.
Determine conclusion
This makes use of the information generated through data analysis. Conclusions are drawn from based on this information and entail ¡What is needs to be changed ¡What need to be improved ¡ Where the changes will be done ¡Professionals needed to perform the changes and improvements ¡The other resources required to perform this changes and improvements.
Plan instruction
Institute a process of continuously monitoring the assessment data and other relevant information
Translate the information into deliverable curriculum instruction
The staff or educator need to design and redesign instructions based on the assessment data
Use of technological gadgets such as computers can help simplify this process
Implementing instruction
Once the instructions have been developed and planned, they are implemented as per the predetermined schedule created during the planning process.
Conducting assessments
The new instructions, their implementation, achievement and limitation are continuously monitored and assessed in preparation for the continuation of the cycle.
Staff professional development literacy cycle leadership team
As Darling-Hammond, Ancess, & Falk (1995) noted, leadership is the art of getting other to do something that you want done because they want to do it. No process can take place without leadership. For the professional development literacy, it is important that a leadership team be selected to lead the process. This team should process several characteristics:
Knowledgeable of reading research
Should have a cheerleader
It should have a resource collector
Should be time conscious
It should understand literacy instruction
It should perform continuous assessment
It should forester collaborative learning communities.
