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abergland7's review against another edition
5.0
Read for masters class. Enjoyed the book and made me think in a new way about various topics.
jadegonzaba's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely would use these strategies when I am able to run a school.
dan1066's review against another edition
3.0
To get a sense of how this plays out on the ground, imagine planning a long road trip. Unless you're following in the path of Jack Kerouac, your road trip will include a clear destination, be it a major city, a national park, or a family member's front door. Chances are you wouldn't hit the road without a clear destination--and the pace you'd need to set to reach your destination by the desired time...Education is no different. To teach our students what they need to be successful, we need to clearly define what they must learn and be able to do; set clear progress points they'll need to meet along the way; and keep an eye on other signs that show whether they're learning so we can course-correct sooner rather than later if they aren't. That's the heart of data-driven instruction and the ultimate roadmap to rigor.
Granted, this isn't creative literature, it's professional literature. As such, it's appeal and use is limited to those within the chosen profession--in this case, educational leadership. This book is one in a series hawking the Uncommon Schools leadership style, promising practical advice to school leaders to improve test scores. It uses a plethora of exclamation marks for no discernable reason and repeats a lot: The text will conclude with a pithy slogan or saying to tie the advice together and immediately underneath the exact same sentence will appear in a text box marked "Core Idea."
Is this useful? Yes, and no. Yes: Paul provides insight into the importance of planning assessment practices correctly to improve the quality of teaching and to raise a school's scores. No: Paul avoids the fundamental flaw in his plan: The quality of the assessment items. As he states on the last page of his chapter on Assessment: "One of the single most limiting factors in schools' achievement growth is poor interim assessments mandated by their districts." Basically, the attitude projected is to use the best assessment items which ideally reveal student misunderstanding and provides teacher with quantified insight on what needs to be retaught and even how. It's like giving a NASCAR driver strategies on lane changes and rearview-mirror monitoring and noting, in passing, that everything is rooted on the fact your car can maneuver at high speeds. "What kind of car?" you ask. "I told you already--a fast one with really good steering," he responds.
Data Driven Instruction is only as powerful as the data used to drive instruction, but I find this book never really focuses on whether the data collected is relevant and revelatory. Paul just preaches in circles around the topic: You can make your own assessments! You can buy one! But if you buy one, be careful! They're not always great! Consider making your own, but really good ones! It's inane. Pages and pages of advice hinge on the quality of the assessment items. I want a companion to this book: How to ensure the validity of one's assessment items. But Paul is too excited to bore us with that chore; he prefers to talk about all the principals who followed his advice and rose to the top.
So Ana brought her staff together to issue a powerful call to action. She presented a PowerPoint...
I had to include that sentence because it sums up this book. Who considers a PowerPoint a "call to action"? If you are a school leader who believes you are one PowerPoint away from revolutionizing instruction at your school, class is in session here. It's good advice--just be aware it's not entirely built on a solid foundation.
Granted, this isn't creative literature, it's professional literature. As such, it's appeal and use is limited to those within the chosen profession--in this case, educational leadership. This book is one in a series hawking the Uncommon Schools leadership style, promising practical advice to school leaders to improve test scores. It uses a plethora of exclamation marks for no discernable reason and repeats a lot: The text will conclude with a pithy slogan or saying to tie the advice together and immediately underneath the exact same sentence will appear in a text box marked "Core Idea."
Is this useful? Yes, and no. Yes: Paul provides insight into the importance of planning assessment practices correctly to improve the quality of teaching and to raise a school's scores. No: Paul avoids the fundamental flaw in his plan: The quality of the assessment items. As he states on the last page of his chapter on Assessment: "One of the single most limiting factors in schools' achievement growth is poor interim assessments mandated by their districts." Basically, the attitude projected is to use the best assessment items which ideally reveal student misunderstanding and provides teacher with quantified insight on what needs to be retaught and even how. It's like giving a NASCAR driver strategies on lane changes and rearview-mirror monitoring and noting, in passing, that everything is rooted on the fact your car can maneuver at high speeds. "What kind of car?" you ask. "I told you already--a fast one with really good steering," he responds.
Data Driven Instruction is only as powerful as the data used to drive instruction, but I find this book never really focuses on whether the data collected is relevant and revelatory. Paul just preaches in circles around the topic: You can make your own assessments! You can buy one! But if you buy one, be careful! They're not always great! Consider making your own, but really good ones! It's inane. Pages and pages of advice hinge on the quality of the assessment items. I want a companion to this book: How to ensure the validity of one's assessment items. But Paul is too excited to bore us with that chore; he prefers to talk about all the principals who followed his advice and rose to the top.
So Ana brought her staff together to issue a powerful call to action. She presented a PowerPoint...
I had to include that sentence because it sums up this book. Who considers a PowerPoint a "call to action"? If you are a school leader who believes you are one PowerPoint away from revolutionizing instruction at your school, class is in session here. It's good advice--just be aware it's not entirely built on a solid foundation.
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