SCHOOL management experts are urging teachers, especially those cited as underperforming, to manage data more effectively in order to improve administrative and teaching and learning results.

The experts, who are aligned to the Ministry of Education and who are consultants to the JN Foundation’s iLead educational leadership programme, made the comments during a recent workshop in Port Maria, St Mary, hosted by the iLead project team for leaders at secondary schools participating in the initiative, as well as for the education ministry’s Region Two education officers. The high schools currently under the programme are Brimmer Vale and Islington in St Mary, and Robert Lightbourne in St Thomas.

Addressing middle leaders at the three institutions, education officer and consultant to iLead Lenworth Wallace said data is critical if teachers are to fully understand how they will add value to students in their care.

“You must use data to make your decisions, don’t assume… Data helps you to understand where your students are and to establish benchmarks. If you don’t know that then you won’t know where they are after you’re done,” he said, emphasising that the job of the teacher is to facilitate student improvement.

Mr Wallace warned, however, that data has to be used carefully, pointing out that data about one set of students does not necessarily tell the story of another set of children.

“In using CSEC as informational data, for instance, one has to remember that last year’s group is a totally different set of students from this year’s group; so what worked for them may not necessarily work for this group, and the needs of this year’s group may be different from the previous group,” he stated.

In that regard, therefore, he said students should be assessed using valid strategies that give honest insight into what they know and understand. He said the strategies should meet students where they are, capitalising on their interests, where possible, to understand them.

“No fisherman stands on the shore and calls the fish. He has to go out into the fish’s natural environment to encounter the fish. We cannot stand on our pedestals and bring the students to where we are,” he argued. “So we have to meet them where they are and then lead them to where we want them to go.”

Against that background, the frank-talking education officer took issue with the manner in which some teachers continue to approach student assessment, noting that there are instances in which assessments are conducted in particular ways because it is easier for teachers to mark.

“The assessment is not about you. Sometimes we find something that is easy for us to mark or we set an exam so that in the end it doesn’t look bad on me (the teacher), because many times we ‘own up’ teaching and see it as a reflection of self,” he said. “So how we craft assessments must be meaningful and scientifically valid and reliable and gets you the information you need,” he emphasised.

He also pointed out that assessments must be comprehensive and need not only be tests or standard examinations.

Dr Maurice Smith, principal of the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL), said data has to be at the centre of all decisions if school leaders are serious about improving performance and running effective institutions, as decisions cannot be made based on anecdotes and feelings.

“When making decisions for everybody, somebody is going to be uncomfortable. Therefore, you have to ensure that you make decisions based on the data you have…. When you are making a decision, look at all the information you have to make that decision. If tomorrow newer information becomes available that would make you revise the decision you made yesterday, that’s fine, but you can’t make decisions in a vacuum,” Dr Smith stressed.

“We can’t make decisions based on who we like and who we think is with us or not with us and perceptions. The information has to be anchored in something,” he stated.

The educational leadership expert noted that the use of data was not for principals and vice-principals alone, but the entire school leadership.

“The head of department in a school is the principal for that department and the same thing the principal does for that school is the same thing the head of department should be doing for that department, but a different level,” Dr Smith argued.

Broadening the argument, he marshalled education officers to see themselves as principals for the clusters of schools they manage and use the same data principals of the schools they oversee have to inform the response of the Ministry of Education to situations in those schools.

“This avoids a broad brush approach because what is applicable in School A may not be applicable in School B. There are benchmarks and standards, but the iteration must respond to the needs of the school,” he said.