The DOI matches its Crossref record; 62 of the 63 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Teachers’ Use of Assessment Data to Inform Instruction: Lessons from the past and Prospects for the Future
Abstract
Background: Data use has been promoted as a panacea for instructional improvement. However, the field lacks a detailed understanding of how teachers actually use assessment data to inform instruction and the factors that shape this process. Purpose: This article provides a review of literature on teachers’ use of assessment data to inform instruction. We draw primarily on empirical studies of data use that have been published in the past decade, most of which have been conducted as data-driven decision making came into more widespread use. The article reviews research on the types of assessment data teachers use to inform instruction, how teachers analyze data, and how their instruction is impacted. Research Design: Review of research. Findings: In the current accountability context, benchmark assessment data predominate in teachers’ work with data. Although teachers are often asked to analyze data in a consistent way, agendas for data use, the nature of the assessments, and teacher beliefs all come into play, leading to variability in how they use data. Instructional changes on the basis of data often focus on struggling students, raising some equity concerns. The general absence of professional development has hampered teachers’ efforts to use data, as well as their confidence in doing so. Conclusions: Given that interim benchmark assessment data predominate in teachers’ work with data, we need to think more deeply about the content of those assessments, as well as how we can create conditions for teachers to use assessment to inform instruction. This review of research underscores the need for further research in this area, as well teacher professional development on how to translate assessment data into information that can inform instructional planning.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Citations
Cites
Russell, W. F. (1930) · Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1177/016146813003100748 · Cited by 1,972
Below the Bubble: “Educational Triage” and the Texas Accountability System
Booher-Jennings, J. (2005) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/00028312042002231 · Cited by 762
Horn, I. S., & Little, J. W. (2010) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/0002831209345158 · Cited by 762
Educational Assessment Knowledge and Skills for Teachers
Brookhart, S. M. (2011) · Educational Measurement Issues and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2010.00195.x · Cited by 555
A Systemic View of Implementing Data Literacy in Educator Preparation
Mandinach, E. B., & Gummer, E. S. (2013) · Educational Researcher · doi:10.3102/0013189x12459803 · Cited by 492
Data-informed curriculum reform: Which data, what purposes, and promoting and hindering factors
Schildkamp, K., & Kuiper, W. (2010) · Teaching and Teacher Education · doi:10.1016/j.tate.2009.06.007 · Cited by 406
Kerr, K. A., Marsh, J. A., Ikemoto, G. S., Darilek, H., & Barney, H. (2006) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/505057 · Cited by 341
Interventions Promoting Educators’ Use of Data: Research Insights and Gaps
Marsh, J. A. (2012) · Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1177/016146811211401106 · Cited by 328
Data in Practice: Conceptualizing the Data-Based Decision-Making Phenomena
Spillane, J. P. (2012) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/663283 · Cited by 308
The New Instructional Leadership: Creating Data-Driven Instructional Systems in School
Halverson, R., Grigg, J. A., Prichett, R., & Thomas, C. (2007) · Journal of School Leadership · doi:10.1177/105268460701700202 · Cited by 287
From Evidence to Action: A Seamless Process in Formative Assessment?
Heritage, M., Kim, J.-O., Vendlinski, T., & Herman, J. L. (2009) · Educational Measurement Issues and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2009.00151.x · Cited by 286
Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World
Earl, L. M., & Katz, S. (2002) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-010-0375-9_34 · Cited by 284
Teachers’ Use of Data: Loose Coupling, Agenda Setting, and Team Norms
Young, V. M. (2006) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/505058 · Cited by 281
Informal formative assessment: The role of instructional dialogues in assessing students’ learning
Ruiz‐Primo, M. A. (2011) · Studies In Educational Evaluation · doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2011.04.003 · Cited by 268
Practices That Support Data Use in Urban High Schools
Lachat, M. A., & Smith, S. (2005) · Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR) · doi:10.1207/s15327671espr1003_7 · Cited by 261
The Practice of Data Use: An Introduction
Coburn, C. E., & Turner, E. O. (2012) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/663272 · Cited by 254
Carlson, D., Borman, G. D., & Robinson, M. (2011) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.3102/0162373711412765 · Cited by 249
Ikemoto, G. S., & Marsh, J. A. (2007) · Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2007.00099.x · Cited by 244
Understanding Data Use Practice among Teachers: The Contribution of Micro-Process Studies
Little, J. W. (2012) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/663271 · Cited by 220
Moving Toward a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Framework for Considering Interim Assessments
Perie, M., Marion, S. F., & Gong, B. (2009) · Educational Measurement Issues and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2009.00149.x · Cited by 214
Primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: A qualitative study
Remesal, A. (2010) · Teaching and Teacher Education · doi:10.1016/j.tate.2010.09.017 · Cited by 212
Supovitz, J. A. (2009) · Journal of Educational Change · doi:10.1007/s10833-009-9105-2 · Cited by 206
(2009) · US Department of Education · Cited by 192
Supovitz, J. A., & Klein, V. (2003) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e382752004-001 · Cited by 192
Teachers' Ability to Use Data to Inform Instruction: Challenges and Supports.
Means, B., Chen, E. E., DeBarger, A. H., & Padilla, C. (2011) · Cited by 178
(2010) · US Department of Education · Cited by 176
(2008) · Cited by 167
Queensland teachers’ conceptions of assessment: The impact of policy priorities on teacher attitudes
Brown, G., Lake, R., & Matters, G. (2010) · Teaching and Teacher Education · doi:10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.003 · Cited by 160
Data, Dyads, and Dynamics: Exploring Data Use and Social Networks in Educational Improvement
Daly, A. J. (2012) · Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1177/016146811211401103 · Cited by 149
School–Central Office Relationships in Evidence Use: Understanding Evidence Use as a Systems Problem
Honig, M. I., & Venkateswaran, N. (2012) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/663282 · Cited by 149
Affordances and constraints in the context of teacher collaboration for the purpose of data use
Datnow, A., Park, V., & Kennedy‐Lewis, B. (2013) · Journal of Educational Administration · doi:10.1108/09578231311311500 · Cited by 148
Self-citationLearning to Learn From Benchmark Assessment Data: How Teachers Analyze Results
Oláh, L. N., Lawrence, N. R., & Riggan, M. (2010) · Peabody Journal of Education · doi:10.1080/01619561003688688 · Cited by 139
Strategic Framing: How Leaders Craft the Meaning of Data Use for Equity and Learning
Park, V., Daly, A. J., & Guerra, A. W. (2013) · Educational Policy · doi:10.1177/0895904811429295 · Cited by 134
Schnellert, L., Butler, D. L., & Higginson, S. K. (2007) · Teaching and Teacher Education · doi:10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.001 · Cited by 130
Commentary: Evaluating the Validity of Formative and Interim Assessment
Shepard, L. A. (2009) · Educational Measurement Issues and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2009.00152.x · Cited by 122
Cosner, S. (2011) · Educational Management Administration & Leadership · doi:10.1177/1741143211408453 · Cited by 114
Dunn, K. E., Airola, D. T., Lo, W., & Garrison, M. (2012) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2012.11.002 · Cited by 113
Learning to learn from data: Benchmarks and instructional communities
Blanc, S., Christman, J. B., Liu, R., Mitchell, C., Travers, E., & Bulkley, K. E. (2010) · Peabody Journal of Education · doi:10.1080/01619561003685379 · Cited by 104
Data Use for School Improvement: School Practices and Research Perspectives
Wayman, J. C., & Stringfield, S. (2006) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/505055 · Cited by 98
Jimerson, J. B. (2014) · Studies in Educational Evaluation · doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.10.010 · Cited by 97
The Impact of Indiana’s System of Interim Assessments on Mathematics and Reading Achievement
Konstantopoulos, S., Miller, S., & van der Ploeg, A. J. (2013) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.3102/0162373713498930 · Cited by 90
Teachers' Instructional Use of Summative Student Assessment Data
Hoover, N. R., & Abrams, L. M. (2013) · Applied Measurement in Education · doi:10.1080/08957347.2013.793187 · Cited by 75
The Effects of Accountability System Design on Teachers’ Use of Test Score Data
Jennings, J. L. (2012) · Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1177/016146811211401108 · Cited by 72
Handbook of Data-Based Decision Making in Education
Kowalski, T. J., & Lasley, T. J. (2010) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203888803 · Cited by 69
Mathematics : traditions and [new] practices
Clark, J., Kissane, B. V., Mousley, J. A., Spencer, T., & Thornton, S. (2011) · Cited by 67
Multiple initiatives, multiple challenges: The promise and pitfalls of implementing data
Hubbard, L., Datnow, A., & Pruyn, L. (2014) · Studies in Educational Evaluation · doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.10.003 · Cited by 60
Self-citationchapter 6 Culture and Processes Affecting Data Use in School Districts
Firestone, W. A., & González, R. A. (2007) · Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2007.00100.x · Cited by 58
The role of interim assessments in a comprehensive assessment system: A policy brief.
Perie, M., Marion, S. F., & Wurtzel, J. (2007) · Cited by 56
Preparing Educators to Effectively Use Student Data Systems
Zavadsky, H. (2010) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203888803-13 · Cited by 53
Evidence-Informed Conversations Making a Difference to Student Achievement
Timperley, H. S. (2008) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-6917-8_6 · Cited by 51
What the Marketplace Has Brought Us: Item-by-Item Teaching With Little Instructional Insight
Shepard, L. A. (2010) · Peabody Journal of Education · doi:10.1080/01619561003708445 · Cited by 47
chapter 4 Understanding the Promise and Dynamics of Data‐Informed Leadership
Knapp, M. S., Copland, M. A., & Swinnerton, J. A. (2007) · Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2007.00098.x · Cited by 47
Understanding the Promise and Dynamics of Data-Informed Leadership
Knapp, M. S., Copland, M. A., & Swinnerton, J. A. (2007) · Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education · Cited by 46
chapter 10 The Uses of Testing Data in Urban Elementary Schools: Some Lessons from Chicago
Diamond, J. B., & Cooper, K. S. (2007) · Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2007.00104.x · Cited by 41
Data-Driven Decision Making: Components of the Enculturation of Data Use in Education
Mandinach, E., & Gummer, E. S. (2015) · Teachers College Record · doi:10.1177/016146811511700402 · Cited by 37
Exploring the Macro-Micro Dynamic in Data Use Practice
Moss, P. (2012) · American Journal of Education · doi:10.1086/663274 · Cited by 31
Teachers’ intentions to use national literacy and numeracy assessment data: a pilot study
Pierce, R. U., & Chick, H. (2011) · The Australian Educational Researcher · doi:10.1007/s13384-011-0040-x · Cited by 27
Bulkley, K. E., Oláh, L. N., & Blanc, S. (2010) · Peabody Journal of Education · doi:10.1080/01619561003673920 · Cited by 22
Statistical Misunderstandings of the Properties of School Scores and School Accountability
Rogosa, D. (2005) · Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2005.00029.x · Cited by 16
Teachers' use of national test data to focus numeracy instruction
White, P. J., & Anderson, J. (2011) · Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) · Cited by 10
Beyond the numbers chase: how urban high school teachers make sense of data use
Park, V. (2015) · University of Southern California Digital Library · doi:10.25549/usctheses-m1587 · Cited by 5
Data: The Missing Piece to Improving Student Achievement
(2013) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e557152012-001 · Cited by 1
Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Bennett R. E. (2011). Formative assessment: A critical review. Assessment in education: Principles, Policy, and Practice, 18(1), 5–25.
- Bernhardt V. (1998). Multiple measures. Invited Monograph No. 4. Oroville: California Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
- Datnow A., & Park V. (2014). Data-driven leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Davidson K. L., & Frohbieter G. (2011). District adoption and implementation of interim and benchmark assessments (Report No. 806). Los Angeles, CA: National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
- Hamilton L., Halverson R., Jackson S. S., Mandinach E., Supovitz J., & Wayman J. (2009). IES Practice Guide: Using student achievement data to support instructional decision making(NCEE 2009-4067). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.
- Heppen J., Jones W., Faria A., Sawyer K., Lewis S., Horwitz A. & Casserly M. (2012). Using data to improve instruction in the Great City Schools: Documenting current practice. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and The Council of Great City Schools.
- Kennedy M. M. (2011). Data use by teachers: Productive improvement or panacea? (Working Paper No. 19). East Lansing: Education Policy Center at Michigan State University.
- Levin B., Datnow A., & Carrier N. (2012). Changing school district practices. Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future. Retrieved from http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/papers/changing-school-district-practices
- 10.1177/016146811511700404 · DOI
- Moriarty T. (2013). Data-driven decision-making: Teachers' use of data in the classroom (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3571708)
- Shepard L., Davidson K., & Bowman R. (2011). How middle school mathematics teachers use interim and benchmark assessment data(CSE Technical Report). Los Angeles: University of California, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Data-based decision-making for school improvement: Research insights and gaps
Schildkamp, K. (2019) · Educational Research · doi:10.1080/00131881.2019.1625716 · Cited by 347
Datnow, A., & Hubbard, L. (2016) · Journal of Educational Change · doi:10.1007/s10833-015-9264-2 · Cited by 287
Self-citationWang, Y. (2020) · Studies In Educational Evaluation · doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100872 · Cited by 215
Data literacy: What do educators learn and struggle with during a data use intervention?
Kippers, W., Poortman, C., Schildkamp, K., & Visscher, A. (2018) · Studies In Educational Evaluation · doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2017.11.001 · Cited by 139
Schildkamp, K., Poortman, C., Ebbeler, J., & Pieters, J. (2019) · Journal of educational change · doi:10.1007/s10833-019-09345-3 · Cited by 101
Metadata
- Authors
- Datnow, A., & Hubbard, L.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- ORCID
- Datnow, Amanda
- Venue
- Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-04
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1-26
- ISSN
- 0040-0475 (ISSN-L)
- 0161-4681
- 1467-9620
- OpenAlex
- W2420929498
- Semantic Scholar
- e9d79828445c936b922386500f6442f9496e5478
- Cited by
- 176
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 6
- FWCI
- 30.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Teachers College Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Assessment and Improvement
- Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
- Social Sciences › Education › Teacher Education and Assessments
- Keywords
- assessment data use, data-driven decision making, benchmark assessment, interim assessment, teacher beliefs, teacher professional development, educational accountability, instructional change, educational equity, struggling students, instructional planning
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review