Begin with the End in Mind: Using Data-Folders to Increase Students’ Accountability

Carmen Navarro • Cahn Fellow 2018

This project investigates one important aspect of the conditions and practices that directly impact the growth and attainment of the students at Azuela Elementary School: student data folders. Trusting that, to increase students’ achievement, schools need to upsurge students’ agency and accountability towards their learning. To this end, students and teachers were first surveyed and interviewed to gain an insightful understanding of the systems and structures in place. Then, using the communication styles and the “Ways of Knowing” we were able to gather teachers’ feedback and perceptions towards the students’ data- folders. Finding out that our data folders’ system needed to be restructured and refined, we then created templates and documents for different grade levels for teachers to utilize when facilitating goal-setting, conferencing and monitoring of students’ progress. When students are not only able to articulate their data, but also demonstrate a clear understanding of what their scores mean, and when teachers are using the data folder system with fidelity, eventually, a dynamic community of learners will be established and sustained.