4-Lens™ Analysis Of Student Data
in Steps
Transforming student data into information about growth, consistency, equity, and standards
Motivate & Facilitate with Data
Data shows us symptoms – but may not offer insight into the underlying problem(s). Transforming data into information is what makes it useful.
Medical professionals use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize internal structures in great detail. An MRI machine produces images or “slices” of parts of the human body. Technicians can then reconstruct those slices to develop a detailed, meaningful understanding of the scanned area.
Performance Fact’s 4-Lens™ Data Analysis Protocol offers a simple but comprehensive way to probe all kinds of student data including benchmark assessments, state tests, social-emotional studies, surveys, and attendance and disciplinary records. By looking at the data through four lenses, practitioners will acquire a richer understanding of “what the data says.”
- Lens 1. GROWTH focuses on “value-adds” in learning and achievement for identical student groups or cohorts.
- Lens 2. CONSISTENCY investigates learning and achievement for different groups of students, or non-cohorts.
- Lens 3. EQUITY provides insights into the learning and achievement by students by subgroup.
- Lens 4. STANDARDS tells us about student mastery of the academic standards that would prepare them for success at the next level.
This look through the data from four perspectives provides practitioners with more insightful information about student learning and achievement.
▶ Recommended time frame for the Program Evaluation and Benchmarking process: Middle or end of year
STEP BY STEP
STEP
1
Organize
the student data.
Compile student data
- Consider data from multiple sources, including academic, social-emotional, and perceptual
- Disaggregate data by relevant student demographic indicators
- Include data across multiple time intervals (marking periods, assessment cycles, years)
STEP
2
Probe
the student data.
Using the 4-Lens guiding questions, probe the data by asking:
- Lens 1. Growth: Did achievement improve for the student cohort?
- Lens 2. Consistency: Was achievement consistent for non-cohort students?
- Lens 3. Equity: How quickly are we closing achievement gaps across student groups?
- Lens 4. Standards: How well are students mastering the essential skills and concepts?
STEP
3
Make inferences about
what the data says.
Summarize highest-priority areas of strengths and areas of concern
- Key findings regarding student learning and achievement
- Key findings regarding professional practices and strategies