N. Oaks MS Makes Data Visual

BISD PLCs are working hard to help students improve their literacy skills. Although teachers have access to student lexile levels it can be difficult to visualize what all that data means.  Academic coach, Pam Ochoa wanted to create a picture of literacy data for her teachers.  

She enlisted the help of her Principal, Dr. Klaerner who expertly pulled data for every student in English based on period and teacher. After the reports were printed, Pam transferred the data onto clothesline markers. 
Next, she enlarged the lexile scale to span all of the bulletin boards in the PLC room.

After the markers were hung on the bulletin board and against the enlarged scale, teachers were surprised to see that the data was actually more positive than they had initially thought. Now each time staff meets for PLC, the data is more than numbers. This data will become an even bigger visual projection when middle of the year reports are pulled.  Pam plans to show student progression form the beginning of the year to mid-year by re-creating the scale and linking each class marker with yarn. 

Finding ways to turn numbers into understandable visuals is just one of the many wonderful things Birdville academic coaches do. If you have a method for visualizing data, we would love for you to share in the comments below.