Data-Driven Teachers

Although I prefer to envision myself in front of the classroom of yesterday, that is sadly no longer within the realm of possibility, due to both current legislation and the much different 21st century learner. The concept of data-driven decision-making strays far from how teachers are typically envisioned, but I feel the concept has, at least some, good to it. However, it should go without saying that in order to be an effective educator, records (or in this case, data) for students should not only be kept, but often referred back to so as to mark progress or a lack thereof. Where I begin to disagree with data-driven teaching, though, is with the incorporation of benchmarks. I wholeheartedly disagree with benchmarks and standardized testing in general. To assess student progress, it takes more than a simple formula and a calender; assessment needs to be wholly specific to the classroom. A teacher may be teaching the same history class three times a day, but to test the three classes on the same day may not be in the best interest of the students as they very well may be at different stages in learning.