Timely and Useful Data to Improve Classroom Instruction

Over the past several decades, educators have become increasingly intent on using data to inform decision-making at all levels of the educational system (Cho & Wayman, 2014; Mandinach, 2012; Means et al., 2010). The underlying reasoning is sound: Better decisions can be made with relevant data. Policymakers have reasoned that instructional decisions made by teachers that are based on data relevant to the classroom will help students to learn and achieve more. Indeed, from the introduction of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to the current policies of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the