From Data to Indicators of Success... and Back to the Data

ROUTINE DATA SOURCE AND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

I am interested in how students collaborate in the telling of stories. I want my students to develop not only strong oral language and story writing skills, but also the ability to work together in collaborative partnerships. The focus of my inquiry is on how my students develop these skills as they plan, draw, discuss and act out their stories during Story Play Time.

I collect data throughout the Story Play process, video taping my students' conversations as they plan their stories in partnerships, draw and dictate their story to an adult, and then act it out as a group. I look at the content of their work as well as the process they engage in as they collaborate in developing a story together. 

	DATA SOURCE	LEARNING GOALS	INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
CONTENT (What are they doing?)	story drawings and dictation	Storytelling Skills: Students develop structured narratives	Beginning, middle, end, with elements of character, setting problem solution
		Oral Language Skills: Students use storybook language	Transition phrases (first, then, there was, after that) or story spine (every day, until one day)
PROCESS (How are they doing it?)	video recordings of student collaboration	Collaboration Skills: Students work collaboratively in strategic partnerships	Integration of ideas, joint leadership, Partners taking turns, sharing, and building on each other’s ideas

FROM DATA TO INDICATORS:

This was my process in developing my indicators of success
1 - Clarified my triangle of learning goals;

2 - Refocused on one student (and her partners) ;

3 - Made a chart of all of her work from beginning of the year to see progression of data ;

4 - Looked back at chronological sequence of data and jotted down notes in three categories of learning goals, not specific, just whatever came to mind ;

5 - Looked for patterns in my notes and drew out specific indicators based on what I was seeing in my data

Focal Student Data : Armani	Learning Goals / Indicators of Success
By Armani and Charlotte (10/16/13) There was a pig and a barn and the pig was walking on a path. (C) The little guy was like, “Moo” and it was not a cow it was a pig. And he run to a person named Joe. (A) First, he turned backwards and the pig was jumping on him. Then he turned around and said, “How did you get to here? You’re supposed to be at the barn!” The pig jumped in a pile of mud. (C) And he jumped in the farm. (A) And he scratched the person and jumped to the barn. (A)	Oral Language Skills – Charlotte models good storybook language (There was a... First, then); Peer questions after acting it out help to clarify language. Why was the barn there? (Implied: What does it mean to jump to the farm?) Pushed Armani’s language to be more precise and clear. Story Skills – Starts with context/setting and characters. Armani has good sense of character. Charlotte has good story flow, includes problem of pig not being where he was supposed to be. Armani jumps quickly to the solution of pig going back to barn, but without much explanation or story development. Collaboration – Both contributing, working on same, integrated story, listening to each other’s ideas
By Charlotte and Armani (10/30/2013) This is a birthday party story and a rainbow sun (C). It’s my birthday and Charlotte’s birthday (A). We play games (C). My mommy comes and visits us (A). She’s so surprised because we did it all ourselves (C).	Oral Language Skills – less story book language, more “This is…” Story Skills - not many details, characters but not much setting, no problem/solution or ending Collaboration – again, an integrated story, rather than two parallel stories. Pattern of Charlotte always beginning and Armani listening to her, then adding on. (a good skill to recognize and build on?)
By Charlotte and Armani (11/20/2013) We went to the animal farm and every day we visited the animals and gave them some food until one day their farmer came back and then we went on a field trip. We were going on a field trip and then a cheetah was chasing us (Charlotte). Then we keeped going home and the cheetah keeped following us. And Charlotte run and I run too but the cheetah kept catching us (A).	Oral Language Skills – Charlotte using Story Spine language (every day, until one day) Armani’s language less clear (keeped going home, kept catching us) Story Skills – Charlotte begins with setting and characters and then introduces the problem of the chasing cheetah and Armani elaborates with a continuation of the  problem, still unresolved. Collaboration – Charlotte still starts, but this is good for Armani who listens and adds on in appropriate, integrated way every time
By Armani and Evelyn (1/22/14) There’s two cakes. This the swimming pool where you get in Evelyn and my friends always playing with us (A). This is a person getting in and these are other people swimming in the pool (E). After the party, we gonna party and stuff and have pizza, pasta, pepperoni, macaroni and cheese and chicken. Then we gonna have a picnic. After the picnic, we going to a birthday party (A). I’m this one and I’m doing a back float and I’m trying to raise to the top of the water when I sink (E).	Oral Language Skills – Describing a picture (this is an X that’s an X) vs. using storybook language (first, then, etc, story spine language) Story Skills – Evelyn referencing anchor chart, thinking about setting from the start (first idea house, then switched to pool) Armani has no ideas during planning but when asked to share out, tells story made up on the spot (?) of a party and a picnic (sequence of events) which then get situated in the pool setting. Story ideas integrated together. Later Armani focuses on characters, her and Evelyn and friends. Collaboration –started off with two separate ideas, Evelyn trying to engage Armani with pool idea, but Armani not focused, later tells her own party story, unrelated at first but then added in pool, managed to integrate into one story ; during drawing, working cooperatively on same story but very minimal interaction, not a lot of conversation or back and forth, each sticking to their own ideas ; this is the first time Armani has started dictating the story (because of new partner?) but she does  incorporate Evelyn’s idea from planning time.

FROM INDICATORS BACK TO THE TO DATA

Once I had decided on my indicators of success, I went back and pulled out examples from my data to see how my focal students were doing.

Indicators	Focal Student – A.R.	Focal Student – C.D.
I: Oral Language Skills – storybook language (first, then, there was, after that) vs. picture description	☐Met ☐Not met  X Partially What evidence of student learning do you see in the student work? There’s two cakes. This the swimming pool where you get in. (1/22/14) After the party, we gonna party and stuff and have pizza, pasta, pepperoni, macaroni and cheese and chicken. Then we gonna have a picnic. After the picnic, we going to a birthday party. (1/22/14)	X Met ☐Not met  ☐ Partially Evidence of student learning: We went to the animal farm and every day we visited the animals and gave them some food until one day their farmer came back and then we went on a field trip. (11/20/13)
II: Story Skills – character, setting, problem/solution, ending	☐Met ☐Not met  X Partially Evidence of student learning/thinking: Then we keeped going home and the cheetah keeped following us. And Charlotte run and I run too but the cheetah kept catching us. (11/20/13)	X Met ☐Not met  ☐ Partially Evidence of student learning/thinking: There was a pig and a barn and the pig was walking on a path. (C) The little guy was like, “Moo” and it was not a cow it was a pig. And he run to a person named Joe. (A)First, he turned backwards and the pig was jumping on him. Then he turned around and said, “How did you get to here? You’re supposed to be at the barn!” The pig jumped in a pile of mud. (C)
III: Collaboration – integration of ideas (vs. parallel stories) ; leading/following dynamics ; listening to ideas/ adding on	☐Met ☐Not met  X Partially Evidence of student learning/thinking: (10/16/13) Both contributing, working on same, integrated story, listening to each other’s ideas (10/30/13)  An integrated story, rather than two parallel stories. Pattern of Charlotte always beginning and Armani listening to her, then adding on. (a good skill to recognize and build on?) (11/20/13) Charlotte starts, but this is good for Armani who listens and adds on in appropriate, integrated way every time (1/22/14) started off with two separate ideas, Evelyn trying to engage Armani with pool idea, but Armani not focused, later tells her own party story, unrelated at first but then added in pool, managed to integrate into one story ; during drawing, working cooperatively on same story but very minimal interaction, not a lot of conversation or back and forth, each sticking to their own ideas ; this is the first time Armani has started dictating the story (because of new partner?) but she does  incorporate Evelyn’s idea from planning time.