Promoting Data Literacy: Using Social and Emotional Learning Assessment Data to Inform Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Data literacy enables members of a school to evaluate the credibility of the information they encounter, meaningfully interpret the findings in context, and empower stakeholders to make data-based decisions that can promote student success. However, schools are often not equipped to readily interpret, critically appraise, and appropriately use data. This is particularly true for data from social and emotional learning assessments that measure non-academic skills and behaviors crucial to students’ well-being and success. This study illustrates the use of advise-and-design sessions, a sequence of focus groups that unpack, make sense of, and act on assessment data to inform and improve teaching and learning. A total of 37 educators and 11 adolescent students from 12 schools participated. Each was involved in 4–5 advise-and-design sessions during Spring 2024. The sessions were audio-recorded and then analyzed by thematic inductive coding. Key findings included data-driven introductory positioning, in-depth data review, and data-informed actions. An advise-and-design protocol is developed for use in schools. Implications for teaching and learning practices are also discussed.