As the new school year approaches, many of us are busy putting the final touches on our plans for the upcoming year.  I truly believe in using data in education, as I am sure all of us do.  Getting the data in hand is often the easy part, but the next step is the most crucial.  What are you doing with your data?

At my school we get a wealth of data from NWEA as we take MAP.  This gives our teachers a lot of info on their incoming students and allows them to see class wide trends.  We also have a new state assessment and we are getting better info from that assessment.

What are some things you are doing in your class or your school to best utilize the data available to you?  Are you really using it to drive instructional decisions?  If so, how?