A Note About Journey Presentations

As you know, becoming Data Wise is all about working collaboratively to follow a clear process and cultivate
the habits of mind that support continuous improvement. In that spirit, we have developed the “Data Wise
Journey Presentation" as a framework for capturing what you did and what you learned. Our hope is that the
conversations you have in putting together this presentation will set you up well for the next time you go
through the Data Wise Improvement Process, and that you will find that this document helps you clearly
communicate with others about the work you have been doing.

That said, we want to acknowledge that creating a journey presentation should not be an exercise in trying
to make it look like you did things you didn’t actually do. This is not a good use of time for either you or your
audience! So as you work on this document, tell it like it is. If you did not do something, it is okay to just
leave it blank or include a note to that effect. If you did things in a different order, or doubled back, or got
stuck, that is okay. In practice, this work is not always linear; the point of the journey presentation template
is to offer a shared language and a shared medium from which to learn from one another despite the fact
that the work can be messy.

Please make a copy of this document delete this first slide, and feel free to change the slide design to make
the presentation feel more your own.

-- The Data Wise Teaching Team

Our Data Wise Journey
[insert dates of journey]
[insert school or district name]
Team Members
[insert team member names]

[insert date of presentation]

 Data Wise Throughline Worksheet
Leadership team chose this focus area:
focus area
□ Relates to instruction.
□ Narrows scope of inquiry while remaining broad enough to be
relevant to many/most staff members.
Step
Broad faculty group identified this priority question:
3 priority question
□ Arises from a collaborative process. □ Helps us know what
student data to dig into next. □ Relates to learning.
□ Is within our control. □ Is genuinely intriguing to staff.

Teacher team agreed on this learner-centered

learner-centered problem
Step □ Is directly related to priority question. □ Is based on multiple
problem:

4 data sources. □ Is about students’ learning: what they can do well

and where they struggle. □ Is within our control.
□ Is a statement, not a question. □ Is specific and small.
Teacher team agreed on this problem of practice:
problem of practice
□ Is directly related to the learner-centered problem.
Step □ Is based on evidence found when examining instruction.
□ Is about instruction: what is working well and what needs to
5 change. □ Is within our control. □ Is a statement, not a question.
□ Is specific and small.
Teacher team agreed on this instructional strategy:
action plan
Step □ States specifically what teachers will do to address the problem
of practice. □ Contains one or more research-based, high-leverage
6 instructional strategies. □ Assigns responsibility to specific people.
□ Is time-bound.

Teacher team agreed to use these data sources:

plan to assess progress
Step □ Clarifies evidence that would show whether action plan
addresses the learner-centered problem.
7 □ Includes short-, medium-, and long-term data sources.
□ Includes specific, measurable student learning goals.
Copyright © 2018 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
 Step 1: Organize
for
Collaborative
Work
TEAM & STRUCTURES

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 4
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 1: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
organize for collaborative work (for example,
protocols we used for setting norms, taking
stock etc. )]

5
 Step 1: Our Evidence
• [Insert evidence that we made progress in
organizing for collaborative work, feeling free
to add a slide with a photo or artifact from
this step (for example, our norms, our
completed data inventory, etc.)]

6
 Step 1: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

7
 Step 2: Build
Assessment
Literacy
INCREASED COMFORT
WITH DATA

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 8
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 2: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
build assessment literacy either as part of the
PREPARE phase or at any other time during
the improvement process where it was
necessary (for example, protocols or mini-
lessons we used to help staff members
understand how to interpret assessment
results)]

9
 Step 2: Our Evidence
• [Insert evidence that we made progress in
building assessment literacy, feeling free to
add a slide with a photo or artifact from this
step (for example, poster listing key terms)]

10
 Step 2: Our Reflections
What worked
+ well What we would
Δ like to
for usworked
What in this step
well improve
What for next
to change time
next time
•• [Insert reflections]It can be helpful to
[Insert reflections. •• [Insert reflections]It can be helpful to
[Insert reflections.
• [Insert reflections] • [Insert reflections]
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

11
 PRIORITY QUESTION
Step 3:
Create Data
Overview

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 12
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 3: Our Process
• The focus area for this journey was:

[insert focus area here]

• [Include bullet points about what we did to

engage staff members with the data overview
(for example, protocols we used for grounding
statements in evidence and identifying a
priority question)]
Our focus area relates to instruction and narrows the scope of inquiry while remaining broad
enough so that all staff members participating in the data overview saw themselves playing a 13
role in it.
 Step 3: Our Evidence
• [Insert no more than three slides from our
data overview]

14
 Step 3: Our Priority Question
• [Insert what staff members noticed in the
data overview charts]

• We identified the following priority question:

[insert priority question here]

Our priority question arose from a collaborative process, relates to instruction, narrows the
focus of inquiry, takes into account current resources, and taps into something we are 15
motivated to investigate.
 Step 3: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

16
 LEARNER-CENTERED PROBLEM

Step 4:
Dig into Student
Data

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 17
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 4: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what data sources
we selected and what process we used to dig
into them (for example, protocols for looking
at student work and identifying a learner-
centered problem)]

18
 Step 4: Our Evidence
• [This slide is optional: feel free to include a
photo or artifact from Step 4 (for example, a
photo of student work, a survey used to dig
deeper into the priority question, a chart that
allows for item analysis)]

19
 Step 4: Our Learner-Centered Problem

• [Insert what staff members noticed when

digging into student data]

• We identified the following learner-centered

problem:

[insert learner-centered problem here]

Our learner-centered problem is directly related to our priority question, based on digging into
multiple data sources, within our control, a statement about student learning (not a question), and 20
specific and small.
 Step 4: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

21
 PROBLEM OF PRACTICE

Step 5:
Examine
Instruction

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 22
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 5: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
examine instruction (for example, protocols
we used to focus, observe and debrief what
we saw in classrooms)]

23
 Step 5: Our Evidence
• [This slide is optional: feel free to include a
photo or artifact from Step 5 (for example, a
photo from a classroom observation, a note-
taking form completed by a team member
during a classroom observation, or a photo of
an affinity protocol poster)]

24
 Step 5: Our Problem of Practice
• [Insert what staff members noticed when
examining instruction]

• We identified the following problem of

practice:

[insert problem of practice here. It can be

helpful to begin this statement with the phrase
“As teachers, we…”]
Our problem of practice is directly related to the learner-centered problem, based on evidence
found when examining instruction, within our control, a statement about practice (not a question), 25
and specific and small.
 Step 5: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

26
 ACTION PLAN

Step 6:
Develop
Action Plan

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 27
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 6: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
develop an action plan (for example, protocols
we used for identifying and selecting
instructional strategies and agreeing on what
those strategies would look like in classrooms,
professional development plans)]

28
 Step 6: Our Evidence
ACTION PLAN
Problem of Practice: [insert problem of practice here]

Instructional Strategy:[insert instructional strategy here]

Task Who When

29
 Step 6: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

30
 Step 7:
ASSESSMENT PLAN
Plan to Assess
Progress

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 31
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 7: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
plan to assess progress (for example,
protocols we used for choosing data sources
and setting student learning goals)]

32
 Step 7: Our Evidence
PLAN TO ASSESS PROGRESS
Data Source When Goal

Short-
term

Mediu
m-
term

Long-
term

33
 Step 7: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

34
 Step 8:
ASSESSMENT &
Act and Assess
ADJUSTMENT

Source: Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Data wise, revised and expanded edition: A step-by-step guide to 35
using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
 Step 8: Our Process
• [Include bullet points about what we did to
act and assess (for example, protocols we
used to assess the plan’s impact on teaching
and learning, identify needed adjustments,
and celebrate success)]

36
 Step 8: Our Evidence
• [Insert evidence of student learning,
adjustments to the plan, and/or celebrations
of success, feeling free to add a slide with a
photo or artifact from this step]

37
 Step 8: Our Reflections
+ Δ
What worked well What to change next time
• [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to • [Insert reflections. It can be helpful to
have these statements begin with a have these statements begin with a
verb in “ing” form.] verb in command form.]

38
 Burning Question
• [Insert the most pressing question that we
have for the teaching team or our colleagues
as we head into our next journey]

39