How many times have you heard someone (or yourself) say, "but the research says [insert an excerpt from an article here]" to validate an approach or strategy?

We get this, it's entirely well-intentioned and honestly good in many ways BUT there's a better way to validate our approach and strategy in our literacy instruction.

Instead of using "the research says…" we should be using our own experiences, our own students, and our data to be driving us. Keep reading to learn more.

We are back again with the next step in Data Tracking! This week we are talking all about analyzing your data. Now, we know that the word analyze brings about a heavy weight - but hear us out. Analyzing your data doesn’t have to be hard. One of the biggest mistakes we see is when well-meaning interventionists and SLPs rely on evidence/research based programs without analyzing their own data to make sure that students are actually making growth.

We know we are strange but absolutely LOVE data tracking and data analysis. Not joking. Part of the reason we love data is because Data Tracking & Data Analysis are the absolute best way to see how much growth our reading intervention students have made and to see where they need continued practice.

Your data is your road map, your GPS, for literacy intervention. One of the best things we can do is to get a good look at how our students are performing overall. This data will be invaluable to parents, other professionals, and next year’s teacher.