Mid-Year Data Day: Running an Effective 90-Minute Review

Action Items Completed

35% 82%

+134%

Tier Movement Decisions Made

12 47

+292%

Meeting Efficiency Rating

2.8/5 4.3/5

+54%

The Problem

Data meetings were a mandated checkbox. Teams met for 90 minutes, scrolled through spreadsheets, and left without clear action items. Teachers described them as "a waste of time." The few action items that were generated were rarely followed up on because no one tracked them. The deeper problem: meetings lacked structure. Without a protocol, the loudest voice dominated and the conversation drifted to anecdotes rather than data.

The Plan

1

Pre-work: Data wall prepared with 2-3 specific questions

Not 'let's look at the data' but 'which Tier 2 students are ready for Tier 1?' Data coach prepares before the meeting.

Data Wall DataDay See example

Elmer Suite → Data Wall

StudentMetric 1Metric 2Status

Student A At Risk Watch Flagged

Student B On Track On Track ✓

Stoplight colors show who needs attention at a glance.
2

Student sort: maintaining, improving, or declining

Evidence required for each categorization. No opinions without data. Declining students get intervention changes.

25 min
3

Every decision generates a specific action item with owner + deadline

'We'll try something different' is not an action item. 'Ms. Rivera switches Jordan to phonics group Monday' is.

DataDay Groups See example

Elmer Suite → Groups

Intervention Group

Marcus T. Aaliyah R. Devon K. Sophia L.

Create groups, assign students, track progress per group.