Douglas County School System: DSES Data Day

Douglasville GA

14 September, 2021

11:05 AM

Description

Press release from the Douglas County School System: 09/13/2021 Coming back from a holiday can be difficult for some students and teachers, but that wasn't the case for those at Dorsett Shoals Elementary School (DSES) on Tuesday.  Inside the building, teachers had decorated their doorways and classrooms, while music played at the bus ramp and car drop off line to welcome students in for the first DSES Data Day.  The idea for Data Day was born in January, when DSES Instructional Lead Teacher Lauren Cook met with grade level teams and learned that both teachers and students were having some trouble making the most of their STAR test results. "Last January, we met with our grade level teams, and it was apparent that when students take the STAR, which is a universal screener we use in Douglas County, the results aren't what they're used to and they don't know what they mean," said Cook. "And since we take the test two to three to four times per year, we want to make it worthwhile and get all we can out of it." On the Data Days, teachers decorate their classrooms and dress in DSES spirit wear, while students focus on understanding their test results and setting goals for the upcoming test.  "Our goal is to really get students excited for the tests to show what they know," Cook said. "For a lot of students, we'll track their results on a graph or chart so they can see the progress they've made. Seeing those results that way helps them see the progress they've made and set goals for individual growth." For younger students who don't take the standardized assessments, they focus on sight word recognition and other lesso ns that align with their standards.  This press release was produced by the Douglas County School System. The views expressed here are the author's own.