Data.
Some teachers dread the mention of it. Some enjoy digging into it. But most struggle at some point with fundamental questions:
- How do you know you have the right data?
- Based on that data, how do you know what the next right step is?
- How are you supposed to find the time to dig through all the assessments to find the right data in the first place?
With Mastery View in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) powered by D2L Brightspace, finding and analyzing data is no longer the daunting task it once was. You can now differentiate, individualize and personalize feedback in a few clicks. Without having to dig around for the right data, Mastery View can give you more time to quickly plan effective next steps, whether in a yearlong or summer school class.
In this blog, we’ll look at what Mastery View is, how you can use it in your classroom, and the power it gives you to bridge insight to intervention and enrichment for your students.
What Is Mastery View?
Mastery View provides teachers with data on student and whole-class progress toward curriculum expectations. After you’ve aligned expectations to assignments, quizzes and rubrics in the VLE, you get a color-coded dashboard that displays students’ individual achievements, as well as the ability to see how the whole class is performing against grade-level expectations. You also have the ability to use your own professional judgment to override a suggested level of achievement based on a student’s actual performance.
How Can I Use Mastery View in My Classroom?
Demonstrated learning is about a lot more than arriving at a percentage or letter grade. In Mastery View, you have the power to set the calculation method for assignments and how they show up in your dashboard.
Many teachers find that categories such as Outstanding, Satisfactory, Almost and Not Yet make a solid four-tier system to work with in Mastery View, as they pertain to curriculum expectations. But school boards can set their own custom tiers for context and grade level so that you get a clearer insight into student achievement.
Now, instead of solely seeing a percentage grade for a student, you have a clear visual that shows how a student is performing holistically.
As you attach curriculum expectations to assignments over time, you have several options on what you can look at in Mastery View, depending on the data you need.
- Student Achievement Over Time
Examine how an individual student is performing over time across all curriculum expectations you’ve attached to your activities. Spot upward trajectories to encourage students, and areas of growth to help them identify what to improve on. - Student Achievement Against Specific Curriculum Expectations
Aside from seeing every assessment a student has taken, you can also zoom in on individual curriculum expectations to see student progress. - Class Achievement Over Time
If you need broader data, you can take a look at how the class as a whole is performing against curriculum expectations to get insights into where to concentrate your efforts. Identify potentially at-risk students or small groups for quick intervention, or areas where the group needs reinforcing.
Mastery View also helps you see which grade-level expectations have been covered by different assignments and assessments and which need further assessment. Instead of taking a best guess as to what you still need to cover in the year or in a summer school class, you have a quick and efficient overview into what you’ve covered and assessed and where you need to go next.
From Insight to Intervention and Enrichment
Now that you’ve got the ability to access broad and specific data with just a few clicks, you’re freed up to plan the best next steps for your students.
It’s easy to form small groups when you can view which students need intervention with certain curriculum expectations. Simultaneously, you can see which students would benefit from extra help with another expectation.
Individual enrichment is possible when you see that a student is consistently exceeding certain expectations. Conversely, you can quickly identify students who are potentially at risk by seeing where they need extra support. In shorter periods of time, like during a summer school class, you still have the data you need to quickly step in and offer extra support to individual students who need it.
Mastery View enables you to enter conversations with students, parents, administrators and counselors with clear data on what the students have achieved, where they excelled and what their areas of growth might be. Percentages and grades can help, but bringing insight into student performance against curriculum expectations gives actionable steps to take next.
The Ease of Next Steps With Mastery View
Whether you have a group of students for a shorter period, like summer school, or for a yearlong or semestered course, actionable data is easy to access through Mastery View in the VLE. By attaching grade-level curriculum expectations to assignments and assessments, you’ll pave a smooth road forward as you see where students are mastering content and where they need intervention or enrichment to help them achieve more.
To discover more about how Mastery View can help with determining effective next steps, log in to the VLE today.
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