Understanding students more deeply

We examine what your school's evidence reveals across grades, classrooms, ELA and math domains, and groups of students. The discussion considers where progress is accelerating or slowing, how students receiving support are responding, and what the patterns suggest about curriculum and instruction. Leaders identify where a closer investigation is warranted and what deserves attention over time.

Outcome: Priorities for leadership attention, questions for further investigation, and a plan for what to review next.

We develop the school's approach to reviewing evidence and following up: when a Diagnostic or Inventory will help, how assessment bands reflect the school's context, who contributes to decisions, and who carries out the agreed response. The work places assessment and review within your calendar and establishes how classroom knowledge informs the next step.

Outcome: A one-page working plan that sets out assessment timing, follow-up guidance, and responsibilities.

We examine the range of learning within your classrooms and consider it alongside the uneven profiles and support needs your educators describe. The discussion connects this evidence to the demands of instruction, differentiation, and teacher workload. Leaders consider where grouping, staffing, curriculum, or student support arrangements may need attention.

Outcome: A shared account of the instructional demands teachers are managing and the school arrangements that deserve review.

Leaders develop a set of learning indicators aligned with the school's mission and educational priorities. We consider what evidence will help the school follow student progress, examine curriculum and instruction, and review support. The work includes how often to revisit the indicators and how to communicate the findings clearly to colleagues and the board.

Outcome: A working set of Key Learning Indicators and an approach to reviewing and reporting them.

Teams work through students from their school, bringing together observations, assessments, accommodations, and the history of what has been tried. We introduce a process for examining competing explanations, distinguishing visible difficulties from the needs underlying them, and identifying the student's most important unmet need. That understanding guides a focused plan for support.

Outcome: A repeatable process for child study discussions and clearer priorities for supporting the students examined.

We review Screener results alongside student work, grades, teacher observations, learning history, and other available evidence. Teams consider which students warrant closer examination and what that examination should involve: further assessment, a discussion with colleagues, a family conversation, or a review of existing support. The process establishes priorities while preserving room for professional judgment.

Outcome: Agreed criteria for follow-up and a clear account of who needs attention, what to examine, and who will take it forward.

Teams develop a plan for examining students' response to an intervention. We establish the starting evidence, the progress to follow, relevant comparisons, and review dates. The discussion includes how the team will decide whether to continue, modify, intensify, or discontinue support. The same approach can guide the review of interventions already underway.

Outcome: An intervention review plan that connects evidence of student progress with decisions about support.

Participants learn to interpret Progress Rates across students, classrooms, grades, subjects, and domains. We consider current learning and progress together, including students working at a high level whose progress has slowed and students working at a lower level who are advancing substantially. Teams use these patterns to guide further inquiry and review the support students receive.

Outcome: A practical approach to using Progress Rates in student reviews, with priorities drawn from the evidence examined.

Using evidence from your students, we examine when the Diagnostic is useful, how to choose an appropriate starting level, and when the Inventory may provide the needed depth. Participants investigate findings at the skill level and consider them alongside classroom evidence. The discussion identifies what the results clarify and what still needs investigation.

Outcome: A clearer basis for selecting deeper assessment and using Diagnostic findings in decisions about student support.

The Inventory provides a detailed view of learning across dimensions, including profiles in which substantial strengths and difficulties exist together. Participants learn to select a starting level, plan administration across sessions, and interpret uneven patterns. We consider how those findings help explain students' classroom experiences and inform further investigation and support.

Outcome: A more detailed understanding of the learning profiles examined and the implications for educators working with those students.

Teachers examine their students' assessment evidence alongside classroom work, observations, and the curriculum they are teaching. We consider where the findings deepen understanding and where they raise questions. The discussion helps teachers decide when to adjust instruction, seek a closer assessment, involve colleagues, or provide greater challenge.

Outcome: Agreed next steps for the students discussed and a plan for reviewing how they respond.

We establish shared procedures for explaining the assessment, preparing students, responding when they are unsure, and planning breaks or multiple sessions. The discussion addresses engagement and appropriate support so educators can make considered decisions during administration. Teams also identify what to note about the assessment experience when interpreting a result.

Outcome: A shared administration protocol that supports consistency and thoughtful preparation for students.

We examine evidence of advanced learning alongside the work students encounter in class. The discussion considers students who have mastered substantial parts of the curriculum, those who may be ready for more advanced work, and those whose progress has slowed. Teachers bring their knowledge of students to decisions about challenge, extension, and further assessment.

Outcome: Priorities for investigating students' readiness and providing challenge that advances their learning.

Teachers prepare to discuss a student's strengths, concerns, progress, and support using assessment evidence and their knowledge of the child. We work on explaining results in plain language, addressing differences between sources of evidence, and answering difficult questions. The conversation includes what the school is doing and how educators will review whether it is helping.

Outcome: Prepared language and a clearer account of students' learning for conversations with families.

This presentation and discussion helps families understand how assessment contributes to the school's knowledge of each student. We explain what children experience, what results can tell educators, and how findings are considered alongside classroom learning and knowledge of the child. Families can ask questions about the assessments and how the school uses evidence to guide support and review progress.

Outcome: A shared understanding of assessment's place in the school's commitment to knowing and supporting every student.

Teams learn to administer the Screener during admissions and interpret its evidence alongside the applicant's wider record. We examine learning in the context of students already enrolled at your school, consider what warrants further exploration, and discuss how this understanding can inform a student's transition into the classroom.

Outcome: An approach to using Screener evidence in admissions discussions and carrying useful learning information forward when a student enrolls.