Progress monitoring data are central to making informed decisions on intervention intensification for struggling learners. The general outcome measure (GOM) of curriculum-based measurement of oral reading fluency (CBM-R) has been found to correlate with high-stakes assessment; however, data are highly variable, resulting in decisions that must be…

Schooling in Australia has become subject to increased processes of data-based governance. This article draws upon the insights of an experienced teacher, 'Meriam', who, having taught more than 34-years over almost a 50-year span, reflected upon the nature of such changes. Utilising theorising in relation to datafication processes and…

Leading an individualized education program (IEP) meeting can be a daunting task for special education teachers, particularly if they want to make changes to the status quo when it comes to inclusive opportunities for students with higher support needs. This article explores how special educators can begin to advocate for that change within their…

In an international policy environment of intensified high-stakes accountability, pupil assessment data are an invaluable commodity and critical indicator of both school and teacher effectiveness. Teachers' engagement with pupil data and the associated experiences of increased accountability are of great consequence, and highly contentious for…

This study aimed at understanding and investigating the lived experiences of early childhood teachers' observation practices as a professional tool. Interpretative phenomenological approach was utilized to investigate participants' experiences deeply from their lived experiences. The current study's participants consisted of five early childhood…

Reading proficiency is fundamental to school success. However, up to 50% of students with reading disabilities are not making adequate progress. Students who demonstrate persistent and severe reading difficulties require increasingly intensive instruction individualized to meet their instructional needs Individualizing instruction with…

This article describes data-based individualization (DBI) as a continuous process connecting assessment and intervention in mathematics for students with disabilities. DBI provides teachers with an evidence-based method for individualizing interventions for students who do not demonstrate adequate response. Assessment data gathered through the use…

Technology makes it easier than ever for educators to generate meaningful, ongoing data to inform their teaching, track student progress, and personalize learning. When the author began to explore how she could use technology to quickly assess student skills, data became exciting and took on a new role in her teaching practice. Now she uses data…

Programs serving infants and toddlers are expected to use child data to inform decisions about intervention services; however, few tools exist to support these efforts. The Making Online Decisions (MOD) system is an adaptive intervention that guides early educators' data-based intervention decision making for infants and toddlers at risk for…

Students with persistent and severe reading difficulties pose a significant challenge for educators. The primary purpose of this article is to provide a detailed demonstration of data-based individualization (DBI) implementation in the area of reading. Also provided are various resources a teacher may access to learn more about the instructional…

This paper explores the growing importance of measures of progress in judgements of schools' effectiveness in England, with a focus on the role of the early years (settings for children aged 2-5) in providing data for these measures. Qualitative data from a research project involving three diverse school-based and pre-compulsory early years…

Research and practice in school-based mental health (SBMH) typically include educational variables only as distal outcomes, resulting from improvements in mental health symptoms rather than directly from mental health intervention. Although sometimes appropriate, this approach also has the potential to inhibit the integration of mental health and…

Data-based decision making should be the driving force in any early care and education setting. Data usage compels early childhood practitioners and leaders to make decisions on the basis of more than just professional instinct. This article explores why early childhood schools should be using data for continuous quality improvement at various…

Response to Instruction (RTI) frameworks provide a structure for assessing student progress and evaluating the effectiveness of reading interventions. Schools frequently use RTI to support students who are struggling with learning to read while utilizing curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to monitor performance and guide instructional decisions…

Alternative education (AE) programs and schools usually serve distinct populations of students with educational disabilities and mental health or other needs. AE program staff often employ a range of curricula, interventions, and strategies that form an eclectic approach to addressing student needs. This may result in practices that are…