Note: This WestEd project was completed in 2017.
What is data literacy, why do teachers need it, and how do you measure it?
This WestEd project is grounded in the Data Literacy for Teachers (DLFT) construct that lays out the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that teachers need to use data effectively and responsibly.
The Developing Assessments of Data Literacy project was created to provide the education field with assessments of data literacy that are grounded in theory and an operational definition of what it means to be a data literate teacher. These measures are intended for use by professional development providers, practitioners, professors in teacher preparation programs, and researchers.
Data literacy has become an important set of skills and knowledge for teachers and all educators. It is important for teachers to know how to use data effectively and responsibly in their classroom practice to inform instruction and other sorts of decisions they need to make.
WestEd developed four scenario-based assessments to measure the components of the DLFT construct. The scenarios are positioned in typical activities teachers will encounter (e.g., formative assessments, bullying, longer-term student performance measures), and provide context, data sets, and other ancillary information and materials to enable teachers to engage in activities that are relevant to their practice and require the demonstration of data literacy.