ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the changing instructional data landscape due to technology expansion, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors in order to better understand the environment in which everyone will be utilizing data to drive instruction. The pandemic effectively paused traditional summative assessments and accountability measures, creating a void where schools expected to see prior year data. In the absence of prior year summative data points, schools were forced to base their instructional plans on current year formative data, pushing them to place a heavier emphasis on real-time data from formative assessments. Teachers expressed skepticism about the validity of assessment data as students had access to unauthorized supports at home. The term "learning loss" was coined in anticipation of reduced learning opportunities that would stem from distance learning, but maximizing learning through formative data to inform instruction and planning keeps the focus on actionable next steps.
