Effective data use helps educators better understand students’ strengths and learning needs and select evidence-based instructional practices (EBPs) that support better math instruction for students. Seeking to improve math performance on Guam, and help local educators better understand the importance of data use, the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) and REL Pacific formed the Guam Partnership to Support Student Success in Math, in 2022. This partnership collaborated with educators across GDOE supporting their use of data to inform instructional decisions.
To build on this work, REL Pacific recently developed an infographic that highlights partnership insights and provides practical examples of how data can be used to select and implement EBPs at the classroom, school, and district levels. The sections that follow introduce a three-level framework for effective data use and showcase how GDOE partners are applying it in practice. Whether you're analyzing student work, leading school-improvement efforts, or shaping district policy, these examples offer concrete strategies and insights that you can implement in your own setting.
A systems approach to data use
Using data across classroom, school, and district levels creates a connected approach, allowing teachers and leaders to better understand student needs and make more informed instructional decisions. In Guam, this three-level approach guides the collaboration between REL Pacific and GDOE partners. The partnership engages core partners representing both district- and school-level leadership, helping build a shared understanding of how data can support math instruction across the system.
Figure 1. Example of a systems approach to math data use
Classroom level
At the classroom level, math teachers draw on a range of data—including assessment, demographic, program, and perception data—to better understand and respond to students’ learning needs. These insights can guide decisions about selecting EBPs to address specific skill gaps or identify opportunities for students to enroll in more advanced math courses. As teachers look for patterns in their classroom data, their findings can also inform conversations with school leaders and contribute to stronger, more coordinated instructional planning.
School level
At the school level, instructional coaches and school leaders play an essential role in using classroom- and school-level data. They support teacher selection and implementation of EBPs by reviewing the data and employing insights on it to guide conversations about student learning and instructional priorities. Notably, leaders can create space for collaboration, such as professional learning communities that give teachers time to come together to review student data, share instructional strategies, and plan next steps. Such conversations are pivotal to the work, as they help build a shared understanding of student needs and support more consistent use of EBPs across classrooms.
School leaders and instructional coaches can build on these conversations by providing targeted support—such as training on EBPs, reviewing lesson plans, conducting classroom walk-throughs, and offering constructive feedback. All of these can help teachers understand how and when to use EBPs and apply them effectively to instruction.
REL Pacific and GDOE support teachers through professional learning sessions to build their capacity to apply recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4 Through 8. They also support principals and instructional coaches by offering professional learning sessions and ongoing coaching to increase their capacity to support teachers as they implement the teaching strategies. One important aspect of this approach is that it leverages existing collaborative structures within the Guam Department of Education, such as team meetings where educators review data, plan instruction, and reflect on student learning.
Taking this approach means teachers are supported in applying EBPs in their classrooms, while principals and instructional coaches are equipped to guide, reinforce, and sustain these practices within their schools. By working across roles and levels, the systemic approach helps ensure that data use is not isolated to individual classrooms but is supported and maintained across the system. Instructional coaches and school leaders can use these data insights to guide conversations about student learning and instructional priorities.
District level
At the district level, leaders help create the conditions needed for schools to be able to use data consistently and meaningfully. By looking at data across schools, they can identify patterns in student learning and use this information to set priorities for math instruction, decide where support is needed, and guide decisions about resources. For example, district leaders may employ data to determine math course offerings or identify which practices are working well and should be shared more broadly. Leaders also help align how data are used by providing shared tools, guidance, and—in some cases—centralized data systems that make it easier for schools to access and use information.
District leaders also support school leaders and instructional coaches—so they can better assist teachers—in other ways. This support includes organizing professional learning, strengthening coaching support, and creating opportunities for schools to learn from one another. By connecting efforts across schools, district leaders help reinforce the work happening in team meetings and lay the foundation for a more coordinated approach to using data to improve math instruction.
One example of how district-level data can be used is a current applied research study by REL Pacific and GDOE that is examining high school math coursetaking pathways. This work uses district-level data to describe the math course pathways students follow in high school and examine how these pathways relate to high school and college readiness outcomes. The findings provide information on how students are doing across pathways. This information can be used to refine decisions about course planning, placement, advising practices, and instructional supports, to improve students’ math learning and achievement in high school and as they transition into college and careers.
Sustaining data use across classrooms, schools, and the district
Strengthening math instruction through data use is not a one-time effort—it requires ongoing coordination across classrooms, schools, and the district. The Guam partnership intentionally engages educators across roles and levels to support consistent and sustained use of data in practice. When all three levels are aligned, educators are better positioned to make informed decisions, respond to student needs, and support improvements over time.
If you are interested in implementing a similar strategy, consider employing the evidence-based method of dedicating time for structured team meetings during which educators collaborate to regularly use student data to guide instructional decisions. Another valuable strategy is having school leaders and instructional coaches facilitate these conversations and provide targeted support aligned with instructional priorities. Connecting these efforts across classrooms, schools, and the district—while building on existing collaborative structures and focusing on day-to-day use of data—can help sustain this work.
Guam serves as an excellent example of how a three-level approach to encouraging data use can support collaborative conversations about data and contribute to improved math outcomes. The GDOE is building on existing efforts by strengthening vertical alignment across grade levels and more targeted data use during teacher collaboration meetings.
For more information about this approach, view the associated infographic. The applied research study will be released in fall 2026. When released the report will be on the IES website.
