Data informed teaching and learning in the Diploma Programme at Northbridge

However, during their transition from the Middle Years Programme (MYP) into the DP, many of our students will have teachers who have not taught them in the past, and as a result it will be important for our teachers to get to know each individual student's profile. Getting to know their academic abilities will help our teachers understand their strengths and the areas they need to further develop. One valuable tool to help aid our teachers in understanding the makeup of their students is student assessment data.

Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education shows that using student data analytics in instructional decisions has the power to improve teaching as well as help students gain knowledge better. With the availability of diverse types of data within the educational landscape, an increasing number of international schools are paying more attention to research into the importance of student assessment data to improve student outcomes.

Furthermore, educators now widely acknowledge the advantages of collecting student data to enhance teaching and learning results. At Northbridge, all grade 11 students take the CEM assessment, an adaptive test which supplies baseline assessment data which will determine the individual profile of our students. This in turn will enable our teachers to develop individualized teaching experiences that will focus on accentuating the strengths of our students while differentiating to help grow their areas of development. 

CEM Testing is provided by the Cambridge Center for Evaluation and Monitoring. The test is adaptive, thus the questions constantly change, as students supply answers based on their accuracy to help find their ability. Afterwards, baseline scores on ability in three categories, math's, vocabulary, and non-verbal ability are provided. The results generated illustrate how our students performed amongst their peers around the world. The CEM assessment is taken by thousands of students each year as they progress onto the Diploma Programme. 

The results are then analyzed internally by Diploma teachers who are informed about the individual abilities of their students. This data helps them cater their teaching and learning to each individual student. For example, teachers can group students in activities based on their strengths, which enables teachers to supply the right form of instruction for each student. Moreover, further intervention can take place including help from the learning support team, as more inclusive access for individual students can be requested to the IB (International Baccalaureate) for intervention in both the classroom and in external exams. 

Nevertheless, student assessment data is just one tool in the toolkit that is used to help students achieve the best learning outcomes at NISC (Northbridge International School Cambodia). Observational, attendance and behavioral data are also collected to help inform instructional decisions and address students’ learning requirements in a systematic and routine manner. Data usage is a continuous cycle of gathering data from various sources, evaluating data to create strategies to improve student accomplishment, and making instructional adjustments to improve the learning environment for our Diploma students.