Data only improves learning when educators have systems for using it well.
This collaborative, hands-on academy equips leadership teams and teachers with practical tools they can immediately implement to strengthen instructional decision-making throughout the school year.
Participants may attend the morning session, afternoon session, or stay for the full-day experience. Each session is designed to provide ready-to-use resources that can be implemented immediately in classrooms and collaborative team meetings.
Session 1:
Building Your District Data Hub: Creating Data Landing Pages & Effective Data Meeting Protocols
Strong data conversations don't happen by chance—they happen through intentional systems.
During this highly interactive workshop, district and building teams will design a customized Data Landing Page that organizes the most important student achievement information into one easy-to-access location. Teams will also develop a Data Meeting Protocol that creates consistency, keeps conversations focused on student learning, and supports meaningful instructional decision-making throughout the year.
Rather than spending valuable PLC time searching for reports, educators will leave with systems that streamline collaboration and keep teams focused on identifying trends, determining instructional responses, and monitoring student growth.
What You'll Learn
Design an organized district or building Data Landing Page
Identify the most meaningful state data sources for ongoing decision making
Create a repeatable data meeting protocol that promotes productive conversations
Develop structures for documenting next steps and monitoring instructional impact
Build sustainable systems that support PLCs, leadership teams, and MTSS processes
What You'll Receive
Editable Data Landing Page template
Data Meeting Protocol template
Data discussion guiding questions
Sample meeting agendas
Action-planning templates
Suggested annual data meeting calendar
Digital resources ready for immediate implementation
Session 2:
Testing as a Genre: Teaching Through Missouri Testlets (MITs)
Assessment should be more than something students experience at the end of instruction—it should become part of instruction itself.
In this engaging, hands-on workshop, educators will explore Testing as a Genre, learning how Missouri Item Type Testlets (MITs) can be intentionally embedded throughout instruction to deepen student understanding while building assessment confidence.
Participants will actively work through Missouri Testlets, analyze the thinking required by each item type, and discover practical strategies for incorporating MITs into daily instruction, formative assessments, and classroom discussions. Rather than teaching "to the test," educators will learn how to teach students to think in ways that naturally prepare them for rigorous assessments.
What You'll Learn
Understand the concept of Testing as a Genre
Explore the structure and purpose of Missouri Item Type Testlets (MITs)
Experience MITs from a student's perspective
Integrate testlets into everyday instruction and formative assessment
Use assessment evidence to guide instructional decisions
Build student confidence while strengthening content mastery
What You'll Receive
Classroom implementation strategies
Formative assessment ideas using MITs
Planning templates for embedding MITs into instruction
Digital resources and instructional support materials
Instructor: Jessica Gray, Director of Learning Systems & Client Relations, STEP Up
Price:
Half Day (either AM or PM) - 175 per participant
Full Day - $300 per participant
**Current STEP Up Members get 25% discount with code “Member25”