Nancy SindelarEducational Assessment and Data-Driven Instruction

Nancy W. Sindelar, Ph.D., works with schools to increase student achievement through the alignment of local curriculum and assessments to state and common core state standards and the use of test results to inform instruction.

Her training and presentations address the effective collection and interpretation of student test data as well as the development of high-functioning teacher teams.

Nancy is an Executive Consultant on assessment for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the subject matter expert and speaker for two video series produced by Savant Learning: Assessment for Teaching and Learning and Using Data to Manage Change. Nancy has spoken at numerous national conferences, including meetings of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the National Association of School Boards (NASB) and is skilled in helping Illinois schools meet the teacher evaluation demands of PERA and schools across the country meet the curriculum and assessment demands of the Common Core State Standards.

Nancy received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a master’s degree from DePaul University, a certificate of advanced studies from Concordia University, and a doctor of philosophy degree from Loyola University of Chicago.  She was a visiting scholar with the English faculty at Cambridge University, England and served a four-year term as president of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy Alumni Board. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership at Roosevelt University and the former Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at Dupage High School District 88 in suburban Chicago. 

Her publications include Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to No Child Left Behind, Assessment-Powered Teaching and Developing an Effective Mentor Teacher Program.  Her consulting services focus on:

  • Data-driven instruction and working with teachers and administrators to gather and use student test data to enhance student learning and close achievement gaps.
  • Common Core State Standards and working with teacher teams to align local curriculum and assessments to Common Core State Standards.
  • Developing mentor programs for new teachers and administrators

Books

  • Assessment-Powered Teaching
  • Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to 'No Child Left Behind'
  • Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to No Child Left Behind and theCommon Core Standards (2nd ed.)
  • Developing an Effective Teacher Mentor Program
More

Workshops/Presentations

  • Common Core State Standards: Strategies for Success
  • Balanced Assessments: What? Why? How?
  • Is NCLB good for kids?
  • Using Test Results to Inform Instruction & Raise Student Achievement
  • Using Disaggregated Test Data to Close the Achievement Gap
More

Publications

Assessment Power Teaching

Assessment-Powered Teaching

This new book illustrates, step by step, the power teachers can gain from using test results from both state and local classroom tests in their classrooms on a daily basis to inform teaching, monitor the progress of all students, and motivate and energize students with the results of their learning.

By using test results as an integral part of the planning and teaching process, teaching improves because teachers can take into account what their students know, believe and bring to their classrooms as well as what students need to learn. Understanding the needs of students also guides broader decisions about curriculum and program design and systemic changes needed for meaningful intervention.

Available from Corwin Press
Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to 'No Child Left Behind'

Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to 'No Child Left Behind'

This practical guide provides educators with a step-by-step process for gathering and using local test data to increase student achievement before students are required to take high stakes national and state assessments. This book will show readers how to:

  • Align local curriculum and assessments to state and national standards
  • Gather meaningful and useful local student test data
  • Revise curriculum and instructional practices to increase student achievement and enhance performance

Key resources, such as software suggestions and Internet sites, are provided at the end of each chapter to help implement the process described in this book.

Available from Rowman.com
Using Test Data for Student Achievement, Second Edition

Using Test Data for Student Achievement: Answers to No Child Left Behind and the Common Core Standards

Schools are drowning in test data, but many schools do little with test results except sort students by proficiency, or lack thereof. Some educators feel that testing has taken the joy out of teaching; others believe that it has taken valuable instructional time. Still, No Child Left Behind and other federal and state mandates have placed teachers under increasing pressure to make sure all students pass these high-stakes tests.

Now, more than ever, educators must embrace testing as a valuable, guiding classroom tool, use efficient technological resources available for test scoring and analysis, and profit from the benefits of test analysis to increase learning and achievement. Using Test Data for Student Achievement shows educators how to use test data to facilitate student learning. Combining research, technology, and experience in education, this book provides practical and efficient ways to use test data to increase learning, close achievement gaps, and even raise test scores.

Available from Rowman.com
Developing an Effective Teacher Mentor Program

Developing an Effective Teacher Mentor Program

Co-authored with Mel Heller and originally published by Phi Delta Kappa, this extremely popular "Fastback" outlines the history of mentorship, the values it brings to an academic organization and the steps a school can take to develop and effective teacher-mentor program.

Available from amazon.com

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