Norfolk Federation of Teachers
Norfolk, Va., has successfully implemented assessment as a
tool to inform instruction. Monthly assessments facilitate the
early identification of academic needs and opportunities for
individual students. After monthly assessments in reading,
writing, math, science and social studies, committees of teacher leaders in each subject, guidance counselors and administrators review the results. Based on the results, teachers who have attained positive results are identified as model teachers for others to observe, and struggling students are identified and targeted for additional support. For more information, contact Marian Flickinger, President of Norfolk Federation of Teachers, at nft4261p@aol.com.

Washington Teachers' Union (WTU)
The Washington Teachers' Union organized a series of teacher focus groups that involved the school system's chief of data and accountability. The teachers in the focus groups said they wanted changes made to the testing calendar and quicker test results, and they highlighted areas where the tests did not align to standards. The administration responded with better test dates and faster turnaround of test results, and is working to clarify what students need to know and when they need to know it. For more information, contact Dorothy Egbufor, Director of Professional Issues for the Washington Teachers' Union, at degbufor@wtulocal6.org.

Texas AFT
Leaders at Texas AFT engaged teachers, parents and other
stakeholders in a organized fight against the confusing, duplicative and inappropriate use of testing through the "Reclaiming Your Classroom" campaign. Highlights of the campaign included: asking teachers to clock instructional time spent on benchmarking, test preparation, test administration and other aspects of testing; working to build public awareness of the amount of classroom time spent on testing; and convening a forum on testing and accountability, which included the release of a Texas AFT paper that is being used in this legislative session. For more information, contact Eric Hartman, Texas AFT Director of Government Relations, at hartoftex@aol.com.

Making Data Work for You
The AFT advocates for the use of test data to inform and improve instruction. To serve this purpose, we have developed "Making Data Work for You," an AFT professional
development course designed to help educators become
savvy consumers of data. The course was developed by
the AFT and a number of affiliates, and is designed to provide participants with the language, knowledge and tools to make informed changes on a number of fronts. For more information, contact Heidi Glidden at hglidden@aft.org.