Megan Lopez: How We Can Leverage Data to Improve What We Do in Schools for Better Outcomes for Students

Megan Lopez was a Language Arts and English Language Learner (ELL) teacher for 13 years and for the past 7 years has worn many hats at the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) in the Assessment and Accountability department. In her roles, she oversees the development of all the state tests for Secondary Language Arts (6th - 10th grades). In the state’s English Language Proficiency assessments she oversees screeners identifying English learners, and their growth and proficiency testing, and recently collaborated with colleagues in rewriting Utah's Title III law (for immigrants, refugees, and multilingual learners) to better do that. Her Professional Learning Community (PLC) involves collaborating and sharing resources with people in her roles from other states and participating in various committees in the WIDA consortium, which covers testing for ML students. Utah is unique in developing its own assessments and other states often want to purchase them because of their validity and reliability. Finally, Megan plays an important role in bridging the gap between data and positive outcomes for students, as one of the program managers for Assessment to Achievement (A2A), a publicly funded program that works to effect systemic change, in which schools and LEAs (Local Education Agencies) can voluntarily participate.

In this episode Megan discusses the crucial role accountability plays in ensuring that students are getting the education they have a right to. She explains how data can tell a story, and how we can become more "assessment literate," through a deep dive from a 30,000 foot level view of generalized data into a CSI-type investigative approach in the ways we can look at, understand, digest, and implement action plans from data. It helps to ask, what type of data should I be looking at, at what time, and for what purpose? Support is available, through team teaching, the use of coaches, and resources from the State. She encourages educators and administrators to be open to: collaboration for "collective efficacy," evidence-based decisions, and opportunities for growth. She emphasizes how USBE is there to help. Thank you, Megan, for sharing your invaluable perspective on this facet of the educational system!

For more on Assessment to Achievement (A2A), go to USBE Assessment.

Find out more about A2A's resources for LEAs in an A2A cohort's learning space. 

Check out USBE's assessment literacy online self-paced course here , under "Assessment Literacy."