A note of caution before you implement a data collection plan for your building or district. Spend time conversing about what is important to collect, what you need to know in order to make good instructional decisions.

Remember that a set of data is only one perspective. For example, it would be penny-wise and pound-foolish to adjust an entire reading program based on fluency rates. There is much more to reading than simply fluency, or decoding, or comprehension. Look at the synthesis of reading before the analysis. In other words, know all the elements that, together, constitute a competent reader and then find the appropriate data to collect to determine how students are doing in all the elements.

Always identify your assumptions about what the data might suggest and then challenge those assumptions.