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a ready-to-run workshopAnalyzing Student Work
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Analyzing Student Work Together (Workshop)

Some of the most powerful team PD is simply looking closely at student work together, with a protocol that keeps it focused and non-defensive. Analyzing student work surfaces what students actually understand, and what to teach next, better than scores alone.

Key takeaway

Looking closely at real student work together, with a structured protocol, surfaces what students actually understand and what to teach next, more richly than scores alone.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
A teacher-leader or coach
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutReal student work from a common taskA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Transformational ProcessesInTASC 6: AssessmentResearch on looking at student work
Share / assign

Why it works

Structured protocols for looking at student work, teams examining actual student responses together using a clear process, help teachers see what students genuinely understand, uncover misconceptions, calibrate expectations, and decide what to teach next. Research on this practice links it to improved instruction and teacher learning. The protocol matters: it keeps the conversation focused on the work and evidence rather than defensive or vague.

The research: Research on looking at student work; protocols from the School Reform Initiative.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: analyze student work with a protocol

    Teams leave with insights from the work and a next instructional step.

    Look at the work, decide what's nextScores tell you who; the work tells you what and why. Analyze it together with a protocol, and let it drive what you teach next.

    Facilitator notes

    Without a protocol it driftsLooking at student work without structure drifts into opinion and defensiveness. Use a protocol to keep it on the evidence and productive.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Analyzing Student Work: look, then decide

    <b>Evidence over scores:</b> a protocol to describe, interpret, and decide what to teach next from real work.

    1. The common task and student work:
    2. The protocol we use:
    3. What students understand and the misconceptions:
    4. What we will teach next:
    5. How we keep it evidence-focused:

    Make it stick

    Work drives instruction:

    Common questions

    How is this different from just grading?
    Grading assigns a score; analyzing student work together digs into what the work reveals about understanding and misconceptions, with colleagues, to decide what to teach next.
    Why use a protocol?
    A structured protocol keeps the conversation focused on evidence in the work, not opinions or defensiveness, and ensures everyone looks closely. The structure is what makes it productive.
    What do we look for?
    What students actually understand, common misconceptions, the range of responses, and what the work tells you to do next instructionally.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

    Workshop
    Common Formative Assessments
    Workshop
    Data-Driven Instruction
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    Facilitating Effective PLCs