Data-Informed Instruction with Coteach (Part 1)

High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) like IM® v.360 by Illustrative Mathematics® play a critical role in strengthening student outcomes. But HQIM can't move the needle on their own. Part of this is because instructional materials, no matter how good, aren’t tailored to the unique needs of your students—their strengths, challenges, and the things that engage them most.

That's where you, their teacher, come in! But building access points to grade-level content can be challenging and time-consuming work. And sometimes we need help identifying precisely what our students need and which strategies will support them best. This is precisely what Coteach was designed for. 

We recently partnered with Tiffany Reynolds and the math team at Summit Public Schools to use Coteach to support data-informed instruction. Inspired by this work, we've created this three-part series on using Coteach to respond to student data, ensuring all students receive the support they need to succeed.

In this series we’ll show you how to use Coteach for:

• Teacher-Led Small Group Instruction

• Small Group Targeted Practice

• Independent Enrichment

Let's start with teacher-led small group instruction!

The Power of Strategic Small Groups

Small group instruction is a powerful strategy for differentiating instruction and ensuring that all students can access core lesson content. Putting the classroom structures in place for small group instruction is a great first step, but knowing precisely what to do once in groups can be tricky. This is where Coteach can help.

The key is starting with assessment data. All IM units have pre-unit diagnostics built in. At the K-5 level, you can find these in the "Section A Practice Problems," designated as "Pre-Unit" questions. Starting in 6th grade and continuing through high school, these are the pre-unit "Check Your Readiness" questions. Diagnostic data from these problems is essential for informing small group work.

Four-Step Process for Designing Small Group Work

Step 1: Analyze Student Data Trends
Look at student responses from the "Pre-Unit" or "Check Your Readiness" questions and identify patterns in student thinking. Then share trends with Coteach:

Step 2: Reflect on Student Needs
Determine which of the identified conceptual understandings and procedural skills to focus on. Ask yourself: "Which of the conceptual understanding and procedural skill gaps appear most frequently in my students' responses?"

Step 3: Generate Your Small-Group Lesson
While every classroom situation is unique, here's a framework you can adapt for effective prompting:

• Explicitly state the concept and/or skill focus

• Provide the amount of time (Do you meet with small groups for 15 minutes? 20? Be specific!)

• Identify the lesson components: lesson objective(s), learning activities that support the objective(s), formative assessment, student and teacher materials

Remember: You don't have to address every concept or skill in a single small-group lesson! Given your available time and the concepts/skills you need to address, it often makes sense to break these into several focused mini-lessons.

Step 4: Review and Refine
Look back at the diagnostic questions your students missed and ask:

• Does this mini-lesson address the targeted concept or skill?

• Can the activities realistically be completed in the designated time?

• Does the exit ticket effectively assess student progress?

Refine Until You’re Satisfied: Continue your collaborative conversation with Coteach until you're satisfied with the lesson design. The most valuable interactions emerge through back-and-forth, just like working with a trusted colleague!

Keeping Groups Flexible

Think of data-informed instruction as a continuous cycle of learning about your students. As you collect information from formative assessments throughout the unit, use Coteach to help you respond to what you're learning. Keep your groups flexible and responsive—let the data guide you as you adjust group composition and instructional goals based on your students' evolving needs.

Ready to turn your assessment data into targeted small group instruction? Start with Coteach today! 

Next in our series: Using Coteach for Targeted Small Group Additional Practice