📊 What’s Your Relationship Status with Data Collection and Analysis?
No worries if your answer is, “It’s complicated.”
Ask five different professionals in our field about their relationship with data, and you’ll probably hear a range of responses:
🧠 “I’m obsessed!”
😩 “I cannot be bothered.”
🤷 “I know it’s important, but I’m overwhelmed.”
And yes, even from those who do understand that every effective teaching strategy relies on knowing a student’s current level of performance.
So, let’s unpack this together.
Data: Something, Everything, or Nothing?
It’s no secret that accurate data is fundamental to good teaching and clinical practice. Yet many of us still find ourselves avoiding it, overdoing it, or trying to collect it all ourselves instead of sharing
Why is that?
A Personal Tale: From Overachiever to Efficient Practitioner
Early in my journey, I was the classic “data overachiever.” I deeply believed—that if I wasn’t taking data, was I even teaching?
Maybe it was a reaction to a formative (and frustrating) teaching placement experience, where progress reports were based on “vibes” more than verified student growth. No work samples. No data. Just narrative assessments written based on what the teacher remembered seeing on the day the report was due. You read that right, there were no narrative notes written along the way.
I remember thinking: “What are you going to say when a parent asks how you arrived at this conclusion?”
Thankfully, I had also worked as a Paraprofessional at the Delaware Autism Program where Andy Bondy was the director. During that time, I learned one of the most foundational lessons in my career:
“Assess, don’t guess.”
Don’t just feel like a student is progressing. Observe it. Measure it. Support it with data.
And, importantly, make sure that progress is generalized—across people, places, and materials. You know the data are solid when multiple team members can demonstrate similar results in different contexts.
But Then… I Went Too Far 🙃
There was one student—handwashing was the skill we were tracking. I presented the data in a meeting, and let’s just say the graph looked like a dense forest of data points.
Yes, the progress was phenomenal. But did I need all those data points to prove it? Nope.
That same beautiful trajectory would’ve been visible with 25% of those data points.
Here’s what I learned (and what I want to pass on to you):
You don’t need to collect data to prove you’re teaching.
That was my misunderstanding. I thought if I wasn’t recording immediately during or after every lesson, it didn’t “count.” But teaching is more than marking. It’s engaging, adjusting, reinforcing, instructing, fading— and just as essential, setting the clipboard down to be present with the learner.
So, What Should Data Be?
Let’s break it down. Your data should be:
- Useful – Data should inform, not just perform. Don’t collect it because you feel like you “should.” Collect it to help guide what comes next.
- Accurate – You must measure the right aspect or dimension of the behavior or skill.
- Consistent – Can others collect the same data and get the same results? Is the skill happening across people, places, and materials?
- Efficient – If taking data interferes with teaching, you’re doing too much. And if it’s too much, it simply won’t happen.
Let’s Evolve Together
Whether you’re in a school, a clinic, or a hybrid setting, your relationship with data will continue to evolve—and that’s a good thing. You’ll move through phases: from avoidance to overdoing it, and eventually to thoughtful, intentional data collection that serves your learners and your team.
I’ll leave you with this:
📌 What next step will you take in your ever-evolving relationship with data collection and analysis?
Let’s keep the conversation going. If you’re interested in more efficient, flexible ways to track progress, I’d love to share some strategies—this is one of my true passions!
Let’s turn our “It’s complicated” into something more functional, sustainable, and, dare I say… rewarding. 💡
Written by: Anne Overcash
Consultant | Data Enthusiast | Advocate for Informed Practice
👉 Want more on this topic? Reach out to Anne directly! Email: AOvercash@pecs.com
…and check out the available resources below:
Training: Data: Everything, Something or Nothing