When it comes to accelerating student growth, one of the most powerful tools isn’t a program, a policy, or a platform.
It’s the teacher’s ability to accurately estimate student achievement.
According to John Hattie’s research, Teacher Estimates of Achievement have a weighted mean effect size of 1.29 — among the highest recorded.
This is based on:
• 4 meta-analyses
• 151 studies
• 38,878 students
• 224 effects
What does it mean?
When teachers make informed, thoughtful judgments about where students are, it leads to:
• Setting high, realistic expectations
• Benchmarking past understanding
• Identifying early difficulties
• Choosing effective instructional pathways
• Planning timely interventions
These estimates come from daily teaching practice:
• Observing classroom participation
• Questioning strategies
• Reviewing written and oral work
• Monitoring responses to challenge
• Evaluating assessments and assignments
In short:
Great teachers don’t just teach.
They see. They sense. They steer.
Accurate teacher judgments aren’t just helpful—they are transformational.
How do you refine your estimates of student achievement in your classroom?
Abderrazak Behhar 