What data collection methods are used to track and monitor student progress

Teachers work really hard to make sure that we cover all of our state standards in our lesson plans, but that doesn’t always mean that our students are learning all of these skills or are able to apply them. How do teachers know that our students are learning what we are teaching?

Develop a System for Tracking Student Growth

Setting up a system for tracking student growth allows teachers to determine which students are learning and which ones aren’t as we teach.  A system lets us know when to slow down or speed up as we teach.  It lets us know when to re-teach, or when to move on.  Most importantly, it gives us real data to reflect on what things we are doing as a teacher that are most effective in moving students forward.

Tailor your tracking system to your personal organizational style and needs.  Make sure that your system is convenient to use so that you will remember to update it regularly.  It’s even better if both students and teachers can see some sort of tracking.  I like to have students track their own personal progress on sheets they keep in their binder.

For my own tracking, I use the same checklists that I print off for keeping track of turned in assignments.  Instead of assignments, I label the columns with skills and check off students when I feel they have mastered a skill.  I also use a calendar page for each student where I make notes of strengths and weaknesses.

Make it as simple as ABC (and D) – Always Be Collecting Data

I don’t believe in using one test or measurement of progress as an end all be all.  I constantly monitor my students’ progress by collecting data in a variety of ways:

Pre-Assessments

Pre-assessments are a great way to find out what your students already know and what you still need to teach before a unit or lesson.  They save wasting time on material students already know, and allow you to spend the maximum amount of time covering the things your students still need to learn.

White Board Practice

I have my students respond to various questions using their white boards.  This way I can quickly scan the room to see who understands the concept and who doesn’t.  I make a note of the students who don’t answer correctly so that I can plan re-teach opportunities.

Exit Tickets

Exit Tickets are a great way to assess what students know after teaching a lesson. It’s best to keep them short with only a few questions so that you can quickly grade and sort them based on which students understand the material and which ones may need re-teaching.

When Students Aren’t Progressing

It’s definitely disappointing when students aren’t making the types of progress we expect them to make, especially when we spend so much time making sure that our lessons are just right.  There are a few things you can do to make sure that these students don’t fall between the cracks.

Pre-Teach

Using data collected from your pre-assessments and other observations, you can pre-teach concepts to students who may struggle with the material.  Many students need to be exposed to concepts multiple times before they understand.  By pre-teaching the concepts to these students before whole group instruction, you provide them with the additional opportunity.

Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring allows students to have more opportunities for assistance.  I partner each of my students up with another student to learn and practice the material I am teaching during my lesson. The practice time is divided with each student taking a turn as tutor and tutee. In addition to this set tutoring time, I allow students to ask their partner for help while completing tasks other than assessments.

Re-Teaching

Sometimes it is necessary to re-teach the material.  Using post assessments, I like to use the 80/20 rule.  If greater than 20 percent of my students receive less than an 80% pass rate on an assignment, I re-teach the lesson to my entire class.  If less than 20 percent of the students receive a lower score, I re-teach in small groups.

Tracking student progress is time-consuming, but so critical!  The only way to ensure students are learning and making progress is to track their progress, and then to adjust your teaching accordingly if they aren’t moving forward.

What are some other ways that you track student progress and how do you help students to master skills who are having trouble progressing the mastery level that they are required to reach?

Kelly Malloy is a 4th grade teacher in Northern Nevada.  She has previously taught 3rd grade and 7th grade math as well.  She is passionate about engaging students in with activities that are both educationally rigorous, but also fun at the same time.

Data collection is not necessarily every teacher’s cup of tea, but in today’s teaching climate, it’s definitely a necessity. After all, good data can provide important information to teachers and students and go a long way toward improving teaching and learning. And if keeping track of all the streams of data coming your way is not exactly your strong suit, here are a few hacks we found to make the process easier and (maybe) just a little bit more fun.

1. Teacher Binder. 

In the world of data collection, this binder is going to be your best friend. Think of it as command central for all things numerical. This version has sections dedicated to parent communication, behavior and assessment data—all brilliantly organized and easy to set up for even the most organizationally challenged.

2. Data Tracking Sheets for Your Binder

In addition to the documents included above, you can add these documents to your fabulous binder as well.

3. Color-Coded Data Clipboards

If you teach special sections or small-group classes, you can keep each student’s data conveniently attached to a clipboard—color coded so there’s no need to rifle through to make sure you’ve got the right one—hung on a pegboard. These are quick and easy to grab so you can take notes when meeting with individual students.

4. Storage Crates

Often you want to hold on to papers after you record the numbers. Rather than keeping copies of assessments in your teacher binder, making it bulky and overstuffed, this crate system is a great way to keep track of work samples and other portfolio items.

5. Labeled Bins

If your school requires weekly data reports, you can store them here for easy access. Each student can collect his or her report to take home on the assigned day.

Also, if your students use their own folders to track data, this is a handy storage place. Kids can access their folders when they are needed, but there’s no chance of them getting crumpled into their desks or being lost.

6. Sticky-Note System

Be still our hearts: sticky notes! They’re right up there in the popularity ranks with Ziploc bags for most teachers. This is hands-down the easiest, quickest way to keep track of anecdotal notes and informal observations.

7. Easy Bar Graph

Under the category “Work smarter, not harder,” this genius idea enlists your students’ help to record their individual data onto a strip of graph paper, which the teacher then pastes together inside a manila folder. Voilà! Instant data bar graph!

8. Data Folders for Students

Keeping track of their own data (for certain types of assessments like spelling tests, math facts, reading fluency scores, etc.) gives students ownership of their work and progress and provides them an opportunity to work on their graphing skills to boot!

9. And More Data Tracking Sheets for Students

We like these sheets from blogger Bunting, Books, and Bright Ideas as well!

10. Citizenship Binder

Another genius hack! A tracking system for student accountability—all collected by students as part of weekly jobs. Kids take responsibility for monitoring their own behavior, organization and homework. What a great tool for cultivating ownership of their own learning!

11. Data Collection Cheat Sheet

A quick and easy reference chart for Speech Language Therapists to use as a consistent, objective way to measure minimal vs moderate vs maximal cueing.

SOURCE: Speechy Musings

12. Use Progress Monitoring Rings

Create an individual record keeper for each of your students with this free progress monitoring ring set. Less bulky than a notebook, less formal than a clipboard and pen. For a full tutorial on her system, read Mrs. D’s blog.

SOURCE: Mrs. D’s Corner

Doing Data Walls the Right Way

There’s no doubt that publicly displaying student achievements on classroom data walls as a means of motivating students is a controversial subject. However, we found some adorable examples of data walls that might just do the trick. The key to these boards is that they are limited to a single skill set of foundational skills that mostly require memorization. Giving students permission to monitor their own progress makes it feel more like a game than a report card.

13. Flying High

Kids can add their own bow to the tail of each kite as they master the skills listed.

14. Fact Family Flowers

Students get to decorate and attach their own butterflies to each fact family flower.

15. Sight Word Gumball Machines

Each student gets to add a gumball to the gumball machine as they master each sight word.

16. Letter/Sound Correspondence

Early learners can add a banana with their name on it to each cluster as they master the individual letter sounds.

What’s your go-to hack for data collection? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE! Facebook group.

Also,  check out these classroom procedures that will save your sanity!