What it means:
Assess students’ learning achievement and growth frequently with data—daily and weekly—from the start and continuing through the year.
More Detail
Monitoring student learning data during the year includes the following:
- Use aligned assessments
- Align with lesson, unit, and annual goals
- Incorporate standards-based grading
- Capture data on both mastery and growth
- Track with an effective and efficient system
- Follow assessment calendar; adjust if needed
- Standardize and automate some components
- Collect and compare multiple data points
- Conduct pre-tests for baseline data
- Assess student grasp daily
- Use interim assessments (unit, quarter)
- Observe student activity
- Confer with students and families informally
- Use surveys for formal student feedback
- Generate reports to summarize mastery and growth and to guide instructional change
- Analyze data for individuals’ needs, trends, and outliers in each class and across school
See a one-page Instructional Excellence Summary covering all the key elements.
Videos—For Teachers & Multi-Classroom Leaders
Watch these short videos of educators discussing the elements of Monitor Learning, organized by action:
General
Aggressive Daily Monitoring Enables In-the-Moment AdjustingMCLs Ellen Rayburn and Bobby Miles detail the powerful technique of aggressive monitoring, to speed student understanding and growth and avoid misconceptions that slow learning. | Frequent Small Assessments Are KeyUse many small, interim assessments to quickly adjust instruction and increase students' understanding, says MCL Erin Burns. | Use Data to See Where to Increase RigorLook at daily data points, such as from exit tickets or independent work, to make quick adjustments to increase rigor, Multi-Classroom Leader Kristin Cubbage says. |
Use aligned assessments
Use Frequent, Aligned Assessments to Adjust InstructionMCL Jacqueline Smith explains her team’s actions to assess students continually to ensure they meet their goals. |
Track with an effective and efficient system
Use a Data Tracking System to Address Students’ WeaknessesA color-coded data tracker lets Blended-Learning Teacher Lori Treiber quickly visualize where her students need help. |
Collect and compare multiple data points
Collect, Prioritize, and Respond to Data ImmediatelyMCL Bri Waddell discusses the need to prioritize data to match goals for student learning, and adjust instruction quickly in response. | Track and Compare Multiple Data PointsMCL Jacqueline Smith carefully tracks and analyzes results from all interim assessments with her team to push all students to mastery. |
Generate reports to summarize mastery and growth
More videos to come!
Analyze data for individuals’ needs
Use Exit Slips to Stay Focused on Students’ Daily ProgressUse exit slips as a key tool to constantly monitor students’ progress, MCL Hadley Moore says. | Use Data Meeting to Analyze DataFocus data meetings on academics, attendance, | Use Data for Reteaching“Data is everything,” to know what students need to fully grasp a concept, Multi-Classroom Leader Stephanie Roper says. |
Discussion Questions
Use these discussion questions to help guide your instructional team through the elements of Monitor Learning:
- Which actions in this element of instructional excellence are strengths for you or your team?
- Which actions in this element of instructional excellence are weaknesses for you or your team? Think about actions you never take, fail to take as often as needed, or do not take as well as needed to achieve strong learning growth consistently.
- What one to three specific changes will you or your team make to use your strengths more often or more consistently and improve weaknesses in the coming months?
- Make a brief action plan with specific goals, roles, and time by which you will make specific changes!
- Did your changes produce better learning results? If so, keep them. If not, think again about what other changes to make!
Study Guide
See this printable study guide with discussion questions and real examples from educators:
- For Multi-Classroom Leaders—Key Element of Instructional Excellence: Monitor Learning [pdf]
Instructional Excellence Support Tools
Use this tool and action list to guide and support your teachers:
- Instructional Excellence Action List: Monitor Learning and Adjust Instruction [Word]—print a copy of this detailed, checkable action list for each teacher you lead
- Instructional Excellence Support Guide Overview and Support Tool [Word]—use this tool to record observations, provide feedback, and identify next steps
Other Developmental Resources
See the following developmental resources, provided by other organizations, related to the elements of Monitor Learning:
Use aligned assessments
Quick Resources:
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (tools)
Align with lesson, unit, and annual goals
Spotlight On: Academic Resources:
Student Achievement Partners: Achieve the Core (frameworks, tools, templates, lessons, samples, assessments, academic word finder, tasks, coherence map)
Instructional Practice Guides aligned to Common Core in ELA, Math, History/Social Studies, Science & Technical Subjects across all grade levels
Classroom resources for ELA/Literacy and Math
Teaching the Core (videos)
Coherence Map for math (tools)
Lesson Planning Tool (tools)
Core Literacy Lessons from the Text Set Project (tools)
Read Aloud Project (tools)
Match Fishtank
ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies curriculum (tools)
Teach Like A Champion, Grab-n-Go Resources
Everybody Writes (tool)
Phrases for Building Students’ Writing Stamina (tool)
Prompting for Revision, A Menu of Ideas (tool)
KIPP (frameworks & tools, all available in the Beyond KIPP Resource Library)
Close Reading Concept Paper (framework)
Close Reading 101 (video) + Phases of Understanding (tool)
Close Reading Rubric (tool)
Guided Reading Concept Paper (framework)
Guided Reading Rubric (tool)
Guided Reading Lesson Plan Template (tool)
Unbound Ed
Explore Curriculum (searchable resources)
Enhance Instruction (searchable resources)
More
Success Academies Education Institute: Literacy Curriculum for K-8 (tools, e-courses)
CommonLit.org: Free literacy resources and progress tracking tools (tools)
gooru.org: Open, high-quality learning resources – search by standards, content from over 500 sources for millions of free, multimedia resources (tools)
Reading Without Limits Companion Site (tools)
Achievement Network: Qualitative Text Complexity Screencast (tutorial video)
LearnZillion and Louisiana Department of Education, English/Language Arts Guidebook Units (tools)
What does it take to implement a strong curriculum effectively? by Instructional Partners (white paper)
Papers & Books
ASCD: The Core Six Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core (book)
ACSD, Education Update: How to Plan Effective Lessons (journal article overview)
Incorporate standards-based grading
Quick Resources:
Active Grade: Standards-Based Grading Overview (video)
Active Grade: Two-Minute Introduction to Active Grade (video)
KIPP: Looking at Student Work Protocol (tool)
Papers & Books:
ASCD: Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Learning (book)
ASCD: Grading Smarter, Not Harder: Assessment Strategies That Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn (book)
Capture data on both mastery and growth
Quick Resources:
ASCD, Educational Leadership: Lessons of Mastery Learning (short article)
Papers & Books:
Teaching As Leadership: The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap (book)
Driven by Data 2.0: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction (book)
Track with an effective and efficient system
Quick Resources:
Teaching Channel: Using Data Effectively (video)
EdSurge News: Instead of Paying Thousands for Student Data Systems, Try This Free Option Instead (short article)
Montgomery County Public Schools, Baldrige in Education Initiative: Data Notebooks, for tracking data at all levels pre-K-secondary (tools & templates)
Papers & Books:
Driven by Data: A Practice Guide to Improve Instruction (book)
Follow assessment calendar; adjust if needed
Quick Resources:
engageNY: Data Drive Instruction: Sample Assessments and Resources, includes assessment calendars (tools)
Standardize and automate some components
Spotlight On: Tech Tools
Edlight: Quickly see and give feedback on authentic student work (tools)
EdSurge: Product Index, Classroom Response System, includes teacher reviews and case studies (tools)
Teaching Channel: Using Tech Tools for Formative Assessment (video)
Poll Everywhere: Live audience participation to engage your class in real time (tool)
Socrative: Quickly assess students with prepared activities or on-the-fly questions to immediately gain insight into student understanding (tool)
Collect and compare multiple data points
Quick Resources:
Choice Literacy: Triangulating, The Importance of Multiple Data Points When Assessing Students (short article)
Edutopia.org: 3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching (short article)
TNTP: Using Student Growth Measures (tools)
Papers & Books:
ASCD: How to Make Decisions with Different Kinds of Student Assessment Data (book)
Responsive Classroom: Watching and Learning, using observation to get to know students at the beginning of the year (Q&A with author)
NCTE, Read Write Think: Tracking and Supporting Student Learning with Kidwatching (framework)
Scholastic: Observing Students, Informal Strategies for Effective Assessment (short article)
Conduct pre-tests for baseline data
Quick Resources:
Educational Leadership: All About Assessment / Diagnosing the Diagnostic Test (article)
Assess student grasp daily
Quick Resources:
The Teacher Toolkit: Independent Practice (tools)
Uncommon Schools: Assessments, Redefining Rigor (video)
Spotlight On: Exit Tickets:
The Teacher Toolkit: Exit Tickets (video & tools)
Teaching Channel: Asses and Plan with Exit Tickets (video)
Match Mini: Ending with an Exit Ticket (quick tutorial)
Papers & Books:
ASCD: How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking (book)
Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (book)
Classroom Assessment Techniques, 2nd Edition (book)
So What Do They Really Know? Assessment that Informs Teaching and Learning (book)
Driven by Data: A Practice Guide to Improve Instruction (book)
Use interim assessments (unit, quarter)
Quick Resources:
Teaching Channel: Unpacking Sample Assessment Items (video)
Teaching Channel: Common Formative Assessments (video)
Teaching Channel: Formative Assessment, Collaborative Discussion (video)
ASCD, Educational Leadership: The Best Value in Formative Assessment (short article)
Spotlight On: Web-Based Assessment Tools:
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
Achievement Network: Interim Assessments
Mastery Connect: K-12 Assessment & Curriculum Tools
Papers & Books:
ASCD: The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning (book)
Observe student activity
Quick Resources:
NCTE, Read Write Think: Tracking and Supporting Student Learning with Kidwatching (framework)
Scholastic: Observing Students, Informal Strategies for Effective Assessment (short article)
Responsive Classroom: Watching and Learning – using observation to get to know students at the beginning of the year (Q&A with author)
Confer with students and families informally
Quick Resources:
Teaching Channel: Informal Assessment Strategies Using a Clipboard (video)
Use surveys for formal student feedback
Quick Resources:
Edutopia: 3 Ways of Getting Student Feedback to Improve Your Teaching (short article)
Better Cloud: Capturing Student Feedback with Google Forms (quick tutorial)
Generate reports to summarize mastery and growth and to guide instructional change
Quick Resources:
Mastery Connect: web-based tool offers a mastery tracker, resource pins, assessment sharing, and time-saving grading tools (tools)
SchoolZilla: store and view interactive data dashboards to make actionable decisions about data (tool)
Achievement Network: myANet screencast (tutorial video)
Papers & Books:
Teaching As Leadership: The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap (book)
Driven by Data: A Practice Guide to Improve Instruction (book)
Analyze data for individuals’ needs, trends, and outliers in each class and across school
Quick Resources:
Uncommon Schools: Action: Teaching More Effectively Because of Data Analysis (video)
Uncommon Schools: Data-Driven Instruction: Leading Analysis Meetings (video)
Papers & Books:
Driven by Data: A Practice Guide to Improve Instruction (book)
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