The Best Tools for Progress Monitoring

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I don’t know what your school is like, but mine is all about the data. The classroom data walls, the progress monitoring, using formative data, everything is about data. Now don’t get me wrong, I use progress monitoring in my classroom on a regular basis. But I don’t let it overwhelm me either. These tools for progress monitoring help me get the data I need without the overwhelm!

These tools for progress monitoring are going to impact not only your data collection but also what to do with all that data. I like simple strategies and documentation that don’t eat up all my time and energy. By using these fast methods and progress monitoring tools, I’m able to know where my students are and what scaffolds I need to provide quickly.

What is progress monitoring?

Before we get any further let’s discuss what is progress monitoring. According to Illuminative Education, Progress monitoring is “the standardized process of evaluating progress toward a performance target, based on rates of improvement from frequent (usually weekly or biweekly) assessment of a specific skill.”

Simply put, it’s assessments based on a skill that is tested over and over again to show progress.

There are different forms of progress monitoring. Some are computer-based which might be mandated by your school or district. Others are up to you as the teacher to create and implement. I’m focusing on the tools for progress monitoring that you get to pick.

Tools for Progress Monitoring

There are lots of different forms and tools for progress monitoring. I like to keep my progress monitoring quick and simple, much like everything else I do in my classroom. These 3 tools are interchangeable and I like to mix them up depending on what I need for different lessons.

Math Exit Tickets

The first progress monitoring tool I use is math exit tickets. These are quick for students complete, usually only 2-4 problems on them, but give me so much data. This is how I group students for math stations. I keep the math exit slips focused on that day’s skill so that I’m getting targeted information. Then I can group my students based on misconceptions or small errors.

Want to learn more about my math learning centers? I have a 5 part video series sharing all of the ins and outs of math stations. From math station rotation ideas to staying organized with different groups, I’ve shared all things station related. Drop your email below to gain access to the 5 different videos!

There are some dos and don’ts when it comes to math exit tickets which I share in this blog post if you are ready to dive into using exit slips regularly. They aren’t too difficult to implement but consistency can be an issue when it comes to gaining regular progress monitoring data from them.

To combat this, I will give students a smaller number of problems or use them as a warm-up the next day.

Data Sheets

Do you walk around your classroom often and check in on student work as they complete it? If so, this might be the progress monitoring tool for you. I have a simple roster printed and will walk around during partner practice or collaborative learning and listen to conversations. Peeking over a student’s shoulder as they work on a worksheet for 5th grade maths or a science lab all counts as progress monitoring.

On my data sheet, I will use simple symbols like a check mark or an X to mark progress on a learning target. This is a fast way to progress monitor and can even speed up grading later on.

The tricky part of this progress monitoring tool is that it is difficult to not immediately correct students. While you totally can step in and correct a mistake right then and there you can also wait a bit. Sometimes students will correct each other or a student will get to the end of a math problem and realize their answer doesn’t make sense. That is more powerful learning than having the teacher correct every mistake every single time.

Using data sheets as tools for progress monitoring can make formative data more informal which can serve a purpose. If you want to gain a general grasp of where students are in response to a learning target, I like to use data sheets. If it’s a whole group math game or activity, data sheets can also record what students say during a discussion. Data sheets are also helpful to use during a debate to keep track of student learning.

Pre and Post Tests

The last tool for progress monitoring is the most formal of the bunch. Using pre and post-tests can be helpful to chart student progress from the beginning to the end of a unit. I will sometimes use this progress monitoring tool for a unit that has a lot of background knowledge built in. For example, I use pre and post-tests during my fraction units.

This allows me to see which students have prior knowledge and might need a challenge. It also shows me what topics students remember so I can maybe spend less time on them. Pre and post-tests provide data for differentiation which is especially helpful if you want to group students or provide enrichment. This is also a helpful progress monitoring tool for student-centric learning methods like choice board templates.

progress monitoring examples — Use these ideas for progress monitoring as a jumping-off point. Even simple post-it notes can be progress monitoring if you use the data you collect. Easy and low-prep tools for progress monitoring make for fast data collection.

The drawback to pre and post-tests as the only form of progress monitoring is that it doesn’t capture in-the-moment learning. You test at the beginning and the end but not in the middle.

Creating Tools for Progress Monitoring

Some of the tools for progress monitoring are simple to make, like printing a roster of your students. Other tools require more work up front, like pre and post-tests. Since I create a unit plan at the beginning of the unit, I usually have a unit assessment created. It’s pretty easy to just change some numbers in a math problem and create a pretest version to give your students.

But, if you want all the work created for you, I have math exit tickets, data tracking sheets and 5th grade assessments already made! Inside of the worksheet for grade 5 maths bundle and my math lesson for 5th grade bundle, I have it all!

This math lesson for 5th grade bundle has everything you need to teach and collect data. From notes and practice to math ticket slips and assessments, everything you need is right at your fingertips. Click the picture to learn more.

You can grab just the exit tickets here. Or if you want the math exit tickets along with the 2 versions of the math tests and data sheets, not to mention the entire lessons complete with videos and notes, check out the lesson bundle here!

The 3 different options of these 5th grade math exit tickets are perfect for any classroom. All standards are included and are short enough to complete after your daily lesson. Click the picture to learn more.

I also created a 5th grade maths test pack that is just the quizzes and tests for all 5th grade math standards. This bundle is perfect if you want to go the pre and post-test route because 2 versions of the test are already created! Grab the pack here.

More Tools for Progress Montioring

Looking for more tools for progress monitoring? I’ve rounded up a few different ideas to get your brain flowing.

I’d love to know your favorite tools for progress monitoring! Drop your ideas in the comments!

The Best Tools for Progress Monitoring

What is progress monitoring?