Resources for measuring student progress

Do you know what progress each of your students is making?  Do they?

​Here are some ideas to demonstrate and measure progress in your classroom.

Learning outcomes

​Look very closely at your learning outcomes and make sure they are bite-sized and achievable. You want to try to make sure the students can start making progress from the beginning of the lesson - not wait until the end!

​This diagram from Sarah Findlater expresses quite well the areas you should consider: 

Progress charts

The progress 'egg' can be used at the start and end of the lesson:

​The Plenary Pyramid is a good way to finish the lesson and requires some thought from the students. This is only useful if you read their answers and respond to their needs!

Exit tickets

There are plenty of these to try... here is an example (more ideas can be found online - just search 'Exit tickets for teaching')

Lolly sticks

Prepare some lolly sticks with students’ names on. You will need to buy some of these, and write the names on - but once done it is something you can use often.

​It requires all the students to have the answers ready just in-case they are called upon. It also means that more students get involved and contribute.  

(You can buy 100 for under £2 online)

Another idea for lolly sticks is for the students to work in pairs discussing a certain topic or question. You can draw a name from the pot and then ask them what their partner's opinion was. This is also good for those who are more wary of joining in in-case their answer is wrong. 

Mini whiteboards

• Use mini whiteboards or scoring sheets for students to 'score' their understanding against a learning outcome or objective at the beginning of the lesson (rate it from 1-10, or 1-5)
• Regularly refer back to this during the lesson, where they can change their score as they become more confident. They should do this by adding a new score with the time they added it - thus showing progress through the lesson! You can adapt this to use during the unit of work - they just add the date as they improve in certain aspects.
• Where necessary, you should ask the student to explain how and why they have changed their score. In this way they know you are not just going to accept them saying they have learnt something at face value! You can initial their score if you agree.

Post-it notes

There are many ways you can use these. Here are two:
 
1. Put three statements on the board regarding understanding or confidence -

• I am very confident in this topic / I really understand this
• I am fairly confident in this topic / I understand parts of it
• I am not confident in this topic / I don't understand anything  

The students should write their name on the post-it note, and place it on the statement which correctly describes their level of understanding of a concept. They can move these as their understanding increases throughout the lesson.

2. Place large posters around the room, with different attainment levels defined -

•  I can explain x, y, z (Level 4c)
•  I can weigh up the pros and cons of x, y, z (Level 4b)
•  I can compare x, y, z to a, b, c (Level 4a)

Students put their post-it note with their name on at the point where they are at the beginning of the lesson or topic. At strategic points throughout the lesson (or unit) they move their post-it note according to the progress they have made. 

Both of these allow the teacher to see at a glance the progress individuals have made.  Don’t forget to challenge them occasionally to ensure progress is genuine!

Mind maps

​Ask students to do a mind map for the unit.  Each lesson they add information about what they have just learnt – writing the lesson number next to the information they have added.  This shows immediate coverage of topics for each lesson as well as a plan for each lesson of the course.

If you want it to show progress, devise a manner in which students can express their confidence level, which they can write or draw against each topic. Here are a couple you might find useful.

RAG rating

You need to have three colours of card or paper - red, amber an green. Some schools have packs of these ready for use, some have journals or diaries with the three colours of card within the book.

Students place the appropriate coloured card on their desk, facing upwards to show level of knowledge and understanding as the lesson progresses.
                Red – Do not understand    
                Amber – Not sure
                Green – Fully understand
Individual students’ needs can then be addressed as the lesson unfolds. 
Students should be encouraged to change the colour as the level of understanding changes.

The students can annotate the mind map accordingly. As they gain confidence, they can  add a new annotation.

Faces

Students draw the appropriate face next to the topic on the mind map, or the lesson objective in their book to show their confidence of ability in relation to the particular objective.

At regular intervals, students can draw another face in the margin to show how they now feel against the lesson objective.  This can also be done on whiteboards.

Thumbs up

One that needs no preparation! The direction of the thumbs tells you how confident they feel.

Try to make this process a regular part of your teaching.

Tasks for you to try, to provide evidence for the standards

• Observe other teachers and make a note of the different ways they measure progress
  
• Choose a couple and put them into your next lesson plans
• Reflect on their success and make necessary improvements for next time.