Last week we talked about how to develop a plan for math intervention. Before that, I shared a broader look at how data fits into math intervention. There are a few different types of data we’re collecting, and each one serves a different purpose.
We have screening data that helps us identify which students need support. We have diagnostic data that helps us determine where to start. We have long-term progress monitoring that helps us see growth over time.
This post is focused on a specific piece of that system. At this point, we’ve figured out what to teach and we’ve planned out how we’re going to teach it. Now the question is whether or not the plan is actually working. This is where assessment comes in.
When I think about assessment within a unit, there are three pieces I’m always using together.
The Pre-Test
Once I think I’ve identified the right skill, I don’t just move forward and hope I’m right. A quick five to ten minute pre-test gives me a clear answer before I invest a full week or two of instruction. I’m not spending a lot of time grading this or overanalyzing it; I’m simply confirming that I’m in the right place. If students are already successful, I adjust immediately. If they’re not, I move forward knowing that the time I’m about to spend is actually targeted to what they need.
If you’re using my 5 Day Focus units, this step is already built in. The pre-test is aligned directly to the skill so you can make that decision quickly.
The Post-Assessment
After I teach the skill, I want a clear answer to whether or not students learned it. Because the post-test mirrors the pre-test, I can easily see growth without trying to interpret a bunch of different data points. This helps me decide what comes next instructionally, but it also gives me something concrete when I’m looking at student data more broadly.
If I have a group of ten students and at the beginning of the unit none of them demonstrated proficiency, and at the end nine of them are now proficient, that tells a very clear story about the effectiveness of the instruction. If one student did not make progress, I now have something specific to bring to a data team. I can show that the instruction itself is working and start asking different questions about that student instead of questioning the lesson.
When you have this kind of data across multiple skills, it becomes much easier to advocate for students and make decisions about next steps.
Daily Progress Monitoring
The piece that keeps us on track during teh unit is daily progress monitoring through the ticket out the door. I’m not looking at this as a long-term growth measure. I’m looking at whether students are moving toward the goal I’ve already defined for the unit.
This is formative assessment in it’s purest form– I am giving this assessment to understand what I will be able to do the next day.
The most important part of this is that the exit ticket matches the work from that day. If students used hands-on materials in the lesson, the exit ticket should ask them to use those same materials. If they worked with a visual model, the exit ticket should require that model. If they were working abstractly, then the exit ticket can reflect that.
What I Do With Daily Data
When students are not successful on an exit ticket, I’m not guessing about what to do next. Sometimes that means using a different hands-on tool to approach the same idea. Sometimes it means repeating the lesson and allowing more time for independent practice. Sometimes it means recognizing that students are not ready to move from 2-digit to 3-digit numbers yet. In any case, we are never moving ahead to the next day “because the textbook says to”. We have data and assessment to support that students are making progress and are ready for the next step.
This is why I often suggest blocking off two weeks for a 5 Day Focus unit. There are five lessons, but the goal is not to move through them as quickly as possible. The goal is to be responsive to what students are showing you as you go.
How This Fits Into The Bigger Data System
If you zoom out, this is one piece of a larger system. You’ve identified students using grade-level screening data, you’ve used a diagnostic assessment to determine where to start, and now you’re using pre-tests, post-tests, and daily exit tickets to guide instruction and show growth.
At any point, you can answer what the student needs, what you’re teaching, whether it’s working, and what to do next. Once you have this in place, you’re not guessing during intervention.
Math Intervention Resources From The Math Spot
