MIDYEAR MATH CHECKUP: Turn Data Into a Focused Action Plan

Introduction

It's the season for hot cocoa, holiday classics, and everyone's favorite in education:

mid-year data. Joking aside, December and January signify the midpoint of most school years and include testing periods to gather a fresh set of data.

In Florida, third-grade students take the FAST test in December for both ELA and math. This data collection is an opportunity to analyze growth rates and misconceptions, and to reflect on best practices to make adjustments for the rest of the school year. Let's explore this process to discuss the what, why, and how, while sharing a few valuable resources I use along the way.

Collecting the Right Data

At the beginning of the year, students took the FAST test within the first progress monitoring window. This assessment served as a moment to collect baseline data and determine next steps until the next assessment in December.

Between both progress monitoring windows, students were frequently assessed on essential standards and accompanying learning targets. These objectives were determined over the summer at district writing teams. Afterward, the third grade math team met to develop common formative assessments (CFAs) for each learning target. As students completed the CFAs during the school year, data points were entered into the grade level tracker.

With the hyper focus on identified standards, analyzing progress between progress monitoring windows in comparison with the CFAs was imperative.

Organize & Visualize

Last year, I made a digital tracker to automatically calculate proficiency of all third grade standards. Included within the tracker were tabs for PM1 and PM2 data. This tracker is how I quickly analyzed growth as scores were coming in after taking the mid-year assessment -- not only of overall proficiency, but within each reporting category as well.

Upon a deeper dive, I pulled each students' detailed report featuring a standard breakdown. Using this information, I organized a way to visualize the data and write an analysis, action plan, and intervention focus for each student.

Look for Patterns — Guiding Questions

After creating the essential standards progress page for each student, I was able to compile the results and compare the data from progress monitoring two to our essential standards tracker with common formative assessment data. Up until this point, 64% of essential standards have been taught whole group. This means that the majority of students should be at/above grade level within the additive and multiplicative reasoning categories.

As I was creating the whole class essential standards proficiency rate chart, I kept in mind my personal goal and state "A" rating achievement goal (noted as green lines on the graph below). This provided an easy to read visual. I also found it important to note that one of the essential standards (NSO.2.4) was not assessed for every student -- specifically, students who scored at/above grade level were less likely to encounter this standard.

Once I created my chart, it was time to begin the analysis. I kept in mind four guiding questions:

• Which standards show the largest gaps?

• Are gaps across the class or concentrated in a few students?

• Which students are at risk of falling further behind?

• Are there instructional routines that correlate with stronger outcomes?

These questions kept my analysis focused, while remaining true to the results. I discovered that my students have a strong concept of place value, which was our main building block of the first semester as we explored the four operations. However, when it came to applying the knowledge of place value, there was much room for improvement.

Create an Action Plan

On each student's one-pager, I included sections for the analysis of their essential standards data, next steps based on the analysis, and intervention focus. This process helped me to ensure that each student was reviewed and had individualized plans for instruction.

Once all essential standard summaries were done, I categorized intervention

focuses for each class to develop groupings. My focus targeted essential standards that were already taught this past semester within the additive and multiplicative reasoning categories.

For my first group, I plan to revisit each operation and build a strong conceptual understanding and compare when and how each operation is used. Students placed in this grouping may have shown proficiency on common formative assessments when operations were tested in isolation; however, the proficiency for operations lacked when all standards were present on the PM2 assessment.

The next group builds on current understandings of the operations to apply knowledge to real world situations. We will study word problems and focus on the comprehension and identification of operations. When studying word problems, it will be imperative to highlight the importance of disregarding key words.

The remaining students were at/above benchmarks on essential standards and are in need of enrichment. These students will meet with me about once per week to complete deep dives of word problems and build strong connections across domains and subject areas.

Progress Monitoring & Adjustment

In addition to the small group interventions within the main math block, students participate in walk-to interventions with the other math classes. This provides an opportunity for students to be grouped with others that show challenges with the same essential standards. By sorting students in this way, teachers are able to create effective, targeted lessons to meet the needs of their cohort.

As a grade level, we have decided to reassess essential standards using the CFAs originally developed during this intervention block. When lessons are completed (roughly every 2 weeks), students will be reassessed on an essential standard. This data will be inputted into our tracker using Google Sheets. From there, we are able to analyze the progress of each student in MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) and determine whether the current interventions are working or need to be adjusted.

Communicate the Plan

One of the most important action steps after collecting and analyzing mid-year data is to communicate the plan with students, families, and team members (including administration).

Data chats hold some of my favorite interactions with students. They make sense of

their own progress and determine next steps themselves with very little guidance. This not only builds understanding of math skills in a real world context, but a sense of confidence and self-esteem -- especially when goals are set and met within the designated time period.

After meeting with each student, I communicate the results with families. Guardians are provided a snapshot directly from the state reporting system and must initial and sign an acknowledgement of receiving and understanding the results. It is at this point in the year that I request a second parent-teacher conference, specifically those that score within the Level 1 scaled score range. The hope is to determine next steps for each stakeholder to provide the necessary supports for the child's academic success and build a strong partnership for the remainder of the year.

Reflection & Next Steps

In January, teachers will be meeting with members of the leadership team to review their mid-year data and present action plans moving forward. The expectation is that the deliberate practice plan (professional development plan with evidence that must be completed annually as part of teacher evaluation) is aligned to the analysis and action plan derived from these results.

The plan will be revisited and updated throughout the remainder of the year to improve teaching practices and support the overall school plan for continuous improvement. This includes frequent reflections of whole group tasks and academic discourse as well as the success rate of intervention groups.

An Analysis for Effective Growth

Gathering and analyzing mid-year proficiency data is essential for determining practical next steps in assessing student progress and making informed decisions in educational settings. This approach helps identify trends, highlights areas of success, and pinpoints where improvements are necessary, allowing educators to adjust their strategies effectively. By utilizing mid-year results, schools can stay aligned with their educational goals and enhance overall student performance. Regular examination of this data not only promotes accountability among educators, but also empowers stakeholders to implement proactive changes that facilitate student success in math proficiency. When we come back from our break, I'll be excited to implement these steps and see how far we've come with our action plan and focused interventions. Let's turn our goals into reality!

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COLLECT AND ANALYZE THIRD GRADE MATH PROFICIENCY

The digital tracker is designed to automatically calculate proficiency based on

scores entered, allowing teachers to effectively monitor progress throughout the

F.A.S.T. testing windows. The overall class page provides a comprehensive view with category breakdowns, corresponding standards, and detailed descriptions, enabling quick assessment of class growth at a glance.

The purpose of this resource is to empower teachers to quickly analyze data using color coding and formulas, facilitating data-driven instructional decisions that best support their students. Invest in this resource to enhance your teaching effectiveness and improve student outcomes!

GRAB MY FLORIDA MATH STANDARDS TRACKER FOR THIRD GRADE HERE