Data Driven Math: Bringing Intention To Math Instruction

Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
Today we are talking all about math assessment and data organization!  I would love to share a little about how I collect and organize my math data in order to sort my students into their very first math intervention groups. While I use many assessments from the math program my district uses, My Math, I often find myself in need of very specific data for those beginning foundational math skills. For example, let’s pretend I give my students an assessment on Number Sense and it includes problems that span concepts such as counting on, part-part-whole, understanding ten frames, and recognizing the greater number in a set. The assessment contains 5 problems for each of these areas, and my student scores a 15 out of 20 on the assessment. I can break that assessment down to determine where the mistakes were made. For some students, the answer is clear, such as when the student misses 4 out of the 5 counting on problems and 1 ten frame problem. For this child, I know exactly where to go in my instruction. We need to work on counting on! For other students, the direction I need to go first in my intervention instruction is not always as simple:
Let’s describe a different scenario (one that happens to me more often than the example above).  Let’s now assume that my student receives the same score as the previous child: 15/20. This child misses 1 problem each from the counting on section, ten frame section, and part-part-whole section. The child misses two problems on recognizing the greater number in a set.  What have I learned about the child? Well, because the child scored roughly the same in all four areas, I now have to make some assumptions:
*The child needs help in ALL areas of the assessment.
*The child would benefit first from additional instruction in recognizing the greater number in a set.
OR
*I don’t have enough specific data and information to make a very STRONG decision in my next instructional moves, because the data I collected is pretty general and there is not a huge weakness in one specific area.
More times than not, the third point in the list above is what happens to me. I’m left confused and not sure exactly where to go in my small group intervention for that student. Sure, I can review everything from the assessment and hope the child improves overall, but over the years, I found myself in need of math assessments that target ONE specific skill at a time. Raise your hand if you are nodding YES as you read this right now, because you have been in my shoes! 🙂
The data problem I described above is how my No Prep Math Assessment Binder came to life! I wanted to create assessments that mirror my ELA Assessments – assessments that are simple to administer, easy for parents to understand, and available right at my fingertips. I also wanted editable tracking sheets that would help me to sort and organize my small math groups, and make it easy for me to visually see the instruction and intervention my students were most in need of.  Let’s take a little tour! I’ll show you an inside glimpse of the binder, and show you how I determine my “next moves” using this math data. Here we go!
No Prep Assessment Binder: Math Edition
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
This assessment binder covers the following areas:
1) Number Identification
2) Oral Counting
3) Subitizing
4) Quantity Discrimination
5) Missing Numbers
6) Place Value
7) Addition
8) Subtraction
It completely correlates with my No Prep Intervention Binder for Math! So, after I identify the area of need my student(s) have, I can simply flip to that same section of my Math Intervention Binder and ta-da! I’ll have intervention resources for that exact skill right at my fingertips. (Cue happy music here.)  The binder has easy-to-find tabs so that all of your assessments are organized.  You could even use the blank tabs within the binder to add your own district or building assessments, so that ALL of your assessments can be found in the same place.
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
Although you can use regular store-bought tabs to organize your binder, I’ve included my own tabs and a sheet of blank tabs in the PDF, in case you want to make your own. Here’s a quick glimpse of how I did this. I simple glued the tab to each cover page. Then, I laminated the entire cover page for durability, and cut around the tab.
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
 
How do the assessments work?
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
There are THREE assessments per skill within the binder. However, I’ve gone even further and created TONS of variations of each skill, so that you can pull the assessments that work best for your student, small group, or class. For example, within the Number Identification section are three assessments for Numbers 0-5, three assessments for 0-10, three assessments for 0-20, and so on! You’ll find assessments for 0-99, 0-120, and 100-120, too! With SO MANY options and variations, this binder is ideal for differentiation, and perfect for intervention specialists who teach multiple grade levels.
Some of the assessments work best one-on-one, while the last half of the binder can be a traditional paper and pencil assessment (or one-on-one – you choose!). In the photograph above, I simply flipped to the assessment I needed to give that day in my binder. I placed the binder in front of the child, and I made a copy of the coordinating Progress Report for each child. As the child read off the numbers on the student version, I marked their progress on the Progress Report. You can see in the photo above that I crossed out the numbers the child incorrectly identified, and wrote in what the child actually said for the missed numbers. I filled out the parent half-sheet at the bottom and made a little note about what the child should continue to work on.  If you give letter grades or other marks for report cards, there is even space where you can add your own “grade” if you wish. These Progress Reports are prefect for conferences, meetings, data meetings, and your own data records! The child can take up to three assessments for the same skill, so you can clearly see if the child is making progress as you provide intervention. It’s THAT easy!
What do you do once you’ve collected and graded the assessments for a specific skill?
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
Once I’ve administered my assessments, it’s time to take a good hard look at the data I’ve collected on each student. My No Prep Math Assessment Binder comes with EDITABLE tracking sheets for EVERY assessment within the binder.  In the photograph above, you can see that I administered the Quantity Discrimination 0-20 assessments. As I give and grade the assessments, I record the results on the editable sheet. You can type or pencil in the scores as you go.  Personally, it’s easier for me to print out the chart and just record the scores with my pencil as I give each assessment.  For the purpose of being able to read my chicken scratch on the internet, though, I’ve typed it all out for you in the picture below.  🙂 Let’s now look closely at the data and analyze our next steps of instruction:
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
After I have all of my students’ scores on my spreadsheet, the next part is simple. I simply take a highlighter and highlight any students with low scores. As you can see above, I had three students whose scores were significantly lower than the rest of my class. I can quickly scan the sheet and see that these three students will benefit from intervention with quantity discrimination up to 20. I can use my No Prep Math Intervention Binder to work through the resources that deal with quantity discrimination, or, I can use supplemental and additional intervention for this skill.  To help these students, I will pull out place value blocks so that we can “build” the numbers and visually see and count which numbers are greater. We can also show the numbers on ten frames to see which number within each set is greater. The editable tracking sheets and the easy to administer assessments that are based on a specific skill, allow me to quickly target what it is my students need for math intervention and re-teaching.
How do you organize and show data results for ONE specific student?
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
The whole class tracking sheets that I’ve already explained are wonderful for sorting and organizing your small groups and intervention needs. But what if you need to show data on one particular student in MULTIPLE skills and areas? Let me show you what I love to use when I go to data meetings, conferences, IAT or RTI meetings, etc. The binder includes these awesome Student Tracking Sheets to make your data collection and organization easy-cheesy. You can list the students’ scores from all of the assessment areas you administer. I have included pre-typed sheets and blank sheets that are fully editable. Here is an example of one student’s scores:
Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
After I list all of the students’ scores on the Student Tracking Sheet, it is clearly evident that the student struggles with Place Value concepts. By highlighting the area the student has received the lowest scores, I know this is an area of need for this child. You can not only list the scores from multiple areas on the Student Tracking Sheet, but you could also list, for example, ALL of their place value scores on one spreadsheet. This would tell you if the child struggles with place value understanding up to 10, place value understanding with two digit numbers, etc. You can get REALLY specific in seeing what your students’ needs are to drive your next instructional decisions.
Can I try an assessment out for free to see if I like it first?
Of course you can! If you click HERE to download the free Preview Download for my No Prep Math Assessment Binder, you will find the following assessment for FREE. You can print it out and try it out with your student(s). I think you’ll find that the easy to use Progress Report and the simplicity of the student version makes these assessments really wonderful! I have purposely made these assessments “clean and simple.” You won’t find any distracting clip art, fancy fonts, or confusing directions. Just simple, to the point assessments that classroom teachers, intervention specialists, paraprofessionals, and even parent volunteers can easily administer.
Free Math Assessment Sample: Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments

 

Free Math Assessment Sample: Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little “tour” of my No Prep Math Assessment Binder! If you already have and use my No Prep Assessment Binder for ELA, I think you will LOVE this one, too! Remember, this is the assessment binder. If you’re looking for the coordinating INTERVENTION binder, you can find that HERE or by clicking on the photo below. These are fantastic tools for your small groups, data, and intervention times. They also work really nicely for volunteers within your classroom.
Grab the Assessment Binder HERE or click the photo below:
If you are interested in getting your whole grade level or
building to join the “data party,” I now have Site Licenses available for all of my NoPrep Binders. You can find a list of the Site Licenses in my store by clicking
here. These Site Licenses allow up to 10 educators to use the binder with their
students for a bigger discount than just buying additional licenses.

 

Thanks for visiting my blog today and chatting about all things “math data” with me! I hope you found it helpful and you have a wonderful week! Happy Learning,

Using Data to Drive Math Instruction - Easy Organization and Assessments

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2 Comments

  1. Hi! How are you doing? Can I still print the 0-10 assessment Number Identification for FREE?
    If yes, I will appreciate your response!
    Thanks!

    1. Hi, Roxie. Yes, you can! You just click the link in the blog post that takes you to the resource in my store. You’ll find the free assessment in the Preview Download.

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