Math Data Collection {eek}

Last year, my school dove straight into Common Core head first.  Like...head first.  We just went ahead and did it all.  I choose to really focus on Math.  Actually, I tried to tackle it all but let's face it, that was a ridiculous goal.

I had a few main CCSS goals in mind:
1. Keep my standards accurately (haha) posted in the classroom and refer to them.
2. Show student growth
3. Help students see their growth
4. Have students be responsible for their data

I did great at number 1.

{freebie alert- click here!!!}

Number 2 is a goal every year, so it wasn't completely out of the ordinary.

Number 3 and 4 were my trickier ones.  I wanted students to see where they started and how much they learned.  I started having students rate themselves with how they felt they were doing.  I started using Marzano's Levels of Understanding. If a student continues to get 100% but doesn't feel confident, I still have work to do...same if they are super confident and not showing progress.  More often than not, their rating matches their classroom performance, which was a fantastic sign.

Some teachers thought I was a bit batty for thinking my kiddos could graph their own data accurately.  We are in fourth grade, we were certainly able to do it with proper training.  I'm the first to admit, some students needed a lot more checking in from me than others, but by the end of the year we were doing pretty well.  But I'm a jump-in-with-both-feet kind of girl, so I tried to figure out the easiest way to incorporate our data collection into our math time.

I had one main goal: keep it simple and quick.  I decided to set up data folders for each student.  It would fit in their desk, easy to get out or turn in, and with a simple procedure that stayed the same each time I said "Get out your data folders!".

It took a little set up on my part at the beginning of the year.  I grabbed a bunch of folders with binding and made my copies (back to back, let's save paper!).  I did all my data grids on back to back pages, and then all my graphing pages back to back.

I wanted my data pages and graphing pages to be seperate and easy to flip to, so in order to do that, I trimmed and three-hole punched construction paper and to put in between.  It was perfect because it stuck out just enough to be a page separator.  (Don't look too carefully at this picture, it's actually my reading data collection folders, but it was the same organizational concept..)

After we took our pre-assessment (these varied throughout the year, but I do love these from YoungTeacherLove), I usually tried to grade them as students turned them in and hand them out right away.  This sometimes worked, and when it did I felt like SuperTeacher.  If I couldn't get them graded at that very moment, I handed them out the next day and we filled out our data.  

I give the cue ("GET OUT YOUR MATH DATA FOLDERS!!!")  and students would write the start date (day we took the pre-assessement) and write their score.  I would have them rate their personal level of understanding right then.  

Next, they would flip to their graphing section and graph their pre-assessment score.   I had them pick two colors at the beginning of the year and make a key to show me which color was their pre-assessment score and which was their post-assessment.

I had them color-code their pre and post assessments because we graphed our post assessment score on the same graph.  This way, students could see how much better they did the second time around.  Since I didn't take any pictures of what my student math data folders looked like last year (blogger fail), I made a nice-and-neat example myself...blue being the "pre-assessment" and green being the "post-assessment".  **Note: It's important to keep both pre and post assessments the same in order to get an accurate growth graph.  

Although having students do this data collection and graphing themselves was a perk in and of itself, my favorite part of having students do this themselves was that at conferences I just had students turn in their folders and I was set with all the information!  It was fantastic!

I only have this done for 4th grade... but if you'd be interested in having it done for your grade, let me know!  You can pop over to TpT and check it out if you're a 4th grade teacher.

Even if you aren't a 4th grade teacher, TpT is having one heck of a sale on August 4-5 (that's tomorrow, guys!), so get over there and fill your cart with some good stuff to purchase next week!  Everything in my store will be 20% off, plus the TpT discount.

            

Follow RTL On