Data Tracking with Word Lists
We get it, data tracking can feel tedious on top of everything else you’re managing in intervention. That’s why it helps to have simple tools you can use during lessons without slowing things down. One of our favorites? Word lists.
Word lists make progress monitoring quick, targeted, and easy to analyze. They allow you to check whether students are mastering the patterns you’ve explicitly taught while giving you clear percent-accuracy data to guide next steps.
Why Track with Word Lists?
When we measure progress in literacy intervention, we need to know:
Are students retaining previously taught concepts?
Are they applying phonics skills to decode accurately?
Are they moving toward mastery across all syllable types?
Word lists give us a straightforward way to answer these questions. Because we spiral back to review concepts regularly, it makes sense to build goals around word-reading accuracy and use word lists as a consistent measure.
How to Use Word Lists for Progress Monitoring
Step 1: Prep Materials
Print an instructor data-tracking sheet and a student word-reading list.
Step 2: Set the Interval
Decide how often you’ll track progress. We recommend weekly, but biweekly can also work in some settings.
Step 3: Have Students Read
Ask the student to read one of the word lists and only track. Ask the student to read from a single word list and track accuracy. If you’re working with a group, you can assign different lists to different students at the same time.
Step 4: Analyze Accuracy
Calculate percent accuracy and look for patterns of strength or weakness. For example, if a student is consistently struggling with vowel teams or closed syllables, you know where to target additional practice.
That’s it! Simple, consistent, and effective.
Next Steps for You
To make this even easier, we created a free data-tracking printable. It’s designed to follow your lesson flow so you can track each component of literacy without losing instructional time.
And if this was helpful, keep an eye out for our upcoming Spotlight PD: How to Create SOR-Aligned Goals & Track Data inside the 5CCL Learning Lab. In this training, you’ll learn how to:
Use a digital spreadsheet that generates graphs automatically.
Access progress monitoring assessments across all five components of literacy—including word lists like the ones shown here.
Analyze your data to make informed, real-time instructional decisions.
Start with the printable to keep daily data tracking simple. Then step into the Spotlight PD for the complete system that transforms those numbers into actionable insights.