As educators we are capable of changing the world - one of the best ways we can continue doing this is by leveling the playing field for our students, so every child can be as successful as they can be. In order to level the playing field, we must have clarity around our students’ strengths and difficulties and we must make sure that we’re able to understand this in an equitable way. Educational equity is absolutely crucial because it gives equal opportunities to children. Data-tracking can help set us up for educational equity - keep reading to learn more about educational equity and how data-tracking can help us make our classrooms more equitable for all of our students.

As literacy interventionists, we are told all the time about the importance of “research-based” intervention but no one tells us that this should include our own research! Click through to read more.

When we are trying to determine which areas we should focus on with our students we are using our data to provide a guide, a roadmap.

But one of the biggest mistakes we see (we know because we’ve been there) is that we aren’t using data to drive decisions because of two big blocks.

Assuming a program, even an evidence-based program, works for all students without tracking your own data and adjusting as needed, puts students at risk to continue falling through the cracks. Click the image above to read more about a common belief that may be holding you back in your intervention.

While 2020 was an interesting year to say the least, we were glad to have learned so many lessons. One of which, was how to stay organized in a completely digital space. We transitioned lessons to a completely digital format, student interaction, you name it! And with all the changes, we realized Tracking data digitally was another great way to communicate students’ growth and what was happening in our sessions with our students’ parents and with our colleagues. Today, we wanted to walk you through how we track our literacy data in a digital format!

One of the biggest mistakes we see in intervention is when interventionists take all of this time to collect wonderful data, but then not effectively sharing it with those who have a vested interest in the results - click here to read more about how you can EASILY share your results and grab a FREE resource that will help you do so!

We are back again with the next step in Data Tracking! This week we are talking all about analyzing your data. Now, we know that the word analyze brings about a heavy weight - but hear us out. Analyzing your data doesn’t have to be hard. One of the biggest mistakes we see is when well-meaning interventionists and SLPs rely on evidence/research based programs without analyzing their own data to make sure that students are actually making growth.

We thought we were solving an escape room. Turns out, we were getting a reminder about progress monitoring.

There we were, surrounded by clues, convinced we were so close to unlocking the door. Every time we thought we had the answer, another lock appeared. And when the timer buzzed, we just stood there laughing, realizing we’d missed something simple but important.

That moment felt familiar.

Because if you’ve ever looked at a stack of reading data and thought, “Okay, they’re below benchmark. But what do I do with that?” you know exactly what that feels like.

It’s not that you don’t have enough data. It’s that all the pieces don’t quite fit together yet.

That’s the secret most of us miss: progress monitoring isn’t about collecting more data. It’s about collecting the right clues—the ones that actually tell you why a student is struggling, not just that they are.

When you start looking through the lens of the five core components of literacy, everything shifts. Suddenly, the numbers stop feeling like pressure and start feeling like possibilities.

See how we connect the clues and unlock student growth →

It’s Data-Tracking December! All month long we will have blogs and video trainings for you related to the 4 biggest mistakes we’ve made in data-tracking. If you are looking for a way to better track your intervention data or you’re hoping to understand how to use that information more effectively to drive your instruction, then stay tuned because these next four weeks will deliver exactly what you are looking for.

So data tracking is one of those necessary evils for all interventionists, special educators, speech language pathologists, teachers…we all can commiserate together.

But it’s one of those things that is just absolutely critical to determine whether or not students are growing and making progress in their intervention setting. We see students who are struggling to read and have gaps and we need to make sure those gaps are in fact closing.

So on top of all the other things we are managing in our reading intervention setting, from behavior management, to lesson introduction and skill targeting, we need to be tracking and monitoring data during our sessions.

Here are the three biggest mistakes we often see when supporting special education teams and interventionists…and no judgement here because we’ve #beenthere. Click through to read more and grab our data tracking sheets.

Writing effective literacy goals and tracking your students progress towards them can feel overwhelming. We are here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be hard! Writing effective goals and tracking data can actually be really easy with the right tools in place. Jump in and grab your FREE data tracking system and literacy goal bank inside!