Data, Data, Data, Daaa-ta!

Most days it feels like all we do is test, test, test! Every time I turn around there's another assessment my kiddos are required to take. As a teacher, it can become super stressful because time is not our friend and we have things to teach!

Due to this testing epidemic, our school has focused heavily on data. Each student has a data folder which contains their reading level goals, reading genre graph, multiplication facts graph, personal goals and self reflection, and DEA data.

Discovery Education Assessments or DEA are predictive tests which shows which standards students have mastered and where they fall within their grade level. There are four levels of mastery: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. Students take these assessments three times throughout the school year before TCAP.

Other than the stress and anxiety created for my students, I like the feedback given from DEA. This year I've been able to do individual data chats with my students and it's been neat to see them take ownership of their learning and set their own goals. After the second test, we had good conversation about "realistic" goals. I think it's extremely important for students to take ownership and understand their own data. This year I had my students attend parent-teacher conferences to explain their data to their parents. My goal next year is to have student-led conferences! I've really been enjoying the data "part" of testing and believe me, it's the "only" part! I won't get started on my feelings about the "other" parts!

After Winter break, I decided to make a class DEA data chart. I was inspired by Sarah's data wall from A Rocky Top Teacher, so I decided to make my own.

Each student was given a reading and math clothespin. Their student number is on the back, but we turned the pins so the numbers could not been seen. We had a great conversation about our strengths and weaknesses, and how our data is our own business! We also discussed the importance of our team, and how we need to continue to build each other up and encourage each other to do our very best! I always tell my kiddos all they can do is their best! Lastly, we made class goals for the third DEA test. I allowed the students to take ownership and we set goals for how many students we wanted to move to proficient and advanced. Students had already set individual goals, so the class goals tied everything together!

Do you have a data wall in your classroom? How do you track your students' data? I'd love to hear about it!

Reflecting and Goal Setting

Happy New Year, friends!

Our winter break was extended due to extreme freezing temperatures, so this past week was our first full week back in school. Boy, am I exhausted! I forgot how much I stand throughout the day. Teaching is hard work, folks! But boy was I excited to be back with my sweet kiddos!

This week I introduced my third graders to the second habit, Begin with the End in Mind, from Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Happy Kids. This habit teaches children to set goals and develop a plan for them. We discussed ways we could be good citizens at school, in our classroom, and at home. Students brainstormed and wrote out their goals on a graphic organizer. Then, we reviewed the parts of a paragraph - including a topic sentence, supporting details, and concluding sentence. Students wrote a paragraph describing their new year goals. The kids totally "blew" me away with their writing! One of them suggested that we add a hook at the beginning of our paragraph! It's so neat to see how much they mature throughout the year!

Thanks to Pinterest, we added a self portrait to our writing! I originally saw this idea on Cara Carroll's The First Grade Parade, and there are several other examples on Pinterest. Our writing paper and New Year's hat is a freebie from Amy Murdock on Teachers Pay Teachers. I love the way these turned out!

We're going to "blow" you away with our New Year's resolutions!