You want:
Each student to receive their own copy.
To protect your master tracker.
To distribute a template.
Click Share.
Enter email.
Set as Viewer.
Copy the Sheet’s URL.
Replace /edit with /copy.
Share the updated link.
Users will be prompted to make their own copy.
The original sheet remains unchanged.
Copies are owned by the person who creates them.
View Google’s help article on sharing files