A simple way to monitor student progress is by noting which campers are having difficulty with specific skills. For example, if working on dolphin kick and all but two campers succeed, make a note of the two who need more help. Recording unmet skills is far easier than recording mastered ones throughout the session.
Use Red Cross Skill Sheets, accessible on Aquatics Program SharePoint , to track skills. These checklists make end-of-session evaluations simpler and more accurate.
How to Track Progress
Updated Procedure with Attendance Box, Folders
Each instructor receives a green folder with cream-colored subfolders for every swim class they teach during the session, along with a TBF (To Be Filed) section.
These folders contain attendance sheets, skill sheets, and special concerns.
Attendance is taken at the start of each class and returned to the Aquatics Supervisor for verification. After being checked, it’s placed into the instructor’s TBF folder.
During transition periods between lessons, instructors retrieve their attendance and skill sheets from the TBF folder and document any major progress or issues observed during the lesson.
Star Method
Instructors update skill sheets using the Star Method to indicate swimmer progress:
Empty box: Skill not yet worked on.
One line (vertical): I just started working on this skill.
Two lines (one vertical, one diagonal): I can do this skill with assistance from my instructor.
Three lines (one vertical, two diagonal): I can complete this skill independently!
Once completed, instructors re-file the documents under the correct class folder. There should be no attendance/progress reports left in the TBF file at the end of the day.
At the end of the session, instructors use the completed skill sheets as a reference to fill out each swimmer’s overall progress report in the KidSpirit main office, which is then reviewed by and printed by a supervisor.
Evaluation Tools
Red Cross Skill Sheets (on SharePoint): Used to track individual skills, with progress marked using the Star Method.
Progress Reports on Ideal-Logic: Completed in the KidSpirit main office to document each swimmer’s progress.