Here is a sample of one of the many ways I used Data Tracking with the kids. The students were assigned to read a book every night and take a quiz on it in the morning. The parents then had to sign off that they had read the book. In order to encourage the students to complete the reading, they got a sticker if they passed the test and got their parents to sign. Once they got ten stickers, they were able to visit the prize bin.
The other data tracking poster was for fast facts. Every day the students took a two minute fast fact test, with twenty questions. We started all students at facts of nine addition, then as they passed the moved up into subtraction, then mixed. Once the passed the mixed five minute test with 100 problems on it, they were deemed 'Math Wizards'. Unfortunately, due to the closure, none of the student were able to complete this.
Students also were able to track their individual progress toward the proficiency scale goals in their personal data binders. I would meet with them once a week to go over their assignments, and they were able to see if how they were doing toward these goals. These were kept private, and other students were not allowed to look at another students binder.
I completed my full time student teaching under Pam Woolsey, second grade teacher at McKinley Elementary. I had been with her and the students for the full semester before that, so I started taking over half the day the first week back from winter break. Having that time with the students the fall semester I really think made my transition a lot easier on the students. We had 18 students, which included three in Special Education services, one in gifted and two in English language development. We also had three students in the progress of getting an IEP.
I feel that this group of students have really prepared me for running my own classroom. We had such a wide variety of students that all needed help in different ways. We also had a wide range of behaviors. Throughout my time in the classroom, I feel that I really learned how to manage several different personalities, as well as a variety of challenges. We had one student that was a very low reader, that needed a lot of one on one instruction time, as well as several students that struggled with confidence in completing work independently and a few students that struggled with focus. Due to these challenges, I feel more prepared for my own classroom.