Measuring progress

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Measuring progress

HomeSchool resourcesMeasuring progress

Topic summary

Measuring progress refers to monitoring how much your students learn and how they develop over a period of time.

Measuring progress requires the collection of data (broadly defined to encompass qualitative and quantitative data on a range of valued outcomes) and the analysis of these data to help with understanding how your school functions, how a group of students learn, and the successes and problems that you are facing. This will help you make decisions on how to prioritise teaching time, where to target additional instruction, and how to adapt the curriculum in line with students’ learning strengths and needs.

Measuring progress enables schools and teachers to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement, and to prioritise actions. At an individual student level, it enables teachers to recognize students who are making good progress and those who might need extra support. It also provides a means for evaluating the impact of different approaches, strategies and teaching practices. It is very difficult to improve without measuring progress.

While simply measuring progress does not in and of itself lead to improvement or acceleration in students’ learning, when data are collected, analysed and utilized effectively, they can support improved teaching and learning. The effective measuring of progress can be limited in education by the validity of measures and measurement processes and the evaluative capacity of educators to effectively utilise data to inform decision making and improvement processes.

  • Identify your valued learning outcomesand the holistic achievement of your students
  • Carefully consider which data you will collect and utilise, making sure to not privilege one type of data and where possible utilizing valid measures.
  • Make sure you dig deeper into the data, to really identify what is going on and what the root issue is.
  • See monitoring progress as a collective rather than an individual undertaking.

  • What outcomes do I value for my students?
  • What different measures can I use to measure a range of valued outcomes?
  • How do I analyse and interpret my data so that I can understand what is going on for my students individually, as well as groups of students?
  • What are the next steps as a result of my data? What changes could I make to better support my students?

Research reviews

Using data for inquiry and improvement

General principles and guidelines for gathering and analysing data and using the findings to inform decision-making and improve practice.

Common mistakes in using data for inquiry and improvement

A brief introduction to some of the routine mistakes made when gathering and analysing data, and how to avoid them.

Webinars

In consideration of educational tests: evil, necessary, or beneficial?

Professor Gavin Brown (University of Auckland) takes a balanced perspective that suggests despite unwelcome side effects, schools and teachers need tests to know what students can or cannot do

Understanding your students’ socio-emotional learning

Dr Heidi Leeson (Monocle Education) discusses social-emotional learning (SEL) and share her latest research on the most impactful areas of SEL in regard to academic performance and the developmental stages of students

Infographics

Snapshots

The value of educational tests

Key ideas from the webinar with Professor Gavin Brown on how teachers can use tests to inform teaching and learning.

Understanding and measuring students’ social-emotional learning

The key insights from our webinar with Dr Heidi Leeson on the importance of social-emotional learning for academic achievement.

Using data to inform teaching and learning

Darcy Fawcett and the teachers from Gisborne Boys High School share insights into their work on improving and automating data analysis

It worked! Data analysis made easy

Bright Spots Report 2018-2020 by Darcy Fawcett, Gisborne Boys High School

Deprivatising data; one school’s journey to use data more effectively in Years 0 to 6

Julie Gifkins, Head of Junior School at St Cuthbert’s College, discusses the journey her teachers have been on over the past 4 years to use data and evidence more effectively to inform their practice and identify areas they need to improve
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