Student Data Folders: Empowering K-1 Kids

Student data folders are very empowering for children, even young children. Often, teachers and specialists oversee just about everything related to student achievement data. Most of the systems in place seem to exist solely for the system itself, not necessarily for the children. But what if we invited kids to be part of the conversation and part of the process? What if they understood the purpose of data? And what if they knew how to set goals, plan for growth, and reflect on their efforts?

Is Data a Bad Word?

I’m not scared of data, but I know a lot of people who are. It has become an unwelcome word at school and we cringe when we see it on meeting agendas. “Ugh, data talks. Super. I mean, I dream about data, but sure … let’s go over it one more time.”

Cue the eye roll.

It’s not data’s fault, though. Data in the right hands drives decision making and leads to improved results. Data in the wrong hands, however, can be embarrassing and feel like a punishment.

Many districts are testing non-stop so they can capture more data on more children. We’re buried under mounds of data we don’t really have time to study, and that’s assuming it’s data we even wanted in the first place. Look for opportunities in your school to create healthy cultures and positive systems around data. Ask important questions like:

• Why are we collecting this data?
• Can we make time for constructive, collaborative data review?” 
• What is the data telling us about the impact our instruction is having on student achievement?
• How will it guide our lesson planning?
• Is there anything we can streamline or remove?

Until we, ourselves, have a healthy relationship with data, we probably won’t be able to convince our students that data is cool. And it is cool, actually. Data, in one form or another, will likely be part of the human experience until the end of time. So why not introduce it to children in small, manageable chunks they can build upon as they grow?

Creating Safe Spaces for Dialogue

One reason I like student data folders is because they’re personal and private. I’m not in favor of public displays of student data. They can be incredibly embarrassing for children who aren’t yet meeting expectations. Even high-achieving kids aren’t super fans of public displays. Intuitively, they know it implies a hierarchy and causes separation, and most people don’t welcome those feelings in a community that values kindness and compassion.

When I was new to teaching, I’m not sure I gave the idea of private over public much thought. Here’s the thing though … what if there was a chart in the faculty lounge displaying everyone’s current weight? Or a list of everyone’s college GPAs in the teacher workroom? Or a graph in the front office publicly ranking teachers in your school based on student test scores for all visitors to see? (I really hope that’s not happening at your school.)

Student data folders prevent public humiliation. The children appreciate the privacy and they take great pride in the ownership of their own data.

The Classroom Culture

Protecting each student’s self-esteem is at the forefront of most of the decisions I make. That being said, there is no point in keeping student data folders if we’re not intentionally using them in meaningful ways. That means that ultimately we have to talk about the contents.

Teach the children how to think deeply about their data. Once a month, show them how to review their data so they can see what’s going well. Then coach them through goal setting where needs are noticed. I recommend doing this privately, either one-on-one or in small groups. Then, in a classroom with a healthy culture of respect and a genuine love for learning, you’ll be able to gather all the children on the floor with their data folders and invite them to share out their strengths and their new goals.

I only invite the children to do this publicly if they choose to, always just asking for volunteers. Kids have to feel safe and believe they’re in a non-threatening environment in order to do this, and it’s ok if they decline the invitation.

When children share, it might sound something like this:

“I’m really excited because I’m getting good at hearing all the sounds in words and that’s been helping me when I’m writing my stories. Something I want to work on this month is learning more sight words so I can read smoother. Sometimes I get stuck on words and then I forget what I’m reading.”

TIP: Building this kind of trust may take time and depends on several different factors. I have found that if I model this type of openness and vulnerability by sharing my own personal goals for growth, I can gain their trust early in the year. For example, I might share my own story of how I’m trying to improve as a tennis player. By talking about the skills I do well and not so well, I’m making myself a member of this collaborative community that understands and values a growth mindset.

Student Data Folders: Where to Begin

Ok, reality check.

Yes … you, the teacher, will still be responsible for managing and reviewing most of the data for your class. We’re talking about kids who are 5 and 6 years old, after all. But as a primary teacher, you can plant and water the seed that will continue to grow for many years.

The best way to start is to talk about how people learn and grow. This conversation wouldn’t be complete without a discussion about the value of mistakes and the importance of perseverance. You probably already have a few favorite children’s books you use to introduce the idea of having a growth mindset, but these are some of my go-to titles:

• After the Fall by Dan Santat
• What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada
• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
• Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
• Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires

Also, after getting to know my students during the first week of school, I can leverage what I know about their hobbies and extracurricular activities to make meaningful connections. It never fails that I have kids who play soccer or baseball. And I almost always have dancers and gymnasts in my room. Those are perfect opportunities for me to take personal and highly relatable examples from my students’ lives and make comparisons to setting goals and practicing skills in our classroom. It’s a great way to make that vocabulary understandable.

From here, it’s easy to introduce children to the idea of student data folders. Give each of them a special folder where they’ll keep their graphs, work samples, written goals, and self-reflection sheets throughout the year. Talk about the purpose of the folder and how it will be an amazing way to capture all the growth they’ll be making over time.

I recommend starting with one simple graph related to a skill for your grade level. The complicated data is still on you, but K-1 children can easily track their own growth on something like letter recognition, sight word reading, or beginning sounds.

What to Keep Inside Student Data Folders

What you collect in your student data folders is really up to you and the specific goals you have for your children. In ours, we store:

• student achievement graphs
• goal setting sheets
• self-reflections
• related work samples

Setting goals is a really important part of this process … maybe even the most important. Otherwise, how will we know where we’re headed? I think a reasonable goal for any K-1 student conveys what they want to accomplish and by when. Templates are one way to support kids as they begin to think about and write their own goals.

Once goals are set, the children can begin working on developing the skills needed to meet their specific goals. This is when they begin the routine of systematically recording data on their own graphs. Make sure to schedule in time for self-reflection. Thinking about strengths and needs is an important part of the process and shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the key piece in informing new goals.

Like most things in life, this is an ongoing process. In the case of student data folders, we’re setting goals, tracking our progress, evaluating how we’re doing, and setting new goals.

…just like in soccer, or baseball, or dance, or gymnastics.

It’s simply the work of people who are trying to get better at something they care about.

Celebrate Goal Getters!

In whatever way suits your teaching style, make sure you recognize the hard work that leads to growth. Celebrating big achievements just feels good no matter how old you are … and the positive feedback almost guarantees the process will continue!

BONUS IDEA: We do student-led conferences twice a year with parents. If you do too, let your children share their student data folders with their family members. Hearing a first-grader confidently explain growth and goals for higher achievement is super cute, but in a really cool, smart way.

If you’d like some ready-made graphs and templates to help you get started, check out THIS RESOURCE👇. It was designed with K-1 children in mind, but would also work for 2nd grade children who need a little extra support.

Happy teaching!😊

 

PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS