When did the word “data” become so pervasive in classrooms around the country? Certainly, the Common Core curriculum brought the buzz word front and center and yet data collection is something that teachers have always done. The difference between the data of the past and the data of today is how it is being utilized. Data once was used to see how classes as a whole were progressing. The mean was far more important than the range. Today, the range has become of paramount importance in the classroom. Each child is expected to grow at least a year and students at the lower end must grow more to close the gap.

Technology can help tremendously with the collection of personalized data. The “artificial intelligence” now present in many online curriculums can give a measure of each child’s individualized performance on each standard. Why then do we find ourselves spending more time than ever looking at this data and trying to create meaning from the numbers? The answer is simple; one number cannot possibly be utilized to determine a student’s mastery of a standard.

We have done a tremendous amount of research over the past four years on mastery-based grading. From the readings, discussions, and personal observations, we have developed a few guidelines that we use when determining a student’s mastery of a standard:

1. A student must show that he/she has mastered a minimum of 80% of the material presented on whatever assessment is utilized in order to demonstrate competency of the standard.
2. A student should be able to show mastery in three different settings and on three different dates to demonstrate competency of the standard. These settings could include online assessments, in-class assessments, projects, discussions, etc.
3. A student should have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of a concept after the formal assessment window has passed. Students must be explicitly taught how to advocate for themselves in this area and should be supported in ways they can demonstrate this learning.
4. Parents need to be explicitly taught how mastery-based grading works within our classroom and given an easy way to track this performance for their child.

Over the years, we have created several tools that we use with the students to track their progress. Here is a reading example we used last year. Teachers completed the top section based on online assessment data. Students received a sticker for each data point they earned (standards are grouped by our grade card criteria). While time consuming for us, the cards were a very easy way for both students and parents to track mastery of the standards. We would love to hear your ideas on how to use data to track mastery in your classroom.