Academic progress is the quantifiable progress students make in terms of educational goals – this includes both the level of achievement and growth over time. In the ecosystem of the education system in the United States, there have become too advanced methods of monitoring academic progress centered on data-driven tools of measuring assessments, standardized approaches to measurement outcomes, and personalized approaches to learning that would ensure students meet developmental milestones in and through their years as early as kindergarten and beyond to higher education years. Whether you’re a parent monitoring your child’s performances, a student walking the fine line of physician Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) criteria to be monetized for financial help, or an educator wishing to live intervention tactics, having a healthier handle on exactly exactly what this multifaceted nature of Academic Progress looks like is vital for academic success.

The landscape of academic progress monitoring is very different between K-12 education and post secondary institutions, but there is one common goal in both that access is based on ensuring students acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies at suitable rates. This exhaustive guide discusses the definition, tools for measurement, factors pointing, and evidence-based strategies that influence Academic Progress in society at every level of education in America.

Understanding Academic Progress: The Definitions and Crucial Concepts

The Difference Between Words Achievement and Growth

Academic achievement is a student’s achievement at a given time, usually measured by test scores, grades, or even competency demonstrations. In contrast, academic growth reflects the rate of learning progress over a specified period of time to tell how much a student has improved perpetuating their learning no matter where they were before. This distinction has profound implications for the issue of educational equity because growth measures can isolate good teaching even in educational systems that serve disadvantaged populations in schools where the achievement scores may be at a lower absolute level.

Academic Progress: Measurement, Monitoring, and Enhanced Achievement of U.S. Students

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or “The Nation’s Report Card,” offers a way of providing excellent standardized goals in the achievement of students across states so as to compare with each other in reading, mathematics, science and other subjects. NAEP assessments happen periodically at grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12 which provides for longitudinal data about national educational trends and achievement data gaps.

Academic progress includes several related and interrelated measures which help build a complete picture of how the students are faring:

Grade Point Average (GPA) – Cumulative etching of grades in courses typically in American educational policy, typically on the basis of an intoxication of 4.0..
Credit accumulation – Number of course credits earned as compared to grade level course credit or degree requirements..
Standardized test scores – Scores on state tests; SAT scores; ACT scores; LeadScore scores, etc..
Learning growth metrics – Measurement of a year over year growth in learning, established by comparing pre-test and post-test measurement..
Retention and promotion rates – Percentage of students making it with to the next grade level..
Graduation rates – Percentage of students graduating from degree requirement in given timeframes..
Competency mastery – Demonstration of competency in specific areas of skills or knowledge..

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Academic Mobility and Distribution of Performances

Recent studies of academic mobility in the public schools in the United States have exposed how students move through performance distributions over time. This concept explores the issue of whether students maintain their relative position among peers or suffer upward or downward mobility dependent on a variety of factors including the quality of the school and instructional effectiveness and socioeconomic conditions. Understanding the patterns of academic mobility is important to help educators know what kinds of interventions are effective in speeding up the learning process for students who are starting out at different achievement levels.

K-12 Academic Progress: Measurement Systems and Tools of Assessment

The NWEA MAP Growth Assessment

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP Growth) by Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is one of the most widely used computer adaptive programs in American K-12 education. Unlike traditional standardized tests where all students are given the same questions, MAP Growth adapts in real-time to the performance of the individual receiving a personalized question difficulty based on students’ answers to give precise measurement of achievement and growth.

Understanding the RIT Scale

MAP Growth is based on the RIT scale (Rasch UnIT) which is an equal interval scale not tied to grade level but measures student achievement and growth. RIT scores range normally from 140 to 300, with the higher the score, the more achievements (by the person taking the test). The property of equal lateral is that for a 10-dose growth in learning, it represents equally as much growth if a student goes from 180 to 190 as it does if a student goes from 220 to 230.

Of the important characteristics of RIT scores, include:

Grade independent measurement to allow for longitudinal tracking measures from kindergarten through 12th grade..
Subject-specific scales (Mathematics, Reading, Language Usage and Science)..
Accuracy calibration that yields specific information about student levels of instruction..
Growth norms allowing for comparison to national group of peers..
Instructional level targeting of showing what students are ready to learn next..

Periods and Frequency of Map Growth Testing

Most schools have two to four testing windows of the full year in which they administer MAP Growth assessments (fall, winter and spring). This frequency allows for educators to:

Set preexisting achievement levels at the start of the academic year..
Track progress towards growth targets mid year checkpoints..
Evaluate cumulative learning gain by the Spring assessments..
Identify students that need to be given intervention or enrichment based on growth trajectories..
Guide instructional planning with that data that is actionable in relation to requested student readiness..

Interpreting MAP Growth Reports

MAP Growth produces detailed information for educators, administrators, and families for which they include:

Student Progress Reports show individual RIT and achievement percentile scores & future growth predictions. These reports compare student performance to graderelated norms and provide the status of student performance according to graderelated projections of growth.

Class Reports provide a combination of information for each class to explain distribution of levels of achievement, average growth, and the percent of students meeting growth targets. Teachers use these reports to know where there are gaps in instruction and to plan differentiated lessons.

School and District Reports present system-level analytics with respect to achievement trends, the pattern of student growth and comparative performance by grade and demographics, grade and school.

State Based Standardized Testing Programs

In addition to MAP Growth, each state uses standards-based testing of academic standards in key subjects. These tests, which are required under federal education policy, are annual tests of student proficiency against grade-level standards and accountability standards. Common state testing programs are:

PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) – Used in more than one state for English Language Arts and Mathematics.
Smarter Balanced Assessment – Computer adaptive Assessment that is aligned to Common Core State Standards.
State-specific assessments – Individual State specific assessments (STAAR in Texas, FSA in Florida, MCAS in Massachusetts).
End-of-Course (EOC) exams – Subject specific tests that are usually given during the high school years.

Assessments and Progress Monitoring Benchmarking

Benchmark assessments take place on regular intervals (quarterly or trimester) to enable evaluation of student progress in meeting Sain is associated with grade level standards. Unlike the high-stakes standardized tests, benchmarks provide formative data to help make instructional adjustments and concentrated interventions.

Universal screening can identify students who are at risk of academic difficulties as early as possible during the school year so that support can be given before the gap in learning grows. Schools using Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks taxpayer funds have become an important source of resources to allocate and allocate more effectively, and they rely heavily on screening and progress monitoring data to make decisions from the findings.

Satisfactory Academic Progress by Higher Education

Federal Requirements Financial Aid Eligibility

The US Department of Education requires all colleges and universities receiving Federal financial aid funds to set and maintain wave standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). These standards ensure that students continue to keep adequate academic performance in order to continue to receive financial assistance including Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Work-Study and Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans.

The Three Pillars of SAP Standards

Qualitative Measure: Grade Points Average

Students have to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA which usually increases as they progress through their program:

Undergraduate students: In general, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required of undergraduate students.
Graduate students: Typically must have a 3.0 or above, depending on program requirements.
Progressive standards: Some institutions have tiered standards e.g. 1.5 GPA for 1-23 credits, 1.75 for 24-47 credits and 2.0 for 48+ credits.

The qualitative measure ensures that students provide proof that they have acceptable academic performance in coursework that is completed. Grades of F, W (withdrawal), I (incomplete) and repeated courses are all part of SAP calculations and may have an impact on eligibility.

Quantitative Measure: Speed of the Progression

Students must successfully complete a certain minimum percentage of attempted credits (usually 67 percent of attempted credits is also specified as the equivalency of this to completing two-thirds of attempted credits). This completion rate or “pace” requirement ensures students are proceeding towards degree completion at a reasonable pace rate.

Credits effect on pace Commentary Credits include:

Every attempted course at the institution including failed courses.
Withdrawn courses (normally, that dropped after the add/drop period).
Grading: Incomplete grades that are converted to F.
Repeated courses (two attempts will be counted as attempted credits).
Transfer credits accepted for the degree (for both attempted and earned).

Credits which normally don’t impact pace:

Courses Dropped During Official add/drop period.
Courses from other institutions not accepted as transfer credit.
Audited courses.

Maximum Timeframe

Students are required to take their degree program within 150% of the degrees program length. For example:

Degree Program	Maximum Attempted Credits
120 credit bachelor’s degree	180 attempted credits (120 x 1.5)
60 credit associate degree	90 attempted credits (60 x 1.5)
60 credit master’s program	90 attempted credits

The maximum timeframe is to prevent students from being able to stay in school for an indefinite period of time while receiving Federal aid. Once students have above 150% of program credits, they do not happen to qualify for financial aid even if their GPA and pace is on par.

SAP Evaluation Periods and Status Category

Financial Aid Warning

When the student does not meet SAP standards for the first time, they usually are placed on Financial Aid Warning for 1 academic term. During the time of warning, students still qualify as eligible for financial aid but must return to good standing at the end of the term. Warning status requires no appeal, no academic plan – an automatic one-term extension for a grace period.

Financial Aid Probation

Students who do not meet SAP standards after notification of the warning period are no longer eligible for aid unless they successfully appeal and their institution grants Financial Aid Probation. Probation status requires:

Recorded extenuating circumstances for not making satisfactory progress (medical problems, family crisis, personal problems).
An academic plan in consultation with an academic advisor, that outlines steps to be taken to regain to a good standing.
Regular checking of progress towards plan benchmarks.

Students on probation can qualify for financial assistance for one or more terms as outlined in their academic plan on the condition that they are in incremental compliance with their SAP standards.

Not Eligible Status

Students who fail to meet the SAP requirements and who either do not appeal or who have appeals denied enter into the Not Eligible status and are not eligible for federal financial aid. Students, through readmission through:

Running courses aides until SAP standards are reached.
Successfully appealing using a new documentation.
Relying on out-of-pocket funds to re-take failed courses and do better.
Successfully completing an academic plan, if given probation.

Special SAP Considerations

Change of major or program: Credits from a former program which are not included in the new program are still included in attempted credits and maximum timeframe calculations and this could limit remaining aid eligibility..
Dual enrollment and Advanced Placement (AP) credits Until further information: Generally dual enrollment credits that are accepted for admission are counted as both attempted and completed credits-for example, they count as one credit toward pace, but they also eat up the most amount of time available in a pace-related course..
Grade replacement policies: Some institutions have policies in which certain grades are replaced such that only the better of two given grades is counted in GPA calculation but both attempts are counted as attempted credits in pace calculations..
Institutional aid policies: Although the eligibility criteria for federal aid are set by SAP standards, a lot of institutions will apply the same standards when it comes to institutional scholarships and grants, but the policies differ.

Influencing Factors to Academic Progress

Student-Level Determinants

Cognitive Contributors and Academic Contributors

Prior academic achievement is the best indicator of future academic achievement. Students entering school or moving on to higher education with a strong base knowledge and skills in most cases demonstrate an improvement in their ability to learn higher. However, research on growth mindsets shows that achievement in the past does not be a predictor of the ability a student has for the future – students can significantly improve given effective instruction and their own efforts.

Learning strategies and metacognition have a major effect on student Academic Progress. Students who use effective study techniques that include:

Spaced out Repetition not Cramming.
Active recall by way of self-testing.
Elaborative interrogation, asking questions on “why” and “how”.
Interleaved Practice Mixing Different Types of Practices.
Self-explanation explaining the process of reasoning.

These evidence-based strategies have significantly larger learning increases than passive review strategies.

Time management skills and executive functioning skills help students juggle competing demands, meet deadlines and be consistent in their effort. Left to stumble their way in the world by trial and error, students with under-developed planning, organization, and self-regulation skills are less successful.

Motivational and Affective Factors

Intrinsic motivation – the internal drive to learn for the sake of learning – is related to academic achievement and persistence in a positive manner. Students who experience personal meaning and relevance within their course of study make more effort and show more effort than students who are motivated only by external rewards or the avoidance of punishment..
Academic self-efficacy (the belief of oneself to succeed in academic tasks) plays a role in effort and persistence in academic tasks. Students with high self-efficacy have high goal-setting, achievement persistence and recovery from setbacks. On the other hand, low self-efficacy leads to self-fulfilling prophecies in which students do not try hard, and give up too soon when they run into problems..
Test anxiety and academic stress impair performance through using cognitive resources and adopting avoidance behaviors. While moderate stress can help people focus better, when they’re chronically anxious, their ability to use working memory and make decisions, and retrieve information, is undermined during times of high-stakes assessment..
Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset influences and determines the way students view challenges and setbacks. Students with growth mindsets see intelligence and abilities as something that is developed through effort and challenges are seen as opportunities to learn. Fixed mindset students think that their abilities are fixed, and that trouble is a sign of being bad and that they shouldn’t be in situations where they may confirm their limitations..

Environmental and Contextual Factors

Home Environment Family Dynamics

It has been found that parental involvement and expectations have a significant impact. Families who prioritize education, have resources for learning, communicate regularly with the schools, and have found ways to meet the needs of their children academically with home routines have higher levels of achievement. However, style of involvement is important – the more autonomy-supportive parenting style, which promotes independence, has better results than a controlling and pressuring approach.

Socioeconomic status (SES) is related to academic achievement in a number of ways:

Resource availability including books, educational, technology and enrichment opportunity.
School continuity and stress levels Housing stability.
Nutrition and healthcare affecting Cognitive Development and School Attendance.
Parent education levels as effects of the quality of academic support and educational aspirations.
Neighborhood safety/ resources that impact study environments/ community support.

Achievement gaps across students from different SES backgrounds continue throughout American education, although it is high-quality schooling that can go a long way in bridging these gaps.

Peer Influences and Social Context

Peer academic norms increase behaviors and aspirations of students. Schools and classrooms with robust academic cultures in which learning is valued and effort is applauded develop higher levels of achievement than schools and classrooms where being academically involved is stigmatized. Peer tutoring and collaborative learning arrangements may be advantages to both tutors and learners if structured appropriately..
Social Belonging and Connectedness to School Communities Harmonizing in being in school has been shown to correlate with engagement, attendance, and achievement, too. Students who are accepted, respected, and valued by other students and teachers show more motivation and persistence. Contrarily, social isolation, bullying or marginalization through experiences of social isolation disrupt academic focus and may lead to their absenteeism or dropping out..

Technology and the Digital Media

There are opportunities and challenges in integrating technology in education. Properly designed educational technologies offer:

Adaptive learning platforms that individualize learning.
Immediate Feedback Accelerating skill development.
Interesting multimedia content raising motivation.
Data analytics as an information input for instructional decisions.
Tools to support accessibility to diverse learners.

However, too much recreational screen time is related in a negative way to school performance. Social media usage in the study time leads to interruptions that lead to poor efficiency in the learning process. Digital distraction is a rise challenge with students seeking to share their minds between scholastic pursuits and entertainment.

Institutional and Systems Factors

Instructional Quality and Effectiveness of Teachers

Teacher expertise makes up the most important school-based factor affecting Academic Progress. Effective teachers model:

Deep content knowledge to be able to explain and relate.
Pedagogical ability to use different instructional strategies.
Classroom management to maximize the instructional time.
Assessment literacy Data to Inform Instruction.
Cultural responsiveness of connection with different student populations.
High Expectations of all students regardless of background.

Teacher-student relationships that are warm, respectful, and high on expectations foster learning climates in a classroom. Students who feel that their teachers care about their success and believe in them as individuals put in more effort.

School Covers and School Infrastructure

Funding levels influence the class size, availability of specialists, quality of facilities, availability of technology and types of programs offered. While it is not just money that makes schools successful, well-resourced schools are able to purchase comprehensive support systems that are unavailable to under-resourced schools..
Curriculum quality and alignment to standards ensure that students are exposed to rigorous and coherent progressions of learning that is built in a systematic manner. Instructional materials quality, they are the content of textbooks, digital content, and materials that can be used to build meaning and understanding of new knowledge are often facilitators or constraints for learning opportunities..
Support services such as counselors, social workers, nurses, librarians, and intervention specialists are working on non-academic barriers to learning, and offering the student who needs assistance..

Systemic Inequalities and Educational Inequalities

Racial and ethnic achievement gaps are perpetuated in American education as a result of historical inequities, modern-day disparities in school funding and quality and systemic barriers. Schools that are working with primarily students of color often have:

Less experienced teachers.
Less of an offering of advanced courses.
Unexpectedly old facilities and technology.
Larger class sizes.
Increased rate of teacher turnover.

School segregation – both racial and economic – concentrates the poor making it very hard for high-poverty schools to deliver the kind of comprehensive supports offered routinely to more high-performing and affluent schools.

Opportunity gaps that precede and underlay achievement gaps such as disparities in:

The access to early childhood education.
Summer learning programs – Summer slide: Summer learning programmes.
Advanced coursework (AP, IB, Dual Enrollment).
College counseling and preparation material, resources.
Enrichment and other extracurricular activities.

Procedures for Enhancing Academic Progress

Data Driven Decision Making + Personalised Learning

Leveraging Assessment Data

Results of formative assessment data effectively create the difference between teaching standardized content and teaching in response. Teachers should:

Analyze assessment results in a systematic way in order to find patterns of misunderstanding, common errors, and knowledge gaps of multiple students or individual learners..
Adjust the pace of instruction based on student readiness and slow down the pace of instruction based on the concepts being taught if students have trouble, or speed up the pace of instruction based on which students are ready to move on to the next concept more efficiently..
Flexibly group students for focused instruction by forming small groups that focus on specific skills or concepts as temporary groups with other students independently and/or on extension activities..
Provide differentiated instruction that is tailored to the complexity of the content, to approaches to the processes of learning, and to expectations for products..

Putting Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Place

MTSS frameworks group the instruction and intervention into tiers, the intensity of instruction and intervention increases:

Tier	Name	Description
Tier 1	Universal Instruction	High quality instruction with evidence-based practice that meets the needs of an approximate 80% of the students. Universal screening identifies students in need of help.
Tier 2	Targeted Intervention	Small group supplemental instruction (3-5 students usually) containing extra time, attention and instruction for students who are not responding adequately to appropriate instruction through general education curricula. Interventions are normally given 3-5 times weekly for 20-30 minutes.
Tier 3	Intensive Intervention	Individualized or very small group intervention (1-3 students) Ed. Additional and substantial time and highly explicit and systematic. Students are intervened upon daily, sometimes for 45-60 minutes.

Progress monitoring takes place frequently at Tiers 2 and 3; this tracking informs response to intervention and helps in determining continuations, intensification, fadings, etc.

Instructional Strategies that Works

Explicit and Systematic Teachable Skills

Explicit teaching makes the learning objectives, expectations for the task and thinking processes transparent. Effective explicit instruction has the following characteristics:

Clear Learning Objectives that are professed in student friendly language.
Modeling and think aloud of problem solving processes.
Guided practice/ Immediate corrective feed by teacher.
Systematic level of skill building that builds logical progression from simple to complex.
Cumulative Review of previously learnt material.

This approach works especially well for struggling learners and for complex skills but all students will benefit from this strategy when combined with opportunities for application and exploration.

Active Learning Along with Engagement of Students

Active learning strategies have students processing information rather than passively receiving information:

Alternatives for Think-Pair-Share – Individual reflection and then sharing throughout the entire group as a way to engage students in Think-Pair-Share.
Questioning strategies – Questioning higher level questions, involving analysis, evaluation and making.
Socratic seminars – Seminar includes student-study, text/student talk, sets texts, guides discussion, offers clues, plays etc..
Problem-based learning – Students explore real problems which are complex.
Project-based learning – Longer types of learning which leads to public products.

Immediate feedback during practice helps make learning faster by validating that you have got the understanding right and it is also able to correct the misconceptions in the child before they consolidate.

Culturally Responsive Approach to Teaching

Culturally responsive pedagogy involves acknowledging and building on student cultural backgrounds, experiences and perspectives as strengths in the learning. Some of the effective practices are:

Diverse Curriculum- Inclusive and representative of diversity of voices and views.
Relevant and and culturally relevant examples which relate to the students lives.
Varying forms of instruction to face a variety of learning styles.
Relationship-building Understanding students as individuals.
High Expectations with Support Maintaining Rigor with Scaffolding.

Student Level Strategies/ Study Skills

Time Management and Organisation Systems

Academic planning tools that assist students to prioritize between competing demands:

Weekly planning sessions in the amount of time needed to study all subjects.
Task Break Down Breaking down large assignments into manageable steps.
Priority ranking applying effort to high value activities.
Digital/planner of deadlines and commitments.
Routine establishment building constant study schedules.

Organization systems eliminate cognitive overload and lost work:

Subject specific notepads or binders with the same sections.
Digital file management using the logical folder structures.
Assignment tracking sheets to track the status of completion.
Supply checklists to ensure that necessary materials are in supply.

Effective Study Techniques

The active retrieval practice far exceeds the results of passive review:

Self quizzing with the use of flashcards or practice problems.
Practice tests using conditions of an exam.
Free Recall Writing everything that a person can remember about a topic.
Teaching other people explaining things to other peers or family.

Spaced practice spread out study sessions of information over a period of time rather than massing practice in single study sessions. Reviewing material several times with a time interval in between produces better long-term retention.

Interleaved practice involves mixing different types of problems or concepts instead of focusing on one type of problem or concept before moving on to the next. While more difficult at first blush, interleaving differentiates between problem types and more understanding is developed.

Elaboration strategies relate new information to old ones:

Self-explanation articulating reasoning in the process of working on a problem.
Concept mapping building visual visualizations of relation.
Analogies/metaphors relating to familiar things.
Question generation Asking and answering “why” and “how” questions.

Institutional Initiatives and Policies and Approaches

Early Warning Systems and Interventions

Early warning systems bring together a combination of indicators to identify students who are at risk of academic failure or leaving school – such as:

Attendance Patterns Monitoring absences, tardiness, and chronic absenteeism.
Course performance Monitoring Grades and Credit Accumulation.
Behavioral Indicators such as disciplinary referrals and suspensions.
Assessment results below benchmark performance.

Automated alerts on students who are at risk based on specific criteria alert counselors, advisors, and teachers to reach out and support students before a problem escalates.

Warning signs responses from intervention protocols are:

Attendance interventions examining causes and solutions for barriers.
Academic coaching in the areas of study skills and time management.
Counseling services that deal with social-emotional issues.
Family engagement Working with the parents to develop support plans.
Schedule adjustments to eliminate obstacles and maximize schedule placement.

Professional Development and Boundless Collective Learning

Job-embedded professional development allows for greater building of teacher capacity than is true of the traditional workshop model:

Professional learning communities (PLCs) in which teachers share their work collaboratively, using student work as the basis for improvement..
Instructional coaching that gives individualized support, models and feedback.
Lesson study based on collaborative lesson design, observation and reflection.
Data analysis protocols if and only if there are patterns of student achievement that are systematically analyzed.
Learning through peer observation of colleague effective practices.

Continuous improvement cycles provide for data analysis and adjustment into the regular work of the schools and establish cultures of learning and responsiveness.

Technology Tools for Progress Monitoring & Increasing

Learning Management Systems & Student Information Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Canvas and Schoology help to centralise course materials, assignments, communications and grades. Some of the key features used to enhance Academic Progress are:

Grade visibility in real-time allowing students and parents to keep up with performance constantly.
Assignment tracking keeping track of what’s. 1-Apr-1962 US President Kennedy is assassinated 16-18 Oct 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis- Cuba is planning a military base in the Caribbean..
Feedback mechanisms that give information about student work in detail;.
Resource libraries for organizing instructional materials so that they are easily accessible.
Engagement and performance analytics dashboards to summarize the engagement and performance metrics.

Student Information Systems (SIS) are used to control complete student records including:

Approval of enrollment and demographic citing.
Attendance records and Discipline records.
Assessment scores obtained from more than one source.
The ability to see transcripts and track of credits.
Health and intervention record keeping.

Integration between LMS and SIS platforms builds data ecosystems that are unified, and information moves without issue, to give comprehensive views of student progress.

Learning Platforms: A Platform to Provide Adaptive Learning

Computer-adaptive learning platforms are able to adapt the difficulty, pacing, and approach of content on the basis of individual response from the student. Leading platforms include:

Khan Academy – Free self-paced comprehensive curriculum with video lessons, exercises, and mastery-based progression in mathematics, science, humanities, and test preparation..
IXL Learning – Comprehensive, adaptive practice K-12 math, language arts, science, & social studies curriculum with immediate feedback and analytics.
DreamBox Learning – Game based adaptive mathematics instruction for K-8 students Zone of proximal development – adaptive learning technology that responds to student strategies and learning styles..
Lexia Learning – Reading and literacy programs based on adaptive technology to differentiate programs and accelerate learning for students struggling in reading and literacy..

Adaptive platforms Benefits include:

Individually paced so that students advance as quickly or as slowly as necessary.
Specific skill gaps Targeted practice.
Instant corrective feedback avoiding the consolidation of misconceptions.
Motivation Through Gamification using Points, badges, and levels.
Detailed analytics for teachers displaying where exactly the students struggle.

Progress Monitoring Tools

Curriculum Based Measurement or CBM tools are tools designed to provide rapid, repeatable measurements of foundational skills:

Reading Fluency in words per minute read correctly.
timed basic fact assessments Math computation.
Written expression judging the productivity and quality of writing.
Early numeracy Early assessing number sense development.

Digital CBM platforms automate the administrative, scoring, and graphing process making the frequent progress monitoring process efficient and actionable.

Portfolio assessment systems define learning growth based on collections of student work over time that dramatize growth on multiple dimensions and that allows for authentic assessment of complex skills.

Understanding Academic Progress Report And Scorecards

Interpreting MAP Growth Reports – Families

Upon receipt of MAP Growth reports by the families, there are several important aspects to look for:

RIT Score – RIT score is the main achievement measure, which identifies what level of content is understood by the student. Parents should take note of this and both the absolute score and its comparison to grade-level norms as well as with previous student scores..
Achievement Percentile – Tells how many students in the country scored below this student. A 67th percentile indicates that the student scored better than 67% of the students in the same grade for the country..
Growth Percentile – More important than achievement percentile this shows how much the student increased in comparison to students that began with similar RIT scores. A growth percentile of 75% means the student made more than 75% of the academic peers..
Projected Proficiency – Some reports provide estimated chances of meeting grade-level standards on state assessments based on map growth performance which helps families to understand whether the current level of performance (in terms of growth) leads to proficiency..
Instructional Area Breakdown – Comprehensive reports include information on key performance indicators for specific content areas (i.e. geometry, number sense, vocabulary, literary text), pinpointing specific areas of strength and growth..

Colleges Progress Reports/ Academic Standing:

Transcript Notations record academic position in higher degree:

Academic Good Standing – Has all SAP requirements met.
Academic Warning – In which a student fails to achieve GPA or pace standards for the first time.
Academic Probation – On improvement plan given warning or appealed.
Academic Suspension – For a specific period of time you will be suspended from enrollment because of repeated failure to meet standards.
Academic Dismissal – permanent ouster from program.

Degree audit systems monitor progress towards degree completion and indicate:

Completed requirements (by category: general education, major, electives).
Requirements to remain with specific course offers.
Current gpa as it is and in the major.
Total Credits taken and required for graduation.
Current pace based estimated date of graduation.

Students need to regularly go through degree audits to make sure that they’re on the right track and taking the right courses that will help them finish the requirements quickly.

Recent Trends in US Academic Performance

Achievement Patterns from 2009-2019

Analysis of how the nation’s school districts are doing reveals a number of important trends in the decade before the pandemic:

Modest overall growth – Overall achievement rose slightly in both mathematics and reading in the majority of districts – although growth rates differed substantially by region, demographics and socioeconomic factors..
Persistent achievement gaps – Parity between high-income and low-income students and between white students and students of color remained immense in spite of the national action on issues of equity. In some areas there was less variation in gaps than more..
Geographic variation – Strong variations between states and districts developed with relative areas of strong growth whilst other regions stagnated or declined. High performing districts huddled in some metro areas and suburban communities..
Elementary vs. secondary patterns – Elementary school achievement exceeded secondary school achievement on all tests except mathematics as the mathematics growth was especially strong in the early grades but flat in middle and high school..

Impact of the Pandemic on a Biden Administration and Vaccine

The 2020-2021 school year received record disruption for American education causing learning loss to impact students of all demographics, but have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations:

Achievement declines – In the learning that has occurred, students experienced an average of three to five months of lost achievement in mathematics and two to three months in reading (in some sub-groups the losses in achievement were substantially greater)..
Chronic absenteeism surge – Rates doubled or tripled in many districts as remote learning, health concerns and family disruptions interfered with regular attendance..
Widened inequities – Students from low-income families, English learners, and students with disabilities had larger learning losses because of a lack of access to technology, limited family academic support, and lack of special education services..
Mental health challenges – Higher asthma rates of anxiety, depression, and social isolation prevailed and impacted student engagement, motivation, and ability to focus on the academic work..

Range in lengths of recovery are very large:

Elementary Students Recovery faster than secondary students.
Math Recovery lags behind reading recovery.
Well-resourced districts putting in an intensive tutoring and extended learning time show more immediate recovery.
Teacher shortages and staff burnout make recovery efforts in many districts a challenge.

Emerging Priorities in Progress Monitoring of Academic Learning

Social-emotional learning (SEL) integration – Recognition that student academic progress depends on social-emotional competencies of students which include self-awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and responsible decision-making..
Holistic progress indicators – Movement away from test scores as indicators of school success and assigning importance to indicators of student engagement, belonging, agency, and well-being as important outcomes in their own rights and contributors to academic success.
Artificial intelligence and analytics – More advanced data systems based on machine learning that are able to predict student needs, personalize student learning, and suggest interventions at increasingly higher levels of precision..
Competency-based education – Increasing interest in mastery-based advancement where students move on after demonstrating proficiency as opposed to after time periods which would allow personalized progress and close gaps..
Equity-focused accountability – Accountability systems focused on growth and improvements for all groups of students rather than focusing on school-wide averages, making sure there is a focus on the historically undeserved..

Special Populations and Academic Progress Issues

English Learners

English Learners (ELs) have the dual challenge of having to learn English language proficiency in the context of learning grade-level academic content. Effective support includes:

Sheltered instruction to make content understandable through the use of visuals, gestures, simpler language, and modeling.
Bilingual education programs as an asset of the home language.
Extended time accommodations of assessments.
Progress Monitoring Language Development (e.g. WIDA ACCESS).
Culturally responsive teaching as parallel values of linguistic and cultural diversity.

Measurement considerations: The test scores of EL students in English may be a poor predictor of student content knowledge. Growth measures are more meaningful than absolute achievement levels at periods of language acquisition.

Students with Disabilities

Individualized accommodations and modifications provided in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans are provided for students with disabilities:

Specialized instruction through special education teachers.
Accommodations such as extended time, assistive technology or other utilities.
Modified curriculums where appropriate – alternate achievement standards.
Related services Speech therapy Occupational therapy Counseling.
Transition plan for post secondary success.

Progress monitoring for students with disabilities is focused on both IEP goal attainment as well as participation of students in general education curriculum to the maximum extent appropriate.

Gifted and Talented Students

Academically advanced students need to be differentiated for their continued growth of:

Speeding up the curriculum by curriculum compacting or grade acceleration.
Enrichment opportunities for depth, complexity from grade-level standards.
Advanced coursework such as Honors, AP, IB or dual enrollment courses.
Independent study projects that permit the More such study projects that permit studying of the passionate interest.
Mentorships tying together students with experts in students interest.

Progress monitoring should not just evaluate whether gifted students are just staying at high levels of achievement but if they are demonstrating appropriate growth. Lack of growth indicates lack of challenge.

Best Practices for Students: Ownership of Academic Progress

Self-Assessment and Generation of Goals

The regular self evaluation encourages students to become metacognitive:

Weekly reflection of how things have gone well, what was challenging and what needs to move.
Test analysis looking for errors in order to discover patterns and knowledge gaps.
Strength and growth area identification creating honest self awareness.
Progress tracking where notes on the improvements over time are made to keep the motivation going.

SMART goal setting – The goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound:

Weak: “I would like to be better at math”.
Strong: “I am going to increase my MAP math RIT score by 5 points by spring test time by practicing geometry skills during the week”.

Seeking Help Proactively

Successful students are aware that they need help to succeed and they go after support:

Office hours and tutoring – Attending the support sessions regularly when available and not just before the major assessments.
Specific questions – Arriving prepared with specific problems or concepts being difficult.
Study groups – Working with peers to crack what you’ve understood and in combination with peers to crack strategies.
Teacher communication – Requesting to be made clear on assignments, requesting to be told how to do.
Resource exploration – Library services, writing centers as well as on-line resources.

Help seeking as strength Seeing asking for help as strategic and responsible, rather than admitting weakness, results in healthier academic relationships and faster progress as a result.

Creating Effective Study Routines

What is more important – consistency or cramming:

Daily study time set out on a regular time in distraction-free settings.
Subject rotation Practicing multiple subjects over marathoning one.
Breaking up inclusion with the use of techniques such as Pomodoro (25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of break).
Sleep prioritisation allowing for adequate rest to allow memory to be consolidated.
Physical activity keeping up with exercise habits that promote cognitive function.

Best Practices for Parents: Promoting the Progress of Learning

Monitoring And Not Micromanaging

Balance between awareness and autonomy in healthy parental involvement:

Regular check ins that discuss the school experiences, challenges and successes.
Online portal monitoring to go through grades and assignments to identify worrisome trends.
Communication with teachers with concerns not waiting for crises.
Problem-solving partnership Helping students build solutions instead of solving problems for them.
Developmentally appropriate expectations realizing that the development of independence takes practice.

Creating Supportive Environments at Home

Some of the characteristics of home structures that support an academic success are:

Dedicated study spaces that have adequate lighting, supplies and minimal distractions.
Consistent routines in regards to homework time, bedtime and device usage.
Resource availability making sure books, technology and materials are available.
Balanced schedules that allow for the time to do academics, extracurriculars, family and rest.
Positive academic culture where there is a value of learning, curiosity, and effort.

Understanding School Systems and Advocating Effectively

Informed parents make more successful choices from education systems:

Attending parent-teacher conferences that are prepared with questions and concerns.
Understanding assessment results Learning what scores mean and how to understand reports.
Knowing district policies in terms of placement, intervening, and appealing.
Developing relationships with teachers, counselors, and administrators;.
Making respectful chronicles and concerns in a constructive way without assuming bad intentions.

Looking Forward: Academic Progress Monitoring in the Future

Personalized Learning at Scale

New technologies promise greater and greater individualization of education:

AI enabled tutoring solutions which offers one-to-bat support to scale.
Learning analytics discovering patterns that are invisible to human eyes.
Pathways of adaptive curriculum that create unique learning sequences from each student.
Virtual and augmented reality facilitating immersive/ experiential learning.
Blockchain credentials on competencies and micro credentials.

Competency-Based Progression

The implementation of mastery-based systems enables students to move on when they demonstrate proficiency regardless of the amount of time it takes and may replaced traditional grade levels and credit hours. Benefits include:

Elimination of Gaps – Students have to master pre-requisites before moving forward.
Reduced stigma – Varying pacing becomes greater of the norm rather than of the exception.
Deeper learning – Focus from coverage to actual understanding.
Credential clarity – Diplomas and degrees are a representation of competencies.

Challenges include creating valid and reliable measures of complex competencies and challenges of managing the logistical complexity of students progressing at different rates.

Holistic Success Metrics

Broader definitions of success understand that student development has many dimensions and test scores are only one of them. Future progress monitoring may be conducted in a more systematic fashion to measure:

Critical Thinking, Problem-solving skills.
Creativity and innovation capability.
Skills in collaboration and communicating.
Flexibility, flexibility, resiliency.
Reasoning and civic engagement in ethics.
Feeling well and finding contentment in life.

Balanced accountability system such as the one suggested by McLeod would measure schools based on their success in creating well-rounded people prepared for a meaningful life, not just on standardized test performance.

Theus Baldwin-Geoffrey, PhD (2008) discusses how equity can be integrated into an Anti-Racist Curriculum as a Centering Principle at American Indian Language Development Institute

Future progress monitoring will have to become focused on eliminating persistent opportunity and achievement gaps:

Disaggregated information that brings out the disparities that are hidden by averages.
Root cause analysis which addresses systemic barriers as opposed to the symptoms.
Resource distribution to highest crimes students and schools.
Community Partnerships to Engage Family and Community as a Full Partner.
Culturally Responsive Assessment Assuring Measures are Valid and Fair at a Diverse Range of.

Academic progress is much more than test scores and grade point averages. It incorporates the complex, increasingly multi-dimensional and holistic development of knowledge, skills, dispositions and competencies which prepare students for successful lives and useful contributions to society. Effective student, family, educator, and policymaker coordinated effort is needed to monitor support and accelerate student academic advancement, based on accurate student data, evidence-based practices and an unremitting focus on equity. With an understanding of the measurement systems, an awareness of factors that affect the learning, the implementation of proven strategies and an understanding of expectations of high standards co-occurring with appropriate support, the American education system can ensure that the continuous progress of all students to their total potential is ensured.