Fifth Grade Standards Survey: Using Data to Teach Math Well

This is a snapshot of what some of the survey data looks like. 

I created a fifth grade math standards survey with one question that encompassed the main idea of each fifth grade standard. Students took the survey this week, and this morning I spent time analyzing the data. As usual, the data demonstrates a range from students who have little knowledge of the fifth grade standards to students who are very familiar with the standards' content.  The data also revealed that there are areas of the fifth grade standards that most of the class is very familiar with and areas that only a few have experience with.

I will use this data, in part, as I plan the program for the year ahead. I hope to employ Boaler's "floor to ceiling" approach by creating a number of learning experiences that begin at the review level and extend far beyond fifth grade if students want to take it there.

I have shared the data with the entire teaching team including paraeducators who will be providing a lot of one-to-one support, grade-level teachers who will lead "Response to Intervention" sessions, the math coach who will work with us, the math curriculum director, and the building principal. We all spend time at Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings looking at data, both informal, formal, and observational, to discuss ways that we can teach each child well.

I will also share this data with family members at the fall conference as one way to demonstrate to family members the standards students are learning and where their child currently falls with regard to those standards. The data will provide a good discussion point about how we can work together to support each child's continued math development throughout fifth grade. I will also use this assessment at the end of the year as well for some or all to assess student growth. I may not use it with students who have already demonstrated precision with most or all of the questions as I will use other assessments for those students.

This process of giving the survey copied below is one way to know who my class is and what they need with regard to developing a strong math foundation. Feel free to take the survey below if you'd like and don't hesitate to provide me with feedback. I will continue to develop this approach.