Take Aim Small-Group Format: Monitoring student performance

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Once students begin working in the Take Aim! at Vocabulary program, it is important to monitor performance and adjust the program to maximize their success. Use all of the information available to you to determine how your students are progressing, including their response to either the teacher-directed or teacher-connection instructional model, activities recorded on their mini-packets, and scores for End-of-Unit Tests recorded on their mini-packets and target graphs.

It is especially important to ensure that students are spending their time appropriately. If students are spending time inappropriately, modify your instruction for them. For example, if students spend a lot of time sketching detailed pictures for the Sketch Target Words section, you may require that they write a word or phrase instead of sketching a picture or use timers to allow one minute per sketch.

If a student isn't making the progress you expect in a Take Aim group, ask yourself the following questions:

• Which instructional model would be most beneficial for the student? Would the student benefit more from group instruction following the teacher-directed model (more support) or the teacher-connection model (less support)?
• How does the student spend time? Too much time working on a step or waiting for others in the group to finish a step? Too much time sketching the pictures? Too much time on additional activities?
• Is the level of material appropriate?
• How is the student's attendance and health?

Then make appropriate changes.

USING THE STUDENT MINI-PACKET

Review the Student Mini-Packets to determine students’ progress through each of the four lessons in a unit. Students use their answers from Sections G, I, and J to fill in the blanks for the hink pink. If their answers are correct, the hink pink will make sense. If the hink pink does not make sense, students need to go back and redo some of the questions. The scores for students’ End-of-Unit Tests are also recorded on the mini-packets.

USING THE TARGET GRAPHS SHEET

If students will be working in all or most of the 12 units, and if you have chosen to have students record their End-of-Unit Test scores on Target Graphs Sheets, you can review students’ End-of-Unit Test scores for each unit to measure progress.