''Everyone'' agrees with the principle that students need to be monitored for their benefit, but ''few can agree on how to do it properly''. Gerald Bracey is right when he says that we should not waste time "playing with statistical models" as a solution. In fact, no model will ever predict with accuracy which specific students are on the verge of failure or success. What they do need, however, is timely feedback. By tracking individual students' progress from day to day and month to month, school administrators can ensure they are not missing anything.
Unfortunately, many districts (including mine) do not share this view. I've lost tally of the number of times colleagues have told me that their school's administration doesn't provide them with enough information about their students' backgrounds. More often than not, this leads to gaps in teaching strategies, which means that students are likely to fall behind more quickly while they wait for the right help.
If we want success for students in today's fast-moving world, we must make sure that they are getting appropriate feedback when they need it. This means monitoring their progress and giving them the advice they require as quickly as possible. In the absence of perfect information, schools should be more active in finding out about their students' abilities and backgrounds. This way, we will have a better idea of when they need to intervene in academic problems. Staying informed about students' strengths and weaknesses will allow teachers to access the appropriate resources without delay.
Reference
Reading Rockets (2022). Monitoring Student progress: Retrieved from:https://www.readingrockets.org/article/student-progress-monitoring-what-means-your-child#:~:text=child%20learn%20better.-,Progress%20monitoring%20can%20give%20you%20and%20your%20child's%20teacher%20information,work%20best%20with%20your%20child.
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