1. The Power of Using Technology for
Progress Monitoring in Early Childhood
Handout: http://www.hatchearlychildhood.com/layout-images/documents/EETC/Progress_Monitoring_handout.pdf
EETC Conference March 2012
Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. Susan Gunnewig, M.Ed.
dmcmanis@hatchearlychildhood.com sgunnewig@hatchearlychildhood.com
Copyright 2012
2. Overview
• Why do progress monitoring (PM)?
• What is PM really?
• Why should we use technology-based PM?
• How do we know technology-based PM works
with children?
• How can we effectively use technology-based
PM in early childhood settings?
*Disclaimer: Photos do not imply endorsement.
3. If you don’t
know where
you’re
going, any
road will get
you there.
----Lewis Carroll
4. Why do progress monitoring (PM)?
“Progress monitoring is when teachers assess
students’ academic performance on a regular basis
(weekly or monthly) for two purposes: to determine
whether children are profiting appropriately from
the typical instructional program and to build more
effective programs for the children who benefit.”
(Fuchs & Fuchs 2002)
5. What is Progress Monitoring?
• Scientifically-based practice for assessing
students' academic performance and evaluating
the effectiveness of instruction
– Cyclical
– Targeted
– Standardized
– Individualized
*Shares components with Response to Intervention
(RTI) Models and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)
6. What are the steps in the PM Cycle?
• Current levels of performance determined.
• Goals identified for learning that will take
place over time
• Performance measured on a regular basis
• Progress toward meeting the goals measured
by comparing expected and actual
rates of learning
• Instruction is adjusted
7. What are the benefits of PM?
• The children learn more, the decision making
of the teacher improves, and children become
more aware and reflective of their own
performance…
• When progress monitoring is well implemented
the benefits seen can include:
– Appropriate child expectations
– Accelerated child learning
– Documentation of child progress
– More efficient communication with others
8. Why use technology for PM?
• These systems strengthen the practice of
making instructional decisions based on data
and allow teachers to better meet the diverse
needs of children…
9. How do we know it works?
• PM children statistically significantly better
than control group on decoding, fluency, and
comprehension (Fuchs, Deno & Mirkin 1984)
• PM children showed significant change in contextual
conventions and contextual language but not story
construction (McMaster, Wayman, Deno, Espin & Yeo 2010)
• PM children’s scores improved significantly for quantity
discrimination and mixed numeracy (Olson & Foegen 2009)
• PM children had average gain of 5.75 normal curve
equivalent units on math assessment-six times the rate of
growth over prior school year (Spicuzza & Ysseldyke 1999)
10. How can we do tech-based PM?
From the outside in…
By helping teachers
• store
• organize
• interpret
• share progress monitoring information
Gathered in traditional and technology-based ways such as
• screeners
• observations
• portfolios
• computer generated reports
Let’s look at some examples…
20. How can we do tech-based PM?
From the inside out…
…through features within educational
technology programs…
• that monitor children’s progress toward goals
and outcomes
• that provide
remediation/targeted
instruction for the child
34. Key considerations
• Now that we have seen the “why” and the
“way”…let’s look at the “how!”
• Following are a set of steps you can follow to
guide progress monitoring with children
…and to help you not
end up like Coop!
35. 1) Get clear
• Decide on the goals/outcomes for the children
and how you will know whether they have
been met…
• You might use:
– rubrics
– percents
– yes/no mastery
– etc.
36. 2) Take an inventory
• Think about the technology you have to use
for taking performance-based indicators…
• Examples might be:
– computer software with progress monitoring
– digital portfolios
– on-line or computer assisted assessment
– teacher created spreadsheets
– etc.
37. 3) Be focused and systematic
• Think about the data you need and want for each
child and how you will gather it…
• For example, will you use the embedded
progress-monitoring tools and information within
technology-based educational programs for the
children?
• Will you take a photo or a scan of a sample
of every child writing his/her name
when they entered your program
and then throughout the year?
38. • Will you design a short form and observe how
each child is performing on your math
software or lessons over time?
• Will you have each child complete a screener
on a regular basis such as the on-line Get
Ready to Read! Screener?
39. 4) Set up a calendar
• Determine when the measurements toward
learning goals will be monitored…
• Monthly or quarterly is standard
• However, if a child is struggling, you may want
to consider doing the monitoring more often
40. 5) Put info in easy-to-use format
• You might make a digital portfolio for each
child on a computer and have an
accompanying spreadsheet
where you can indicate:
– what measures taken
– when
– the performance levels
– how instruction changed
– where the original data is/are located
41. 6) Analyze the information
• Best practice recommends establishing a level
of progress and then comparing how a child is
matching with that.
• Are they performing
– above
– at or
– below expectation?
42. 7) Let data inform instruction
• Use the information continually to inform
instruction…
• Will allow you to
reflect on strengths
and needs of individual
children
• Help form small groups
for focused instruction
43. What tools do I need?
• Something like Microsoft Office
– Word
– Excel
– Picture Manager
– PowerPoint
– Outlook
• Digital camera
• Video recorder
• Scanner
44. NAEYC /Rogers Center Technology
Position Statement Guiding Principle
Effective uses of technology and media are:
• active
• hands-on
• engaging
• empowering
• give the child control
• provide adaptive scaffolds to ease task
accomplishment
• one of many options to support children’s learning
45. Challenges?
“There is so much focus on documentation these
days. Many early-learner classroom teachers in
ECE feel overwhelmed. I think much of this feeling
stems from lack or improper training in using
tools put in place to gauge progress or areas of
support for both teachers and their students. With
all of the new research how can we ensure the
classroom teacher is effectively equipped to take
the new challenges?”
—Pamela Courtney commenting on Early Childhood
Technology Network LinkedIn Group….
46. Summary
• Progress monitoring is vital to effective
instruction
• Technology can greatly enhance progress
monitoring efforts.
• Being thoughtful, intentional, and focused is
the key to success
• Practice makes perfect!
48. Where we will be at EETC…
• Thurs. 9:15-10:15 & 10:30-11:30 Roundtable-
Usability of a Literacy and Math Content-infused
Interactive Whiteboard with Preschoolers &
Roundtable-Using Research to Inform Guidelines
for Early Childhood Educational Technology
Program Development
• Thurs. 2:45-3:45 Breakout Session- Why and How
to Evaluate Educational Technology for Early
Learners.
• Fri. 9:15-10:45 Breakout Session- The Power of
Using Technology for Progress Monitoring in Early
Childhood
49. Good places for social connections!
• http://www.ecetech.net/
• LinkedIn: Early Childhood Technology
Network
• Twitter: #ecetechchat
–Every Weds. night @ 9 EST
Special Announcement
http://www.ecetech.net/about/early-childhood-technology-collaborative/
Early Childhood Technology Today Survey 2012
OPEN NOW!!
50. Future talks/presentations
• McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership
Connections Conference May 12 in Chicago
– Evaluating Educational Technology in Early Childhood
• National Head Start Association (NHSA) Conference
April 18 in Nashville
– Using Technology to Support Young Children’s Social-
Emotional Development
• International Society for Technology in Education
(ISTE) Conference June 25 in San Diego
– School Readiness: Outcomes & Approaches
51. We’d like to
stay in
Where we will bePlease turn in your
next…..
Conference
touch….. Connections Card!
• National Head Start Association Conference April
18 in Nashville
– Using Technology to Support Social-Emotional
Handout: Development in Young Children
http://www.hatchearlychildhood.
• McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership
com/layout-
images/documents/EETC/Progres
s_Monitoring_handout.pdf
Connections Conference May 10-12 in Chicago
– Evaluating Educational Technology in Early Childhood
• International Society for Technology in Education
(ISTE) Conference June 25 in San Diego
– School Readiness: Outcomes and Approaches
