Trackers

[SmileyPR]

Hi

 

Our school wants to keep track (as for an internal document) of the Development Matters points (previous Stepping Stones + ELG) in a document which would start once the child arrives to Kindergarten 1 until s/he is finishing Kindergarten 3 (= Reception). This internal document would help us in several ways:

 

1. Practitioners could see how the child is developing throughout their early years and it would be a written communication tool. Surely enough we speak with each other, but it is a good visual aid to have on hand, even more if the previous teacher would not be in the setting anymore. At the same time, the administration team keep track on how the children are doing.

 

2. Our term reports for the parents would include a summative assessment based on the most important aspects of this tracking document.

 

Even though the Practice Guidance asks on point 2.1 (page 11) that the Learning and Development guidance examples are not to be used as checklist, aren't these used as reference to see if the child is making progress and at what rhythm? At the end, isn't it required to give a score for each child and each group based on the EYFS Profile? So the total of points would be the total of achieved/ticked/checked aspects.

 

Our document would not be the type of checklist (achieved or not), but one with coloured circles: green = secure, orange = working towards, red = experiences difficulties (or any other better name?).

 

Your opinions and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance !

[apple]

Have you got your copy of 'Progress Matters'? You can download the document from the National Stratgies website it also inlcude an xel spreadsheet linked to track development matters.

There is a lot of interesting stuff on the accompanying CDrom that comes with the pack if you order over the phone. There are several authorities that have shared there work and documents for monitororing children's progress.

 

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.g...234?uc=force_uj

 

Hope this helps

[apple]

whoops 'Their' not 'there'... must be sun stroke

[SmileyPR]

Thanks, Apple. I have downloaded it to my memory stick to see it later in our PC because my MacBook said the macros would not work with Office 2008 for Mac or something like that. My husband is now playing at the PC , so I better wait .

[Guest]

Hi

 

This is one that has now been passed around our whole borough.

 

Hope its of some use although it doesn't have the colours as your suggested but maybe you could adjust it to fit your needs.

 

One looks better than the other but takes up alot more pages where as the other is more compressed for paper saving.

 

Niki x

Development_Matters_Record_Sheets_Final_Copy__2_.doc

EYFSOngoingassessmentrecordsheets_developmentmatters2.doc

[SmileyPR]

Wow, Apple! I am surprised to see that the Progress Matters progress overview summary makes use of the same colour system code that I had put on the tracker I prepared last year and that I shared here in the forum! So that means that mine was not that bad... ha-ha... even though it was more specific and I don't know if that was desired or not.

 

N1k1k11... I will look at yours now. Thanks!

[SmileyPR]

Nice work, N1k1k11! Somehow it is similar to ours, only that we don't write a specific date, but the coloured dot in the corresponding term. We also have to present the evidence apart. I have been redoing mine to add younger children and adapting it to the EYFS since I had done it for the CG for the FS. Again, thanks a million.

[Guest]

We use something very similar to Nikki, but without the two columns - we use highlighters to colour code when achieved and this seemed acceptable with the EYAT.

[Guest]

I have been thinking about how to monitor progress too.

 

We keep journals but need to be able to show 'value added'. I am afraid I loathe tick lists and have been very resistant to using any sort of tracking tool as I think, as experienced practitioners, we know when children are progressing, or not, without having to write it all down. However I am having to give in to pressure!!

 

I have attached the sheet I am considering using. Key people already meet with parent/carers 3 times per year (or more often if there are difficulties). In preparation for that they write a brief report which is discussed with parents. I thought if I also asked them to fill in dates on the form to show a 'best fit' for each aspect, this would not be a huge extra burden.

 

I'd love to have people's thoughts on this.

 

Thanks in the hope

Gruffalo2

EYFS___best_fit___progress_chart.doc

[Gezabel]

I am afraid I loathe tick lists and have been very resistant to using any sort of tracking tool as I think, as experienced practitioners, we know when children are progressing, or not, without having to write it all down. Gruffalo2

 

Hi Gruffalo

I totally agree with you but I have come round to the way of thinking that all the 'stuff we know' about children in terms of their progression actually does need to be written down. If you came into my setting and picked any child I could tell you anything you wanted to know about him/her but when it comes to 'others' be it colleagues, parents, EY advisors, OFSTED etc there seems to be a 'requirement' to have some sort of something in print. ( I am talking in addition to Learning Journeys here)

 

One thing that is beginning to concern me (sorry I don't mean to hijack your thread) is that over recent days I have looked at lots of 'tracking' documents on here and think they are all great. However, am I the only one that does not have the very early age ranges on documents we use? We take children from the age of 2yrs and the 'earliest' age range on our documents is 16 -26mths. Do I now need to think again and re-do them all to include from birth - argh!!

[Guest]

Hi Geraldine

When you say 'when it comes to others be it colleagues, parents, EY advisors, OFSTED etc there seems to be a 'requirement' to have some sort of something in print', I suspect we are both feeling the same sort of pressure. I'm in a Children's Centre and have to complete quarterly monitoring forms and an annual SEF for the Children's Centre (as well as the one for Ofsted). These both have to show how 'outcomes for children' are improved by the Centre and require statistics. That is where the pressure for us comes from.

 

I really, really want to keep it simple as I could spend my whole life completing paperwork to justify our existance!

 

You are right that so many documents start from about 16 - 26 months. I guess that this is historic as B23 and Foundation Stage were so separate. We are registered to take babies from birth (but would only do so where this was truly considered that this was in the best interests of the child e.g. where Mum has severe PND). There were separate documents for everything so I too have been having to re-write everything to amalgamate B23 & FS. It has taken ages, but will be good once I finally complete it.

 

Is it just the tracking documents you need? If you PM me, I'm happy to share anything else you may need that I have - I always feel my time has been better spent if what I have done is used more then once.

 

Gruffalo2

[Gezabel]

Hi Gruffalo

Though I don't actually 'feel under pressure' so to speak I guess you are right and the move to document in the way we are discussing is as a result of pressure.

 

However, I suppose it is is also fair to say that all the knowledge we 'mentally hold' of where children are at/going in their learning is kind of unique to us and should we leave the setting that knowledge goes with us and what do we leave behind for those that are taking over?

 

What I meant by the ages on documents is that on the records we created we left out the first two stages, birth- 11 months and 8-20 mths as we don't take children before they are 2. Of course a 'just 2' could be 'operating' at 20mths or less level but this is covered in our starting age range of 16-26mths. For some reason when I saw you had to do 'value added' I thought you were in a school and therfore wondered why you had columns covering from birth As you are in a children's centre of course it makes sense!

 

Thanks for the offer but think i am OK now -phew! What we use is similar to yours we just have the development matters for each aspect of each area of learning. We found that for us a date under an age range for say PSED didn't give a clear enough overall picture. For example in the 30-50mths a child may 'have a positive approach to activities and events' but not yet 'show confidence in linking up with others for support and guidance'. We had very enthusiastic staff carrying out observation after observation and though they were great we also found that 'gaps' in observations were evident. Now we can see that Johnny has observations and supportive evidence for a particular aspect but obs need to be done regarding another aspect of the same area of learning.

 

That sounds very garbled but it isn't really and at the moment it works but maybe that will change!!!

Edited May 25, 2009 by Geraldine

[Aunt Sally]

What I meant by the ages on documents is that on the records we created we left out the first two stages, birth- 11 months and 8-20 mths as we don't take children before they are 2. Of course a 'just 2' could be 'operating' at 20mths or less level but this is covered in our starting age range of 16-26mths.

I think having the earlier stages is quite useful to have for SEN children e.g. I work with a 4 year old child who fits into many of the birth - 11 months range.

[Gezabel]

I think having the earlier stages is quite useful to have for SEN children e.g. I work with a 4 year old child who fits into many of the birth - 11 months range.

 

I should have said that really! I absolutely agree with you and if we had any children with SEN then it would be necessary to include the earlier ages.

[SmileyPR]

I spoke with my Deputy Head and he asked me to delete the school's name and to only share one of the six areas, so I have done so. I hope you understand his request. Anyway, it will give you an idea of how I prepared our tracker sheet.

 

In Belgium, the public schools start taking children in K1 when they become 3 during the 1st term, but there is a "summer group" that can start when they are 2 and a half (K1a with us). That is why you will see that we have a K1a and a K1b. After completing K1b, they pass to K2. These children become 4 in the 1st term. K3 children become 5 in the 1st term.

 

We divided the 30-50 months group into blue and yellow because we felt it reflects what we have observed in the children and it is quite similar to the CG to the FS in this aspect, but keeping the development matters statements.

 

Since some of my children achieve some of the ELG in the 1st term, I added the pink statements of the profile for them. Take into account that, even though the profile presents three subdivisions for the PSE area, it is indeed subdivided in six. So, I had to put the pink statements under the three subdivisions where I considered they would fit best.

 

Normally, what appears here at the end of this PSE area is really at the end of all the document. It explains the colours and it what groups they are mainly worked.

 

The 3 circles represent the 3 terms for each school year. We assess the child and, if the child is having difficulties on that specific aspect, we fill it in (by hand) with a red coloured pencil. If the child is working towards achieving it, then it goes orange. Once the child consistently shows that s/he does this, then it is coloured green. In this way, we can have a fast visual clue of the child's strength's and areas of concern. We can then observe if it is a matter of only within the present school year or something that has been happening since the child was 3 years old, which could be useful if a child is in need of SEN services. For those children who could be achieving under or above expectations, then we have added the squares.

 

Please let me know your sincere opinion of it... if you consider it needs to be improved, suggestions to add or eliminate, etc. I hope I have not been too confusing with the explanation.

 

EYFS_tracker_for_the_forum.xls

Edited June 23, 2009 by SmileyPR

[SmileyPR]

Hi... I have noticed some people have downloaded the tracker. Your comments would be greatly appreciated, here in the post or via private message... even if you want to say that it is not good and, if so, why do you think so. Your suggestions for improvement will be sincerely welcomed.

[Susan]

Hi SmileyPR

 

I understand your explanation and it seems like a reasonable way of tracking the children although I do wonder whether it will be manageable in time terms? I admit to being a little confused as to why this is on a spread sheet, but presumably you are tracking not only the individual child but also the cohort like this. That seems quite a good idea too.

 

As I have moved to yr1 this year, Im not familiar with the progress trackers that have been talked about and how they compare to yours.

However, I do think that whatever you decide to do, it has to be both manageable and usable and time will tell whether it gives you what you need in these respects.

do remember though that not all children will display all characteristics and if they actually beyond where you think they could/ should be then it may also be difficult to track attainment.

 

Good luck.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

Come on everyone, what do you think!!!?

[SmileyPR]

Hi Susan,

 

Thanks for your kind response. The tracker is for the individual child and we did it as a spread sheet since we don't have access to the e-profile. The idea is to see the progress the child makes through out all the years s/he is in our school before they enter Grade 1. Surely enough, comparing each tracker, then we could also see if the group would be presenting some "weakness" in certain common areas and then I, as a teacher, would have to see what am I doing that is not helping and how can I improve so that they can do better.

 

I also find it a bit too much, but last year a new teacher came out with the idea of making something similar... yet it was not based in the curriculum and I asked why would we be doing double work, since that would be working with 2 unrelated curriculums. So, the Deputy Head wanted it related to the CG for the FS and I made one. Yet, since we wanted to move forward towards the EYFS, then I updated it this year and the rest of the team gave some ideas that made this finale document (well, here only 1 of the 6 areas).

 

I agree with you that some children will not display all the characteristics, since each child has their own personality... e.g. some will be more creative in arts and crafts, while others might be so in music or story making. I just would hope that the Deputy Head could also understand that. Anyway, I know he is trying his best.

 

Oh, yes... I did not get to understand the last part of your last sentence. Could you kindly explain to me again? Thanks in advance.

Edited June 27, 2009 by SmileyPR

[JacquieL]

I hope you get some useful replies SmileyPR. Tracking progress is something everyone is tussling with at the moment. Try doing a search on here on 'Trackers' as there have been a lot of discussions about it.

[SmileyPR]

Thanks, JacquielL

[Susan]

sorry smiley!

I missed a word out, obviously more tired than I realised last night, my last sentence should say

 

Do remember though that not all children will display all characteristics and if they are actually beyond where you think they could/ should be, then it may also be difficult to track attainment.

 

What I mean is that if a child has already attained something, ie before being with you , then it may actually be difficult to see that they have already passed this. I have found I have been trying to match attainment to statements when actually you need to consider the whole child to ascertain attainment.

[SmileyPR]

Yes, indeed, that is true and that is why observation is so important. Sometimes administration people consider the adult-directed planning more important than just the teacher 'playing' with the children and observing/trying to understand where they stand, where they are going towards and what they need. And there is so much pressure and making Reception as academic as possible, asking reports to include "A-B-C" grading, when this is so anti Early Years. But I suppose you just have to pray and let people hit their heads and discover they have to see this stage differently to Primary.

 

In our tracker we included squares so that, if a teacher in K1 observes that one of her children is achieving higher than expected, the K2 teacher can keep track of that and offer higher opportunities for the child, as well as I should do when s/he arrives to me. The problem might come when you get some parents that only "indoctrinate" their children, pushing them to memorise things without understanding of what they do, or putting such academic pressure on them without letting them be children nor worrying about other things that are as or more important, like PSE.

[Guest]

Sorry to be totally silly and ask this question but we do not track in this way, we just track using the EYFSP/Eye-profile. Are we supposed to be tracking against the developmental matters as well for individual children? We evaluate the learning/developmental matters aspects of individual/groups of children on our daily planning and medium term planning so in effect are tracking the whole cohort against these! I am so confused now!!!! I am a Foundation Teacher by the way!

[SmileyPR]

Hi Tinky,

 

We are overseas, out of the UK, so we do not use the e-profile and have had to come out with something similar that can be continuous from 2 and a half year olds up to the end of Reception. Then this information is passed on to the Grade 1 teacher. Surely enough we are constantly evaluating, but we have been asked to do this, apart from the termly reports.

[Guest]

Hi

 

Thank you for this tracker after a recent inspection I was told by the advisory teacher that we needed to have something like this so this is perfect. When referencing it is good to page number your observation book/picture etc so that evidence can be found easily by colleague, parent or inspector. bbchianti

[SmileyPR]

Hi bbchiant and welcome to the forum. Glad to know that the tracker sample can be helpful for you Let me know how it goes throughout the year. Okay? Thanks in advance!

[Helen]

Hi SmileyPR

Thanks for sharing your resource

It's certainly attractive, and when you're working with something for such long periods of time, that's important (for me, anyway!)

 

You say you complete the circles by hand. That must mean that you have stacks of paper for each child? I wonder if it might be more manageable if you complete it on the computer at regular intervals, whilst looking at the child's learning journey, observations, etc.?

 

As Susan says, if it's an excel spreadsheet does that mean you use it for studying groups of children, eg boys vs. girls?

[SmileyPR]

Hi Helen,

 

No, I prepared it as a spreadsheet because I found it easier to prepare, but if there are any other ideas they are truly welcome. Do you think it is transformable to Word and would that work better?

 

I would have LOVED to prepare it for filling it out with the computer, but I am not a computer whiz and don't know how to . Any suggestions are welcome !

[Helen]

I've been giving all this some thought about the usefulness of making such a system online.....on one hand I think it would save a lot of time, and on the other, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with tracking children in this way Sounds like the dreaded ticklists sometimes, doesn't it? However, I think this is probably going to be required in the not too distant future.

[SmileyPR]

The most important thing is to remember that a tracker would only be part of a wider spectrum of assessment tools that can explain the d.m. statements observed. It should be used as a tool that can give us a quick glance of where a child is developing faster or slower, adjusting our planning consequently for the child's individual needs and/or that of the group. Mainly, it could help us see on time a consistent pattern of strengths and needs or a of possible special need case. We add comments at the end of each term, so it is not only ticking . Lots of Learning Journals are being given to the parents and are not passing from teacher to teacher and a tracker could be a useful internal tool to keep from the moment the child enters the setting until s/he leaves the EYFS. I wonder if before the L.J. are given to the parents every year, copies are made so that this can be done. That would be very useful.