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Tracking & using data

Data is only useful if it changes what you do next. You don't need a fancy dashboard — you need to know which students, and which skills, to act on this week.

Ask one question Every time you look at scores, ask: "Who needs help, and with what?" If a number doesn't help you answer that, you don't need to track it.

Three levels of data

Level	Question it answers
Whole class	Which questions/skills did most students miss? (reteach these)
Group	Is a group of students consistently below? (small-group support)
Individual	Who needs a check-in or a stretch? (conferencing)

Try it yourself: mastery sorter

Paste a few students and their scores to see who's secure, who's close, and who needs support.

Mastery sorter

One student per line: Name, score (out of 100)

Keep the tracker simple

One row per student, one column per skill or assessment — that's enough.
Use color (conditional formatting) so patterns jump out without reading numbers.
Record skills, not just scores — "can't yet balance equations" is more useful than "68%".
Revisit it weekly for five minutes; a tracker you never open is just data entry.

Handle with care Student performance data is sensitive. Store it in an approved, access-controlled place, share it only with those who need it, and talk about students by growth and next steps — never by labels.