5 Steps for Mid-Year Check-Ins: Summiting Data to Drive Student Success

The time for mid-year check-ins (and school holidays) has quickly come around. Though you may not find students in front of you during this period, you may find almost 6 months’ worth of mountainous student data, assessments, and planning for the rest of the year to drive your student success.

Different types of data ‘terrains’ and “what if?” questions now pop up and can sound a bit like this:

1. What if some teaching methods we were excited about aren’t working?
2. How do we cut through to unengaged students?
3. How can we adjust and improve outcomes for the rest of the year? 

Here are five checkpoints to head towards for your mid-year checks:

Start With the Student 

Students are the end users of all teaching efforts. Various factors shape their ability to engage and succeed inside and outside the classroom.

Starting with the students doesn’t begin by pulling all the data in their profile and getting straight into analysis mode; it firstly involves asking yourself:

1. How is the rapport between you and your student in the classroom?
2. What interpersonal or intrapersonal areas of growth could be improved?

During periods of higher stress, like major assessments, you may encounter some unexpected findings when you factor in different student groups. This is where you can segment and conduct an advanced analysis within the TrackOne Studio Learning Analytics Suite.

Reflect on What's Working and What Isn't

Reflecting over the past 6 months doesn’t need to be complex. In this step, your goal is to analyse:

1. What has gone well so far?
2. What can be improved?
3. What opportunities exist as you move forward?

This can be as simple as a short retrospective session, which you can conduct alone or in a team. This checkpoint encourages critical thinking and honest evaluation. 

Perhaps a new teaching strategy didn’t land as hoped, or a tweak to your classroom routine made a big difference. Whatever the case, reflecting now can help you refine your approach and accelerate progress in the second half of the year.

Data Deep Dive

Before getting into the thick of things, keep a ‘north star’ or goal to refer to frequently (you can make a document or use a Post-it). As you examine the data, this acts as your ‘harness’ so you don’t get too lost in a sea of detail. When you dig in and progress, find out things like:

1. What other factors are at play beneath the numbers?
2. What trends in the classroom can you see?
3. Who are the higher achievers, and who needs to play catch-up?

What you discover during this process will help students with pathway conversations in the second half of the year. 

More generally, ask yourself:

1. What kind of performance disparities can you see among different student demographics?
2. What is the comparison of your students’ average scores to the national or school-wide benchmark?
3. Which subject areas show high or low proficiency (e.g. STEM, the arts, sport)?

Regarding wellbeing, pay attention to reports you see in pastoral care. These can significantly affect your analysis, which can help you build more targeted interventions.

If you need, alerts can also be set up to track absences or results that fall under a threshold for concern. Be sure to ask:

1. How has their engagement or attitude to learning changed over time?
2. What was their attendance like?
3. What thresholds constitute concern or intervention?  

The TrackOne Studio Learning Analytics Suite can help you powerfully visualise student growth and compare specific periods in time. Grasping these will also help you with your next planning stage. 

Action Plan It

You’ve successfully summited the data mountain! Now it’s time to prepare for the following stages of your journey. 

One powerful strategy is to plan backwards. Start by imagining where you want your student-teacher rapport to be by the end of the year. 

1. What skills should they have mastered?
2. What confidence should they have gained through you and others?
3. What goals should they have achieved?

It may sound counterintuitive, but thinking of a few ideas about where you want your students to be will keep your vision strong and help you set goalposts that will set them up for success.

You can create your plan in TrackOne Studio’s Class Placement, Excel, or another tool to help you view and track progress. Keeping SMART goals in mind helps:

• What actions will you take?
• When will they happen?
• Where will they be implemented?
• How do you define success?

Breaking things down into bite-sized steps means that you tick things off sooner and get those little dopamine hits. Remember, done is better than perfect!

Implement, Monitor, and Adjust It

Once you implement your plan, the final checkpoint is about continuous improvement. Implementation is just the beginning! What matters most now is how you monitor and adapt. This action plan is a living document where you may need to adjust and pivot in some areas as time goes on.

Be wary of the Planning Fallacy, which can cause you to underestimate the time it takes to complete a task. Maintain an iterative mindset—sometimes, things may not go according to plan!

Regularly check in with your students to keep them motivated and celebrate small wins. For example, you can try morning meetings or “shout-out” awards, where students can share their achievements and feedback for each other.

The middle of the school year is more than just a checkpoint. It’s a chance to realign with your students’ goals and ensure every learner is successful in their own ways. Turn data into direction, reflection into results, and planning into progress with the help of TrackOne Studio’s Learning Analytics Suite.