Math Routine: Exit Slips and Data Tracking

To catch up on previous math posts, check out My Math Schedule/Routine and Departmentalizing 3rd Quarter.

Once my team made the decision to departmentalize and I became "the" math teacher for my grade level, I knew that I had to step it up. I relish in the opportunity to do an even better job teaching math and in the fact that all energy I put into teaching math next quarter will benefit not just one class of students, but an entire grade level. I also love the fact that this opportunity means that I don't have to plan for science or writing. While I'm focusing lots of my attention on math, I don't have to worry that another subject area is not getting planned. I felt stingy stealing math because I know we all love to teach math, but my team so graciously let me take it. So, I made a few promises to them and myself:

* I will differentiate math for students to the highest level of my abilities
* I will do a better job of tracking data
* We will implement assessments more regularly (I've only given 2 math tests this year!)
* I will further analyze our state test samples and align parts of my instruction with the way questions are presented
* I will not only focus on students who need extra challenge, but implement a structure that allows for remediation and extra support for those who need it (see yesterday's post)

With these goals in mind, I needed some new materials. I made two fantastic purchases from TPT, including One Stop Teacher Shop's Spiral Math Homework and Math Mojo's Math Exit Slips.

I'll talk about homework in another post, but today, I'm going to focus on Exit Slips and Data Tracking.

Math Mojo's Math Exit Slips contain 5 to 10 problems for each of the 5th Grade common core math standards. (She has also created exit slips for 3rd and 4th grade). When I saw these at such a good price, I new it was exactly what I needed for a quick morning work assignment for all grade levels. (Now, these were created as "exit slips" but I am using them as review/entry slips.)

On our workday, I got right at "getting ahead." I copied the exit slips for Numbers and Operations in Base 10 with two sets to a page to save on paper. Then I cut all the sets, paper clipped them,

and organized them into bags by concept.

Since the slips are so well organized by standard (and a dependable 5-10 practice problems for each concept), I also knew that I wanted students to be aware of their performance in each area and track their data. I created "Bar Graphs for Tracking Student Success" to go along with the exit slips.

I got carried away with my designs and ended up making 5 options. With Math Mojo's blessing, I uploaded this data tracking system to TPT.

 

How do I plan to use the exit slips?

1) Students receive 5 exit slips on Friday or Monday to glue into their math journals to prepare for the upcoming week. Students glue 2 exit slips on each page, leaving 1/2 of the page available to show their work or write a written response. (If you print the exit slips 4 to a page instead of 8 to a page like I did, students should have enough space to complete the problems on the slip).
2) Students complete one slip each morning for morning work and get it checked by the classroom teacher.
3) Since I am starting with exit slips mid-year, I will give students a mix of standards each week to allow for review and practice of previously taught concepts.
4) On data day, students color in their data bar graphs to show how they did on the week’s problems.

How do students fill out the bar graphs? Here's one possibility:

I'm so excited to use these math exit slips, and I think it will be exactly what my students need, no matter where they are on the continuum. (I have students who need review/remediation and then I have students who simply need to gain control of their accuracy with computations.) Next up, I will talk about my plans for "Algebraic Thinking Day."