Kids math data should be private. All those rocket ships and ice cream cones where they are in these competitive fluency races against each other does not motivate the ones who need it the most! Individual data binders where kids track their own data is what works!

Thank you for boldly calling out this inequitable math practice that is widely used and is harmful to all learners! We must be well informed as well as well-intentioned (thinking that public posting of progress is motivation).

I could not agree more !

@Mathgarden Love this! Thank you reiterating this. Planning to have a year long tracker this year so kids can see their progress even if they are "behind" grade level.

Amen! I once asked coworkers who had math data on display, “Would you want your teacher evaluation on display for everyone to see?”

Yes! Yes! Yes!

@pearse_margie Yep. That’s how I do it in 4th.

Yes!!!

@LindsayKemeny Thank you for saying it out loud. I had an admin put the entire school on a data wall. Ss would see themselves as “red” for below level. Whew I was so upset. They wouldn’t listen to me about the self esteem issues it caused. It was reading data but it still applies.

Agree! And also, if could better spend my time providing instruction to those that need it rather than updating data bulletin boards.

Data wall where students write what they accomplished that was an individual goal. One might write- on time 3 days; another might write passed 2 book quizzes. Celebrate each child’s accomplishments.