Academic Monitoring

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Running Head : ACADEMIC MONITORING

Academic Monitoring System and Strategies

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An academic monitoring system , when implemented properly , can spell the difference between ineffective and effective schools and teachers Effective teachers are able to adjust the mode of instruction depending on the performance of the students . This consequently improves student performance as well as the level of instruction . Ineffective teachers on the other hand , present instructional materials rigidly or on a prescheduled basis , thus failing to adjust the instruction to meet the needs of the

students ( The Research Literature : Academic Monitoring n .d . In to make proper adjustments for student performance teachers must make appropriate decisions based on the information they have gathered while implementing instructional practices . This decision making capability requires constant monitoring of students ' performance

There are many different monitoring strategies teachers can implement to check on students ' performance . The modality strength strategy allows students to assess their learning styles ( General-Purpose Learning Strategies for Monitoring , n .d . The exam debriefing and self-monitoring exam checklist strategies evaluate a student 's preparedness for the exam as well as his performance during the exam The study habits assessment appraises study habits in general

On a more specific level , the following monitoring strategies are usually used by educators to make instructional decisions and provide feedback to students on their progress (Cotton , 2001

Asking questions to students to test their understanding of the material just taught

Moving around the classroom during seatwork and engaging in one-to-one student contact regarding their work

Assigning , collecting , correcting homework and recording the scores

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Carrying out periodic reviews with students to check their grasp of learning materials and determine gaps in their understanding

Conducting and correcting tests and recording the scores

Reviewing the data collected to assess student performance and making adjustments in instruction as needed

There are two major purposes for academic monitoring : the attainment of student goals and the improvement of instructional practices ( The Research Literature : Academic Monitoring , n .d . Teachers therefore cannot implement proper and successful monitoring strategies if they have not set clear instructional goals for the students . The very purpose of a set of goals is to be able to monitor student performance with respect to these goals

Monitoring strategies must also provide for timely monitoring of student progress ( The Research Literature : Academic Monitoring , n .d . It is important that the students ' performance be tested frequently in to determine and check skill deficits as early as possible

Monitoring strategies must also be designed so as to facilitate corrective actions . Monitoring approaches must be able to assess which students are ready for a new lesson , those who require reteaching and those who have made careless errors . Based on the information gathered corrective actions must be provided and built into the system

Another major reason why academic monitoring is important is that it monitors and improves instruction . School districts usually emphasize the need to collect information regarding student progress . Such data however becomes insignificant when used only to classify students as high or low achievers and teachers as effective and ineffective . The information will serve its purpose when used to assess the effectivity of instruction

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The academic monitoring concepts just discussed are vital in creating an effective and successful monitoring system . Based on these concepts the following monitoring strategies may be used in a classroom setting to effectively monitor students ' performance and consequently improve their performance and the quality of instruction ( The Research Literature : Academic Monitoring , n .d

The teacher has to set clear instructional goals and monitor students performance based on these goals . A Reading teacher 's objective for example may be to increase the number of correct words read per minute to a certain number . The students ' performance will then be evaluated based on this objective . It is also important that teachers must set clear , firm and reasonable work standards . For example , students must be well-informed on the format used for the assignment , that neatness is highly-valued and that their homework must reach a certain accuracy level

Monitoring strategies , as discussed earlier should provide for timely monitoring of student performance . It is therefore important for a teacher to collect , check and record homework and test scores frequently . This way , any skills deficit will be determined and corrected as early as possible

Diagnostic and mastery tests must be designed and administered to assess which students are ready for a new lesson , which requires reteaching and which have made careless errors . It is important that these tests be checked promptly in for the corrective actions to be implemented early on . If the results of the diagnostic test shows that a percentage of students require reteaching , the teacher should not hesitate to delay the introduction of a new material

The results of mastery and diagnostic tests should also aid teachers to make two decisions that are vital to the success of the instruction When to move from daily

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review to the introduction of a new concept and when to move from guided practice to independent practice . This is because students usually fail when prematurely introduced to a new lesson (without fully grasping the concept of the past lesson ) or prematurely moved to independent practice . Aside from the results of the diagnostic test the teacher should also circulate during seatwork in to assess which students are having difficulty and which have a full grasp on the lesson

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References

Cotton , K (2001 . Monitoring student learning in the classroom . NWREL Retrieved October 21 , 2007 from HYPERLINK "http /www .nwrel .org /scpd /sirs /2 /cu4 .html http /www .nwrel .org /scpd /sirs /2 /cu4 .html

General-purpose learning strategies for monitoring (n .d . Muskingkum College - Center for Advancement and Learning (CAL . Retrieved October 21 , 2007 from http /www .muskingum .edu cal /database /general /monitoring .html

The research literature : Academic monitoring (n .d . Retrieved October 21 , 2007 from HYPERLINK "http /www .usu .edu /teachall /text /effective /research /monitor .pdf http /www .usu .edu /teachall /text /effective /research /monitor .pdf ...