130. When You Have NO Time for Progress Monitoring

Progress monitoring doesn’t have to be complicated—or exhausting. In this episode, we’re talking about practical ways to track student growth when your time and energy are already stretched thin. Learn how to shift your mindset, simplify your systems, and start small—without sacrificing the quality of your data.

In this episode:
✔ Why “useful” data matters more than “perfect” data
✔ A one-student-per-day strategy that actually works
✔ How to turn classroom routines into built-in data collection
✔ Creative ways to store and access your data quickly
✔ What to do if you're already behind (hint: don’t panic)

Let’s make progress monitoring something you can actually do—not just feel guilty about.

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi there, welcome back to Special Educators
Resource Room podcast.
I'm Jennifer from PositivelyLearning.
Today, we're diving into atopic that I think every special
educator has whispered tothemselves at least once, if not
every single week.
What if I just don't have timefor progress monitoring?
Hey, special educators, I'mJennifer from Positively

(00:23):
Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage
your workload and make the mostof your time.

(00:45):
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators ResourceRoom.
Let me just say this right atthe top If you are feeling like
you do not have time forprogress monitoring or
collecting any type of data, youare not alone and you're not
doing anything wrong.

(01:05):
You're not behind.
You're not failing.
You're working in a system thatexpects you to teach, manage
behaviors, adjust lessons, leadmeetings, write legal documents
and track every detail ofstudent progress all in the same
day.
Today's episode is for thosemoments when you care deeply

(01:26):
about student growth, but theactual process of tracking that
growth feels completelyimpossible.
Let's talk about how to makeprogress monitoring manageable
on your real life schedule,because the reality it's not
that you don't care, it's thatyou don't have time.
And, let's be honest, youalready know progress monitoring
is important.
You want to make data-drivendecisions.

(01:48):
I don't need to say anything.
You want to advocate for yourstudents with confidence, but
when every second is spoken fortracking, student data tends to
be the first thing that fallsoff the list.
And you're not alone.
I talk with teachers every weekwho tell me I have six data
sheets going at once and I can'tkeep up.

(02:08):
Or I know my student is makingprogress, I just don't have time
to prove it.
I'm using work samples, but I'mnot logging anything.
I'm so behind I don't even knowwhere to start.
Does any of that sound familiar?
If that's you, you are in goodcompany.
So now let's get practical.
Let's redefine progressmonitoring.

(02:29):
Progress monitoring doesn'tmean you have to have formal
data collection five times aweek.
It doesn't mean graphs andspreadsheets and hand-colored
bar charts, unless you want itto.
Let's shift our mindset fromperfect data to useful data.
Here's a better definitionProgress monitoring is any
consistent system you use toshow how a student is moving

(02:52):
toward a goal.
Let's put that in writing.
If that system only takes aminute a day and uses materials,
you already have that counts.
So I have three time-savingstrategies that actually work
and I've used them myself and Irecommended them to dozens of
teachers when time is tight andtracking still has to happen.
So here's strategy number onetrack one student per day

(03:15):
Instead of trying to track datafor your entire caseload on one
day.
Break it down Monday student A,tuesday student B and so on.
And if your caseload is larger,double up.
You could have student A in themorning, student B in the
afternoon.
Even if you only collect onesolid piece of data, you're

(03:36):
going to rotate through yourentire caseload schedule every
week or two and avoid that allor nothing trap and bonus.
You're going to start to seepatterns more easily when you
give each student your focusedattention.
Strategy two use what you'realready doing.
You don't need to createseparate progress monitoring

(03:57):
tasks if your students arealready completing activities
that show their skill level.
So you can ask yourself can Iuse this task box as a data
point?
Can I score this warmupworksheet?
Can I use this journal responseas a writing sample.
The answer is usually yes.
I can grab a sticky note orprinted data slip and just jot

(04:18):
down a quick note Completed taskindependently four out of five
correct on May 28th.
Stick it in a folder or snap aphoto for your digital log.
Boom, that's data.
This is especially helpful withtask boxes and independent work
systems.
So if you're using those on aregular basis, you have built-in
opportunities for documentation.

(04:38):
You just need a quick system torecord it.
Strategy three use clipboards orgrab-and-go data sheets.
The biggest reason we don'tcollect data is it's out of
reach, literally.
If your data sheets are buriedin a binder or saved in a folder
on your desktop that you don'topen till Friday, they're easy
to forget.
Instead, keep a clipboard or adata folder.

(05:01):
Keep it on your small grouptable or in your teacher bag or
on the back of a cabinet door.
Hang by the door somegrab-and-go check-ins.
You can even attach a mini formdirectly to a student's task
box or binder.
Make it easy to grab and write,even if it's just the date and
a check mark.

(05:25):
So let's talk about what countsas progress monitoring, spoiler
alert.
It's more than you think theseall count.
Task box, completion logs, worksamples with brief notes,
behavior frequency tallies, exitslips, teacher observations
written on sticky notes, digitalscreenshots of completed online
work, photos of students,sorting, matching or labeling.
If you're doing the work, youdeserve credit for it.

(05:47):
Your documentation is justmaking it visible.
So what if you are alreadybehind?
Let's take a deep breath here.
If you're thinking, okay, thesetips sound great, but I'm
already weeks behind and byweeks you mean months, I hear
you.
Here's what I would suggest.
Step one pick one student tofocus on this week, just one.

(06:11):
Step two choose a task oractivity that aligns with one of
their goals.
And step three collect onemeaningful data point and write
it down.
That is it.
Then repeat with a differentstudent next week or every other
day.
You will slowly rebuild yourroutine without burning out.

(06:34):
And my pro tip document thesystem you're using, because
sometimes we feel like we're notdoing enough because we don't
have a formal log.
But here's the thing If youever need to show what system
you're using to monitor progress, just write a quick explanation
on your lesson plan or your IEPnotes.
You could say progress ismonitored through weekly task

(06:56):
completion data, supported bymonthly work samples and teacher
observation.
That sentence alone tells yourteam and your admin that you
have a plan.
So let's recap.
If progress monitoring feelsimpossible right now, try this
Shift from perfect to usefuldata.

(07:17):
Track one student per day.
Use existing tasks like taskboxes and independent work
binders.
Keep data sheets accessible andvisible.
Start with small, consistentwins.
Even one data point matters.
You don't have to do it all.
You just have to do what'sdoable and do that consistently.

(07:39):
Let's revisit that newdefinition of progress
monitoring.
Progress monitoring is anyconsistent system you use to
show how a student is movingtoward a goal.
If you've been feeling behind, Iwant to remind you of this.
You're already doing the hardpart.
You're teaching, you'resupporting, you're adapting,

(08:04):
you're noticing student growth.
Progress monitoring is just thedocumentation of the incredible
work you're already doing.
So let's make it work for youand not become another thing to
dread.
And if you want a bank ofready-to-use tools, like data
slips, progress checklist,student friendly visuals those
are all inside the task boxdollar club and the complete
independent work club.

(08:25):
They're there to make your dayfeel smoother and not harder.
Thanks for spending a fewminutes with me today.
You've got this.
I'll talk to you next week inthe Special Educators Resource
Room positivelylearningblogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.