These data binder examples were shared in the presentation by Truman Elementary staff members during the School Board meeting.
At Truman Elementary, students not only work on making progress in their education, they track it in tangible ways so they can see how far they've come.
Staff members from Truman spoke to the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees during their meeting Tuesday night and presented on the school's use of Student Data Binders.
"We really decided to start implementing data binders when we found out how much growth that they can have in students," Third Grade Teacher Jaime Olson explained.
Olson explained that the data binders allow students to track their own grades and their growth in their classes. When the program started out, the data binders were used to track things like WYTOPP scores and attendance, but were more inconsistent with tracking grades and standards. Since then the school has shifted to use the Marzano Proficiency Scales, which are used across the district, to guide the data binders.
There are both teacher versions of the data binders with more details and scaled-down, student-friendly versions with easier terminology.
"Students use these every single day to track if they've gotten the target for the day," Olson explained.
The data binders focus on "I can" statements that go along with skills the students are learning, and they work their way up and build on skills to reach a proficient level. This allows students to see where they need to be and what they need to work on.
"We've seen a lot of great outcomes with it," Olson said of the data binders and proficiency scales. "Our students know where they're really strong, they know what they need to work on, and they're taking a little bit more ownership of their learning."
Teacher Koltin Legerski said that the data binders are also helpful to use during parent teacher conferences.
"We were seeing really good success with the students and we wanted to share it with their parents," he said.
Legerski explained that students use the binders to make goals and work towards them, including making lists of things they're successful at and identifying things they need to improve. Setting goals can be worked on in morning meetings, which is another transition Truman has made this year, according to Legerski. Students make goals in the areas of Math and English Language Arts (ELA), and some classrooms add things like a "Me Goal" that focuses on social and emotional areas.
"A lot of times parent teacher conferences are focused on all academics, which is a big part of school, but there's a lot of stuff outside of that," Legerski said.
Having the students work on their own goals also helps them explain their progress to their own parents, which Legerski believes is more effective in showing parents that their children are on the right track.
"They take ownership of their data and they have that growth mindset that we're trying to instill in them," Legerski explained.
Other business
During the District Board meeting, the board approved several items to go out for bids or to accept bids. The board will put out a request for proposal (RFP) for food commodities, student photography services, and annual Chromebook replacements which will include 140 Chromebooks for staff members at Lincoln Middle School, Green River High School, and Expedition Academy, not to exceed $315,000.
The board awarded a bid for routers for the high school to Laguna Tools out of Texas in the amount of $27,461.99, noting that Bloedorn Lumber in Rock Springs is a dealer of Laguna Tools and has offered any necessary assistance.
The board also awarded a request for proposal result to Fremont Chevrolet out of Riverton in the amount of $77,237.50 for a maintenance truck with a service body, plow, and lift gate. The board questioned the fact that Fremont Chevrolet wasn't the lowest bid, and was about $3,750 more than the lowest. Business Manager Chris Dean explained that a rating system was used analyzing price, whether the bidder could meet all the specifications, and delivery time. Not only could Fremont Motors get the truck to the district in 30-60 days, much faster than the 80-190 days of other bidders, but they met all the specifications, which the lowest bidder did not. Dean also explained that requests for proposals for vehicles are different than bids for other things, so the board as a public entity is not required to go with the lowest bid. Chairman Steve Core said the extra clarification in the conversation made him feel like he could support the choice of Fremont Chevrolet, which the board approved.
After an executive session, the board also voted to approve the extension of the District Superintendent's contract from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
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