There are two places in Panorama where progress monitoring (PM) graphs are rendered: within the intervention and a year-long graph on the student profile page. Data update automatically in Panorama when an eligible/connected measure is available.
Within the intervention, the system creates a mini-graph that portrays the progress monitoring data within the span of the intervention start and end dates. Under Academics on the student profile page, a year-long graph that shows all of the progress data collected for the entire academic year is displayed, with vertical lines that represent the start of each new intervention plan for the student. The intervention lines appear only on the year-long graph and only when the monitoring method is an auto-populated measure. They don’t appear on the graph within the intervention or when the custom (manual entry) PM method is selected.
Why are the start score, goal and aim lines on the two graphs different?
The start score and goal in the year-long graph come directly from the settings in the assessment system where the data is collected. Make sure that the start score and goal are set correctly in the assessment system to ensure the best quality graph data in Panorama. Read more about how to ensure graph accuracy.
Panorama sets the start and end scores for the aim line on the intervention mini-graph by interpolating scores from the slope of the year-long graph. In the example shown below, the intervention plan is 14 weeks in length. The start and end goals and dates are noted on the graph in red text for illustration. In the real graph they would be viewed by floating the cursor over the start and end points on the aim line.
The arrows on the graph show how the intervention duration from the year-long aim line (dotted line) is used to find the start score and goal for the intervention mini-graph.
The importance of setting the goal correctly
A poorly set goal defeats the purpose of collecting and using progress monitoring data. The purpose of setting a goal and monitoring progress toward the goal is to give the teacher feedback whether the student’s progress is closing the gap. The example intervention mini-graph below portrays the student as improving relative to the goal. Halfway through the intervention, the student’s trend is above the aim line. With this view, it appears that the student is closing the gap.
However, upon closer examination, the progress monitoring goal that was set for this student is actually below the beginning of year benchmark for the assessment. The PM goal is set to end the year at 79 words correct per minute, whereas the end-of-year benchmark for the measure is 125. The year-long graph below, with the addition of a red line that shows the aim line for the correct end-of-year benchmark of 125, tells a different story. It is clear that the student’s current trend is toward a widening gap, rather than what is indicated on the intervention graph. The trend line on the intervention mini-graph is also somewhat different because it is only based on the PM data points collected after the start point for the intervention.
Poor goal setting produces a false sense of progress towards closing the gap and gives an inaccurate picture of the effectiveness of the current intervention. The teacher may feel a sense of accomplishment, yet the student is actually falling further behind. Setting goals that align with the end-of-year benchmark provided by the assessment developers generally provides a higher quality picture of the student’s overall progress toward being on track for success. In addition, as described below, the mini-graph color coding depends on an accurate start score and goal.
What does the color-coding mean on intervention graphs?
The dots representing individual scores are color-coded based on where the score is in relation to the aim line from the intervention start score to the intervention goal. Green means the score is above the aim line, yellow means below the aim line, and red is well below the aim line.
A trend line is generated when there are six or more data points. It is also color-coded, based on the relation of the trend line slope to the aim line slope. A green line means that the student's trend is projected to exceed the goal. A yellow line means that the student's trend is in the right direction, but is not projected to reach the goal. A red line means that the student trend is widening the gap. In the examples below you can see several scenarios that illustrate the color coding of the intervention mini-graph.
Trend lines and the individual data points give hints about the student’s trend over time as well as help recognize unusual or unexpected PM scores. Below are a few example graphs and a bit about what can be determined from them.
On this first graph, the student’s trend shows a widening gap between the trend line and aim line. The student is steadily falling farther behind relative to the goal. This makes it very clear that the current mix of instruction and intervention is not meeting this child’s needs to get them back on track. The team should consider whether a different or revised instructional plan that constitutes a better match with the student's needs might be a better choice for this student.
This graph shows a student who is making growth over time, but their trend line has crossed the aim line. If you project forward, the student’s gap may begin to increase. Because the gap is small and the trend positive, the intervention and instruction may just need small adjustments to stay on track, or a few more weeks of monitoring may reveal the trend more clearly.
In this next example, the student’s trend is positive and at present still indicates they are above the goal. However, if you look at the trend line minus the one recent very high PM point on week nine, the trend may actually be lower, but masked by the single, recent high score. Keep an eye on the student’s progress over the next few weeks to see if the trend remains positive.
The color-coding of data points and the trend line, as well as the proximity of the trendline to the aimline, tell a story about the effectiveness of the instruction and intervention in meeting the student’s needs. Being attentive and responsive to these cues can help ensure student success. Regular review and adjustment of the mix of instruction and intervention is key to maximizing student growth. Learn more about evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.