Which statement best describes the purpose of progress monitoring in a small-group reading intervention?

Which statement best describes the purpose of progress monitoring in a small-group reading intervention?

• A. To gather attendance data
• B. To track progress and inform instruction
• C. To assign homework
• D. To compare students' grades across the year

Answer: (B)

Progress monitoring in a small-group reading intervention is about measuring how a student’s reading skills are changing over time and using that information to guide what you teach next. In practice, you use brief, frequent assessments that match the targeted skills (like fluency, decoding, or comprehension) and plot the results to see trends. If the student is making steady gains, you can continue with the current plan. If progress is slower than expected, you adjust the instruction—perhaps using different strategies, increasing practice, or changing the level of support—to try to boost learning. This data-driven approach is what makes progress monitoring essential for targeted interventions. Attendance data, while important for overall participation, doesn’t show growth in reading. Homework is practice that supports skill development but doesn’t by itself provide ongoing measures of progress within the intervention. Comparing grades across the year is a broad, summative view and isn’t the timely feedback used to steer the current instruction.

Progress monitoring in a small-group reading intervention is about measuring how a student’s reading skills are changing over time and using that information to guide what you teach next. In practice, you use brief, frequent assessments that match the targeted skills (like fluency, decoding, or comprehension) and plot the results to see trends. If the student is making steady gains, you can continue with the current plan. If progress is slower than expected, you adjust the instruction—perhaps using different strategies, increasing practice, or changing the level of support—to try to boost learning. This data-driven approach is what makes progress monitoring essential for targeted interventions.

Attendance data, while important for overall participation, doesn’t show growth in reading. Homework is practice that supports skill development but doesn’t by itself provide ongoing measures of progress within the intervention. Comparing grades across the year is a broad, summative view and isn’t the timely feedback used to steer the current instruction.