Lana Learn instructors track student progress data to support student achievement in the English language training program.
The Lana Learn team instructors recently finished the first semester of the four-year U.S. Air Force English language training program. This “steady state” program aims to support the Vietnam Ministry of National Defense’s goal that 30% of the Vietnam Armed Forces should be able to converse in English by 2030. The students showed exceptional English language growth over the course. We took measures throughout the semester to ensure we have the student progress data to reflect their achievement.
Student Test Data
Throughout the semester, the students took a series of “Book Quizzes” to measure their book content retention. We also gave them three American Language Placement Tests (ALCPT): initial, mid-semester, and final. These assessments are designed to track student comprehension level progress over their time studying the American Language Course (ALC) curriculum. Both assessments are comprised of two parts: listening and reading.
At the beginning of the course, we created a rubric to show expectations of students’ final scores based on their initial test scores and the length of the program. This data allows us to stay on track and make any necessary adjustments needed throughout the course.
Atmospheric Data
In addition to hard numbers, we value narrative student data. Our instructors fill out weekly student comment reports as well as class atmospheric notes. This allows us to track patterns in student attendance and classroom attitudes/behaviors. We can go back to see the positive or negative factors that influence student scores.
Program Feedback
Student success is the driving factor behind this entire program. One component of that success is consistent evaluation and improvement of teaching effectiveness. We created a Microsoft Form for the students to complete at the end of the course. This gives us valuable insight into what the students thought about the program curriculum, learning acquisition, and the learning environment. We gave students this form in English and Vietnamese to ensure that students could fully understand the questions and give us the most accurate feedback possible.
When student and program data is collected correctly, it allows us to track student performance, make necessary adjustments, and ensure consistency throughout the program. We attribute much of the success of this first semester to this data tracking process, and we look forward to continuously raising the bar for ourselves and for our students.