Essential Question 5

About this Essential Question

This question looks at different aspects of early grades success and how they are connected. Indicators of academic performance, attendance, and positive behavior in grades 1 and 2 can signal whether students are on track for success or may need extra help. Meeting proficiency standards by this time is a strong predictor of future success. By looking at these indicators together, educators and leaders can better understand students’ experiences before grade 3.  School and district teams can use this question to find students who may need targeted support, see if current supports are helping students stay on track, and check if their data collection and monitoring systems are capturing the information they need. Leaders might also consider how they define “on track” status, making sure their early warning systems capture different aspects of student success and that their intervention strategies are developmentally appropriate for the needs of the student groups they serve.

Probing Questions

Use these probing questions to dive deeper on the essential question or approach it through a different lens. Feel free to adapt these questions further or come up with your own.  

• How do families define being “on track” in early grades?  
• How do districts and schools define and measure “on track” in these grades? How well do these measures align with families’ views? How well do these measures align with research on early indicators of student success?
• How do student attendance, behavior, and academic progress vary based on where students live and the schools they attend? How do these indicators vary by student race and ethnicity, gender, home language, family income level, and/or disability status?
• How well do current practices of tracking student progress help identify students who need additional support in early grades? How responsive are intervention systems to those students’ needs?
• How do school policies and practices—such as attendance policies, disciplinary approaches, and academic support systems—support or hinder student success?  
• What needs of students and families are not addressed by school policies and practices but still impact young students’ attendance, performance, or behavior at school?  
• How might we better support all students in early grades to be on track for later success? What policies or conditions could be improved? Who needs to be involved?