DIY IEP: Step 3 - Progress Measurement
This step can be as simple or complex as you like, but the simpler the better. Progress measurement is tracking how your child does at each STO taught. For academics, it is easiest to use percentages. If your child completes a set of 20 math problems and gets 15 correct, that's 75% accuracy. If you are shooting for 80%, then you know he's not quite there. When I taught, I also set a time as well an accuracy level, meaning the child would need to score 80% or better on daily work for three consecutive days in order to move on. That showed me that the skill was more solid and not just a one-time "lucky" event.
Tracking can be completed a number of ways. If the child is using a workbook, scores can be entered at the top of each page. A sheet of notebook paper can list the skill at the top, then dates and score in columns. If you like a more visual representation (kids usually do), you can use graph paper to make graphs of progress. My husband used to create extensive Excel spreadsheets for each of our kids to track progress. (This seemed like overkill to me.)
When you score the child's work, record the number correct, not the number wrong. I think that this does a lot for a child's confidence to see what he can do right, instead of what he can't do right.
The important thing is to have a system in place, and be able to tell at a glance where your child's skill level is.
Another way of tracking progress is, of course, the annual testing. This is a good way of measuring the overall improvement and can indicate if your program is heading in the right direction, but will not provide the more consistent information that is helpful for daily planning.