A Running Roster is a way of monitoring students’ understanding by documenting the level of mastery on a particular skill, strategy, or behavior.  A running roster is simply a list of students in the class with space to write notes for each student.  This tracking tool is useful because it keeps student data organized in a way that can be easily analyzed.  A teacher can use a running roster to quickly check which students have mastered the content and which students need additional support.  Running rosters are an efficient way for teachers to differentiate because they conveniently have the information they need to make strategic decisions about future instruction. If used continuously throughout the school year, a running roster is a powerful tool that can show progress and growth over time.

• Identify the skill, strategy, or behavior to be monitored.
• Choose an appropriate documentation tool to record observations, such as a checklist or written notes.  The tool chosen should include the names of all students in the class (or of a targeted small group).
• Explain to students the purpose of the notes being taken.
• Check students’ understanding/behaviors and record responses/data.
• Analyze data and adjust lesson plans to follow up on student misunderstandings.
• Create additional checkpoints throughout the year to monitor progress on specific skills, strategies, or behaviors.