Progress Monitoring vs. Diagnostic Assessments:

Progress monitoring is fundamentally about measuring gains in discrete skills following targeted instruction, addressing specific learning gaps. In contrast, comprehensive diagnostic assessments like Let's Go Learn's DORA, ADAM, and DOMA are broad, K-12 assessments designed to capture a wide range of skills, including those a student has already mastered. These diagnostic tools are not intended for frequent use. By design, they should typically be administered only 3 to 4 times per year, often scheduled for the fall, winter, and spring.

When Re-testing May Be Appropriate:

While frequent testing is discouraged, a teacher might consider re-testing after a minimum of eight weeks of intensive instruction. An immediate retest may also be warranted if there is a concern that the student did not put forth their best effort during the initial assessment. In cases where only one or two portions of the diagnostic were low, and if the Formative Assessment option is available on the account, these can be used instead to achieve the same retest goals.

Using Formative Assessments for Progress Monitoring:

Progress monitoring should focus on isolated skills, sub-test areas, or strands. For instance, the ADAM diagnostic provides data that highlights smaller subskill weaknesses within its five larger strands. Following direct instruction and Edge lessons targeting these weaknesses, a teacher can administer a formative assessment on the specific skill to measure growth (i.e., progress monitoring). Furthermore, it is possible to queue up an adaptive sub-test, a single strand, or specific skills/concept quizzes for individual students or groups to facilitate this monitoring.

Testing Structure in Reading:

DORA is made up of 7 sub-tests. Fluency is the 8th but is teacher administered.

Sub-tests: High frequency words, Phonics, Comprehension, Spelling, Oral Vocabulary, etc.  
Skills within Phonics:  beginning sounds, short vowel, consonant blends, long vowel...

Testing Structure in Math:

ADAM is made up of 5 strands that in turn are composed of 44 sub-tests.

Strands (5):  Numbers and Operations, Measurement, Data Analysis, Algebraic Thinking, Geometry
Example Sub-tests within Numbers and Operations:  Numbers, Place Value, Addition of Whole Numbers, Subtraction of Whole Numbers...
Skills within Place Value sub-test:  ones and tens place, hundreds place, thousands place...

Finally, if a school is using LGL Edge, after the completion of each lesson, a score is recorded. This score provides real-time, day-to-day and minute-by-minute progress monitoring. Teachers will see the lesson name, for instance "Decimal Place Value," and then a percentage score that the student received while doing the lesson.