Albuquerque Public Schools students can see their learning grow, one crayon color at a time.

In Nichole Nicholson’s PreK classroom at Albuquerque Public Schools, progress is something students can see. Her students call her Ms. Nicky. Her mixed-age class of 3-and-4-year-olds has found a way to track Waterford Learning that works for its youngest learners.

A view of the progress board.

A thermometer for every milestone.

Ms. Nicky, with help from her educational assistant, Ms. Teresa, uses progress thermometers to keep her students engaged and help track how far they’ve come. Each learning segment has its own thermometer, including Pre-Reading 1 and Pre-Reading 2.

Ms. Nicky meets with her students, and together they color in the progress they have made. Every meeting gets a different color crayon. As the thermometer fills, it shows each step of the journey. Ms. Nicky also writes the meeting date on the thermometer, so the class has a record of when each stretch of progress was made.

For children this age, the routine gives learning a visible shape. Students see their work add up, and they have a hand in recording it.

Goals beyond the classroom

Ms. Nicky’s students also benefit from the Goal Getter Program at Albuquerque Public Schools. The Program recognizes classes that meet the recommended Waterford usage each month. Ms. Nicky uses it to encourage her class to finish their daily Waterford sessions. The class is working toward a celebration once it earns three Goal Getter certificates.

Try it in your classroom

Ms. Nicky’s approach is simple and easy to adapt:

  • Give each learning segment its own progress thermometer.
  • Meet regularly with students to color in their progress.
  • Use a new crayon color for each meeting.
  • Write the date on the thermometer each time.
  • Pair classroom goals with schoolwide recognition where your district offers it.

Thank you, Ms. Nicky and Ms. Teresa, for sharing your classroom with us. Do you have a creative way of using Waterford in your classroom or School? Share it with your Professional Learning Consultant or Partner Success Specialist for a future Show & Tell Spotlight.