Forsyth Academy Teacher Uses Data to Reach Goals

Students at Forsyth Academy are using data to get the results they’re looking for with the help of Megan Halpert, fifth-grade teacher at Forsyth. She works with her students to reach their goals by helping them understand their grades and what they can do differently to continue to grow.

“Megan Halpert is a data guru and takes complete ownership of the success of each and every scholar she serves,” said Devyn Cannon, dean of upper elementary at Forsyth. “She is proactive about addressing deficits and goes above and beyond to meet the unique needs of her scholars. She meets them where they are in their learning journey.”

One of her strategies in the classroom is her use of Plickers as an exit ticket, which is a formative assessment tool you can use to quiz your students. She uses this instant-grading tool to quickly see how her class is doing with the daily lesson, and which scholars might need a little more help.

“My scholars love using Plickers and always try to see if they can get the entire class to get the correct answer,” said Halpert. “I think that other teachers can benefit from using Plickers as an exit ticket since it’s so simple, quick, user-friendly, and the scholars love it. I even go back and use data from this to help make academic decisions for scholars.”

Her passion for helping her students achieve seeps into the everyday grind in the classroom, but she also helps her kids think of the big picture by having them set quarterly goals based on what they want to accomplish in math.

“She has high expectations and challenges her scholars to reach new heights. She views each scholar as unique and capable of making growth on a level that is specific for them,” said Cannon. “It is such an honor to have Ms. Halpert on the 3-5 team!”

Halpert takes care to build strong relationships with her students as well. She used to teach third grade at Forsyth, and for the last couple years, she has taught some of the same students who are now in fifth grade.

“It's been a really nice way to stay in touch with my scholars and build even deeper relationships with them as they grow up,” said Halpert. “Scholars will come and give me a hug at the end of the day before they leave, which really shows me they care a lot.”

Keep up the great work, Megan!