Using Google Drive to Gather Data for an Academic Impovement Group

Data. Data. Data.

We are all concerned about gathering data, utilizing data, and making improvements to our program based on data.

I have gathered data over the years I worked in high school. I can tell you how many students have gone to college, our average SAT verbal score and math score, the percentage of students sitting for the SAT versus ACT, how many students took advantage of dual credit classes and what the growth rate for our program was. The list goes on.

Since my move to the middle school, I have not collected any real data to use within my program. I just started an academic incentive and improvement program with a group of 7th and 8th graders and thought this would be a perfect time to start gathering data.

I want to know if my program will make a difference. I also want to be able to show teachers, administrators, and the community the results. Because, after all, I am looking for improvement.

I put together this pretest in Google Drive. I wanted to find out what students thought about their work habits and how satisfied they are feeling with their current grades. To give some background information, the students I targeted are failing two or more classes.

This is a snapshot of the summary of responses. Don’t you just love the graph google drive puts together for you?! I can also see each individual’s responses as well in an excel spreadsheet.

So know that I showed you how I am going to use a Google Form through Google Drive, I thought I would help you get started.

Open up your google email account. At the top of the screen hit Drive.
It will open this screen.

On the left hand side of the screen go to create, and then you will get a drop down screen. Choose Form.

This screen will then pop up and you will be asked to put in a title and choose your theme.

You will then be able to add your questions. Text, Paragraph Text, Multiple Choice, Checkboxes, Choose From A List, Scale, Grid, Date, and Time are the different options available.

Here is a form where I typed in a Question Title and asked for a multiple choice response. I then filled out what the options were. (For some reason I can’t change the size of this picture, but the question reads: “Do you think you will try using Google Docs to create a form?” and the multiple choice answers are: “Yes”, “No”, “Maybe”)

Here is what it will start to look like as you build it:

Here is the finished form:

Have you used Google Drive Forms? Let me know what you have used them for or what you are planning to use them for. Join in the discussion through one of the ways below:

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