The Number Plug administers a full diagnostic cycle to support accurate progress monitoring and instructional decision-making across the school year.
Fall
Students complete the baseline diagnostic at the beginning of the school year to identify current strengths, unfinished learning, and priority skill gaps across the math domains.
Administered in the first three weeks of school
Mid-Year
This checkpoint determines whether students are responding to instruction and intervention, and identifies which skills need to be retaught, reinforced, or extended.
Triggered near 50% plan mastery across the four core domains
Spring
The final checkpoint measures end-of-year progress, readiness for grade-level expectations, and remaining areas of need so schools can plan next steps.
Triggered near 75% plan mastery
Using baseline, progress, and mastery data allows schools to distinguish true academic growth from one-time performance. The cycle gives teachers and leaders consistent, reliable data to guide instruction, adjust interventions, monitor student progress, and support long-term math mastery.
Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on student achievement. Timely, specific data gathered during instruction helps teachers adjust and helps students understand where they are and where they need to go.
Hattie & Timperley, The Power of Feedback, 2007
Regular curriculum-based measurement raises student achievement because it makes growth visible. Teachers who monitor progress can spot skill breakdowns early and change instruction before gaps become entrenched.
Fuchs & Fuchs, Curriculum-Based Measurement, 1986
A single score is a snapshot; multiple data points reveal a trend. Three well-spaced assessments help separate a bad day from a real learning gap and give a more reliable picture of student growth.
National Center on Intensive Intervention, 2013