When students move from 8th to 9th grade—or from one English Language teacher to another—their language progress often gets lost in the shuffle. But it doesn’t have to. With a few simple systems, you can help your students carry their growth with them, giving the next teacher a clear window into what they know, what they can do, and what they need next. These aren’t formal portfolios or giant data dumps—they’re lightweight, teacher-friendly strategies designed to stick.

Here are 5 easy systems to send meaningful, representative formative data forward:

1. The One-Pager Profile with Input from Student and English Language Teacher

Each student completes a single page with:

• A recent writing sample

• Their own summary of strengths and areas for growth

• Teacher notes or a short rubric score

✅ Why it works: It's student-centered, quick to review, and easy to pass forward.

2. “Summer Reading Tracker” Log*

A record of:

• Books read

• Minutes Read

• Reading goals

✅ Why it works: It demonstrates the input students have received and the work they have put into their English Language development.

*Note: Students will need books to participate in this portion.

Hint: AIR Language is free for up to 30 students.

3. Video Snapshot Archive

Two 1-minute videos per student:

• One spontaneous speaking task (e.g., describe a photo)

• One academic response (e.g., explain a concept from class)

✅ Why it works: Speaking progress is hard to document. These videos let new teachers hear growth for themselves.

4. Vocabulary in Context Sheet

Students list 50 new words they’re learning this summer:

• A personal sentence for each word

• Context connection

✅ Why it works: Goes beyond memorization to show real-world use and transfer across subjects.

These systems aren’t extra work—they’re better work. By choosing student-friendly formats and small, powerful data points, we make sure student growth travels with them. So the next teacher doesn’t start from zero. And neither do our students.

👉 Want help building these into your system?

Set up a meeting today to talk about how to keep the momentum going to next year!

Reach out—we’ll help you get started with tools that make transitions smoother.