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Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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The above chart is the collection of data I collected throughout this geometry unit. I collected data on student pre and post assessments. I developed these assessments and used them as a gauge to determine student growth. The pre-assessment was used to develop my unit based off of what my students already knew and where I could help them grow. The post assessment was an overall assessment used to determine students achievement. I was also interested in looking at the correlation between students absences and growth and my ELL students, boys, and girls correlation of growth. Because of my additional interest I collected data on students recorded absences. I used the data and collected it as a source to formulate this table. Then I developed the data into the following graphs and charts to further analyze and construct meaning from the information collected.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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This first graph above is an analysis of the class as a whole through mean, median, mode, and range. The mean score grew from 54.97% to 93.47% . This shows that throughout the unit on average students increased their previous score by 38.5%. There are a few outliers who do not fit this. Such as students who became extremely ill and only attended six of the ten days of this unit, and one students who entered into the classroom on the last day of the unit. This student does not have a pre-assessment score and it is shown in my data above. Every student grew from his or her pre to post assessment. However, some students showed less then 33% growth two students showed very little growth compared to the rest of the class. One student showed only a growth of 18%, this is due to the fact that he scored increasing well on the postassessment and had only 18% of growth available. The second student only grew by 11% his circumstances are not the same as the previous student I mentioned. His minimal growth may have occurred because he is an ELL student. I will look specifically at ELL students growth compared to the other students further down in this analysis. The median shows the middle value for each assessment. In this data the mean and the median are very similar almost identical, meaning there were very few outliers in the data. The mode is the test score that occurred most often. From the mode you can analyze a larger group of students ability. During the pre-test a cluster of students scored a 50%, which tells me most of the students did not have a strong grasp on geometric shapes. When analyzing the actual test it was evident that most of the students were not able to identify or name shapes that they have not been exposed to 133

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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our discussed with their families at home. When looking at the mode for the post-test a significant increase in students understanding is shown. Most students scored a 100%! From here I am able to determine that a cluster of students increased their understanding and most of the students in the classroom are know able to label, identify, and sort through distinguishing characteristics of shapes. The range is the difference between the highest score and the lowest score for each test and is a great determiner of the level of instruction that will need to occur in the classroom. As shown during the pre-assessment the range had a 50% difference. Meaning one student understood the content at a level fifty times greater then another student in the classroom. These students still need to be given the same type of instruction and work in the classroom together but they both need to be taught slightly above their zone of proximal development. This is really important to know and understand when creating the unit. Because of this I created sentences frames and stems at different levels for students to work off of. I also made sure to allow for creativity and discovery within math manipulative games and activities. I also utilized the range of students pre-assessment scores to determine the level of differentiation that would occur during math workshop. When looking at the range of the postassessment, you can see the range significantly decreased. This is what I was hoping to see. This means that my students were all able to increase their knowledge and that the gap between students ability was slightly minimized. I was able to successfully scaffold my instruction so each student increased their knowledge of geometric shapes at their own rate.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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Throughout this unit I also collected data on the number of times students were absent or missed a lesson because they were sent home early or pulled out to speak to the counselor. To be able to analyze this data I needed to re-organize it. The first thing I did was separate the data by the number of times each student was absent from least to greatest. After this I split the data up into three sections. Students who were never absent, students who missed one day, and students who missed two or more days. I then calculated the average growth from the pre to post assessment within each subsection of percentage of absences. This data is shown on the table below.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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To analyze the data I created a pie chart. This chart represents the average percentage of students growth correlated by their number of absences throughout the ten-day unit. As you can see there is a link between absences and growth. However, students who missed one day had a smaller percentage of growth then students who missed two or more days. Students who missed two or more days during the unit had average growth score of 32.6% while students who missed one day had a growth score of 28.2%. This may be because there is an outlier in my data. One student only showed an 11% growth over the ten-day unit and only missed one day of class. His score does not necessarily fit in with the rest of my students data, his growth is an outlier compared to the growth of all of the other students. The pie chart analysis is beneficial, because it shows that what we are doing in the classroom is imperative to the students advancement and overall growth. It also shows the importance of finding one on one time with students to discuss what they have missed. I quickly realized throughout this unit that the students who were frequently absent were distraught when it came to individual work time. This is one reason I think the buddy system is important in the classroom. With the buddy system, each student is paired with another, their job is to update one another on what they missed the day before. This may seem difficult with first grade students but I find them eager to help and be part of the classroom community. I plan on implementing the buddy system in my future classrooms.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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On the next page you will find a table of my classroom sorted into three groups: boys, girls, and ESOL students. After I sorted my students I found the mean of the pre-assessment, post-assessment, and growth so I could compare and reflect on how this unit supported or lacked in support for each specific subgroup. I then used the chart to create two graphs, one graph showing the students average pre and post assessments and another graph that displays each groups average growth from pre to post assessment.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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With this bar graph you can see that the average post and pre assessment scores from boys to girls is almost identical. Meaning gender did not affect the students ability to develop and comprehend the content. When comparing the boys and girls pre and post assessments to the ELL students in our classroom you can see their scores were about 10% lower. This tells me that they are a little bit behind the class. Breaking up the data into these subgroups really helps me analyze my teaching. From looking at this data I am aware that I need to find additional ways to support my ELL students, so they can understand and apply new knowledge at the same level as my non-ELL students.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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This graph shows the average growth of boys, girls, and ESOL students. As you can see once again, the boys and girls average growth is almost identical. When comparing the actual numbers there is only a .69% difference in growth from boys to girls. When looking at the growth of ELL students you will find they had the highest growth average. I am quite proud of this! ESOL students instantly have a more difficult time learning new concepts because they have a language barrier. From this data, it shows that I was able to help our ESOL students grow by utilizing ESOL strategies that supported their development.

Ashley Farrens, Geometry Unit, Spring 2014

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When looking a the data collected and the results I realize how many things influence students learning and how important it is to consistently observe, monitor, and evaluate the progress of students. Through these processes I can determine what type of things influence my students learning; such as gender, attendance, and language acquisition. Once I can determine what types of things enhance or diminish students progress I can work to improve the overall learning that occurs in the classroom. Through analysis of data I can also determine if the lesson or unit was successful. By looking at the mean test scores from pre to post assessments I have evidence that students showed a significant growth during this unit. Meaning on average the students developed a deeper understanding of knowledge from pre to post assessment. When looking more specifically at individual students growth you will see that every student demonstrated growth. However, two students grew way below the mean growth of the class. Student #22, growth of 11% and student #31, growth of 18% this tells me that compared to the rest of the classroom they retained and understand less information. Student #22 is an ELL student who was never absent and has zero behavior problems. Her assessment results are not shocking there is a significant language barrier that she is working to over come. To support her development I worked with her one on one, utilized sentence frames, incorporated bilingual text into my unit, and utilized the Bilingual-IA to help support her. While I wish she displayed more growth I am very proud of the knowledge she displayed through her performance task. Student #31

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shows minimal growth because he scored an 88% on the pre-assessment and 100% on the post-assessment leaving him with only 18% of growth possible. This is not something that I am proud of. I should be able to differentiate instruction and content that is being displayed so a high percentage of growth is accessible for all of my students. Looking back one thing I could have done was given the group of students that were learning about symmetry during math workshops a different post-assessment. This assessment could have included symmetrical questions and I could have used this to determine if they displayed any additional growth. Another thing that stood out in my data was that the students who had lower scores on the pre-test had higher growth scores. This may be obvious because they have more room to grow then the students who scored a 77% or higher. Some of the things we worked on and practiced a handful of students had already developed really well. This is an aspect of teaching that will not change, in a group of thirty or more students they all bring a leveled of understanding. This is why teaching becomes an art; I need to be able to help each student grow. Another aspect of data analysis I conducted was between students absences and their overall growth throughout the unit. One thing that surprised me was the fact that students who missed one day of class had a lower growth average then students who missed two or more days of class. I wish I had a reason or for why this occurred, but this is truly an anomaly. The first thing I wondered was if all these students who missed one day, missed the same day and perhaps I taught something that was imperative for their understanding of shape characteristics. Meaning the students who missed this one-day, were at a disadvantage from

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the students who attended. But, this did not occur the students who missed one day all missed them sporadically throughout the unit. When comparing the growth of students who missed two or more days to the students who attended class each day a very obvious trend occurs. Students who missed two or more days average growth was 6.6% lower then students who did not miss any class. This data shows the importance of students attending class. As a teacher it is my job to help students catch up on missed work. I plan on having a classroom procedure such as classroom buddies to help support students who missed class. The last form of data I chose to analyze was how specific subgroups within the classroom achieved. This data was very informative and it helps me reflect back on my teaching practices. I did not expect there to be a difference in mean test scores from boys to girls. I believe I am able to deliver dual-gender content that is appropriate and engaging for boys and girls. I still believe it is always beneficial to analyze data in different ways to determine if my teaching perceptions are correct. I was hoping not to see a difference in mean test scores from ESOL to our non-ESOL students but I knew the language barrier of two of my students would greatly effect their understanding of the core geometric concepts. I utilized strategies from ELD trainings from Salem-Keizer, advice from my mentor teacher, and strategies from my course readings to support my ESOL students. This informs me that I need to be even more cognizant of my ELL students. In the future, I plan on consistently reflecting and finding ways to support all of my students in my classroom. I hope to be the type of teacher who is able to help every single one of my students discover the world around them and find a love for learning. I believe this

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comes with practice and time spent in the classroom where I begin to learn and understand my students from the beginning of the year.

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