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PPAT Task Two Describe your classroom. Include the grade level, content area, subject matter, and number of students. Provide relevant information about any of your students with special needs. A. This is a 5th grade classroom that teaches math, language arts, writing, and social studies. There are 26 students in this class. There are 12 females in this classroom and 14 males. There are three students who get served for ELL. There are also five students who get GATIS pull outs and four who are in an advanced math program. There are six students who receive RTI support. Describe any physical, social, behavioral, or developmental factors that may impact the instruction that occurs in your classroom. Mention any linguistic, cultural, or health considerations that may also impact teaching and learning in your classroom. B. Four students have a first language that is not English. One students religious views prevent him from participating in specific celebrations. Seven students in this classroom are ADD/ADHD. One student also has speech issues. Describe any factors related to the school and surrounding community that may impact the teaching and learning that occurs in your classroom. C. This school is one in a low income area. They receive government funds and many students receive free or reduced lunch. Many of the students within my class do not have regular access to technology and may need more instruction before beginning our lesson. Identify the state and/or national content standards and the specific learning goal(s) to which the assessment is aligned. A. The Common Core standard that I focused on was CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9.a which states students will draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. The specific indicator that I focused on was CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.5.9.a. Which states students need to apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]"). My learning goal for the students was for them to be able to compare and contrast web based articles by drawing on evidence from informational texts on alligators and crocodiles. Provide an in-depth description of the assessment. Provide a rationale for choosing/designing the assessment based on its alignment with the standards and learning goal(s) that meet the students' needs. B. My pre-assessment of the students was a pre-test that had four pictures of alligators or crocodiles and the students were asked to label each correctly. It also had questions where students define the words compare and contrast. It then moved in to asking what
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types of graphic organizers can be used to compare and contrast, how many items you need to have in order to compare or contrast, and lastly to draw a picture of a graphic organizer used to compare and contrast. I chose this assessment because it will easily show growth in the students learning. It also will help me see if they are accurately comparing and contrasting information on alligators and crocodiles. The second section of the pre-test evaluates their understanding of comparing and contrasting vocabulary. This assessment directly aligns with my learning goal of having students compare and contrast web based articles by drawing on evidence from informational texts on alligators and crocodiles. For the during assessment students had a discussion on a web forum (Todays Meet). On this forum they discussed the information they discovered about these animals and how they compared and contrasted them. This gives me feedback about how well the students were able to compare and contrast. It also gives them a chance to discuss with a partner to help clarify any misconceptions they may have had about comparing and contrasting. My post assessment was identical to my pre-assessment. This allows me to show direct growth from my lesson. The pictures helps me to see if the students grasped the idea how to accurately compare and contrast alligators and crocodiles in a way that creates meaning.

Describe the rubric/scoring guide you have selected/designed. How will you communicate its use to your students? C. The students during assessment will be evaluated using a rubric. They will be evaluated on the content accuracy, spelling and grammar of their posts, and their cooperation with their partner. The rubric will be on a four point scale. Students were given some leniency when it comes to the accuracy of their posts because this was still a during assessment and their partners were supposed to help clear up any factual mistakes. Students were also given a little leniency on their spelling and grammar because they are still working on their typing skills, but have been thoroughly working on their grammar. The last thing that students were evaluated on was their ability to stay focused and on task with their partner, and their effectiveness of communication. We reviewed this rubric together before students began their online discussions. We went through each criterion and explained what each number would look like. What evidence of student learning do you plan to collect from the assessment? How will you collect the data? Provide a rationale for your data-collection process. D. I plan to use the assessment to show that students have an understanding of how to compare and contrast. I will collect this data by scoring the students responses on Todays Meet using the rubric that was created. What instructional strategies will you use as part of the assessment? Provide a rationale for your choices.

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A. I will provide oral administration for the entire class. This will help support both the ELL students and the low reading students in this classroom understand the directions for the assessment and the expectations. I also grouped students based on their ability to ensure that both students are completing the work and one student is not dominating the other student. What learning activities and student groupings will you use to prepare your students for the assessment? Provide a rationale for your choices. B. Comparing and Contrasting Activities: a. Total Class: As a class we read one article together. Then we went back and picked out the important information and decided how we could put this information into a graphic organizer. We went through each piece of information and categorized it as alligator information, crocodile information, or information for both. This gave students the background knowledge necessary to complete this assignment on their own. b. Small Group Comparing and Contrasting Activity: As partners students read web based articles and continued to complete their graphic organizer for comparing and contrasting. They then had an online discussion about their organizers. Finally they applied their knowledge of comparing and contrasting by creating a friendly letter to a local alligator hunter about the similarities and differences between alligators and crocodiles. i. Grouping: I grouped the students based on their scores on their pre-test, ability to stay on task, and how well the students got along. What materials and resources, including technology, will you use to administer the assessment? Provide a rationale for your choices. C. I found the alligator and crocodile worksheet that we worked on together on the Super Teacher Worksheet website. The students also read articles on alligators at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/american-alligator/. The students read articles on crocodiles at http://www.defenders.org/crocodile/basic-factsabout-crocodiles. Students also needed a Chromebook to complete their research on and to access the Todays Meet chat room and their ELA notebook to record their information on comparing and contrasting. Identify two Focus Students with different learning needs and for whom you will need to modify the assessment. Provide a rationale for selecting each of the students. Refer to them as Focus Student 1 and Focus Student 2 as you respond to the guiding prompts below. A. Focus student 1: This student is a GATAS and advanced math student who is often bored with the regular work required. She is often given more difficult work to challenge her. I chose this student to ensure that the assessment was challenging enough to keep this student engaged a. Focus student 2: This student is a male who receives ELL services. He often has assessments modified for him based on his accommodation. I chose this student
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to ensure that he is getting enough accommodations to fully understand this lesson, and comparing and contrasting. This activity should also help with his MAP scores. Based on their specific learning needs, how will you modify the assessment for each of the two Focus Students? Provide a rationale for each decision. B. Focus student 1: For this student I will allow them to do other research outside of the two websites that I provided for the students. She will also be given more specific prompts to respond to. The whole class was asked what some similarities and differences between alligators and crocodiles. This student was also asked how you can tell the two animals apart, what their diets consist of, and how they raise their young. I modified the assessment this way so the student was looking for more specific and detailed information to keep her interested in the lesson. It also helped her provide more information when comparing and contrasting the two animals. a. Focus student 2: For this student I read all of the directions to him. I also split up his prompt into two more manageable questions. What are some similarities between alligators and crocodiles? And What are some differences between alligators and crocodiles. By splitting up his prompt he will able to focus on one task at a time. He will not be overwhelmed by all of the information that he was discovering and was able to compare and contrast accurately. How did your rubric/scoring guide align with your learning goal(s) for the lesson? Provide a rationale. A. The rubric aligned with the learning goal smoothly because I created the rubric with the learning goal in mind, students will be able to compare and contrast accurately. Students were made aware of the fact that they would be assessed on the learning goal using the rubric. Describe the graphic representation of your collected data. Based on your graphic representation, analyze the assessment data to determine your students' progress toward the learning goal(s). B. The type of graphic representation that I used was an excel spread sheet. This spreadsheet was an easy and clear way for me to view all of the assessment data on each student in one place. Based on this spread sheet it is clear that my students have made great gains on the topic of comparing and contrasting. Each student made a 10% increase from their pre to post test and some made as much as an 80% increase. How efficient was the data-collection process that you selected? Cite examples to support your analysis. C. This data collecting process was very efficient. It allowed me to see the students pre and post test scores side by side. I also created a column for the students percent increase from the two assessments. It even allows me to view their class work grades and see how well students were grasping the concept.
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How effective were the instructional strategies, learning activities, student groupings, and materials and resources, including technology, for student learning? Cite examples to support your analysis. D. The combination of learning activities, student grouping and technology were very effective for helping these students learn and understand how to compare and contrast because each student showed improvement from their pre to post test. The smallest increase was 10% and the largest was 80%. Describe how you engaged students in analyzing their own assessment results to help them understand their progress toward the learning goal(s). E. Students were asked to create their responses about comparing and contrasting after we read the rubric in class together and cited examples of each type of work. They were also asked after to give themselves a self evaluation based on the rubric. What did you learn overall about the progress of each of the two Focus Students toward achieving the learning goal(s)? Cite evidence from the work samples from each of the two Focus Students and other assessment data to support your analysis. A. Progress a. Focus student 1: Showed progress throughout the lesson. She began with a good understanding of comparing and contrasting, but received a 90% on her pre-test. Throughout the daily assignments she continued to prove her understanding by receiving a 100% on each the discussion and the friendly letter. She ultimately improved her post test score to a 100% proving that she has mastered the goal of comparing and contrasting. b. Focus student 2: He also showed great growth throughout this lesson. He began with a 40% on the pre-test showing that he did not understand comparing and contrasting. Throughout the class work his grades steadily improved to a 95% on the discussion and a 100% on the friendly letter. These learning activities helped the student gain understanding on comparing and contrasting to ultimately receive a 100% on the post test, a 60% increase in skill level. Based on the assessment data and/or your observations, what impact did your modification(s) of the assessment have on the learning of each of the two Focus Students? Cite examples to support your analysis. B. Impact a. Focus student 1: The modifications that I used to help this student succeed were successful because she increased her post test score by 10%. She also did not lose any knowledge of comparing and contrasting through this lesson. By allowing this student to type her friendly letter assessment she was able to more clearly communicate her thoughts, it was more legible, and she was able to complete her work quickly.

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b. Focus student 2: The modifications that I used to help this student on the assessment were that I allowed him to dictate to me and I recorded his response. This kept the student focused on the task and allowed him to communicate his thoughts without getting confused by the language barrier. I also read the pre and post assessment aloud to ensure he was not confused by the questions. These accommodations were successful because he had a 60% increase in his post assessment score. How effective were the instructional strategies, learning activities, student groupings, and materials and resources, including technology, for student learning? Cite examples for each of the two Focus Students to support your analysis. C. Effectiveness: a. Focus student 1: The modifications that I used to help this student succeed were successful because she increased her post test score by 10%. She also did not lose any knowledge of comparing and contrasting through this lesson. By allowing this student to type her friendly letter assessment she was able to more clearly communicate her thoughts, it was more legible, and she was able to complete her work quickly. b. Focus student 2: The modifications that I used to help this student that I helped him read the information of the websites to ensure that he understood what he was reading because ELL students often have issues with comprehension. I also read the pre and post assessment aloud to ensure he was not confused by the questions. These accommodations were successful because he had a 60% increase in his post assessment score.

Describe how you engaged each of the two Focus Students in analyzing his or her own assessment results to help understand progress toward the learning goal(s). D. Both students participated with the rest of the class when they self scored their discussion responses. They also participated and gave examples of what each level of work would look like. How does your data analysis inform or guide future instruction for the whole class? A. My data shows me that most of my students understand comparing and contrasting. At this time we would be able to move on to more in depth analysis of comparing and contrasting by comparing more than two concepts. What modifications to the assessment would you make for future use? Provide a rationale. B. I would have students write their friendly letters individually instead of in pairs so that I could see each students understanding of comparing and contrasting without the help and guidance of a partner.

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What modifications for future use would you make in your choice of instructional strategies, learning activities, student groupings, and materials and resources, including technology? Provide a rationale. C. I would modify my instructional strategy by allowing the students to have more time to complete this lesson. They were learning so much through their research and were actively engaged and were asking for more time to complete their research. This would give them more opportunities to practice where to put the items in each graphic organizer. In what ways would an assessment that is different from the type used in this task allow students to further demonstrate their achievement of the learning goal(s)? D. Students could have furthered their demonstration of the learning goal by completing another Venn-diagram on a different subject of their choice and presenting it to the class. How does your data analysis inform or guide future instruction for each of the two Focus Students? A. My data analysis shows that students are competent at comparing and contrasting and are ready to move on to more complex forms of this skill, like comparing multiple concepts at a time. What modifications would you make to the assessment for future use for each of the two Focus Students? Provide a rationale. B. I would allow them to choose the topic that they were doing research on for comparing and contrasting so that the students were invested in the research and accurately comparing and contrasting. What modifications would you make in your choice of instructional strategies, learning activities, student groupings, and materials and resources, including technology, for future use for each of the two Focus Students? Provide a rationale C. For the two focus students I would give them more time to complete the research and the option to branch out and do research on more than the two websites that I provided for them. The students were enjoying learning and wanted to continue to find things to add to their Venn-diagram.