Debra da Silva

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EDU5TEB Part B: Analysing Assessment Data

1. Analysis of the cohort

What does the data tell you about the class?
The data presented for a Year 8 maths cohort of 20 students indicates that the class is
below the Year 8 AusVels level (8.0 working towards 9.0). However, such an aggregate
assessment fails to show the nuances of the class profile and the strengths and
weaknesses of individual students. There is also considerable variation in each of the key
learning areas (statistics and probability, measurement and geometry, and algebra and
number). There is no significant gender bias in the data, with an array of males and females
performing at a higher and a lower standard. Further analysis will highlight the key findings.

What could the gaps in the data indicate?

There are some gaps in the data set presented. Most noticeably, Abby has an incomplete
set of data for all of Semester 2, which could be interpreted that she had left the school at
mid way during the year, or more probably, was absent for a significant amount of time and
therefore missed the assessment period in Semester 2. Other data that is missing is the
statistics and probability results for both Helen and Jess, likewise indicating that they may
have been absent for the assessment. However, as the assessment format is not known, if
the all three strands were tested at the same time then they may have had difficulty with the
test such, as not completing a section due to error (accidentally missing pages) or running
out of time.

What could you do to find out about those students?

It is assumed, a priori, that the teacher has developed good relationships with the Helen,
Jess and Abby, and so would be aware of the students general learning profile, and would
have discussions with other teachers and staff involved with the students at the school. To
access specific data the test for statistics and probability would need to be readministered,
or formative assessment could be undertaken in class to assess the skill level for further
teaching purposes.

What strategies could you put in place to support those students?

If the gaps in the data are due to absences at school, either long or short term, then there
are several strategies that could be employed to cater for those students. The use of a
navigator, where the unit of study is mapped out for the term, linked to progression through
the text and other resources, could be provided for the students to use while away from the
classroom (assuming at this stage that we are unaware of the nature of their absences).
This would enable students to progress through the material at their own pace and not be
dependent on the progression of lessons. However, this needs to be substantially
supported from the teacher to ensure that the students do not miss important instruction.
Resources such as videoed tutorials, online forums and chat sessions could be employed
to scaffold the learning.

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2. Class Profile
The student data presented has been analysed to form a class profile based on three
cohorts of students.
COHORT 1: Year 8-6 Level
Student

Helen, Jess, Harry, George, Dot, Eliza, Fiona, Darren.

Rationale of
Cohort

This cohort is the highest performing group in the class. Within this group,
are students such as George who started the year at a lower level, and yet
improved to work at a higher standard.

Strengths
Areas of Need

This cohort has strengths in statistics and probability. Measurement and

geometry is the weakest area for this cohort.

Key Strategies

Continue to enhance their natural abilities in statistics and probability,

through provision of real-world problem solving and relating topics to their
lived experiences. Engage online resources to address issues in
measurement and geography, develop videoed tutorials on concepts so
that students can view them as needed. Also there is a need to provide
extension activities to ensure that they students who are performing well
remain engaged.

COHORT 2: Year 4-5 Level

Student

Betty, Fred, Gigi, Barry, Ian, Izzy, Eddy, Cath, Cal.

Rationale of
Cohort

This cohort is performing at a Year 4-5 level. In this cohort is Betty, whose
performance declined over the course of the year and so may need
additional instruction and resources.

Strengths
Areas of Need

The strengths of this cohort is that they clearly have a base level of
understanding of maths, however need to be aided to step up to the year
6-8 level.

Key Strategies

The key strategies to employ with this cohort are to ensure that the
baseline keeps improving, and monitor to ensure that no students move
backwards. The key outcome desired is to set this group up to be able to
cope with Year 9 level maths in the following year, such that they dont get
overwhelmed and left behind. This group could also be challenged with
some extension activities to test where their strengths lie, and if they are
able to overcome hurdle requirements and progress up to the next cohort.
Specifically, there would need to be an understanding of Bettys step
backwards in the second half of the year and how that can be remedied.

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COHORT 3: < Year 3 Level

Student

Jack, Adam.

Rationale of Cohort

This cohort has substantial difficulties with mathematics, to the extent that
they require significant intervention and explicit, direct instruction.

Strengths
Areas of Need

Adam recorded a high score for statistics and probability, and so this could
be used to further develop other skills in geometry and algebra. The key to
this cohort is to generally improve the baseline. Jack demonstrated
improvement over the course of 2014, and the strategies that had been
employed clearly worked.

Key Strategies

The key to working with this cohort is to successfully engage the students
in wanting to learn maths. Their achievement levels are such that they will
quickly (if not already) become disengaged and the pace of the maths
curriculum in following years will leave them unable to recover to a level of
proficiency. Such strategies would be to equate their maths learning to
their real world experiences, and use of concepts in later job experiences.

3. Creating an Inclusive Classroom

In this classroom students need to feel safe, supported, encouraged, included, engaged
and challenged, where both the teacher and students enter into, and contribute to, a
learning process for mutual benefit (Foreman, 2008; Forlin, 2001). The first step in catering
to the needs of all learners in this class is to understand that not all students come to school
with the same level of competence, the same beliefs and values, the same language, or the
same personal history. Applying the ideas of Alexander (2005, 2008) creating a genuine
interaction with the students involves using carefully structured extended exchanges,
building understanding through accumulation, and the students own words, ideas and
speculation.
Beyond these fundamental principles, the maths curricula needs to be useful for students,
and students will be motivated to do high quality work only when it meets their needs. In
order to motivate students to learn, you will need to have respect for their interest and teach
them more about what they want to know, incorporate your own interests into teaching,
explain why you are teaching the given content and help students to realise why it is
important now or in the future. With the students in Cohort 3, it is important that the maths
curricula is presented in such a manner that they remain engaged, and see relevance to
their future lives. For example, when working with a Year 7 student in a maths class, the
student indicated that she would like to be a chef, and yet she was struggling with fractions.
Relating fractions to recipes, and how she manages to convert recipe quantities made
fractions relevant (and easier) to her.
It is also vital that the classroom is supportive of the attempts of students to learn, and that
the learning objectives are meaningful and at a level of difficulty that is appropriate to each
student (Lyons, 2013). This is especially important with maths, as many students view this
as a subject that they either can do, or cant do. Within this class, there is some level of

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maths that all students can do, so using this as a starting point to build confidence is
important.
The use of a navigator for the unit of study, where the unit content is mapped to the text,
resources and exercises would be useful in permitting students to work through the material
at a pace that suits them. This also allows the teacher to focus on explicit instruction with
each cohort where necessary. It is also critical that additional resources are provided to
address specific needs areas (e.g., number and algebra) where it appears that the entire
class is relatively weaker in this area.

4. Improving Maths Knowledge in History

Based on the Australian Curriculum: History (Year 8), much of the evidence and reasoning
in historical understanding is quantitative (for example ACHHS1481). Examples include
chronology, demography, economic activity, changes in the movement of peoples and in
the size and reach of institutions. All of these call for an appreciation of numerical scale and
proportion. There is also the need for students to be able to sequence historical events,
developments and periods: placing historical events in sequence in order to identify broader
patterns of continuity and change. The Year 8 History curriculum provides study of history
from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern period, c.650 AD (CE)
1750. This was when major civilisations around the world came into contact with each
other. Social, economic, religious, and political beliefs were often challenged and
significantly changed. It was the period when the modern world began to take shape.
Key teaching strategies to embed maths in to the curriculum include:
a) Examining population changes within different regions growth and decline of
populations due to economic prosperity, war, or famine. Maths concepts used:
calculating percentages, number concepts of growth and decline. Solve problems
involving the use of percentages, including percentage increases and decreases,
with and without digital technologies (ACMNA187); Data representation and
interpretation (ACMSP284).
b) Understanding daily life in the Middle Ages calculating currency of daily items, and
relating this to contemporary cost of living issues. This would also engage students
by making historical concepts relevant to their own lives. Maths concepts involved:
calculating ratios, manipulating number concepts. Money and financial mathematics.
Solve problems involving profit and loss, with and without digital technologies
(ACMNA189); Solve a range of problems involving rates and ratios, with and without
digital technologies (ACMNA188).
c) Sequencing of major historical events undertake a depth study of a major war
during the timeframe. Students could manage historical information and sources by
arranging them on a timeline. Math concepts used: sequencing numbers and
concepts. Investigate everyday situations that use integers. Locate and represent
these numbers on a number line (ACMNA124).

Source: Australian Curriculum: History (2015)

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5. Planning For Individual

SECTION 1: STUDENT DETAILS
Student Name: JACK

Date of Birth: September 2002

School: Year 8, Catholic Co-ed School, VIC

School Contact Person: Classroom teacher

Class: HISTORY
Date of Plan: START OF TERM 3

Review Date: END OF TERM 4

1. Plain English Description of the Issue:

Jack is a Year 8 student with poor achievement in maths. He is currently at Ausvels level 3.3, with no
clear strength in any of the three focus areas in the curriculum. Jack has average levels of
achievement in his other subjects, however he excels in Design Technology. Jacks performance is
maths is of concern, as it may constrain his future options in his preferred subject areas of Design
Technology. Jack demonstrates an enjoyment of history. Jack is a very social child with no known
behavioural problems. He is well-liked amongst his peers, and is heavily involved in sport both within
(AFL) and outside the school (cycling). Jack relies heavily on his social skills to help him solve
problems, and follow teacher instructions when he has not understood. Jack has a stable home
environment with significant parental support. Jack has an 11-year-old and 6-year-old brother, both
of whom are highly achieving academically.

2. Student Support Group Membership:

School-based

Classroom teacher aid

Classroom teacher

School Learning Support advisor

School Principal

Parents Mother, father.

3. Detailed Learning Goals

Focus area
linked to
curriculum

Specific learning
outcome

Calculating percentages, number concepts of growth and decline. Solve

problems involving the use of percentages, including percentage increases
and decreases, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA187)

Data representation and interpretation (ACMSP284)

Investigate everyday situations that use integers. Locate and represent

these numbers on a number line (ACMNA124)

Solve a range of problems involving rates and ratios, with and without
digital technologies (ACMNA188)

Jacks achievement levels in History are to improve to level 9 by the end of

Year, with specific improvement in maths concepts.

Debra da Silva

Intervention
plan

Monitoring and
evaluation
strategies

SID #18252191

When working on projects in History using maths concepts, jack will initially
be given explicit and directed instruction, focussing on increasing his
confidence.

As Jack progresses, this will be moved to the use of additional supporting

resources e.g., an instructional online video demonstrating the steps for
calculating percentage change that he can refer to when needing to work
through a problem.

Once jack has built his confidence and demonstrated proficiency in the se
areas jack will be encouraged to work with other students to check his
thinking and learning.

For assessment items, Jack will be given additional time for items involving
maths concepts. Additionally, these assessment techniques will be
discussed with Jack in advance so that he is confident going into the
situation.

Jacks parents are to be closely involved in the ILP process. Jacks parents
have also indicated that they are willing to be contacted directly by phone
should the need arise to discuss any issues

A formal review of this ILP will take place at the end of Terms 3 and 4, as
well as at the start of the 2016 school year.

Additionally, Jacks parents will be contacted prior to the start of the school
year in 2016 to discuss any significant changes/issues that may have
occurred over the summer break, so that they can be accounted for prior to
the school year.

(Athanasou & Lamprianou, 2002; Black, Harrison, & Lee, 2003; Black & Wiliam, 1998; Boud, 2000; Boud, Cohen, & Sampson, 1999; Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Brady, 2009; Broadfoot et al., 1991; Brown, 1989; Carpenter & Pease, 2013; Connolly, Klenowski, & Wyatt-Smith, 2012; Genishi, 1997; Gibbs & Simpson, 2004; Gipps, 1994; Gipps & Murphy, 1994; Goodwin, 2012; Gayle H Gregory & Chapman, 2012; Gayle H. Gregory & Chapman, 2013; Gayle H Gregory & Kuzmich, 2014; Groom &
Maunonen-Eskelinen, 2006; Guskey, 2003; Harlen, Gipps, Broadfoot, & Nuttall, 1992; Herman, 1997; Killen, 2005; Klenowski & Wyatt-Smith, 2013; Marshall & Jane Drummond, 2006; Maynes & Julien-Schultz, 2014; McMillan, 2000; Moskal, 2003; Nicol & Macfarlane- Dick, 2006; Pendergast & Bahr, 2005; Shepard, 2000; Shernoff, 2012; Stiggins, 2002; Tomlinson & Doubet, 2006; Wiggins, 1990, 1991; Wiggins & McTighe, 2006, 2008; Wiggins, McTighe, Kiernan, & Frost, 1998; Wolfgang &
Glickman, 1980; Wormeli, 2001; Wyatt-Smith, Klenowski, & Colbert, 2014; Wyatt- Smith, Klenowski, & Gunn, 2010)

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