Introduction
Dramatic Academic Growth
It is my duty and pleasure to demonstrate the methods that I gather and analyze student data to best execute quality instruction in my classroom. I use both quantitative and qualitative data to display the dramatic academic growth that students are undergoing in my 3rd grade ELA class.
NWEA™ (Northwest Evaluation Association) is an organization that provides a quantitative assessment platform that my school (Homer Plessy Community School) uses for grades 2-7. The quantitative assessments are proctored three times a year: the beginning of the year (BOY), the middle of the year (MOY) and the end of the year (EOY). As a result of the NWEA tests, I am able to make targeted decisions to promote each student's academic growth.
Unlike quantitative data, qualitative data is not collected through scheduled assessments. Instead, it is produced daily in my reading and writing courses. Qualitative data can help reveal measurable growth behind the numbers found in quantitative evidence. Student growth is tracked and interpreted for meaning, themes, and patterns throughout the school year using the same textual or verbal rubric over time. This provides consistent data for each student.
Quantitative Data
MAP Data
My third-grade students are assessed three times per year in reading and language usage, using Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a computerized test that is an adaptive assessment program. The computer adjusts the difficulty of the questions so that each student takes a unique test. If students answer a question correctly, the next question will be more difficult; if they miss a question, an easier question is asked. This provides pertinent and intentional information about what each student knows and is ready to learn.
MAP Reading Sample Items
The MAP test for Reading Growth 2-5 is divided into four instructional areas: Vocabulary, Literature: Key Ideas and Details, Literature: Craft and Structure, and Informational Texts.
The Vocabulary instructional area (figure 1.1) assesses students' ability to determine word meaning through context clues, bases, and affixes:
Figure 1.1
Literature: Key Ideas and Details (figure 1.2) assesses students' ability to determine meaning in a given text by making predictions and inferences, drawing conclusions, writing summaries, and looking at themes, characters, and events in the text:
Figure 1.2
Literature: Craft and Structure (1.3) assesses students' ability to analyze connotative meaning, tone, figurative language, point of view, purpose, and context:
Figure 1.3
The fourth instructional area, Informational Texts: Key Ideas and Details, (figure 1.4) assesses students' ability to determine meaning through predictions, inferences, and drawing conclusions, but does so using a nonfiction text. Rather than looking at characters, for example, students must analyze central ideas and key pieces of information.
Figure 1.4
MAP Reading Scoring Chart (RIT)
Student MAP testing results are reported in Rasch Unit (RIT)
scores. An RIT score is an estimation of a student’s instructional
level, and also measures student progress or growth in school.
MAP assessments measure a student’s growth in reading and
language usage.
Figure 2.1 is a chart that shows the national grade level
scores for 1st-6th graders who tested in Fall and Winter.
This shows the yearly growth that is typical for each grade level
according to NWEA. When I review student RIT scores, I check
to see if his/her growth is above, at, or below average, compared to
students in the same grade.
RIT scales are stable, equal interval scales that use individual item difficulty values to measure student achievement independent of grade level (that is, across grades). "Equal interval" means that the difference between scores is the same regardless of whether a student is at the top, bottom, or middle of the RIT scale. "Stable" means that the scores on the same scale from different students, or from the same students at different times, can be directly compared, even though different sets of test items are administered.
An RIT score also has the same meaning regardless of the grade or age of the student. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to pinpoint what students have learned and what students are ready to learn.
Figure 2.1
3rd Grade Whole Class ELA MAP Data & Analysis
The following growth summary report (figures 3.1 and 3.2) gives a snapshot of my whole class student performance between the two testing periods (fall and winter 2018). Data included here is a national comparison with other students that take the MAP test. There is also projected data to see how individual students are expected to perform on future MAP tests. Students were tested in the fall of 2018 and winter of 2019. I use this information during goal setting and parent-teacher conferences to help the students to set realistic growth goals.
The two MAP Class Reports below show a breakdown of each band of growth achievement, ranging from "Lo" to "Hi." The fall 2018 class report shows a mean RIT of 176.8 (highlighted yellow ) which grew 15.5 RIT points to 192.3 in the winter 2019 assessment. This is more than triple the 5 points expected growth (shown in figure 2.1) for each band from fall to winter. In the same interim, the class report shows a median class score of 170 (highlighted blue) rising to 192.5, an RIT growth of 22.5. (this median is quadruple the RIT that each to the 5 points expected growth shown in the chart in figure 2.1).
The Lo (percentile less than 21) shrank from 57% to 29%. The LoAvg grew 4%, Avg grew 14%, and HiAvg grew 10%.
Figure 3.1
Fall 2018 Class Report
Fall 2018 Class Report
Winter 2018 Class Report
Figure 3.2
MAP predictions come from the norms study and are based on the average performance of students in the study with several parameters considered. These parameters include student’s starting score, grade level, and when in the academic year the two tests used to estimate growth are administered. At this mid-year growth rate, I can confidently state a conservative projected mean of 10 more RIT points, with an EOY mean RIT of 202.3. Similarly, the EOY median RIT is conservatively projected to be 15 RIT higher at 207.5.
3rd Grade ELA MAP Individual Data Analysis
The following MAP reports will focus on the growth of three individual students in my class. The three selected students were chosen to show a spectrum of quantitative data. Figure 2.1 shows the five levels that correspond to each 3rd-grade student's RIT.
Student A. had a BOY RIT score of 149 which put them in the "2-Grades Below" level. Student B. had a BOY RIT score of 163 which put them at "1-Grade Below" level. Finally, student C. had a BOY RIT score of 198, which put them "Above Grade Level."
The three students highlighted below are shown here in comparison to the whole class. Their performances are rated separately in Literature, Informational Text, and Vocabulary. Student A. and student B. scored low or low/average in all instructional areas. Student C. scored high in all instructional areas.
Figure 4.1
Low: Students goal scores are lower than the 21st percentile
LoAvg: Student goal scores fall within the 21st-40th percentile
High: Student goal scores fall within the 81st percentile or higher
Figure 4.2
The MAP Student Progress Reports (figure 5.1) for students A., B., and C. are displayed in the gallery below. The Progress report provides a Lexile range, which I use to assign leveled texts for each reader, giving them appropriately challenging books, articles, and other reading materials. The progress report shows a histogram of other helpful comparison data. The District Grade Level Mean RIT (orange) is not provided in winter 2019, but I can already use the individual Student RIT (solid blue) and the Norm Grade Level Mean RIT (yellow) to track growth. The Norm Grade Level Mean RIT is the average score for students who were in the same grade and who tested in the same term as observed in the NWEA norms study. Quantifiable growth is shown here for all three my example students.
The white bar with diagonal blue dashes is a projection that is generated by NWEA, the creators of MAP. The projection is based on a national average growth for students who were tested at the same RIT range and were also in the same grade. Nationally, 40-60 percent of students meet the NWEA growth projection.
(Figure 5.1)
Student C. has a fall RIT of 198 and has already passed her spring 2019 projection of 207 with a winter RIT of 217.
Student A. has a fall RIT of 166 and has already passed her spring 2019 projection of 180 with a winter RIT of 185.
Student B. has a fall RIT of 163 and has already passed his spring 2019 projection of 177 with a winter RIT of 187.
Figure 5.1
Comparing the BOY to MOY MAP assessments: this color-coded academic growth quadrant chart (figure 6.1) shows the quantitative growth of the class, grouping students based on achievement levels and their rate of growth over time. The red arrows point to the three example students, all achieving high growth.
Figure 6.1
Quantitative Reflection
I am very impressed with the growth my class made in this interim. 8 out of 14 students showed high growth in the fall to winter interim, and all are projected to make personal growth in spring 2019 reading MAP assessment. Even though 4 of the 6 students that did not make high growth were categorized as an already high achievement, I am diligent to target the instructional areas they can work on to make dramatic academic growth by spring 2019. Overall, it would have benefitted students for them to be better aware of the areas in which they were showing the least amount of growth. MAP provides multiple reports that I can print and share with students and parents, though I felt that the RIT score data was a lot to explain to 3rd-grade students. Giving students better awareness of their strengths and weaknesses could give them a sense of agency with their own goal setting.
Qualitative Data
Beginning of Module Student Data
The three students that I compared quantitatively in the previous section will also be compared here, qualitatively, using some of their writing samples. A variety of writing exercises are performed throughout the year in my third-grade ELA class. Early in our second Module, in which we learned about space, students were tasked with an essay-writing assignment. Most students were daunted by this task, so I felt it imperative to have a long-term goal of accomplishing a four-paragraph essay. We practiced writing essays in class before they were given the Task below.
My goal for the class was to be able to write a four-paragraph essay that successfully provides a topic sentence, stated their opinion, 2 separate claims regarding their opinion, evidence to support the claim, and a concluding paragraph. Dramatic academic growth would be reflected by most of a students rubric to be scored with 2 and 3 stars, depending on their baseline essay assessment.
At the beginning of our explorers module, students were giving a BOY writing assessment.
Assessment 25: Focusing Question Task:
"You are entering an opinion essay content. The essays will be judged by NASA scientists who want to understand young people’s opinions about space travel. The question that you have to answer in your essay is: Would you like to have been an astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission? To answer this, write a four-paragraph opinion essay that includes:
• An introduction paragraph.
• Two supporting paragraphs.
• A conclusion paragraph.
Support your response using evidence from the following texts:
• Moonshot, Brian Floca
• One Giant Leap, Robert Burleigh
-
Plan a written response to an opinion prompt. (W.3.1, W.3.4, W.3.8)
The whole ELA class was given this writing assessment. The following samples are again from students A., B., and C.
Students were initially selected to show a spectrum of quantitative data. Student A. had a BOY RIT score of 149 which put them in the "2 Grades Below" level. Student B. had a BOY RIT score of 163 which put them at "1 Grade Below" level. Finally, student C. had a fall BOY RIT score of 198, which put them in the "Above Grade" level.
Student A. is "two grades below" level with a 149 RIT score. He receives tier three general instruction with weekly monitoring for growth and progress. This student receives a 504 accommodation for extended time during all classwork and assessments. Student A. was able to provide a clear opinion statement and information about one of the assigned texts. He was unable to provide a topic sentence, and text evidence from both assigned texts.
Student A. received 11 points out of 24 for this writing assignment.
Student B. is "one grade below" level with a 163 RIT score. She receives tier three general instruction with weekly monitoring for growth and progress. Student B. was able to provide a topic sentence, clear opinion statement, information about one of the assigned texts. She was unable to provide complete 4 paragraph format of information, provide a topic sentence, clear opinion about the importance of exploring the sea, and text evidence from both assigned texts.
Student B. received 13 points out of 24 for this writing assignment.
Student C. is "above grade" level with a 198 RIT score. She receives tier three general instruction. Student C. was able to provide a clear opinion statement, topic sentence, and information from both texts. She was unable to provide adequate and quality elaboration for her body paragraphs or an adequate conclusion paragraph.
Student C. received 14 points out of 24 for this writing assignment.
For Task 25 the average of the 3 student's scores was 12.7 out of 24 on the opinion writing rubric. My goal for the end of module writing assessment (Task 35) was to raise the mean score 4 points. to 16 or 17 points. Many students, including two of the selected students, scored a 1 star or fewer on some of the checklist items. My priority was to move all students out of the "No, I didn't" to at least 2 or 3 stars items ("I somewhat did" or "Yes, I did").
End of Module Student Data
For The End of Module writing assessment, students were tasked to gather and organize evidence to support an opinion essay about the most important thing people have done to learn about space. This task (Task 35) was assigned 6 weeks after the previous opinion writing assessment (Task 25) In this assessment, students were to state a clear opinion and identify supporting evidence from the text.
Student A. has made growth with his opinion essay with the ability to make grounded claims and support them with evidence from one of the assigned texts. Student A. even provides elaboration and a concluding sentence. The growth in perseverance is apparent and details that support the stated opinion.
Student B. received 16 points out of 24 for this writing assignment. This was a qualitative growth of 5 points on my opinion-writing rubric.
Student B. has also made growth with her opinion essay with the ability to make grounded claims and support them with evidence from one of the assigned texts. Similar to student A., Student B. provides elaboration and a concluding sentence. She also makes references to only one of the assigned texts in her 4 paragraph essay.
Student B. received 16 points out of 24 for this writing assignment. This was a qualitative growth of 2 points.
Student C. had a strong start at the beginning of this module. Her target goal was to provide meaningful evidence followed by at least one sentence per body paragraph about said evidence as elaboration. This extension of her writing was to convince the reader of her opinion and embolden her writing. Student C. provides elaboration for her evidence for both assigned texts and a concluding sentence.
Student C. received 19 points out of 24 for this writing assignment. This was a growth of 5 points on the opinion writing rubric.
Teacher Reflection
For this opinion-writing comparison I focused my instruction on what I felt students needed the most in order to write a suitable essay. Students were showing a deficit in organization, introducing a topic, and a concluding statement. I did not prioritize work on the concluding statement because I decided I wanted the rest of the introduction and body paragraphs to be strong before students were ready to reflect on their opinion in a concluding statement. All of the students could have also been given more chance to develop a hook for the reader in the intro. Very few of my students were able to get all 4 points for a writing an intro, organizational structure and reasons in a "creative way." I postponed lessons that would have emboldened their writing because I was focusing on the 57% of my class that was in the "Lo" performing section (see the fall MAP Growth Class Report above). A number of my students, including these three, would have been ready to make their writing more interesting and would have benefited from higher-level instruction.
Conclusion
My students have worked hard to make dynamic growth, and I have enjoyed the journey with them. I am excited to see how many students have already exceeded their personal growth projections from MAP data. It is apparent they will continue making great achievements as they are able to continuously perform quality 4 paragraph essays at the beginning and ending of followup modules in ELA. I know that this class is better set up for success than any class I have previously taught. My students are able to self assess their own writing now with similar rubrics and accurately tell me what their essay should score. This self-awareness is a huge step in letting students have more opportunities to write, edit, and revise their future tasks.
Academic growth should not be the only gauge of achievement for my students, but it is vital to y role as an educator. It is important to look at academic growth from both a qualitative measure and a quantitative measure. I will continue to balance these measures in an effort for the whole class and individual growth.