Student Academic Progress Assignment

Sarah Mickelberry
Bridgewater College
Spring 2015

Setting
My classroom is set in Augusta County, Virginia at Churchville Elementary School. Churchville
Elementary School houses 340 students, with most of that population Caucasian students. There are 19
students in my class. Nine of the students are males and ten of the students are females. Eighteen of the
students in my classroom are Caucasian and one of my students is Caucasian/African American. Six of
my students are on medication for ADHD, and two students have been recognized by the school system as
having learning disabilities that allows them to receive services. The students identified with learning
disabilities receive services from the special education teacher in the subjects of language arts and math.
The two students are pulled out for a portion of language arts and receive both in the classroom help and
pull out remediation from the special education teacher. In addition, the two students are able to have all
their test read aloud to them. The diversity in my classroom comes in the form of ability levels. Like any
classroom, I have my high ability students, my bubble, or average, group, and a group of low achieving
students. There are about six to seven students whom I consider to be my high ability group. These
students constantly show high achievement on graded assignments as well as showing problem solving
skills on a regular basis in the classroom. There are four students who are constant low achievers. These
four students show low achievement across the board in all subjects. Finally, there are about eight students
who make up my bubble group, with their achievement falling between my low ability group and high
ability groups. The ability groups described are based on performance across all subjects. The groups
described are my own observations based on both graded and ungraded performance on various
assignments throughout my time in the classroom. While the students are grouped by ability for reading,
they are not officially grouped by ability for any other subject. The reading groups were created based on
data collected from running records and are as follows:
Group 1: Third Grade Reading Level (3 students)
Group 2: Early Fourth Grade Reading Level (2 students)
Group 3: Late Fourth Grade Reading Level (5 students)
Group 4: On Level Reading Group (9 students)

Content/Subject/Field Area
The unit chosen to analyze for student academic progress covers the Virginia Studies SOL standard 10 ac. This unit encompasses 11 lessons, with each lesson taking place in a block of 45 minutes. The topics of
the unit include the three branches of government, products and industries found in the 5 regions of
Virginia, and the impacts that advancements in communication, transportation, and technology have had
on Virginias economy. Students should already be familiar with the geographic regions of Virginia prior
to teaching.
By the end of the unit, students will be expected to know:
(a) Virginia State Government:
(i) The three branches of Virginias state government are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
(ii) The legislative branch is called the General Assembly and is divided into the Senate and House of
Delegates.
(iii)
The key jobs and functions of each branch of state government
(iv)Important people that make up each branch (governor is the head of the executive branch)
(b) Products and Industries of the 5 regions of Virginia
(i) The major products produced or grown in the 5 geographic regions of Virginia
(ii) What major industries are located in each of the 5 regions of Virginia
(iii)
Skills to interpret a products and industries map of Virginia
(c) Advancements in Transportation, Communication, and Technology
(i) Transportation allows raw materials to easily be moved to factories and from factories to the market,
which helps Virginias economy.
(ii) Tourism is a major part of Virginias economy
(iii)
Because of its location the federal government has helped Virginias economy grown
(iv)Virginia contributes to the world economy

Pre-Assessment
The pre-test was administered the first day of starting this unit (February 9th). No instruction on the
material was given prior to the test so that a baseline reading of what the students knew on the subject
could be acquired. The goal of the pre-test was to learn what knowledge my students already had on the
topics so that future instruction in the following days could hone in on what students struggled with the
most on the pre-test and then briefly cover any information that a majority of the students had already
mastered.

The format of the pretest had an array of question formats. The first part was matching the branch
of government to the correct job and people. Questions 1-3, 13-14, and 17-23 were multiple choice.
Questions 4-8 were True/False. There was a map in which students had to label the 5 geographic regions
of Virginia. Questions 9-12 required students to be able to read and interpret a map and then complete fill
in the blank questions based on the map. Finally, numbers 24-26 were fill in the blank questions. Students
were explicitly told that a grade would not be taken on the pre-test, but that the purpose of the test was to
gage how much they already knew on the subject. Students were told that they should approach the pretest
with the same mentality as if it were graded. Because the test was not free response, students were told to
place the letters NC (no clue) or a question mark next to questions they absolutely did not know. They
were asked to still answer the question after writing NC in the margin. Students were asked to answer
every single answer, even if they put the NC or question mark, so that I could get a feel for where the
students understanding was with this information. I felt that having the students take their best guess even
if they had no idea still showed me where their thoughts were, compared to if I had allowed them to leave
questions blank.
After students took the pre-test I analyzed the results and found that students had done better than
I was anticipating.

I was expecting to see many more scores around the lower fifties and forties on the pre-test,
however, half my class (9 students) scored a 60% or higher, which is passing, and 14 out of the 19

students scored above a 50%. Of the 5 students who scored 50% or below, 3 of those students were my
across the board low achievers (Data shown in Figure 1).

Table 1
Class Scores on VS. 10 Unit Pre-Assessment
Stude
nt

Score

64
%

58
%

78
%

32
%

57
%

48
%

66
%

44
%

62
%

72
%

60
%

62
%

50
%

64
%

55
%

42
%

56
%

74
%

58%

The red coloring indicates the across board low achievers for whom I made special goals for.

Figure 2
Pre-Assessment Scores
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

Score

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Student

Table 1 contains the numerical data of the scores achieved on the pre-assessment. Figure 2 is a
visual of the same class scores that were achieved on the pre-assessment given in class. The average score
on the pre-assessment was a 58%.

Table 2
Break Down of Question Type, Students Confidence on Answer, and
Number of Students Answering Incorrectly
Question #/Topic

Type of
Question

# Students
indicating
they guessed

# Students answering
incorrectly on the Pre-test

Government Matching
Chart
1--Government
2--Government
3--Government
4--Government
5--Government
6--Government
7--Government
8--Government
Label the geographic
regions of Virginia
9--Map Skills/Products
10--Map
Skills/Products
11--Map
Skills/Products
12--Map
Skills/Products
13--Industries
14--Industries
15--Industries
16--Products
17--Industries
18--Industries
19--Industries
20--Industries
21--Economy
22--Industry/Economy
23--Economy
24--Economy
25--Economy
26--Economy

Matching

15

19

13
11
15
9
10
11
9
7

7
7
13
3
9
15
9
2

10

Multiple Choice

3
13
7

4
13
13

Circle all that

apply

12

4
4
4
3
12
9
4
7
9
6

6
8
7
2
8
10
8
18
17
10

Multiple Choice

True or False

Labeling

Map Skills & Fill

in Blank

Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice

Fill in the blank

Table 2, located above, contains a breakdown of the pre-assessment by the type of question, topic
of questions, and student results. The data is highlighted if more than half the class indicated they guessed
on the question or if more than one-third of the class answered incorrectly. There was some correlation
between the questions that students indicated they guessed on and the questions a majority of the class

missed on the pre-assessment. Of the 12 questions that more than half the class indicated that they
guessed on, 11 of those questions were missed by 7+ students or more (1/3 of the class or more). There
were 19 questions out of the 26 questions on the pre-assessment that one third or more of the class
answered incorrectly.

Goal Statement:
After analyzing the results of the pre-test I was able to set some goals to accomplish by the end of
the unit. One of my goals is to have 15 of my students (85% of the class) passing the end of unit test with
a grade of 72% (a C) or higher. Additionally, of the 15 students I want to have passing with a score of
72% or higher I would like to have at least 5 of the 15 passing with a score of 90% or higher on the final
test. Specifically, from previous performance both in Social Studies and looking at across the board
achievement I know that Students A, C, J, K, and R are all capable of achieving a 90% or higher on the
final assessment, so those are the 5 students I have in mind for achieving the A or higher. I set a separate
goal for my four students who are constant strugglers, which include my two students with learning
disabilities. For those four students, I want their final test scores to increase by at least 20 points. For
example, if a 30% was scored on the pretest a 50%, at least, would be scored on the final unit test. As
always, I do not want any of my students to regress from the score achieved on their pre-assessment.

Means for Attaining Goal/Instructional Plan

The results from the pre-test informed my instructional planning in that it allowed me to see where
my students strengths and weaknesses were. The pre-test gave me a look into what prior knowledge the
students were bringing to the classroom and where I would have to build upon their schema in order to
help them be successful with this unit. With the addition of asking students to indicate if they were
guessing or unsure of an answer they put on the pre-test, I was able to see what content the students were
struggling with as well as note which assessment question formats the students found struggling. For
example, the first question on the assessment was a matching chart. 15 out of my 19 students indicated

they guessed on this question and all 19 of my students got this question wrong. This showed that they not
only had no clue about the content, but that they were also less comfortable with this form of matching
question. Very few of my students indicated they struggled with the map skills and this was the section of
the pre-test where most of my students succeeded, so this informed me that my students only needed a
little review of how to read information from or label a map. Since so few students indicated they guessed
on the map section, I was informed that most of my students felt confident in their ability to answer
questions on maps.
It was clear from the pre-test that my entire class was in need of instruction on the jobs and
functions of each of the three branches of state government. The first question on the pre-test was to
match 11 descriptions of the main functions and occupational positions (like governor) with the correct
branch of state government. No student in the class got that question completely right and 15 students
indicated they guessed. It was clear the students needed more time and exposure to information on state
government. Thus, I planned to take a day for each branch of government. Each day would cover the main
jobs of that branch and who makes up the branch. Additionally, I planned to have a small quiz on the
branches of government at the end of instruction of government material to see student growth with the
topic. Unfortunately, many of my students did very poorly on the quiz on government. The format of the
quiz was student were given a tree that had three branches labeled legislative branch, executive branch,
and judicial branch. There were 11 leaves that had a description. Students were to cut out and glue the
leaves to the correct branch. Because so many students struggled on this quiz, I worked in review on the
functions of government both in class and in the hall during bathroom breaks. I then had a second
government quiz that students were to complete if they scored below a 75% on the first government quiz.
Only three students were exempt from taking the second government quiz, although they were allowed to
take the second quiz if they chose to do so for extra credit. The second quiz had much better results than
the first.

In addition to government, students also struggled with questions on the economy of Virginia. This
was information such as how Virginia contributes to Americas economy and the worlds economy, how
the federal government helps Virginias economy, and import/export information. Because of this, I
planned to devote two full days of discussing Virginias economy, what impacts it, and how Virginia
participates outside of just the states economy. Finally, while students seemed to do well identifying
which products came from each region of Virginia, they did seem to struggle more with identifying the
industries of each region. I planned to have a day for covering products and industries of the Tidewater
and Piedmont region and then a day for covering products and industries of the Blue Ridge Mountain,
Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau region. In addition, I planned to continue to expose students to
this information by incorporating it into the lessons on economy. A combination of whole-class
instruction, interactive activities, and individual practice was planned in order to allow students to work
with the information. I also tried to plan a variety of instructional activities to keep students engaged and
excited to learn throughout the unit.

Analysis of Results
What was originally an eleven day unit turned into over three weeks. With all the snow that came
the unit was often interrupted, which could explain why the students struggled with the first government
quiz that we took. Because of the snow, some of the activities that were originally planned were cut out of
lessons. For example, I had planned to have students create a comic strip explaining the advancements
that have been made in technology, transportation, and communication, but because of time restraints the
material was simply discussed in class and the activity was cut.

The final test was administered just as the pre-test. Students got a divider if they were sitting next
to someone, were handed the test, which was the exact same as the pre-assessment, and silently completed
the test. The one difference was that for the final test I did not have students indicate whether they
guessed on each question. They were simply asked to answer every question to the best of their ability.

Figure 3

I was very pleased with the progress that students showed they had made at the end of the unit. On
the final test there were eight As, six Bs, two Cs, and three Ds (Figure 3).

Table 3
Comparison of Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment Scores
Stude
nt
PreTest
Score
Final
Score

64
%

58
%

78
%

32
%

57
%

48
%

66
%

44
%

62
%

72
%

60
%

62
%

50
%

64
%

55
%

42
%

56
%

74
%

58
%

93
%

86
%

94
%

66
%

94
%

74
%

90
%

64
%

82
%

94
%

96
%

88
%

70
%

86
%

60
%

80
%

90
%

96
%

86
%

The red coloring indicates the across board low achievers for whom I made special goals for.

Figure 4
Pre-Assessment vs. Post-Assessment Scores
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

Scores

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Students
Pre-Assessment

Post-Assessment

A comparison of the pre-test scores and post-test scores in Table 3 and Figure 4 shows that all but two
students improved their score by 20 points. One of the students who did not make the 20 point gain had
received the highest grade on the pre-test. The results on the final test were very encouraging about the
strengths of instruction within this unit.
The results seem to show that with this test students excelled with the post-test after instruction.
Upon reflection, the testing instrument was a bit long for a pre-test. I wanted to make sure I gave the same
pre-test and post-test, however, in order to stay consistent and I had already created the test as the final
unit assessment. Additionally, one can never be too sure if a student is guessing on a multiple choice
question and half of my test was multiple choice. Although I had my students indicate on their preassessment whether they were guessing there were still a few students who failed to follow directions, so
for them I had no way of knowing where their head was when taking the test. Along with weaknesses,
there were some strengths of the assessment. I included a variety of forms of questions including map
skills, multiple choice, labeling, matching, and true or false. This meant that students were applying the
information they knew in a variety of different ways. Additionally, the test completely covered the
information that was taught in class in order to gage what information was achieved.

Upon looking at which questions the students missed on the final test, I still found that students
struggled with the functions of each branch of government. Despite the two quizzes and numerous
reviews on the three branches of government students still struggled with this information. Many students
did improve on the matching portion of government questions, but some functions such as who prepares
the budget and jobs of the judicial branch were still missed more often than they should have been.
Additionally, students struggled with some of the true/false questions that tested on knowledge of
balancing powers. Looking back at the questions on balancing powers, the question could have been
written more clearly to avoid confusion.

Implications for Further Instruction

Now that the unit has come to a close, it is of utmost importance to reflect on the strengths and
weaknesses of the instruction and learning activities carried out so that future instruction may aid in
students learning to the maximum of ability. Looking back at the goals set based on the pre-test results, it
was encouraging to see that all three of the goals I set for my learners were achieved. My first goal was to
get 15 out of my 19 students passing with a C (72%) or higher. This was achieved by having exactly 15
students pass above this score. I was especially pleased to see that one of my across the board low
achieving students surpassed this score by more than 10 point. Additionally, my goal of having 5 of the
fifteen students pass with a 90% or higher was met. In fact, I ended with 8 students passing their final test
with a 90% or higher. Finally, my third goal set specifically for my across the board low achievers was
met. I wanted to see all four of them increase their pre-test score by at least 20 points, which all of them
accomplished. This was perhaps the goal I was most happy to see achieved.
Amidst all the happiness of seeing my goals accomplished, it was disheartening to see that Student
O only increased his or her pre-test score by 5 points and did not manage to reach the score of 72%. To
see such little progress hints that an improvement for the future can be made. I remember this student
struggling in particular with identifying and classifying the jobs of the three branches of state government.

Despite my constant reviews, I recall this student still having trouble. In the future, if I identify a student
similar to Student O who consistently confuses the jobs of each branch of government I will offer them
additional practice outside of regular social studies instruction time. For example, if there is any time that
particular student finishes an assignment early or if there is free time walking down the hallway, during
lunch, or during recess I will remember to take a few minutes to simply ask that student review questions.
I will be sure to not single out the struggling students, but I will also ensure that the struggling student is
engaged in the extra review.
Even though I was very pleased with the progress shown in my students through comparison of
the pre-assessment and post-assessment, there are always improvements to make in instruction. In the
future, I will work even more with matching the branches of government with the jobs they carry out.
Although I took a day to teach each branch separately students still struggled. On those days the class
discussed the functions that the branch was responsible for, took notes on the branch, and then did some
form of activity that was intended to help students apply the information they had learned. For example,
on the day that we discussed the executive branch, students made campaign videos to run for governor
and on the day we talked about the judicial branch students were judges who had to make judgments
when given situations. In the future, I will ensure students understand the basic functions of the branches
completely before completing the application activity. This may be through a written I understand
pass or informal questioning. Additionally, I will be more consistent with starting social studies with a
quick review of the branches. While I did use a virtual government tree in which students put leaves with
descriptions on three branches labelled legislative, judicial, or executive, it was not every day. Students
really would have benefited from that consistency, especially considering the unit was so broken up
because of snow days.
Additionally, in the future I will make sure the larger activities that I have student complete, such
as the executive branch video and Virginia brochure have very clear and laid out expectation. While I
thought I explained the activities clearly and made my expectations know, I still received assignments that

did not meet the expectation that I had told the class. For this reason, in the future I will have some sort of
written rubric or expectation list to hand out to each student in the class and then comprehensively go over
with the class. This will ensure that students have no excuse for not meeting my expectations for the
assignment.
The students really seemed to do well with identifying the product in each of the five regions of
Virginia. I split this into two days, with the Piedmont and Coastal Plains region on one day, and the Blue
Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau region on the second day. There were practice
activities on each day to provide the students opportunities to have more exposure to the information. In
addition, I had a quiz following each day of instruction on the previous days material with the hope that
having the quiz would motivate students to study the material outside of class. The quizzes also offered
students additional practice with the content. I think this greatly benefited the students, and is something I
will continue in the future.
In the lessons succeeding this unit I will continue to review the information when it ties into new
material being covered and when it is appropriate. For example, on the next rotation of social studies
lessons the Jamestown settlement will be discussed. On the day or days that the House of Burgesses is
taught, the General Assembly and its functions will be tied in to the discussion. Additionally, connections
will be made between the products and industries of colonial times versus present day products and
industries.
As a whole, since I saw my class improve so much, in the future I will set my learner achievement
goals a little higher. All but two students in my class improved their score by 20 points or more from their
pre-test to post-test, and one of the two students had the highest score on his or her pre-test. The results
show that I should have confidence in my instruction as a teacher, and therefore, have higher expectations
for my students achievement. In the future I will of course consider the students I have in my class when
making student achievement goals, but I will also remember not to sell the students or myself short by not
offering a challenge when setting learner goals.

CATEGOR
Y

Total

Setting

Thorough and clear

description of the
population and special
learning circumstances
of your students and
school (Ex. number of
students, gender,
ethnicity, academic
levels, ability
grouping).

Adequate description
of the population and
special learning
circumstances of your
students and school.

Brief
description of
the population
and learning
circumstances
of your
students and
school.

Description of
the population
and learning
circumstances
of students not
present in
paper.

_4__ x 2 =
_8__

PreAssessment
Analysis

Very clear and

insightful description
of student results and
test instrument; Clear
articulation of possible
contributors to results.

Test instrument and

student results are
described indicating
strengths and
weaknesses with
possible explanations
clearly articulated.

Student results
are described;
Some analysis
of cause.

Partial or
missing
analysis.

_4__ x 4 =
_16__

Graphs

The graphs created are

appropriate for data
and clearly
demonstrate individual
student results.

The graphs created

show the data for the
individual students.

The graphs
created do not
represent
student data or
are unclear.

The graphs are

inappropriate
or appear to be
randomly
chosen.

__ x 3 = ___

Goal
Statement

Includes a strong goal

statement appropriate
for content area, grade
level, and students.
Goal is directly related
to lesson plans and is
clearly a result of the
pre-assessment data.

A goal statement is
provided which is
appropriate for the
content area, grade,
level and students.

Weak goals
statement
provided.

Goal statement
not included.

___ x 2 = ___

Lesson Plans

Plans included; All

components of the
Bridgewater College
lesson plan complete,
clear, and appropriate;
Clearly represent
planning based on pretest results and
formative assessment
throughout.

Plans included;
Bridgewater College
lesson plan with most
components complete;
Clear attempt to
utilize pre-test results
and formative
assessment.

Plans
included;
Plans need
more detail
and/or more
clear
connection to
pre-test and/or
more clear
formative
assessment
throughout.

Incomplete;
Unclear; No
evidence of
assessment
data.

_4__ x 4 =
_16__

PostAssessment
Analysis

Very clear and

insightful description
of student results and
test instrument; Clear
articulation of possible
contributors to results;
Student results
analyzed based on
teacher selfevaluation; Excellent

Test instrument and

student results are
described indicating
strengths and
weaknesses with
possible explanations
clearly articulated;
Student results
analyzed based on
teacher self-

Student results
are described;
Some analysis
of cause;
Teacher selfevaluation is
included but
does not show
insight.

Partial or
missing
analysis

_4__ x 5 =
_20__

insights; Adaptations
for future teaching
clearly articulated and
appropriate.

evaluation;
Adaptations for future
teaching articulated
and appropriate.

Writing Mechanics

Grammar,
capitalization and
punctuation are correct
throughout. No
spelling errors.
Sentence structure is
varied and appropriate.

Grammar,
capitalization and
punctuation are
correct throughout.
No more than 1
spelling error.
Sentence structure is
appropriate,

There are 1-2

grammar,
capitalization
and/or
punctuation
errors. No
more than 3
spelling
errors. Weak
sentence
structure,

There are
several
grammar,
capitalization
or punctuation
errors. Several
spelling errors.
Variety of
fragments and
incomplete
sentences

_3__ x 1 =
_3__

Overall
Quality of
Assignment

Provides work of the

highest quality.

Provides quality
work.

Provided work
that needs
improvement

Unacceptable

_4__ x 4 =
_16__

Total (out of 100)

Sarah, Thanks for your SAPA Submission assignment. Be sure to review all of
my commentary throughout this assignment. This is very well done. There are a few
areas in which you will need to make adjustments in order to satisfy all of the
requirements for this assignment.
1. Instead of a chart (or in addition to) create a bar graph of the individual student
data.
2. Review your goal statement to ensure feasibility for all students.
3. Spell check
After you have completed these three tasks - you will be good to go! As I mentioned
previously - with a later due date - I will expect a quick response. Lets set
Wednesday the 22nd as your return date. Please simply make the edits on this
GDoc. - Thanks Sarah. - Dr. Carr