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Assignment Week 3
Assessment Project
TED 636 Methods- Mathematics and Science
National University
Professor Bell

Erika Medina
August 27, 2017
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In this assignment I will analyze information from a test given to my fifth

grade class based on the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium). I am

currently a long-term sub for a fifth grade class at Gustine Elementary in Gustine,

California. I will begin by giving information regarding the school, it’s students and

giving information regarding last years SARC (School Accountability Report). I will

then discuss the basis for the SBAC assessment, followed by the questions given and

an analysis of the concepts tested. Finally I will analyze the results and reflect on

what strategies can be implemented to help students.

New state standards are challenging students to understand subject matter more

deeply, think more critically, and apply their learning to the real world. To measure these

new state standards, educators from Smarter Balanced states worked together to develop

new, high-quality assessments in English and math for grades 3–8 and high school. These

Smarter Balanced assessments provide more accurate and meaningful information about

what students are learning by adapting to each student’s ability, giving teachers and

parents better information to help students succeed in school and after (SBAC, 2014).

The summative assessments that are given determine students’ progress toward

college and career readiness in English language arts/literacy and math. These are given

at the end of the school year and consist of two parts: a computer adaptive test and a

performance task. The summative assessments:

 Accurately describe both student achievement (how much students know at the end

of the year) and student growth (how much students have improved since the
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previous year) to inform program evaluation and school, district, and state

accountability systems

 Include writing at every grade and ask students to solve multi-step, real-world

problems in mathematics; and

 Capitalize on the strengths of computer adaptive testing: efficient and precise

measurement with a quick turnaround of results (SBAC, 2014).

The Smarter Balanced assessment system covers the full range of college- and

career-ready knowledge and skills in the Common Core State Standards. To do this, each

test item is based on overall content claims and assessment targets.

School and Classroom Information

I am on a temporary assignment at Gustine Elementary in Mr. Morris 5th grade class.

Gustine is a small town located in the San Joaquin Valley and houses Traditional

Kindergarten through Grade 5. The current enrollment stands at 565 students.

Approximately 81% of the students are Hispanic, 50% are identified as English Learners.

Mission Statement: “The students of Gustine Elementary are our greatest asset. Their

paths to success are unique. We believe that our students will experience success with

the support and encouragement of parents, teachers and staff through positive social and

educational experiences, respect for cultural diversity, a strong academic program, and a

safe and secure learning environment”(Gustine Elementary School, 2014).

According to the SARC report of 2015-2016:

Student Enrollment by Student Group (School Year 2015-16)

Student Group Percent of Total Enrollment
Black or African American 1.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.7%
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Asian 0%
Filipino 0.2%
Hispanic or Latino 81.4%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0%
White 15.4%
Two or More Races 0.7%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 84.6%
English Learners 48.5%
Students with Disabilities 8.5%
Foster Youth 0.7%

Mr. Morris class is comprised of 26 students and of those 13 are English

Language Learners. Five were labeled High as far as Overall Academic Performance. 13

medium, and 8 low. I gave the students the test explaining that they should try their best

and that it was basically to assess their skills. It is barely the second week of school so it

was a great time to incorporate it.

The following questions in the areas of concepts and procedures, problem solving,

communicating and reasoning, as well as modeling and data analysis were selected from

questions released by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The Smarter

Balanced summative assessments in mathematics are designed to measure the full range

of student abilities in the Common Core State Standards or Core Academic Standards

(CAS). Evidence will be gathered in support of four major claims: (1) Concepts and

Procedures, (2) Problem Solving, (3) Communicating Reasoning, and (4) Modeling and

Data Analysis.

1 — Students can explain and apply mathematical concepts and interpret and carry out

mathematical procedures with precision and fluency.

2 — Students can solve a range of complex, well-posed problems in pure and applied

mathematics, making productive use of knowledge and problem-solving strategies.

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3 — Students can clearly and precisely construct viable arguments to support their own

reasoning and to critique the reasoning of others.

4 — Students can analyze complex, real-world scenarios and can construct and use

mathematical models to interpret and solve problems.

1. Concepts and Procedures (Standard(s): 5.G.3, 5.G.4

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2. Problem Solving (Standard(s): 5.NF.4)

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3. Communicating and Reasoning (Standard(s): 5.OA.3, 4.NBT.4, 4.NBT.5)

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4. Modeling and Data Analysis (Standard(s): 5G.2, 5OA.3, 4OA.3, 3G.6)

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ReR

Results
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Analysis of Student Results:

Overall I noticed that the students did better on the first question that had to do

with Concepts and Procedures. Question 3 and 4 were pretty even, however the students

scored low on question 4. Everyone got at lease one point for question one. Gloria

Espino is a new student to the class. She is actually an EL learner and has difficulty

reading in English. Her score reflects that she did not attempt any of the questions and

received a zero. She along with Abner Caballero, who scored a one had difficulty with

the test. My lowest scores are the ELL and I feel they can benefit from modifications

such as bridging, schema building, contextualization, and modeling.

The purpose of the Concepts and procedures is to communicate the students

ability to explain why or how given procedures or approaches work. For problem solving

which builds on a foundation of knowledge and procedural proficiency, requires students

to choose to use concepts and procedures from across the content domains and check

their work using alternative methods.

The third question gives credit for demonstration of meaning and identifying as

well as student logic. For this reason it requires a high level of linguistic proficiency.

Many students who are in the lower reading group were the same that had problems with

this question. They have trouble demonstrating reasoning.

Problem four which includes modeling asks students to apply the mathematics

that they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, etc. This gives the

students to use scaffolding and relating to real life situations.

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Reflection:

I feel that the implementation of these tests will help teachers to check student

progress throughout the year. It gives them information they can use to improve their

instruction and help students meet the challenge of college- and career-ready standards. It

also great because it is aligned with the common core standards.

These tools are used at the discretion of schools and districts, and teachers can

employ them to check students’ progress at mastering specific concepts at strategic points

during the school year. It gives the teacher information on what the students are

understanding and what they need to work on or don’t understand. I think that ELL

learners can also benefit. Even though my new student had difficulty because she can not

read in English. I realized that she needs a modified instruction in order to better educate

her. This is what makes this test great because it helps guide what the class needs.

References :

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. (2014, May 14). Practice test scoring guide
grade 3 mathematics. Retrieved on March 18, 2015 from Smarter balanced assessment
consoritum: http://sbac.portal.airast.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/G3_Practice-
TestScoring-guide-5.14.14-Final.pdf

Gustine Elementary School. (2014, February 28). Retrieved on August 26,2017, from:
http://www.murrieta.k12.ca.us/domain/888

Appendix: Answers were given above after question.