Impact on Student Learning

I. Description

The following data was taken from Mrs. Irvin’s 12th grade English classes at Radford High

School in Radford, Virginia, as a way of interpreting student learning. The Impact on Student

Learning data is comprised from test results from Mrs. Irvin’s 4 th period class, a standard-level

class. A total of 21 out of 24 students contributed towards the data, taking into account

frequent absentees. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data for this test is hypothetical.

However, taking into account my knowledge of students and their test-taking performance, I

can predict how they would respond to a test on A Lesson Before Dying. Fourth period consists

of 24 students; six students who have an IEP, 4 students with a 504, 3 with an action plan to

target their attendance. With the class size being larger, students actively engage in frequent

discussions on reading activities, making this class ideal to teach A Lesson Before Dying. All

students have completed pre-tests for our previous unit on Macbeth. To comply with

accommodations set by IEPs and 504s, students would complete their tests on a Chromebook.

For the purpose of this assignment, the pre-test and the post-test are identical.

This pre-test will serve as an introduction to our unit on A Lesson Before Dying, a 4-week

unit. The novel surrounds Grant Wiggins, a cynical teacher who has been instructed to help an

inmate, Jefferson, become a man before he is executed. The novel follows themes of racism

and dehumanization, self-doubt, and heroism. With there being so many valuable “take-aways”

from this novel, a flexible timeline would have been provided for students. Although the novel

was set to be concluded within 4 weeks, I have planned to extend the unit, if necessary.

Students were provided with various physical and online resources. A PDF version of A Lesson

Before Dying was displayed on Google Classroom, students had the option of completing their
Impact on Student Learning

study guides online or on paper, and students had 24/7 access to the movie adaption of the

novel. Students will also view Willie Francis Must Die Again, a documentary of Willie Francis, a

convicted black man who partly inspired the novel. The unit comprised of several objectives:

a. Students will be able to identify themes in A Lesson Before Dying including

racism, colorism, and dehumanization, all of which center around the idea of
“identity.”
b. Students will be able to retrieve elements from Ernest J. Gaines’s life and relate
it to the novel’s setting, characters, and plot.
c. Students will be able to apply contextual knowledge to form personal
connections by keeping a journal (or diary), like Jefferson.
d. Students will be able to detect significant symbols, motifs, and themes within the
novel.
e. Students will be able to identify the types of conflict.
f. Students will able to define and demonstrate code-switching in their journals.
g. Students must identify examples of code-switching in the novel.
h. Students will build inferencing and foreshadowing skills.

It is important to note that although these objective will be taught during the unit, the
pre-test is strictly influenced by comprehension of events and characters within the
novel.

Directions: Look at each question carefully and choose the best answer.

1. During what time period does this novel take place?

a. 1865
b. 1940s
c. 1990s
d. 2000s

2. What crime is Jefferson accused of committing?

a. Car theft
b. Assault with a deadly weapon
c. Murder
d. Harassment

3. What does Jefferson take from Mr. Gropé?

a. Cash from the cash register
b. A gun
c. His car
Impact on Student Learning

d. A cell phone

4. What is the verdict from Jefferson’s trial?

a. Innocent; not enough evidence to convict him
b. Innocent; Jefferson had a solid alibi
c. Guilty; life in prison without parole
d. Guilty; sentenced to death by electrocution

5. What does Jefferson’s lawyer call him during the trial?

a. He calls Jefferson a racial slur
b. Jefferson is referred to as a hog
c. Jefferson is called a coward
d. Jefferson is not called anything during the trial

6. What relation is Jefferson to Miss Emma?

a. Her son
b. Her nephew
c. Her grandchild
d. Her godson

7. What does Miss Emma and Tante Lou ask Grant to do?
a. Help appeal Jefferson’s conviction
b. Help convict the actual perpetrator
c. Convince Jefferson that he is a man
d. Persuade Jefferson to find faith in religion

8. Why can’t Vivian, Grant’s girlfriend, run away with Grant?

a. She is a white woman and Grant is black
b. She is legally married and has children
c. She is not in love with Grant anymore
d. She does not have enough money to run away

9. What profession does Grant have?

a. He is a school teacher
b. He is a priest
c. He is a slave owner
Impact on Student Learning

d. He is a farmer on a plantation

10. What does Miss Emma ask of Henri Pichot?

a. To talk to the sheriff for her
b. To free Jefferson
c. Ask for her old job back
d. Ask for medicine

11. What does Grant tell the children when they continue to misbehave/make mistakes?
a. He tells them about Jefferson’s execution, tells them they’re going to be just like
him
b. Threatens to take away recess if they continue to misbehave
c. Threatens with physical punishment
d. All of the above

12. How did Grant’s old teacher, Mr. Antoine, change Grant’s perspective on education?
a. He tells Grant to pursue a higher education to change the way people perceive
African Americans
b. He makes Grant optimistic about the future of America
c. He tells Grant that education will not change anything, everything will always be
the same
d. He tells Grant that teaching is not a financially rewarding career

13. Why does Mr. Antoine hate himself?

a. He believes he has failed as a teacher
b. He is treated unfairly because he has a darker complexion
c. He is a mulatto, meaning he is of a mixed racial background
d. None of the above

14. Why does Miss Emma not go to the prison?

a. She claims that Jefferson has never liked her
b. She is a woman, therefore, cannot go to the prison
c. She is angry with Jefferson for committing the crime
d. She says that she is “too sick” to go

15. What does Grant give to the other prisoners when he visits?
a. Letters from the children
b. Food that Jefferson doesn’t eat
Impact on Student Learning

c. Bible discussions
d. Money for the prisoners to buy necessities

16. What did Vivian do to upset her family in Free LaCove?

a. She married a dark-skinned man
b. She participated in Civil Rights protests
c. She became an unwed mother
d. She had children by a married white man

17. Why does Tante Lou think she failed at raising Grant?
a. He grew up to be non-religious
b. He is planning to marry a light-skinned woman
c. He became a teacher, a career she has always discouraged him from having
d. He has developed behavioral problems

18. How is Jefferson when Grant first meets him?

a. Crying, upset that he is going to die
b. Angry, lashing out at Grant for visiting him
c. Silent, unwilling to talk to anyone
d. None of the above, refuses to see anyone

19. As the novel progresses, Jefferson seems to open up to Grant. What does Jefferson ask
Grant to bring him?
a. Miss Emma’s famous chicken
b. A book to read, Gone with the Wind
c. A gallon of vanilla ice cream
d. A picture of the plantation

20. What does Grant tell Jefferson that he can become, something that Grant is unable to
be?
a. An innocent man
b. A survivor
c. A religious man
d. A hero

21. Vivian’s husband grants the divorce under what circumstance?

a. He keeps the children
b. She has to never see Grant again
Impact on Student Learning

c. She allows him to see the children every weekend

d. She has to leave town and never return

22. Reverend Ambrose asks Grant to have Jefferson do something before he is executed,
what is this action?
a. He talks to Miss Emma
b. He falls to his knees to pay respect to God
c. He writes a letter for forgiveness
d. He renounces his faith

23. What kind of music does Jefferson seem to enjoy (and listens to on his radio)?
a. the Blues
b. Rock n Roll
c. Country
d. Classical

24. What does Paul tell Grant after Jefferson’s death?

a. He begged for forgiveness from the white prison guards
b. He asked to make a will
c. He was brave and walked tall to the chair
d. He asked to see Grant

Directions: Read the quote carefully and identify the speaker.

25. I WAS NOT THERE, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the
verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be. Still, I was there.
a. Jefferson
b. Miss Emma
c. Grant
d. Tante Lou

26. “Oh, sure, he has reached the age of twenty-one, when we, civilized men, consider the
male species has reached manhood, but would you call this—this—this a man? No, not
I.”
a. Jefferson
b. Defense Attorney
c. Grant
d. Henri Pichot

27. “To show too much intelligence would have been an insult to them. To show a lack of
intelligence would have been a greater insult to me.”
Impact on Student Learning

a. Tante Lou
b. Reverend Ambrose
c. Inez
d. Grant

28. “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man good by mr wigin im gon ax
paul if he can bring you this sincely __________”
a. Jefferson
b. Grant
c. Miss Emma
d. Henri Pichot

Extra credit opportunity: Name the person this novel is loosely based on.
Impact on Student Learning

II. Analysis of Results

Chart Title
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80

60

40

20

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t
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Q21 Q22 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q26 Q27 Q28 edi
Cr
tra
Ex

Pre-Test

Question 1- 54% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 73% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 19% gain.

Question 2- 62% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 88% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 28% gain.

Question 3- 36% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 76% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 40% gain.

Question 4- 44% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 94% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 50% gain.

Question 5- 23% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 87% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 64% gain.
Impact on Student Learning

Question 6- 33% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 59% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 26% gain.

Question 7- 42% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 74% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 32% gain.

Question 8- 37% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 65% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 28% gain.

Question 9- 21% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 52% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 31% gain.

Question 10- 20% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 64% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 44% gain.

Question 11- 30% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 73% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 43% gain.

Question 12- 43% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 74% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 31% gain.

Question 13- 15% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 61% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 46% gain.

Question 14- 52% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 92% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 40% gain.

Question 15- 29% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 78% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 49% gain.

Question 16- 38% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 88% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 50% gain.

Question 17- 40% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 82% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 42% gain.

Question 18- 54% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 93% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 39% gain.

Question 19- 29% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 94% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 65% gain.

Question 20- 47% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 87% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 40% gain.
Impact on Student Learning

Question 21- 21% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 77% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 56% gain.

Question 22- 42% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 86% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 44% gain.

Question 23- 38% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 69% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 31% gain.

Question 24- 36% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 88% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 52% gain.

Question 25- 20% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 72% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 52% gain.

Question 26- 37% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 93% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 56% gain.

Question 27- 40% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 96% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 56% gain.

Question 28- 56% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 100% of
students answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 44% gain.

Extra Credit- 0% of students answered this question correctly on the pre-test, 64% of students
answered this question correctly on the post-test, showing a 64% gain.
Impact on Student Learning

III. Analysis of Results by Gender

Pre-test & Post-test Gender-Based Data

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Male Female

Pre-test Post-test

In Mrs. Irvin’s 4th period class, 12 out of 24 students are male, leaving 12 out of 24

students being female. This data set reflects the 21 individuals who participated; one absentee

was male, two absentees were female. The male students’ averaged a pre-test score of 28.55%,

female students had an average score of 33.6%. There was a 5.05% difference between the

male and female scores, with female students scoring higher than male students. The male

students’ post-test average was 77.46%. Female students averaged 80.5% on their post-tests.

This led to a 3.04% difference between the average scores of male students and female

students, favoring female students. The males’ test scores increased 44.91%, females’ scores

increased 46.9%.
Impact on Student Learning

IV. Analysis of Results by Ethnicity

Data by Ethnicity
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Caucasian African American Hispanic Mixed Racial Background

Pre-test Column1

In the class used to provide this data, 16 out of 24 students are Caucasian, 2 students

are African American, 2 students are Hispanic, and 4 students are of a mixed racial background.

In regards to the data, the 3 students who are frequently absent have been excluded. Caucasian

students scored an average of 27.5% on their pre-test and scored 78% on their post-test, a

45.86% difference. African American students scored 28.57% on their pre-test and 71.42% on

their post-test, leaving a 42.85% difference. Hispanic students received an average of 22.9% on

their pre-test and a 64.28% on their post-test, a 41.38% difference. Students who have a mixed

racial background scored a 30.5% on their pre-test and an 89.28% on their post-test, resulting

in a difference of 58.78%. Caucasian students received 3.57% higher pre-test scores than
Impact on Student Learning

African Americans, 9.24% higher scores compared to Hispanic students, and 1.64% higher

average than Mixed students. Students with a mixed racial background improved most out of

all racial groups, creating a 58.78% increase between their pre-test and post-test scores.

V. Reflection

By creating an analysis of student learning, I have challenged myself to set achievable goals

for myself and my students. With my unit, I wanted my students to see a realistic narrative of a

person who has faced societal disadvantages; I wanted students to form personal connections,

empathy, and a new perspective on the realities of society. My hopes to teach my own unit

faltered as the world was hit with COVID-19, shutting down all schools in Virginia until the end

of the year. Almost all of me sat with defeat, unable to pursue my unit, yet I was somewhat

relieved. With this project, I would have to give my students a pre-test, with no warning, no

preparation. I felt terrible since I know some of the anxiety and stress my students would feel,

knowing there was no way they would pass this test.

I found it difficult to create hypothetical statistics. During my entire experience at

Radford High School, my students have been reading and taking tests on Macbeth. I based my

data on the scores that my students have received on their Macbeth tests, yet I do not think

that the data honestly reflects on what my students’ comprehension would have been for A

Lesson Before Dying. Obviously, Shakespearean language is a challenge in itself. With our new

unit, we have departed from Shakespearean English and been submerged into English as we

know it. I believe that low scores on Macbeth resulted from not understanding what

Shakespeare was saying. I think that my students would have comprehended A Lesson Before

Dying, therefore, I believe that they would have had higher averages than what I gave them.
Impact on Student Learning

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been explored more options to enhance

student learning. Beforehand, I would have relied on class discussions to teach code-

switching/dialect, racism, colorism, etc., however, I have utilized several outside resources to

help aid instruction. Like many other teachers, the fate of our units were unclear. My CT and I

were unsure if we could make learning equitable, or how many students would choose to

participate. I developed visual aids using PowerPoint presentations, my own discussion-based

YouTube videos, documentaries, and the movie adaption of the novel. Although my unit never

came to fruition, I may have never thought about using these resources for students.

Ultimately, this assignment may have exemplified how I could have taught my students better if

COVID-19 never occurred. Either way, I am thankful for this experience.