Running head: Impact on Student Learning Project

Wallace Neskes
Impact on Student Learning Assessment Project
EDE 4940
Florida Southwestern State College

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Social Studies
I wanted to start a unit on the Westward Expansion with my second grade class. My mentor and I
believe it is a very important part of American history for the students to begin learning about.
There were some main points I wanted the students to know by the end of the unit. Such as
Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, and the Trail of Tears. I found a pre-test online and edited the
questions to appropriately fit my students level. It was really important for me to find out the
things they already had background knowledge about, so I could guide my instruction into
further or less detail.
Pre-Test Results
The pre-test a 10 questions with partial multiple choice and partial matching. The results of the
pre-test was overall very low with a class average of 33%. The highest score in the class was
50% and the lowest score was 20%. From the results of the test, I knew the majority of the
students had no prior knowledge to anything relating to The Westward Expansion. There were
two questions that every single student got correct, and those were regarding the type of dress
and transportation used during the time period. I knew I needed to guide my instruction towards
introducing the historical events, challenges of moving west, and the famous historical people
during this time.
Instruction

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

For social studies we do a rotation of 3 social studies centers every Wednesday. I setup 4 weeks
of centers, having the students creating a Westward Movement Lap Folder. By the time we
finished the unit they had an entire lap folder glued and stuffed with all of the activities we have
done while learning about the Westward Expansion. I wanted to make sure the students
understood the timeline of the events that occurred so I explicitly taught the students the time of
each historical event, gluing this directly onto their folders. I also had the students reading a set
of informational texts by the reading mat as one independent student center. Another activity we
did was readers theater while learning about Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea. I felt the students
learned the most from the readers theater and gave them a chance to feel more of what the
people of this time were feeling. I also taught them about the different challenges the pioneers
faced, such as famine and disease, while traveling west. The students played an online computer
game called Oregon Trail where they had to form families to travel west, choose supplies, and
make the move without dying.
Post-Test Results
I was very pleased with the results of the post-test. The class had a 95% average. 9 out of 14
students received a perfect score; 100%. The lowest score of 2 students was an 80% with the
remaining students receiving 90%. By the results of the post test, it was clear that they all had a
much greater understanding of the subject I taught. The two students who received the 80% B on
the test are the students who consistently make those score, but I was still pleased with their
significant learning gains.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Westward Expansion Pre and Post Test Scores

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Math
In math we use the Go Math books and the chapter that I chose to do the analysis on was money.
This was the first chapter of math that I taught completely independently. Many of the students
were having trouble identifying the amount a coin was worth. Therefore, I knew this was a good
chapter to do a pre and posttest analysis on.
Pre-Test Results
The pretest was a test straight from the Go Math workbook. This test was asking the students to
know the worth of all of the coins, to form dollars in more than one way, to form change
amounts in more than 2 ways, and to write the dollar amounts in cents and dollar signs. The class
average was 72.5%. My goal was to get the class average to 89% or higher. The highest pretest
score in the class was an 85% by one student, and the lowest score was a 60%. It was clear the
students had not memorized the amount each coin was worth.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Instruction
In order to guide my instruction, I used the results of the pretest. I knew that the majority of the
students had mastered knowing how to write the dollar amount once the amount was given to
them. So, I did not need to go in and explicitly teach that skill. However, it was clear that the
students had not memorized how much a coin was worth. It was very difficult to get the correct
answer on a test counting coins when they are counting 5 cents for a penny. I set up many
activities such as using task cards and a cup game to help memorize the amount coins are with.
Every day I had the students come into the classroom and complete a short math journal with 5
questions on money as I pass the math books out the students. Then, we would review the
questions as a class and continue our whole group lesson. In order to differentiate instruction, I
would work with small who were on different levels on the practice worksheets.
Post-Test Results
I was extremely happy with the results of the posttest. I exceeded my goal with a class average of
96%. 8 students received a 100% on the test, with the lowest score of the class being an 80% B. I
believe that differentiating my instruction to the needs of the different leveled students worked
well. Some of the students were more knowledgeable about money than others and could work at
a fast and more critical way, while some others still needed to know the basic principles of the
skill. I plan on continuing money through journals as review for the next several weeks.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

money: pre and post math test results

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Breakout Data
Even though Aryan is staffed as a gifted student, he still struggles with many on grade level
skills. One objective listed on his educational plan (EP) is: Aryan will use models to solve oral
and written problems. When I took over the classroom the students were learning about
subtracting and regrouping in math and Aryan was having the most trouble with adding and
subtracting basic numbers 0-20. It was clear he still needed to master basic math facts as well as
skip counting.
I developed a plan to address this issue with Aryan that included the following:
At the beginning of each week he would take a pretest on 3 math facts. For examples: 0-5 math
facts. Throughout the week we would focus on practicing those particular facts using a variety of
strategies and activities. They would include games, manipulatives, peer tutoring, computer
based fast math practice. At the end of the week I would pull him aside and he would have a

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

posttest to determine his mastery of those facts. I would have Aryan track his own progress using
a data folder. I would use that to guide my instruction to determine which facts to focus on the
upcoming week.
In the last 8 weeks, Aryan has improved his overall mastery of math facts from 22% to 88%.
Aryan can now complete 100 math facts in 5 minutes. His pretest score was a 25% and his
posttest score raised by 60%, with Aryan earning 85% B on the final posttest with money. I was
very proud of Aryans improvements with these skills and am confident in his abilities to succeed
in math in the future. He simply needs to be tracked a little closer and needs a little more one-onone instruction.

Aryan's Pre/Post Test Scores: Money

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Aryan
Pre-Test Scores

Post-Test Scores

Science

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Studying the 3 different types of rocks is a part of the 2nd grade science curriculum. I thought this
unit would be a great one to use for the pre and post analysis as it was a highly interesting subject
for the students. They were all very excited to begin learning about different types of rocks, but it
was clear they did not know very much about them from doing a general class discussion prior to
beginning the unit. For the pretest, I put together a 10 question test. On the test was how to
classify igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, know how they are different and how
they are formed. One of the questions was: Which type of rock is generally from a volcano?
The answer was igneous rocks. Other questions were about what the luster of a rock means
and what erosion means.
Pre-Test Results
The results of the pretest indicated that the students had very little knowledge about the different
types of rocks at all. The class average was very low at 19%. The highest score was 30% and the
lowest was 10%. This meant that the most any student received correct was 3 questions out of
10. I knew I needed to teach the foundation before moving into more complex details of this
content. My goal was to have each student score an 85% or higher on the post-test.
Instruction
My goal was that the students could not only know the difference between the 3 types of rocks,
but could actually classify the rocks that were sitting in front of them. I went to the media center
and checked out 3 collections of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Then, I
did a flip book on what each class of rock consisted of. We looked up the definition and wrote
that into our flip book. Then, I showed them the rocks (realia) and had them touch, feel, and
observe the different types of rocks. Then they would record their data onto their flip books and

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

draw an illustration. We also watched a Bill Nye the Science Guy video, did experiments with
vinegar, and float tests with the different rocks. One of the final things we did for this unit was
have a pet rock. The students got to pick a rock to have as their pet. They named the rock and
wrote a writing piece on where their rock came from, what type of rock it was, measured the
length, and weighed it in grams. They presented these to the class, which I believed would
reinforce the different classes of rocks into their minds.
Post-Test results
The posttest results came out wonderfully. With the entire class receiving nothing less than an A,
I was pleased with the overall results. 10 students scored a perfect 100%, while the other 4
students scored a 90%. That meant that the most any student got wrong was 1 question. Every
student made significant learning gains. I knew that I could go ahead and teach more about rocks
in a more complex way after the results of this test. I plan on teaching more in-depth concepts
relating to this later in the year.

Rocks: pre and post science test results

Pre-Test
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Post-Test

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Language Arts
One skill on every weekly standards based grammar test is being able to identify the subject and
predicate of a sentence. This was one of the first things I noticed the students did not understand
when I came into the classroom. It was the first skill I decided to do a pre and posttest on. To me,
this seemed like such an easy concept, but for some reason the students would seem to get it
wrong every week on their grammar test. I wanted to go in and identify which students needed
the most help, and which types of questions were the most challenging for them.
Pre-Test Results
The results of the pretest were extremely low. The class average was 27%. My goal was to get
them to 95% on the post test because I knew that this was a skill that was simple that could easily
be mastered by these students. The resulted showed that the students were circling the action of
the sentence, thinking that it was the subject, and underlining the nouns as the predicate of a
sentence. It was obvious they needed explicit instruction on knowing the difference between the
two, and also what they were in general.
Instruction
I began with whole group instruction using sentences and explaining what the subject was and
what the predicate was. I then used Kagan activities to have them work together where one
student would find the predicate while the other would find the subject. I had the students doing
games using whiteboards and partners. I also did a stand-up-pair-up task card game where the
students would have to find their subject to the predicate partner or vice versa. I would do some
small or short activity with them every single day for 2 weeks, hoping that would instill this
concept in their minds.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Post-Test Results
I exceeded reached my goal of having the students class average of 95%, with a resulting score
of 98% as a class. 12 out of 14 student received a 100% on the posttest, while the other 2
students still scored a 90% A. I was happy that the students made very high gains, going from
knowing almost nothing about how to identify the subject and predicate of a sentence, to
mastering the skill. I know now that they will be able to answer these questions on the weekly
grammar test accurately.

subject & predicate: pre and post language arts test results
Pre-Test Post-Test
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Reflection
Completing the pre and post tests on all 4 subjects was an interesting and wonderful experience
for me. I learned so much about summative and formative assessments; how to apply them and
use them to guide my instruction effectively. Using the pretests was immensely helpful in
determining how deep into a subject I could go, and what exact standards were causing the
students the most problem. My goal as a teacher is to raise each student up to be the best they
can be. By analyzing data, that gives me more of a clear and concise idea on how to help them as
a class and individually. I also love that using these can show the parents and students how far
they have come and how much they have learned throughout the year! It is a wonderful way to
document their experience and growth.
There is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to use pre and posttests in the future with my
own students. The data I analyzed in this 2nd grade classroom was a wonderful experience that
gave excellent practice for my future classroom and students.