PEDAGOGY: Fifth Grade
Assessment
- Develops and/or uses a variety of assessments (formal, informal, formative, and summative).
- Uses assessment data to plan (pre-assessment data should be evidenced in lesson plan or unit plan).
- Uses individual and group responses to pace learning, proceed with new work, or re-teach.
- Identifies students' learning styles and plans accordingly.
- Communicates assessment criteria, performance standards, and assessment results to students, parents, and colleagues.
- Uses assessment data to document impact on whole class and individual student learning, including progress on IEP goals and objectives where applicable. Pre-test and post-test data should be shared with cooperating teacher, university supervisor, and students (insuring that students' rights to confidentiality are maintained).
Description & Rationale
Based upon several factors, I centered my science unit around Chapter 14 "Changing Forms of Energy" from the science textbook. Accordingly, I knew prior to the beginning of my unit that I would be using the Scott Foresman Chapter Test as my Post-Test. For my Pre-Test, I used and modified five questions from Robin Paul's Chapter 14 Study Guide. The Post-Test contained more than five questions and covered more material than did the five questions on the Pre-Test; however, the five questions on the Pre-Test represented the most important elements of Chapter 14 and certainly reflected well the Fifth Grade Science requirements under the Alabama Course of Study. The manner and format in which the questions were posed also differed between the Pre-Test and the Post-Test. While it was not quite comparing "apples to apples," the results were reliable and sufficient enough to get a clear indication of what the students knew before I taught the unit, and what they learned after I taught the unit.
When I administered the Pre-Test, I informed the students that they would not be graded on the Pre-Test. As they are often pre-tested by other teachers in other subjects, taking a pre-test did not prove stressful for these students. I instructed the students to write "DK" for "don't know" if they did not know the answer. When the students took the Post-Test almost three weeks later, we had reviewed the unit using Mrs. Paul's Study Guide. I distributed the Study Guide one week before giving the Post-Test. I continued with a common practice employed by Mrs. Paul and the other fifth grade teachers. Each student would earn bonus points on the final exam if he/she stapled a completed copy of the Study Guide to the test. In this case, I gave two bonus points.
Pre-Test Question 1 corresponds to Question 1 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 2 corresponds to Question 12 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 3 corresponds to Question 6 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 4 corresponds to Questions 11 and/or 14A on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 5 corresponds to Question 14B on the Exam.
Below are student samples of the Pre-Test, the Post-Test, and the Study Guide for Student P-1 and Student P-8. Both of these students submitted complete Study Guides with their final exams, so they both received two bonus points.
When I administered the Pre-Test, I informed the students that they would not be graded on the Pre-Test. As they are often pre-tested by other teachers in other subjects, taking a pre-test did not prove stressful for these students. I instructed the students to write "DK" for "don't know" if they did not know the answer. When the students took the Post-Test almost three weeks later, we had reviewed the unit using Mrs. Paul's Study Guide. I distributed the Study Guide one week before giving the Post-Test. I continued with a common practice employed by Mrs. Paul and the other fifth grade teachers. Each student would earn bonus points on the final exam if he/she stapled a completed copy of the Study Guide to the test. In this case, I gave two bonus points.
Pre-Test Question 1 corresponds to Question 1 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 2 corresponds to Question 12 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 3 corresponds to Question 6 on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 4 corresponds to Questions 11 and/or 14A on the Exam.
Pre-Test Question 5 corresponds to Question 14B on the Exam.
Below are student samples of the Pre-Test, the Post-Test, and the Study Guide for Student P-1 and Student P-8. Both of these students submitted complete Study Guides with their final exams, so they both received two bonus points.
Student P-1
Student P-8
Test Data & Analysis
Since the Pre-Test and Post-Test (Exam) were different in terms of overall content and format, it was not possible to make an "apples to apples" comparison. However, the corresponding questions basically asked the same content. The Pre-Test required simple, short answer responses with Question 3 being a fill-in-the-blank question. The Post-Test contained four-option, multiple choice questions and short answer/discussion questions. Question 4 on the Pre-Test corresponded with Question 11 and/or Question 14A on the Post-Test. If a student answered either Question 11 or Question 14A on the Post-Test correctly, I counted it as correct with respect to his/her mastery of the content represented by Question 4 on the Pre-Test.
In organizing and analyzing the data, I took two approaches. First, I examined how the class performed as a whole from Pre-Test to Post-Test by looking at the content represented by each question on the Pre-Test and its corresponding question or questions on the Post-Test. I looked for the percentage of students who knew the content on the Pre-Test versus the percentage of students who knew the same or equivalent content on the Post-Test. So, essentially, I deconstructed the tests on a per/question-content basis. Next, I re-analyzed the data, but deconstructed the tests from the perspective of each individual student's performance from Pre-Test to Post-Test. Below are the following:
* A chart illustrating raw data from the tests that is organized on a per/question-content basis.
* A graph depicting the information in the chart described above.
* A chart illustrating raw data from the tests that is organized on a per/student performance basis.
* A graph depicting the information in the chart described above.
In organizing and analyzing the data, I took two approaches. First, I examined how the class performed as a whole from Pre-Test to Post-Test by looking at the content represented by each question on the Pre-Test and its corresponding question or questions on the Post-Test. I looked for the percentage of students who knew the content on the Pre-Test versus the percentage of students who knew the same or equivalent content on the Post-Test. So, essentially, I deconstructed the tests on a per/question-content basis. Next, I re-analyzed the data, but deconstructed the tests from the perspective of each individual student's performance from Pre-Test to Post-Test. Below are the following:
* A chart illustrating raw data from the tests that is organized on a per/question-content basis.
* A graph depicting the information in the chart described above.
* A chart illustrating raw data from the tests that is organized on a per/student performance basis.
* A graph depicting the information in the chart described above.
As the above charts and graphs reveal, all of the students improved their mastery of the tested content from Pre-Test to Post-Test. Some students saw a substantial improvement. Even those students who made less than stellar grades on the final exam showed remarkable improvement from Pre-Test to Post-Test. While I know that many intrinsic and extrinsic factors are at play here explaining why some students did very well, while some others did not, I think these results show that all of these students learned a substantial amount of science due to my instruction and their hard work. Based upon these results, I think I would revisit the content represented by Pre-Test Question 5/Post-Test Question 14B. Fifty-nine percent of the students is just under 13 out of 22 students. All in all, however, I am pleased with the results. Out of 22 students, 16 made an A or B on the final exam. Below is more dicussion about the content covered by Pre-Test Question 4/Post-Test Questions 11 & 14A.
Using the Post-Test to Plan Instruction at the Beginning of the Unit
Question 14A & The FoldablesWhen planning my unit, I closely examined the Chapter Test from the Scott Foresman curriculum. I knew this assessment would be my unit Post-Test and the basis of the students' grades for this chapter in the science book. It was important for me to see what topics were emphasized on the test, and what exactly aligned with Alabama State Standards.
I found that Question 14 on the exam makes up twenty percent (20%) of the entire exam. The first part of the question, 14A, deals with the three methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. A blank copy of the test can be found here in PDF format. Question 14A is on the second page of the test. The ALCoS standard for 5th Grade Science that addresses this exact content is as follows: Alabama Course of Studies Objectives: Science (Physical Science) 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical. • Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy • Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation With this information, I planned a lesson toward the end of the unit where the students would create foldable crafts. Foldable crafts are basically three-dimensional graphic organizers that require the students to be creative, while organizing, interpreting, and communicating content and concepts. This falls, I think, within higher order thinking as delineated by Bloom's Taxonomy. From the students' vantage points, it is something fun and different to do; and, by the way, they loved doing this project. I learned about foldables from Professor Enger at UAH and from my AMSTI Science seminars. For this particular project, the students were required to identify the three methods of heat transfer, define each of the three methods, and describe & illustrate an example for each of the three methods of heat transfer. I provided materials, a sample finished product, and pre-measured, pre-marked construction paper. I demonstrated how to fold the papers and create the three pockets: one for each method of heat transfer. For the inside of each pocket, the students had to create two cards. One card was a definition card and the other card was an example card. The students had to appropriately label the foldable as "Heat Transfer" and label correctly each of the three pockets. While I did not assess the students on artistic ability, some type of relevant illustration was required for each type of heat transfer. Each student had to write his/her name and number on the back of the foldable and submit the finished product on time. I also considered how efficiently, diligently, and courteously each student worked. |
The picture above shows the sample I made for purposes of modeling the project for the students. Student samples and additional pictures from this lesson can be found at Day Eleven under the Fifth Grade Unit - Content page of this website. (To view an enlarged version of this picture, right click on the picture and open the larger version in a new tab or window.)
I created a rubric for assessing this project consistent with the description just provided. A PDF version of the rubric can be viewed here. While I think this lesson was effective and fun, I was suprised at the number of students who still struggled with writing an appropriate response to question 14A on the exam. During the foldable lesson, I explicitly informed the students that we were doing this lesson because they would be required to identify, define, and give examples of the three methods of heat transfer:conduction, convection, and radiation on the test.
When grading the tests, I reviewed the Study Guides of the students who had submitted them. I found that several students who had struggled with writing a sufficient response on the test had written a more than sufficient answer on their Study Guides. I must admit. I was baffled by this inexplicable discrepency. When I discussed my consternation with Mrs. Paul and Mrs. Jones, they seemed to understand. They surmised that perhaps those students who did not perform well on the test, despite their efforts in class and their completed Study Guides, just might not have studied for the test. It reminds me of the expression, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." |
Reflection
In my second grade unit, the pre-test and post-test were identical; therefore making the comparison between the two assessments quite easy and convenient. Here, for the fifth grade unit, the two assessments shared similar components, but were different instruments. This made my analysis of the two, in terms of determining student learning, a little trickier. As the data and graphs indicate, the majority of the students learned what I wanted them to learn. Even students who struggled on the final exam improved from where they were prior to my teaching the unit. I am happy about this. I also like how these same graphs and data indicate what I need to go back and reteach. I recognize now that some students had problems with the format in which certain questions were posed. They had problems with reading comprehension and writing skills. In the future, I will make my pre-tests more consistent with my post-test. And, I really need to give thought to the format of questions based upon the abilities of my students. Providing extra help to certain students during a test may be sufficient, such as reading the question or giving more guidance in how to format an answer. I spoke with Elizabeth Jones about this after the test, and she gave me some advice about how to teach test-taking skills. As a part of her test review, she will guide the class through a sample response that exemplifies the type of essay answer she wants to see on the test. I think this is a great idea and I will use it.