The pre test was comprised of three short-response questions, specifically relating to the two standards covered by this unit, as listed below:
1. EL.06.WR.26 Write persuasive compositions: -State a clear position on a proposition or proposal
-Support the position with organized and relevant evidence -Anticipate and address reader concerns and counter arguments
2. EL.06.RE.09 Understand, learn, and use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly through informational text, literature text, and instruction across content area.
Additionally, the pre test addressed the goals of the unit, as listed below:
Within the three questions listed on the pre test, questions number one and two address the first standard, while the third question addresses the second standard. The goal of the first two questions was to discover whether or not the student had any prior knowledge relating to facts, opinions, and using persuasion in his/her own life. The goal of the second question was to discover the students’ familiarity with discovering the meaning of new vocabulary, as both content and process vocabulary would be explicitly and implicitly taught throughout the unit. The pre test and its rubric can be found under the attachments in this section.
My goal for creating a three question, short answer pre test was to see if students could verbalize previous knowledge in relation to persuasion. As a Language Arts class, reading and writing are heavily emphasized components infused into each unit all year long. Therefore, most assessments are formulated in written form to test not only student content knowledge, but also to test their mastery of the written English language.
The students were given the pre test the week before the eleven lesson unit was to begin. The students were told that the pre test would not be graded for point value towards their grade, but instead to help the instructor determine what the students already know before we began the unit. I asked the students to use their best handwriting, writing as much as they needed to in order to answer each question in completion. Students were told that they could use the back of the paper or additional paper if the student needed more room. The students were asked approximately how much time they believed they would need to answer the three questions, and the class reached a mutual decision of twenty five minutes. All of the students completed the test in the assigned time.
The pre test was graded by rubric on a scale of 1 to 4. Each question received a score, with the composite score totaling a possible 12 points. The rubric is included in the attachment section of this unit. I chose not to share the pre test with the students, instead allowing the answers and subsequent scores to inform my upcoming lesson.
As seen in the graph for Question #1, the majority of the students (11 of the 13 students) scored either a 2 or 3; one student scored a 4, and one student scored a 1. The data and graph clearly highlight that the class has some familiarity with fact and/or opinion, but are unable to provide sufficient evidence to support a mastery of this concept. Looking at the data for this question, I know that teaching explicitly about fact and opinion will be necessary during my unit.
The graph for Question #2 has similar results, showing that most students (excepting one high and one low score) received a score of two. As outlined in the definition of the scoring rubric, the class is showing some familiarity with persuasion. All students attempted to answer the question, but a clear and precise answer demonstrating understanding was not found. I will also need to explicitly teach about the various ways one would persuade or convince someone the validity of an argument.
Finally, Question # 3 showed the most variability. Half of the students (6 of the 13 total students) achieved the highest possible score (4), with only one student demonstrating no understanding of this concept. While the previous two questions showed expected results for a pre test, this question demonstrates that many students have already mastered the concept of how to discover the meaning of an unfamiliar vocabulary words. This is vital information to know, as I will not have to spend an inordinate amount of time covering these strategies with students. Nor will I need to spend a vast amount of time making sure students know each and every word presented in an article, as they will have the necessary skills to find out the meaning on their own. However, as the standard addresses the need for students to "understand, learn and use" vocabulary, it will still be necessary to address this standard throughout the unit.
It is interesting to note that the same student held the highest score for each question; additionally, the same student held the lowest score across each question. I have interpreted this data to mean that the high scoring student has already been introduced to this information before (perhaps from a previous year or school), and is well on the way toward mastering the concepts. This student may need to have work differentiated for him/her to help make the lesson more in-depth and worthwhile. On the other hand, the student with the consistently low score may need to have work scaffolded to aide in understanding. It is also possible that language and word choice played a role in this student’s low score, understanding that this group is made up of entirely English language learners. Frequent checks for understanding will need to be made to assess the situation and decide if further action needs to be taken to support the low scoring student.
Student 10 is a clear example of a student who did not score well on the assessment. With a composite score of 4/10, the student was unable to answer either questions number one or three. The student at least attempted to answer question two, however there is a clear lack of details or any explanation of how the information provided relates to the question. This student may need additional help or scaffolding if he/she is to show mastery of the goals of the unit by the end of the eleven lessons.
Student 1, on the other hand, is an example of exemplary student work. The student labeled the examples of both fact and opinion, and providing examples that demonstrated his/her understanding. Question three also received full marks, as the student both named and explained one strategy for understanding unknown vocabulary words. Question two also demonstrated student understanding, however more details are needed to show the tie to how the student actually convinced his/her parent. This student is well on the way to showing proficiency in the goals, and I may need to help this student by providing more depth in the lessons to engage this student.
The pre test for student 4 is an example of student work that falls somewhere between student 1 and 10. This student attempted to answer each question, and while he/she did answer some pieces correctly, there is still missing information. The only question that displays a clear understanding with application is question number three, where the student provided an example to demonstrate how he/she would find out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
The completed pre test and graded rubric can be found under the attachments of this section.
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