Analysis of Students Performance

Subject: Algebra 1
Test/Quiz Title and Topic: Independent Exercise: Solving systems by substitution
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Number of students with each score (If using Standards-Based Grading, then change the letters
below to your grading scale.)
Algebra 1

A. Knowledge and Understanding: 100: _1

66:__3__ 60:_____
C. Communicating: 100: _5
60:__1__

95:

95: 5

87: _

83: _ 1

87: 2

83: _1 77: 1

77: 2

72:_2_

72:_1__ 66:_2__

Honors Algebra 1

A. Knowledge and Understanding: 100: _ 1

66:__1__ 60:_____
C. Communicating: 100: _1
60:_____

95: 3

95: 3

87: 2

83: _

87: _4

77:

83: _

77: 2

72:_1_

72:____ 66:____

Unless topics are related, write one topic per box. Include all of the strategies students used to
achieve success; therefore, it is likely more than one strategy will be included in each box.
Choose one topic for which you have multiple strategies, and attach examples of students work
for each of these different strategies. For example, if you had solving systems of equations in the
first box as the topic, possible strategies could be elimination, substitution, graphing, and guess
& check. You would then attach work from students for each of these four strategies.

Students were successful on these topics

Strategies students used to achieve success

Solving system of equations

Substitution
(Mistakes)
1. Substituting one equation into
the other one.
2. Solving for a variable (isolating
a variable in an equation)

Graphing (Calculator/Manually)
(Mistakes)
3. Explain the reasoning why this
graphing was better than
substitution.

Unless topics are related, write one topic per box. Include all of the mistakes or misconceptions
students used; therefore, it is likely more than one mistake/misconception will be included in
each box. Choose one topic for which you have multiple misconceptions, and attach examples
of students work for each of these different misconceptions. For example, the topic is adding
fractions with unlike denominators. Possible mistakes/misconceptions could be adding the
numerators of the fractions or adding the numerators and denominators without finding a
common denominator first or incorrectly finding the common denominators. You would then
attach work from students for each of these three strategies.
Students struggled on these topics

Solving system of equations

Common mistakes or misconceptions

Substitution
(Mistakes)
1. Not properly bringing down the
equation, when solving for a
variable, after simplifying
something or substituting one
equation into the other one.
2. Not properly combining like
terms.
3. Not substituting properly

Answer the following reflection questions in complete sentences based on the analysis from
above.

1.) What mathematical strategies and connections would you suggest to students to help them
with the topics they struggled with?
For the students who commit Mistake 1, I would remind them to keep track of
their steps. I would suggest to write down every step and think about what is happening
every time. I would ask comment and ask her I see that you subtracted 12 on both
sides of the equation, but what happened to the -12 in front of the s? Remember to bring
down everything that you are left with after completing a step. Depending on who the
student is (whether their IEP calls for one on one assistance) I might have to write down
a quick example (similar to the one on the exam) on the side of the paper so that they
can make sense of what I am trying to say. Hopefully the student can see the connection
between the example provided and the problem on the assessment and the student is
capable to solve it.
As for the student(s) who commits Mistake 2, first I would ask them Do you
remember what like terms are?" If the students say yes, then I would ask them to circle
the like terms. If the students say no, then I would remind them what they are (numbers
that have the same variable) from there I would ask them to identify the like terms by
circling them. From there I would then remind the student that when you have like
terms on both sides of the equal sign, you want to collect them on one side of the
equation (i.e -4y + 6y = 4) and then combine them. If the student still seems confused
with what I am trying to say I would demonstrate an example that could potentially help
him see the connections and make sense of how he/she should collect the like terms and
then combine them.

I would ask the student(s) Is the variable by itself? If the student(s) says yes,
then I would question the negative sign in front of the variable. I would remind the
students that whenever we substitute one equation to the other one we have to have
solved for a particular variable (i.e y= -5). If the student(s) says no, then I would
remind them that substitution means also replace. I would use a basketball scenario to
help the student make sense of what this means When the coach substitutes one player
in the court with another one, are both in the court at the same time? After student
says no, I would comment on how the substitution method works on a similar level.
Whenever you substitute one equation for a particular variable in the other equation,
you will no longer write down that variable. The variable gets replaced by the
expression of the other equation.

2.) What changes need to be made to the assessment? Be specific and provide justifications for
your modifications.
I dont think any modifications have to be made to the assessment. The
assessment provided options to the students. For part A of the assessment (Knowledge
and Understanding), the honors group were given three problems and asked to solve 2.
The Regular group, they were given two problems and asked to solve one of them. The
assessment explicitly labeled the problems according to the level of difficulty, just how
we had discussed them in class. Additionally, the problems were similar, but not identical
to the ones we had discussed in class. For part C of the assessment (Communication),
both groups (Honors & Regulars) were given the option to select either substitution or
graphing to solve the problem. Additionally, the problems they had to solve was similar,

but not identical to the problems we had discussed in class.

For the most part all the students who took the assessment were able to find
success and if they didnt they explained the reason why they were not able to do the
problems. This is another reason why I believe no changes should be made to the
assessment.

3.) What changes need to be made to the instruction? What aspects should stay the same? Be
specific and provide justifications for your modifications.

From the feedback that I got from the students and the fact that students didnt get
frustrated for not knowing what to do in the independent assessment, I believe Instructions
should stay the same. After handing out the assessment to both groups and giving them time to
read the directions. I only had to repeat myself one time to make it explicit as to what they were
supposed to do and no further questions were about the instructions.