Evaluative Essay

Student Pre- Post- % increase

assessment assessment
A 75% 100% 25%
B 37.5% 87.5% 50%
C 75% 100% 25%
D 37.5% 75% 37.5%
E 87.5% 100% 12.5%
F 12.5% 50% 37.5%
G 75% 100% 25%
H 62.5% 100% 37.5%
I 12.5% 75% 62.5%
J 37.5% 75% 37.5%
K 87.5% 100% 12.5%
L 12.5% Absent N/A
M 25% 75% 50%
N 62.5% 87.5% 25%
O 87.5% 100% 12.5%
P 75% 100% 25%
Q 50% 87.5% 37.5%
R 50% 100% 50%
Average 53.47% 88.97% 33.09%

The scores above show that my students achieved excellent

growth over the course of my unit. At the start of the unit I asked
each child 8 core questions that would be addressed over the
course of the unit. I took their answers and created a grade based
on the percentage of the questions they answered correctly. No
child got every question right, and half of my students failed for all
intents and purposes. After the unit I met with students individually
again and asked them the same questions. All students, except for
one absent, answered at least 75% of the questions correctly and
half the students received a 100%. From the pre-assessment to the
post-assessment there was a 33% increase. When students were
being pre-assessed several of them gave me no answer or simply
said I dont know'. Since I wanted to see what my students knew
without assistance I gave no help to the students when they
struggled with a question, other than rephrasing the questions for
my ELLs to accommodate their limited vocabulary. During the post
assessments I was able to see evidence of learning because the
students used the specific language that we had been talking about
to answer the questions. They also drew on the learning
experiences provided and the things they witnessed to give me
their answer. I only heard 3 I dont knows and only one child, an
ELL, declined to give me an answer for one question.
Throughout my capstone I have included examples of high,
medium, and low students work for selected lessons. The students I
put in the high category were E, K, and O. These students all display
excellent work and behavior; each of them received a percent
increase of 12.5%. Student O was a surprise to me throughout this
unit. He is extremely shy but consistently puts out such excellent
work. He had a very good grasp on the concepts going into the unit
and got a 100% on the post-assessment, where he not only
answered the questions correctly but expanded on his answers from
beforehand with more detail and examples from the lessons.
The students I put in the medium category were A, C, G, H, N,
and P. These students dont have behavior or social issues, but
usually need added support or extra wait time. They are the
students who have trouble completing drawings and conveying their
ideas when asked a question; each of them received at least 25%
increase, with one who received a 37.5% increase. Student H is
one student that surprised me in this category. He is extremely
smart and has an excellent grasp on oral language and phonics.
However, when it came to this unit I was shocked that he was
unable to provide the correct responses to my questions. When
asked a direct question he tended to give incoherent or unrelated
answers, and in response to one question simply refused to answer.
He has a few strange behavioral quirks like that that perhaps grow
from a general stubbornness. He is often unwilling to participate in
activities, rhymes, and tasks like writing and drawing. But, on the
other hand, is always willing and ready to offer up ideas in
discussions and brainstorming activities. In his post assessment he
earned a 100%, receiving a 37.5% increase.
The students I put in the low category were B, D, F, I, J, L, and M.
Only one of these students has serious behavioral issues, but
several have emotional issues or exhibit signs of neglect at home.
Three are English Language Learners, all of whom speak Polish as
their first language. Each of these students (with exception of
Student L, who was absent) received at least a 37.5% increase;
Students B and M received a 50% increase and Student I received a
62.5% increase. Student I is the student that the lead teacher and
the resource teacher have serious concerns about. She exhibits
signs of neglect from home and even after a meeting with her
mother about the concerns noticed, there doesnt seem to be much
change in her oral language, fine motor skills, willingness to
participate, or understanding of phonics instruction. Throughout the
unit I had to remind myself to give this student more support. I
learned while assessing her that she is very capable of talking but
generally chooses not to, perhaps due to her being shy or scared.