RUNNING HEAD: Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 1

Assessment Design and Analysis

Sherilyn Cummings
November 12, 2016
EDUC 614
Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 2

Alternate Ending: The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl

Objective: Students will be able to write an alternate ending to the story, The Enormous Crocodile by
Roald Dahl.
Steps: In this activity, students will create an alternate ending to the story, The Enormous Crocodile
by Roald Dahl. For this activity, students will
Write a detailed ending to the text
Use the STORY graphic organizer to track characters, setting, events and characters
response
Each sentence you write needs to have correct punctuation, capitalization and uses
transitional words
Your ending should have at least 7 sentences
Your ending should follow the rest of the story
When finished, you will audio record the ending of your story and share it with your peers

Rubric 1 2 3
Ending Alternate ending is Alternate ending is Alternate ending is
incomplete and does not complete but does not complete and follows the
follow the story follow the rest of the rest of the story
story
Length Ending has 2 or less Ending has 5 or less Ending has at least 7
sentences sentences sentences
Mechanics Sentences has many Sentences has few All sentences are
grammatical errors, does grammatical errors, complete with correct
not use transitional attempts at using capitalization,
words, little to no transitional words, does punctuation, correctly
punctuation use punctuation use transitional words
Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 3

Assessment Results
Students Ending Length Mechanics
Group A 3 3 1
Group B 2 3 1
Group C 2 2 2
Group D 3 3 3

Assessment Data Ending Length Mechanics

50% scored 3 75% scored 3 25% scored 3
50% scored 2 25% scored 2 25% scored 2
0% scored 1 0% scored 1 50% scored 1

Assessment Data
3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
Group A Group B Group C Group 2

Ending Length Mechanics

Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 4

In my English Language Arts class, students recently finished reading the text, The Enormous

Crocodile by Roald Dahl. This was a very engaging unit rich with rigorous tasks that helped to

develop students reading and writing skills. Prior to completing the assessment, students completed a

deep study of characters actions, traits and motivations. They also identified major events and the

characters responses. This strong foundation provided students with a deep understanding of the

story.

For their authentic assessment, students were asked to provide an alternate ending for the Enormous

Crocodile. They used an organizer that tracked key story elements. Students had to write their

alternate ending using specific criteria. When finished, they would edit and revise their writing with

their peers and finally audio record their ending to share with the class. This was a very engaging

assessment for students. They enjoyed working together with their peers and creating a product that

they can share with others.

In this assessment, I wanted to observe many different things. For example, I wanted to assess

whether students had a strong understanding of the story and if they can create their own story

following similar story elements. Additionally, students had to incorporate their writing skills. They

are developing their ability to write a paragraph using complete sentences and transitional words.

Finally, I wanted to informally assess their ability to work with peers effectively to complete a task.

Students showed success in demonstrating their understanding of the story elements and their ability

to build on the authors work. They also worked effectively together. All groups completed the

assignment within a given amount of time.

Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 5

One area of growth that my students continually need work on is their writing. There were 2

groups who scored a 1 for mechanics. Their writing lacked punctuation, capitalization, transitional

words and they did not have the required number of sentences for the assignment. These groups

consisted of my lowest performing students. I provided frequent check-ins during the assessment and

reminded students of the expectations, but this group needed additional support. For next time, I

would group the lowest with some of the highest performing students to keep the groups balanced.

There was one group that was evenly balanced that scored a 3 in each category. This group was well

matched and they worked well together.

Another area of growth was the ending. Fifty percent of the groups provided a clear ending

that followed the beginning of the story. Students needed reminders that they were not recreating a

new story, but building on what the author created. Students could use their organizers and text to

support their writing. I also provided an example of an alternate ending to the story, The Three Little

Pigs. I modeled how I kept the characters and their traits the same, but I added a different ending. The

challenge for many students was that they wanted to create a new story with new characters that did

not follow the original version. This was a new task that many were unfamiliar with. I could have

prepared students for this task by reading several examples of flipped fairy tales. This would have

shown students clear examples of what they were expected to do. The characters were similar, but the

authors added different endings.

For future learning, I will provide clear modeling and examples to show students what they

need to accomplish. This would have cleared up many misconceptions about their assessment task.

Additionally, I will pair students in groups that are balanced with high and low performing students.

This will help to ensure that students can learn from one another. I would like to do a similar

assessment each quarter. This will allow me to see areas of growth and areas that my students
Cummings Assessment Design and Analysis 6

continually need support. The audio recordings are also a great tool to reflect on over time. I can

compile their recordings over time and share with parents at the end of the year. Students also enjoyed

the opportunity to work with peers and create a product to share with their peers. This assessment

pushed students to think critically about the text and characters and incorporate their writing skills.