Directions for J-1: Reflecting on the Impact of Instruction

Reflecting on the Impact of Instruction

Based on your organization and analysis of the assessment data complete the following template, Task J-1, Reflecting on the Impact of Instruction. Typically, a
majority of students (more than 50 percent) will meet the objectives that are established. However, it is unlikely that all students will meet all of the objectives
all of the time. When students do not meet the objectives, you must reflect on the objectives themselves, the planned assessment(s), and the instruction that took
place.

Component III: Instructional Unit

Task J-1: Reflecting on the Impact of Instruction
Intern Name: Elijah D. Edwards

Date: 4/23/15

1.

Select the unit objective on which your students were most successful, based on your analysis of student learning.
Based on samples of student work, provide two or more possible reasons for this success.
My students were most successful on standard 1 (demonstrating comprehension by answering questions) and standard 2
(analyzing how the conventions of dramatic literature affect meaning in a text).
I think students were succesful on standard 1 because this is an underpinning standard that we have practiced throughout the
year while preparing for the EOC. Since this is our fifth common assessment, they have gotten used to the format and the
types of questions that are asked.
I think students were successful on standard 2 because I started focusing on the skill rather than the text. I focused my
classes around mastering the skill and then the formative assessment was a cold passage that tested these skills. This
prepared them well for the exam. I think it worked in particular for the dramatic conventions because it showed them that
they are more than just terms: they are conventions that are strategically used in a text to affect meaning.

2.

Select the unit objective on which your students were least successful, based on your analysis of student learning.
Based on samples of student work, provide two or more possible reasons for this lack of success.

My students were least succesful on standard 6 (identify the author's stated or implied purpose in a text). I think that my students did not succeed on this
standard because it was a standard from a previous exam so I dropped the ball because I barely covered it during this unit (since I thought they had previously
mastered it). I also did not use an exit slip with cold passages in MC form for this--rather, I gave them a passage that we had read from Julius Caesar and had
them answer it in short answer format. This shows me the strength of exit slips with cold passages/multiple choice questions.

3.

Describe the performance of the identified diverse or gap group(s) in your class compared to the performance of the class as a whole. What factors
contributed to their success/failure?

They seemed to perform at the same level as their peers. I attribute their success due to the differentiated instruction that they received throughout the unit to
prepare them for a common assessment. I also think that the Kagan group structuring was succesful because it allowed them to collaborate with their peers in a
meaningful way throughout the unit.

4.

Since the conclusion of the instructional unit, what have you done to ensure that all your students are making continuous progress? What are your
plans to address issues identified in the unit?
I have met with students who did not meet standards in groups to give them extra practice for this. Before we take the EOC in May, I will be holding several
review/ESS sessions. I will also be reteaching the skill of identifying an author's stated/implied purpose and assessing it with a cold passage/multiple choice
questions.

5.

Based on your reflection about your students performances, describe at least two areas for professional growth that you believe have the potential to
increase your instructional effectiveness and thereby improve your students learning.
One area of professional growth could be using conceptual data to design instruction relevant to students (Standard 2.2). I say this because I think I could have
used the pre-assessment data in a more meaningful way throughout my unit. I also need to find a way to see how the students can self-reflect on this data
throughout the unit.
Another area of professional growth could be planning instructional strategies and activities that facilitate multiple levels of learning (Standard 2.5). While I
have successfully differentiated instruction for students with learning disabilities, I have struggled to differentiate instruction for my gifted & talented students.