Analysis of Student Learning

Whole Class Analysis

Overall, I was very happy with the growth that was exhibited from the pre-test to the
post-test. The majority of the students showed improvement in their score on the post-test. The
post-test was the exact same as the pre-test. It is a 2nd grade science benchmark test that was
written by the school district. I feel that it isnt properly aligned to the core. One of the questions
asks what all living things need but I had a difficult time finding a science objective that aligned
with the question. The test has a total of 10 questions. A handful of the students scored the same
on the post-test as they did on the pre-test. The 3 target students that I chose are numbers 6 (low),
9 (ELL), and 14 (high). I was very disappointed to see that my low level learner (6) did not
improve his score at all. I was especially disappointed in the questions that he missed; they were
the questions that I felt I had addressed most effectively throughout my lessons. My ELL student
(9) showed a 30% increase but he was still 20% below the minimum goal percentage of 80%.
My high student (14) scored very well on his pretest with a 90% and improved his score by 10%
on his post test and received 100%. Figure 1.1 below shows the students numbers, their pre-test
percentage, their post-test percentage, and their percentage increase.
Figure 1.1
Student

Pre-test percentage

Post-test percentage Percentage increase in

Number
1
2
3
4
5
6 Low
7

70%
90%
70%
70%
90%
60%
10%

90%
90%
100%
90%
90%
60%
40%

score
20%
0%
30%
20%
0%
0%
30%

8
9 ELL
10
11
12
13
14 High
15
16
17
18
19

20

80%
30%
90%
70%
60%
80%
90%
80%
90%
60%
50%
New move in : Did
not
take pre-test.
90%

90%
60%
90%
100%
100%
100%
100%
90%
100%
100%
100%
100%

10%
30%
0%
30%
40%
20%
10%
10%
10%
40%
50%
n/a

Moved: did not

take
post-test.

n/a

The pie graph on figure 1.2 is a visual representation of the amount of students whose post-test
score improved and the amount of students whose post-test scores stayed the same. No students
scored lower on the post-test than on the pre-test.

Increased score vs. stagnant score

Increased
Stagnant

Figure 1.3 below shows the number of students that missed the question on the pre-test and the
post-test.
Figure 1.3
Questio
n
Times
missed
pre-test
Times
missed
post-test

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

13

10

11

Questions number 2 and 10 were missed most frequently. Questions number 2 states, Habitat
means the need for______. The answer is C all of the above (food, water, air, shelter, space).
Question number 10 states, An animals ____ help them to fight, hide, or get out of danger.
The answer was C all of the above (senses and muscles).
Sub-Groups Analysis
I will first compare the female students pre and post test scores with those of the male
students. The scores of the female and males were about the same after the pre-test. The boys
scored an average of 70% and the girls got an average of 69%. No students received 100% on the
pretest. The average scores of the post-test were spread farther than the pre-test. The average
score of the boys was 86% and the average girls score was 92%. What I found interesting was

that the girls had the student with the lowest score (40%) but they also had the most amount of
students who received 100% (7). There were only 2 boys that received 100%. Figure 1.4 is a
representation of the pre-test scores by the male and female students.
Figure 1.4

100
90
80
70
60
50

Pre-test average

40

Post-test average

30
20
10

Post-test average

0
Pre-test average

Boys
Girls

In comparing my minority students average scores against the class average, I realized that they
scored much lower. The average of the minority students was 78%. 3 of the minority students
scored 90% but 2 of the minority students scored 60% which drastically brought down their
average. Figure 2.1 is a representation of the minority students average score compared to the
average score of the class.
Figure 2.1

Racial Minority Average vs. Class Average

90
88
86
84
82
80
78
76
74
72
Racial Minority
Class Average

Next, I will compare my ELL target students scores with those of the rest of the class. The class
average on the post-assessment was 89%. This student scored significantly below the class
average. His post-assessment score was 60%. Figure 1.5 compares this students post-assessment
score with the class average. I wasnt too surprised by his lower than average score. I had gone
through his assessments from the lessons previous to administering the post-test and I could see
that he hadnt completed them satisfactorily.

Individual/Target Student Analysis

Figure 1.5

ELL Score vs. Class Average

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
ELL Student
Class Average

My low level student also performed below the class average on the post-assessment. He scored
a 60% while the class average was 89%. The most disappointing part to me was the fact that his
score did not improve at all from the pre-test to the post-test. He missed 4 questions on both

assessments. Figure 1.6 is a representation of the low level students post-test score to the class
average.

Figure 1.6

Low Level Learner vs. Class Average

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Low Level Learner
Class Average

My high ability student scored very well on his pre-assessment as well as his post-assessment.
He scored 100% on his post-assessment which is 11 percentage points above the class average of

89%. Figure 1.7 is a representation of the high ability students post-test score compared to the
class average.

High Ability Student vs. Class Average

100
95
90
85
80
High Ability Student
Class Average

Figure 1.7

How Evidence from the Assessments Supports or Contradicts Pre-Assessment Findings

After administering the pre-test, I realized that the majority of the students already knew
many animals that lived in the 4 different habitats. After realizing this, I decided that when I
taught the lessons on the habitats I would also include information about the plants that grow in
those habitats and what the weather is like in order to keep the engagement high. The most
missed question on the pre-test was number 2, Habitat means the need for _____. 13 students
missed this question on the pre-test. I was hoping that no students would miss the question on the
post-test but there were 5 students who still missed it. I feel that I could have done a better job
including this information in the lessons about habitats. I didnt necessarily point out that the
animals need shelter to keep them safe and space to move around. I feel that if I had pointed this
out during those lessons, the scores would have most likely improved. Another question that did

not show a lot of improvement from the pre-test to the post-test was question number 10, An
animals ______ help them to fight, hide, or get out of danger. 11 students missed this question
on the pre-test and 5 students still missed it on the post-test. I didnt spend too long talking about
this question; I briefly skimmed over it during one of the lessons on animals in the rainforest
habitat. If I were to teach this unit again, I would have the students act like they were being
chased by something. I would then ask them if they had used their senses and which ones they
used. I would also ask them if they used their muscles and which muscles they used the most of.
I felt that using the same pre and post-test made it easier for me to see where my weaknesses in
my lessons were. However, the assessment was provided by the district and I didnt feel that it
aligned with the standards very well. I wanted to make my own assessment but the 2nd grade
team I was with had previously determined that the entire grade would administer this test to
their students.
Discuss the Assessment Instruments to Determine the Validity of Questions Used to Measure
Learning
The pre and post assessment were 10 multiple choice questions. 4 of the questions asked
what animals live in a certain habitat, 2 questions asked about what living things need, 2 asked
about what animals do when the weather changes, 1 asked what the definition of a habitat is, and
1 asked about what animals use to get out of danger.
Lesson 1: the formative assessment for lesson 1 was a graphic organizer where the students listed
what animals lived in the rainforest habitat, what plants looked like in the rainforest, and what
the weather is like. This helped them complete the summative assessment of completing a

portion of their quadrama that accurately depicted animal and plant life in the rainforest. This is
valid because it aligns to the objective.
Lesson 2: the formative and summative for lesson 2 were identical but this time the students did
it about the tundra habitat. This is valid because it aligns to the objective. The students also filled
out a paper after conducting the blubber experiment. This is valid because it helped the students
understand that animals in the tundra have blubber to keep them warm.
Lesson 3: the formative assessment for lesson 3 was having students give suggestions of animals
that live in different habitats and how the habitat helps support their needs. I would write their
suggestions down on a paper at the front of the class. This helped them complete their summative
assessment of writing a paper about the animal they chose and how that animals habitat helps
support its needs.
Lesson 4: the formative assessment for lesson 4 was a paper that the students took with them to
the different experiment rotations. They filled in the paper with the special physical
characteristics the animal has and how it helps them meet their needs. This is valid because it is
aligned to the objective. Their summative assessment was having the students write in their
science notebook about which experiment was their favorite, why it was their favorite, and what
physical characteristic the animal has to help it meet its needs.
Lesson 5: the lesson 5 formative and summative assessments were combined into one foldable.
As we talked about the different needs that all living animals have, the students drew a picture of
the need and wrote down a sentence about that need. The summative assessment was on the last
page of the foldable. The students were asked to draw a picture of their favorite animal then

write a short paragraph telling me where the animal gets its water, what it eats, where it gets its
air (habitat), and whether or not it does waste removal.
Lesson 6: the formative assessment for lesson 6 was done as a table. The students worked
together to sort pictures of animals into sections for either migrate, hibernate, or adapt. For the
summative assessment the students made a foldable that had 3 flip pockets. Each pocket was
labeled hibernate, migrate, or adapt. The students were supposed to write what it means in a
sentence, write two animals that do it, and draw a picture of what it looks like. This is valid
because it aligns to the objective.