Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Raven Redmond-Johnson
Abstract
over a two-week period. In this paper, I consider ways to improve summative assessment, or
general test, scores in a particular class of native English speakers. I begin my exploring ways in
which this class may differ from other classes and consider whether or not these have a bearing
on the students’ academic performance. After brainstorming and researching contributing factors
of low test-scores, I begin to formulate a plan to boost these scores. The plan is tailor-made for
this specific class, but it has details which are transferable to any class, be it foreign or second
language classes or content-area classes. The plan greatly improved test scores and students
reported that although it was a lot of work, it was satisfying and they felt more confident in their
Problem Formation
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Research shows that students often become self-fulfilling prophecies: Students become
who they think you think they are. This entire school year, I have met with discouragement time
and again because of overall performance in my third period class. The students have high
potential but all too often do not live up to it. Students attend my class from 9:38 a.m. until 11:30
a.m. They are novice level learners of Spanish as a foreign language; their native tongue is
English. Students have had no prior experience in learning a foreign language, and are all in
grades 10-12. When presented with this project, I immediately pondered over this particular
class. For months since receiving this assignment, I have been pondering ways to improve
individuals’ academic performance in my class, and this project has allowed me to proactively
do so. The factor that suffered the most was test scores. Over half of the students in this class
Question formulation
Specifically, I am researching this question: What can be done to improve test scores in
this class? I chose test scores since these exams are often the summative assessments that
showcase what students grasp and failed to grasp in the classroom for a particular unit or units.
Test scores would also be a viable option since tests are taken every two weeks in my classroom,
and I could examine student growth from the last test to this one.
Wright (2009) tells of a project where community members and school faculty came
together to write a curriculum and test scores were dramatically improved. He recounts:
The new curriculum makes “teaching for the test” a regular classroom activity—that is,
teachers provide students with the cognitive tools needed to do well without resorting to
teaching the actual test questions (Crocker 2003). A positive finding from that effort
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suggests that teachers who feel ownership for a curriculum revision are more motivated
in their teaching and have students who achieve more (Kristoback and Wright 2001)
(p.120).
In other words, if I found that strictly following the curriculum or pacing guide does not
adequately prepare my students for my tests, then I should alter it. I test students with
communicative competence in mind, so I surmised that if I targeted the preparatory measures for
exams, or the general curriculum, that overall academic performance would propel. Thus, I
concluded that having activities during class that better adhere to or have a semblance of the
within the classroom. The first step in this process was to notify students that I wanted to help
them. This helped me to build a rapport with the students and to build trust. Trust is essential in
student-teacher relationships; Teachers must trust students to rise to expectations within the
classroom, and students must trust the educator to guide them to success and to have confidence
in their ability to succeed. It is quite amazing what students can do when they believe in
themselves and when they sincerely feel that others believe in them, also. Educators must also
realize that the way that groups are acculturated into society impacts their level of trust.
Therefore, teachers do well to peer into student backgrounds and experiences to better
understand what factors affect their learning experience and consequently their performance on
tests.
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The best way to understand a student is to look back at the environment in which they
were primarily socialized—within the family. I use a forum called Remind 101 t o share updates
and resources with guardians and family members. After speaking with both students and
parents, I found some material information about home environments. Many parents within the
community that I teach work during the day and do not return until late in the evening or night
when students are sleeping. They thus have little input on their daily school life. Other students
had been removed from their homes by social workers, and I needed to get updated guardian
information. Some students even lived primarily alone! As a result of work schedules and child
placement, parental involvement in school-life was at an all-time low. This means that students
had access to fewer or no resources if they were not yet driving or if they did not have their own
income. Mahuro and Hungi (2016) cite,“If the students are to reap the maximum benefits in their
schooling, they must enjoy parental support. In all spheres of learning, there is substantial
research evidence that involvement of parents in their children’s schooling gives a positive effect
on their learning outcomes (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003; Rafiq, Fatima, Sohail, Saleem, &
Khan, 2013).”(p.2). There is reason to believe, then, that without parental support, learning
outcomes are adversely affected. They had less motivation at home to study or to complete
homework. There was nothing I could do about student home life, but it did give me some
insight that helped me in formulating a more personal action plan. Since students did not prepare
for tests outside of the classroom, and many reported not knowing how to study, I would need to
provide students with incentives other than grades and with studying techniques.
After looking at other possible contributing factors to the lower performance of this class
in comparison to other classes, I found a dire need to keep my class on task. Since this class is
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my largest, I often have students struggling for individual attention. Some students are often
genuinely interested in the topic at hand, and other students want me to interact with them on
other topics. I began to notice that I sometimes allow myself to veer off topic; this, in turn, would
distract the class as a whole. I told them that for the next few weeks I would made a conscious
effort not to be distracted or thus be a distracting agent for them. The one thing that disruptive
students had in common was that they did not have bad intentions; they were simply distracted
and wanted my attention. I decided that their exams should be ways for them to have friendly
In doing honest self-evaluation, I deduced that my rapport with this class was not as
strong as with other classes. At the beginning of the year, due to a lack of teachers, counselors
had simply started placing students in already overpopulated classrooms. My class was one of
such classes, and I had not even enough desks for every student to sit in. I had asked that
students who did not need Spanish to fulfill a graduation requirement transfer to other
classrooms. That is the point where many students began to tune me out. I had allowed many to
perhaps misinterpret my frustration with class size and administration as blatant disregard for
them and their needs. It is said that students do not care how much you know until they know
how much you care. Deiro (2003) notes that “teacher-student relationships are formed to
promote learning and academic growth within students. Relationships formed for the purpose of
affecting change in one party are called influential relationships” (p.60). To form influential
relationships and to simultaneously rebuild trust, my students had to first had to believe that I
cared. The mind looks for supporting evidence of that which it wants to believe, so if I wanted
them to believe that I cared, I had to show them evidence. I could not simply note an issue and
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not plan to do anything about it. Students would need to see my sincerity in collaborating with
When discussing what students perceived as caring, Deiro went on to say that “treating
children with dignity means honoring their position and their abilities, and seeing them as worthy
of esteem. Treating children with respect means showing regard for their basic human right to
expression and believing in their growing abilities to manage their own lives successfully.
Respect requires listening and sincerely considering what children are saying...Reciprocity is
key. Teachers who believe that students have reciprocal rights use their power respectfully and
ethically” (p.61). I decided to dignify my students by letting them know that I did not think their
underperformance was due to a lack of ability, rather I concentrated on how I had failed them as
a teacher. Instead of viewing this class as the lowest-performing, I sought to determine how my
teaching practices differed in this class from others. In order to do this, I began to actively
monitor my teaching habits during this class period. What influenced how I taught? Did I allow
myself to be sidetracked or interrupted? Was I keeping student learning abilities and differences
in mind? What makes this class different from other classes? I resolved to treat them with
respect by giving them some say on the details of their testing situations. I listened to pertinent
comments that they made regarding the reasons they made mistakes or errors on tests, comments
Teachers with high internal locus of control take responsibility for the education of their
students. Instead of simply asking why my students were not performing, I focused on my own
shortcomings and how these had perhaps negatively affected students in this particular class. I
sought answers to the question of how my actions were different in this class as opposed to
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others. In pondering over how I could accept responsibility for the performance and the
improvement thereof in my class, I realized that I had never asked my students themselves how
they learned best. I simply made assumptions based on the limited data that I had from
observations in the foreign-language class. Thus, I needed to devise a means to get student input
on how they learned best during class activities in preparation for the test.
One research study (Simonova, 2016) questioned if “there exists any correlation between
individual learning styles and assessment preferences, particularly what the preferred ways (i.e.
assessment formats) are through which learners of different learning styles can prove their
knowledge to maximum extent” (p. 143). Although it was concluded that more studies needed to
be conducted as follow-ups for more longitudinal results, the researcher, of course, found that
when personality types, like introvert or extrovert, were factored into the types of assessments
given in foreign/second language classrooms, students tended to perform better. For instance,
one test allowed introverts to use online gaming, where their identities remained anonymous, to
practice the language in real time. Therefore, I needed to consider student preferences when
making tests.
Accordingly, I also needed to create activities closer to the structure of the test. Though I
tried to make tests practical application tests, students disclosed that they were confused when
the tests looked different from the activities that they were used to in class. Farnsworth (2013)
reports:
Research has shown that modest score gains can be expected from focused test coaching
activities (Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 1983; Koretz, 2008; Power, 1993)...One
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question which prior research has yet to address is whether task type, or test method, is a
Therefore, rather than focusing solely on function, to help students to use the language for
various practical functions, I could reach this goal by merging form and function; I could match
the form of the tests to the form of the activities while maintaining a common function for both.
Yet another method that I used to begin helping this particular class was taking note of
the errors that they made, correcting them by imparting metalinguistic knowledge, and
formulating ways to assess them in advance to prepare them for the upcoming summative
dynamic assessment (DA), Davin, Herazo, and Sagre (2016) found that “learners’ errors in the
L2 classroom offer one window into their instructional needs and provide the teacher with an
student abilities and potential. The authors of the aforementioned study go on to say:
(Šimonová, Poulová, 2012). Therefore teachers take efforts to adjust the learning process
to individual learner´s needs and preferences, which mostly means various types study
materials and sources of information are provided to the learners, various activities are
conducted to help them fix the new knowledge and apply it successfully in practice
They found that teachers who mediated by means of DA and took into account student
preference soared past students who did not. Since students often complained about the tests as
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opposed to class activities, I needed to begin creating assessments that magnified student
abilities.
But, what types of materials and sorts of information best prepared students for exams in
a foreign language classroom? The answer to that question would perhaps make all the
difference. The type of resources I had been using were mostly those that catered to speakers of
other languages, primarily English speakers. I needed more authentic sources. Nikitina (2011)
suggests,
Theatrical activities are widely used by language educators to promote and facilitate
language learning. Involving students in production of their own video or a short movie
in the target language allows a seamless fusion of language learning, art, and popular
culture. The activity is also conducive for creating an authentic learning situation where
the real world becomes a part of the educational experience and necessitates the use of an
This was a perfect way to inculcate authentic sources into my classroom, and I had something
Data Gathering
I collected some data via Remind 101 by speaking with parents and asking why they
thought students were not succeeding. I also hypothesized based on personal observations.
However, I used three main methods to gather data. The first method was to analyze and extract
data from previous assessments. I looked back at the types of questions that students tended to
miss; students usually skipped short answer questions. Even if they knew the answer, since the
test was written in more formal language, they assumed that the question was too “hard” to
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answer. Students were also confused by multiple choice options that were similar in nature. For
instance, when testing on numbers over 100, students were confused by the answer choices
The next type of data that informed my action plan was student interviews within class.
Students expressed that they were confused by words in directions like may or can a s polite
markers and preferred words like should and must f or clarity. They also were discontented with
the fact that the tests took the whole class period or that their own class period was not enough
time to finish at the pace they worked. Students reported that they would rather have a shorter
test every two weeks as opposed to a longer test every two weeks.
assess how students best learned and how they preferred to learn, I gave students a learning style
inventory survey (Appendix A). There was no anonymity; students provided their names. What I
found was contrary to what I had actually believed. I had thought that most of the students in this
class were kinesthetic learners, and that I had to prepare more activities that required them to get
out of their seats; I was wrong. Approximately 88% of my students were visual learners.
Students mainly wanted someone to demonstrate before they tried on their own. They preferred
that I talk less and show more. They needed color and visual imagery to liven up lessons. Thus, I
not only needed to provide more examples during enrichment but I needed to change the normal
dynamic of the test. Students needed to see something different from the usual written test.
implemented weekly participation points to give them grades for things that they did well, like
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their oral participation in the target language. Any student that participated regularly throughout
the class got the points and this boosted their desires to interact in class. More involved students
in the learning stage equated to better retaining of metalinguistic information and communicative
competence. I hypothesized that this would also mean better performance on tests since they
would be more engaged. I found that I was right. I also started to make more jokes during this
class period. We laughed more; I relaxed more. I no longer dreaded seeing these students; I
focused on helping them. I considered student preference when formulating their next summative
assessment to show them that I had been listening to their suggestions. Students had asked for
take-home tests. This next assessment was something they could take their time with at home for
the next two weeks and be as creative as they liked. They could redo it as many times as they
felt comfortable. It was their first big presentation, but not in front an audience yet. I first wanted
to acclimate them to presenting in a foreign language in the comforts of their own homes.
The topic for the next two weeks was weather. In addition to having students actively
engage in lessons by providing incentives, I did not depend on students to take immaculate notes.
Some students tended to write in shorthand and later, they could not understand what they had
written. Other students who understood ways to use grammar pieces in real time did not see a
need to write down certain examples and later needed them. I thus provided handouts as study
materials so that every student had access to the same information in conjunction with their own
notes. To ensure that they were retaining the information, we related words like frío t o freon and
as related to burning calories, so that they would remember it as the word for
freeze. Calor w
heat. We used some phrases out of necessity so often, like hay sol, that students had no trouble
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remembering them. Students were good at speaking aloud with coaching and working through
their knowledge aloud, so that is what their next exam required them to demonstrate.
Once I had discovered by means of the learning style inventory that students were visual
learners, my next task was to determine if I was using tests for the appropriate function and if my
formats fulfilled that function. In order to determine the type of tests which best fit this class, I
needed to consider what a test was. Brown and Abeywickrama (2010) define a test as “a method
test is a method, I needed to closely examine by what explicit means I was measuring student
ability and decide whether or not it was effective. The printed paper tests that I had been issuing
with multiple-choice, short-answer, and fill-in-the-blank questions for three nine-weeks had not
been working. Students needed a change from their normal dynamic for in-class activities and
for exams. For the weather unit, I showed students an authentic Mexican weather forecast
(Appendix C). They first listened at a slower rate with Spanish captions and then at regular
speed. We paused the video to match new terminology with familiar concepts and to find phrases
that they had written in their notes. I then showed students some examples of student forecasts
modeled after the authentic one (Appendix C). After showing them several examples, I told
students that they would have the task of creating a weather forecast video during the next two
weeks (Appendix B). This project would serve as their summative assessment on this unit. It
would also allow them to compete for my attention in a healthy way and in a way that was
on-task.
I next needed to ensure that my tests only measured a specific domain and that I was not
inadvertently testing too many domains at once. I tended to measure general student ability most
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of the time, so I made a goal of targeting specific competencies so that I could develop each
more thoroughly. This nine weeks was purely about learning to express ideas, to speak. The test
and activities used for preparation thereof needed to more closely align with the domain I wanted
to assess. Thus, for this nine weeks, I wanted students to become comfortable beginning to speak
extemporaneously, but naturally, communicating ideas aloud instead of on paper first. Every day
for the next two weeks, we used weather applications on our phones to talk about the weather
conditions for the day and night, the current temperature, the high, and the low. We combined it
with other Spanish phrases they had learned, used time expressions to talk about the hourly
forecast, and learned other events mentioned on weather forecasts besides weather so that they
could incorporate these into their own forecasts. We completed a read-aloud activity where
students matched a picture to an in-depth weather description. We talked about how it felt
Since tests measure individual performance, I had to keep in mind individual differences
when creating a test. Thus, I decided that I needed to make sure that I was differentiating test
instructions so that the test matched individual student abilities. I made sure that I validated
student answers during class discussions about the weather and natural disasters and asked for
insight on those that I did not understand. I realized that each person constructs metalinguistic
meaning differently because they bring to the table different literacy levels, life experiences,
educational experiences, prior knowledge, and emotional investment. I wanted to assess every
student’s abilities and formulate their personalized assessment requirements. For mainstream
students, weather reports needed (1) a greeting and an introduction, (2) the day and date, (3)
weather conditions for the day, (4) current temperature, (5) the high, (6) the low, (7) night time
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conditions, (8) and a conclusion. Videos were initially to be at least three minutes long, but I was
lenient as long as all the requirements were met. About five of my students needed modified
instructions. I allowed them to complete only steps one through four and step eight. I relaxed
standards like semi-formal dress since many students reported not having dress shirts, slacks, or
business-wear. I allowed for as much creativity as possible, as long as the basic requirements
were met and as long as students were presenting. Some said that they would use smart tvs to
cast PowerPoints or Prezis. Others said that they would use posters or tri-fold boards. Some used
overlay video applications for creative backgrounds like motion weather backgrounds and
in pairs. Individual students were allowed to do a 5-day forecast. Students who worked in pairs
had to do 7-day forecasts. Students who needed modifications only needed to do four days. I also
extended the due date twice. I was able to differentiate along several different domains for this
test.
After learning that many students did not see their parents at the end of school days, I
decided that I needed to give students in-class time to begin and to continue work on their
projects. This required me to extend myself vigorously. Each day, during the second half of
class, I would help students to use circumlocution to express themselves in ways they already
knew for their forecasts or to use new phrases. I made sure that students with extracurricular
activities finished their scripts in class, also. I researched creative ideas that they could use for
backgrounds and weather displays and allowed them to use their mobile devices to do the same. I
shared video editing applications, which they were already familiar with from programs like
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Flipagram and Instagram. I gave students library time, and all students had smartphones.
I measured student progress with a rubric (Appendix B). I gave points for several
different aspects, but I told students that I was looking for naturalness and attempts to convey
ideas, or communicate. Even if they struggled in speaking, I wanted to see them attempt to make
meaning. At the end of their two week period, I found that the majority of my students had
completed their project. There was not one person who had not started at all; only a few reported
needing a few more days. Everyone’s script had been completed. 100% of my students could
discuss weather in Spanish in at least a few sentences (Appendix C). My research and action plan
definitely worked! I am beyond proud of their dedication and industriousness and that I had the
Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
References
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Deiro, J. A. (2003). Do Your Students Know You Care? Educational Leadership, 60( 6), 60.
Retrieved from
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477&site=ehost-live
Farnsworth, Tim. (2013). Effects of Targeted Test Preparation on Scores of Two Tests of Oral
Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, 47( 1),
148-155.
Mahuro, G. M., & Hungi, N. (2016). Parental participation improves student academic
achievement: A case of Iganga and Mayuge districts in Uganda. Cogent Education, 3( 1),
1264170. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1264170
the Foreign Language Classroom. International Journal of Instruction, 4( 1), 33–46.
Retrieved from
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6558&site=ehost-live
Simonova, I. (2016). Assessment preferences and learning styles in ESP, Journal of Language
Wright, R. J. (2009). Methods for Improving Test Scores: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
http://search.ebscohost.com.lynx.lib.usm.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=5080
58141&site=ehost-live