Running header: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Evidence of Student Learning

Kristen Garlock

Towson University
Running header: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Part A

Berkshire Elementary is a public school in Dundalk, Maryland and is part of the

Baltimore County School System. There are currently 511 students enrolled and the school

capacity is 428. There are 32 teachers currently at Berkshire with 22 classrooms and 1

relocatable. The average class size is 22-25 students. Berkshire offers inclusive education from

pre-K through grade five. The demographics of the school population is majority White

students at 68%, followed by Hispanic students at 14%, Black students at 9%, students who

identify as two or more races at 6%, Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander students at 2% and

American Indian/Alaska Native students at 1%. About 73% of the students receive free or

reduced lunch and the population of female and male students is split at 50% each.

The classroom in which these lessons were taught is an inclusion Kindergarten class at

Berkshire Elementary. There are 18 students between the ages of 5 and 6. Within the class

there are nine girls and nine boys. The class is extremely diverse with multiple exceptionalities

including 2 students with a cognitive delay, 2 students with a diagnosis of ADHD and 5 students

who receive speech services. In regards to Cultural Differences, there are two students currently

receiving ESOL services, but only one of these students speaks another language other than

English at home. This particular student speaks Hebrew as his family is originally from Marco.

One other student, who does not receive ESOL services speaks both Spanish and English at

home and is fluent in both. Oral language development is a concern for some of the students.

As mentioned before, there are four students who currently receive speech services and two of

these students are also receiving ESOL services. One students speech is particularly hard to

understand and he has been receiving speech services since he was 3 years old. The other 3 are

only minimally impacted by their speech concerns, but have difficulty within conversations. One
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particular student has an extremely difficult time answering questions and is currently working

on this goal. Written language development is not as concerning at this time as even struggling

students are copying words and beginning to identify and write the first sound in unfamiliar

words.

For the Evidence of Student Learning, four students will work in a small group with the

teacher over a period of 3 days. These lessons will occur during the math block which begins at

12:10pm, after the students are picked up from lunch. The students always work in small groups

during this time, while the remaining students use the computers to complete their Dreambox

assignments for the day. The four students who will be participating in this small group consist

of 3 who receive speech services and 1 student who has difficulty focusing but does not have a

diagnosed exceptionality. The Maryland Common Core State Standards focused on for this

lesson are Kindergarten standards under the K.CC.A cluster- Know number names and the

count sequence. These lessons meet the standards K.CC.A.1 counting to 100 by ones and tens

and K.CC.A.2 counting forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence

(instead of having to begin at 1). The essential skills are the ability to make the transition to the

next ten and the ability to use concrete materials, hundreds chart or number line to model

counting from a given number other than 1.

On day one, the objective is that Students will kinesthetically skip count by tens to 100

by hopping to each number card. The teacher will use anecdotal notes of student progress while

practicing this activity in order to document success toward the statement. By the end of the ten

minute lesson, students should be able to independently count by tens to 100. On day two, the

objective is that Students will understand the relationship between tens and ones by changing

the value of the tens using number cards. The teacher will again use anecdotal notes while
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students complete the activity together to record observations. By the conclusion of the lesson,

students should be able to transition to the next ten and count by ones. As most of these students

have yet to reach 50, this will be the focus of this lesson. Students should be able to count to 50

by 1s first before reaching 100. On day three, the objective is that Students will use a

hundreds chart to practice counting from a given number in order to complete a puzzle. The

teacher will once again use anecdotal notes to record observations while students complete this

activity. At the conclusion of these three lessons, students will be pulled individually to count to

100 by tens and ones. Their progress will be recorded on a data chart along with their

pre-assessment scores. As stated before, these four students have yet to count to 50, which is an

important step to be able to count to 100. The students will receive a score of Progressing, if

they are able to count to 50 or higher and Independent, if students are able to count to 100.

These four students are currently Emerging and will unfortunately receive this score if they are

still unable to count to 50 by the end of these three lessons.

Part B

In order to pre-assess students skills, the students will meet with the teacher one on one

to demonstrate how high they can count. The teacher will note to which number the students

count and any numbers that may be skips. She will take note if the student is consistently

forgetting the next ten or struggling with the teen numbers. These notes and the pre-assessment

results will be documented on a data chart created by the teacher. In order to formatively assess

students learning during the lesson, the teacher will continue to use a data chart that allows her

to record anecdotal notes on observations made. At the conclusion of the three lessons, the

students will complete a summative assessment that mirrors the pre-assessment. Students will

be called to individually meet with the teacher and count to 100. Their results will again be
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recorded on the data sheet, where the pre-assessment data was recorded. This will help show

whether or not the student made growth during the three day lessons. These assessments align

with the cluster Knowing number names and the count sequence under the Counting and

Cardinality domain, specifically K.CC.A.1 counting to 100 by ones and tens and K.CC.A. 2

counting forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having

to begin at 1). Due to the nature of the lessons, students are given the opportunity to practice

counting using kinesthetic strategies, which meets UDL Guidelines by providing multiple

means of representations specifically providing options for comprehension that support

memory and transfer. The lessons also provide multiple means of action and expressions by

providing options in the mode of physical response. The teacher will be using data charts as a

scoring tool for these lessons. These data charts will allow the teacher to collect data for the

lesson and the unit, using anecdotal notes.

Student Pre-assessment Post-assessment Percentage of Growth

JT

MW

HM

JF

BL
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Student counting to 100 by ones and tens Notes

JT

MW

HM

JF

BL

Student counting forward beginning from Notes

a given number within the known
sequence (instead of having to
begin at 1).

JT

MW

HM

JF

BL
Running header: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Student counting forward beginning from Notes

a given number within the known
sequence (instead of having to
begin at 1).

JT

MW

HM

JF

BL

Part C

The objects were stated in student friendly language at the beginning of each lesson.

This was after students participated in a quick engagement that consisted of a counting video

and hoping to count by tens. To ensure that students understood their expectations for

achievement which were aligned with the MCCRS standards and essential skills, students

were reminded that they would be working toward the goal of counting to 100. This is an

important skill since students are expected to reach it by the end of kindergarten. This skill is not

revisited in first grade. However, one student in particular is currently working toward his IEP

goal of counting to 20 since he just recently met his goal of counting to 10 consistently. On day

two, students are reminded of the terms ones place and tens place, which have been

discussed previously during Calendar Math. Then, on day three, students are introduced to a
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hundreds chart. They have seen this during Calendar Math as well, but have not used it very

often during math instruction.

Pre-assessment data was analyzed to make informed decisions during instruction. For

instance, JTis still working toward counting to 20, while the other students have made it to at

least 40. When students are given a number to work with during guided practice, JTis given a

number between 1 and 20, while the others are given higher numbers. As stated previously, each

lesson began with a quick introduction to motivate and engage children. On day one, students

watched a counting video, which involved movement and singing. On days two and three, the

students hopped to count by tens, which they enjoyed from day ones lesson. Students were then

introduced to the guided practice activity, which included new content such as the hundreds

chart.

Each lesson was carefully planned so that the teacher modeled new skills and allowed

opportunities for guided practice, then independent practice with feedback. On day one,

students hopped number cards in order to count to 100. The other students cheered their

classmate on as they worked. Then, on day two and three, students worked together with the

teacher to complete the activity. Day two, students used number cards to identify the pattern of

tens and ones. The teacher worked with students for numbers 10-30. Then each student was

given a set of cards to complete the pattern. JTwas given extra assistance since his number was

higher, but he demonstrated that he did not need as much help as anticipated. On day three,

students were given a strip of ten numbers and asked to count their numbers. This helped the

teacher to note which students were able to count on from a given number. All but one student

was able to do so. They then worked with the teacher to find where their strip should be placed

on the hundreds chart. After this first round, students were then asked to individually find the
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number strip that would go next. The students had to look at the last number and identify which

number would go next, which encouraged critical and creative thinking. All students were

able to successfully complete this activity.

At the end of each lesson, students were pulled individually to complete the formative

assessment, in which the teacher took note of how high the student could count. This allowed

the teacher to see if students were making progress. One day three, students were asked to count

without the hundreds chart first, then were given the hundreds chart if they were unable to

successfully count to 100. This allowed the teacher to see if students were able to count farther

when given the assistance of the hundreds chart. It was discovered on day two, after reviewing

assessment data, that one of the students was able to count to 100 fully independent. This

information allowed the teacher to then see if the student could count on from a higher number

and still independently reach 100. UDL strategies were incorporated with the use of movement

and math tools, such as the hundreds chart. This allowed students to learn kinesthetically and

visually. As stated before, IEP goals and individual needs were addressed by adjusting the

expectations of the students. JTwas given smaller numbers in order to help increase his success

to 20, since that is his current IEP goal. JF, was asked to count from 60 to 100 to see if he could

count on from a given number since he was already independently counting to 100 by day three.

Since each student met individually with the teacher, they received descriptive and

clear feedback regarding their progress toward the objective. Students were told where they

counted to the day before and were then able to see if they had made progress or not. Each day

students were able to count further, but only one student was completely independent with

counting to 100 by the end of the three lessons. At the end of each lesson, the teacher

summarized the important points by reminding students that they were working toward
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counting to 100 because this was a skill they need to accomplish before 1st grade. When the

assessment was given each day, students were congratulated for their progress and encouraged

to continue practicing so that they would soon reach the final goal of counting to 100 by ones.

Part D

The charts below display how high the students were able to count prior to

completing the three lessons. There was only one student who was able to count higher than 50

and one student had yet to reach 20. The other three students were struggling to reach thirty. Two

were able to count to 29, but then struggled to identify the next ten.

Student Pre-assessment Notes

JT 10 Unable to identify the teen numbers.

MW 29 Could not identify 30.

HM 24 Skips to 28, but is not able to go

back and fix it.

JF 29 Could not identify 30. Needed to go

back to 13, skips 14.

BL 69 Could not identify 50.

The following chart displays students progress at the conclusion of day one, when

students were expected to count to 100 by tens. Each student was pulled one-on-one to skip

count by tens with the teacher. If the student was able to count to 100 he or she received a score

of Independent. If the student was able to count to 50 or higher he or she received a score of

Progressing. If the student was unable to count above 50, then he or she received a score of

Emergent. As shown on the chart, all but one student was able to independently count to 100 by
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tens. JT was able to count by tens when hopping the numbers on the index cards, but he was

unable to do so without the cards. The notes that were taken on this day are observations made

during the instruction. The score the students received are recorded at the completion of the

lesson during the one-on-one time.

Student counting to 100 by ones and tens Notes

JT E (30) Struggled to say 40 and 50.

Is given extra practice counting on his
fingers and hopping with the cards.
*Was able to count with cards but
not without.

MW I Says 55 instead of 50, goes back to

practice again.

HM I Misses 80, but self corrects and starts

again.

JF I Was not counting with the video. Skips

50, but goes back to do it again and
is able to do it correctly.

BL I Not participating in video. Stares at

teacher instead of looking at the cards
when counting. Struggles to identify the
first card (10).

The next chart shows students progress demonstrated on day two of instruction.

Students worked together to complete a hundreds chart using index cards. The tens cards were

placed in a row and then students identified the correct ones. They worked to identify the pattern

of the hundreds chart. Students did a great job with this activity. The students were helpful to

their peers and independently completed their part of the pattern after the first set was completed

together. At the conclusion of the lesson, students were pulled one-on-one to count without the

cards displayed. One of the students consistently skipped the third number (23, 33, 43), but she

was able to go back and self-correct the mistake. Another student struggled to identify the card to
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be placed in the next 1s place, but was then able to recognize the pattern when completing the

second round of numbers.

Student counting forward beginning from Notes

a given number within the known
sequence (instead of having to
begin at 1).

JT E (13) Struggles with the next 1s.

MW E (49) Skips 3s but will go back. Still

struggles with tens after 49.

HM E (39) Struggles with next 1s after first, but

picks up on the pattern. Skips 15, but
is able to get to 39 when he goes
back.

JF I Skips 13, but goes back and counts to

100 accurately.

BL P (69) Picks up on the pattern of ones, but

struggles to identify the next ten after
69.

The third chart shows students progress demonstrated on day three of instruction.

Students are shown a hundreds chart and told they will be using this to complete a puzzle. Each

student is given a strip of ten and asked to count the numbers on the strip. All but one student

was able to do so. If the student was able to count to 100 without the hundreds chart he or she

received a score of Independent. If the student was able to count to 50 or higher he or she

received a score of Progressing. If the student was unable to count above 50, then he or she

received a score of Emergent. The teacher also made note of whether the student could count to

100 with the hundreds chart. One student independently counted to 100 without using the

hundreds chart. Three of the students counted past 50.

Student counting forward beginning from Notes

a given number within the known
Running header: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

sequence (instead of having to

begin at 1).

JT E (20) Counted 81-88 with the strip. Forgot

90. Skips 13 when counting one-on-
one, but is able to go back and reach
20.

MW P (59) Counts from 71-80 with the strip.

Counts to 59 with and without the
hundreds chart.

HM P (60) Counts 51-60 with the strip. Counts

to 60 with and without the hundreds
chart.

JF I Counts 61-70 with strip. Is able to

count to 100 and counts on from 60
to 100 as well.

BL P (80) Counts 41-50 with the strip. Is able

to count to 80 with and without the
hundreds chart.

At the conclusion of the 3 lessons, students are pulled one-on-one to count to 100 by

ones without the use of the hundreds chart or number cards as the summative assessment.

They are allowed to use their fingers to help them reach the next ten if needed. These tools

were encouraged during the lessons as a way to aid struggling students. The chart below

indicated students growth from the pre-assessment to the post assessment. In order to

calculate the students percentage of growth, the number that the student reached at the pre-

assessment is subtracted from the post assessment. The difference is turned into a percentage

since the goal is to reach 100.

Student Pre- Post Assessment Percentage of

assessment Growth

JT 10 20 10%
MW 29 49 20%
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HM 24 40 16%
JF 29 100 71%
BL 69 80 11%

As indicated on the chart above, only one of the students was successful at mastering the

standard. Even though the other four students did not master the skill, all students made 10% or

more growth. The students were taught to use tools in order to help them become more

successful and with continued practice should continue making growth. However, the use of the

hundreds chart did not seem to change the number to which students could count, but students

did demonstrate more confidence when using this tool.

To disaggregate the data based on the contextual factors of the school, the students in

the small group all identify as Caucasian. Three of the students receive speech services and one

students has been referred to team for academic concerns. One of the students currently receiving

speech services is having his IEP reviewed in order to see if he will qualify for services based on

attention concerns. This particular student made the least amount of progress during the three

lessons. The student who made the most progress does not currently receive any special

education services, but was struggling in the beginning of the year to follow rules and routines,

which caused some delays in his progress.

When analyzing the patterns of achievement, it was determined that the students who

had the greatest increase in their learning were the students who had already mastered the teen

numbers. However, the student who made the most progress is the student who is not receiving

special education services. He was the only student who mastered the given skill. When
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analyzing patterns for a lack of achievement, it was discovered that the student who was able

to count to 69 at the pre-assessment made little progress because she struggled to identify the

next ten. JT, who had just mastered counting to ten prior to these three lessons, showed little

progress because he is still having some difficulty identify the teen numbers.

For future instruction, to aid students in mastering the MCCSS standards, the

amount of lessons and individual practice in this learning cycle could be increased.

Counting is a skill most likely to be mastered by repetition. While the students made progress, all

but one were unable to master the standard during the three day lessons. The students could also

practice this skill with center like activities in order to increase their rate of mastery. It would

also be a good instruction technique to continue practicing with students using the tools they are

familiar with. Students should be given an opportunity daily to count to 100 using their fingers as

a tool to reach the next ten or using the hundreds chart as well. The tools can easily be weaned

slowly, but can be extremely useful when first mastering the skill. This daily practice does not

need to be a long lesson, but could occur first thing in the morning, during center time or even at

recess. It is also important to inform parents of the students goals and success so that parents can

continue working with students at home.

Part E

Upon reflection, the small group instruction was effective in increasing student

progress, however only one student mastered the MCCSS standard and essential skills and

knowledge. I believe that overall the unit was successful, but needs to continue over time. Many

of the students had yet to reach the halfway mark for this standard. Therefore, expecting them to

master the skill in only three days may have been an unrealistic goal. The fact that all students

made progress proved that the instruction strategies were appropriate. The assessments reflected
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the learning and were a good indicator of student success. The assessments also provided

multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning.

The instruction influenced student learning by increasing students number sense

and rote counting. One student, who has difficulty with articulation, struggled to say the

numbers correctly, which makes it challenging to know whether the student is counting in the

right sequence or not. This student was able practice correctly saying the numbers, especially on

day one when counting by tens. He had particular difficulty saying the numbers after 50, but with

practice he was showing improvement and I was able to pick up more on his error pattern. All

the students, including the student mentioned before, are struggling learners. They have

difficulty breaking tasks down and completing them in a timely matter. The day two lesson was

effective in helping them to recognize patterns in numbers and using this pattern to complete a

hundreds chart. On day three, students broke the hundreds chart into strips and counted on from a

given number. Besides increasing student number sense and rote counting, students were able to

practice breaking skills down into smaller tasks in order to reach mastery.

One implication from these instructional activities would be that I wish to extend the

length of time spent on this skill. It was difficult for students to make such a drastic jump in their

rote counting with only three days of explicit instruction. Another implication would be that

working independently with students seemed to be the most effective. While it would be difficult

to meet with students independently every day, I believe that providing students with hands on

activities to practice during workshops or centers may help increase student success. I could then

meet with the students individually to hear their counting. I believe that students need to practice

this skill daily, if not more than once during the day, in order to reach mastery. One way to help

implement these changes would be to use the resources available in my school. I already
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speak to the special educator frequently and she has begun working with students to reach this

goal. However, I could also meet with the STAT teacher and math resource teacher to help plan

activities that may include the use of technology. Lastly, I could reach out to the school

community to see if there are parents or other individuals who would be willing to volunteer

regularly in my classroom in order to assist these students in reaching mastery.

Two personal professional learning goals based on CEC standards surfaced as I

reflected on my instruction and the experience I had while implementing this unit. CEC

standard 1. learner development and individual learning differences had a major impact on

student success in this unit of instruction. The student that mastered the skill was not receiving

special education services because his academics are not impacted by any disability or learning

difficulty. However, he does have some difficulty attending to tasks. I believe the other students

struggled to reach mastery because they were so far behind at the beginning of the unit. This

made it difficult to catch up in such a short period of time. I would like to examine their learning

preferences more closely in order to better tailor the instruction to meet their needs. CEC

standard 5- instructional planning and strategies is another area that could use improvement.

This standard goes along with what was mentioned previously. In order to better meet the

individual needs of students, I would like to look more into the learning styles of these students.

This would allow me to create a more individualized instructional plan that incorporated more

strategies that may help these students reach mastery.