Running head: IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Impact on Student Learning Assessment Project

Robert L. Green
Florida SouthWestern State College
MAE4940 Internship in Middle/Secondary Education with Math Emphasis
Prof. Mary Robertson
November 22, 2014

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

2
Abstract

The purpose of this assignment allowed the teacher candidate to create a unit on a given topic by
his or her mentor teacher, analyze the results from the pre-assessment based on the lesson,
modify the lesson plan according to the results, reassess the students using the same or similar
assessment, and analyze the results of the post-assessment. The topic of the lesson my mentor
teacher and I chose to complete this assessment was on integers, rational numbers, and the
coordinate plane. Both assessments were administered by me to both Ms. A's third period core
math class and seventh period core math class. This report will include all forty students who
took both assessments and participated in the units lessons that occurred over a period of one
month. The results from this project will be discussed in the following sections: Pre-Test,
Lesson, Post-Test, and Final Reflection.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Impact on Student Learning Assessment Project

Introduction
This semester, I was placed at Punta Gorda Middle School with Ms. A. Ms. A currently
teaches four core math courses and two exploratory math course that focuses on real-life math
skills. My mentor teacher and I agreed to use the unit on integers, rational numbers, and the
coordinate plane for this project. Furthermore, we also agreed to use the results from our third
period core math class and seventh period core math class for this assignment. The unit was
intended for 25 46-minute class periods. My unit on integers, rational numbers, and the
coordinate plane focused on the Florida State Standards of MAFS.6.NS.3.5, MAFS.6.NS.3.6,
MAFS.6.NS.3.7, and MAFS.6.NS.3.8 (refer to Appendix B for standard descriptions and related
learning objectives). The cluster MAFS.6.NS.3 focuses on having the students extend their
prior knowledge of the number system to include rational number which encases whole numbers
and integers. The following was my students' overall objective for the unit on rational numbers:
Given a post-test with twenty-five questions related to integers, rational numbers, and the
coordinate plane, students will correctly identify integers from real-world situations, plot
integers and rational numbers on a number line and a coordinate plane, compare and/or
order integers and rational numbers, create a number line using an appropriate scale, and
identify a point's coordinate and quadrant with 80% accuracy.
Prior to the pre-test administration, I have already planned to incorporate several types of
assessment to assess how well the students understand the material being presented. In this unit,
there will be three quizzes. The first quiz will focus on the lessons taught on integers. The
second quiz will be an authentic assessment, where the students will create an unknown picture
as they plot points and connect lines on a coordinate plane. The third quiz will assess the

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

students' knowledge on what we learned in the first two-thirds of the unit with the addition of
rational numbers. Finally, tracking sheets will be an informal assessment of the students as they
will rate their understanding on a four point scale that was adopted by the county. My overall
goal for this project is to increase the class average on the post-test by at least 20%.
Demographics
To give the reader a better understanding of my results, I wanted to provide a brief
overview of the demographics from Ms. A's core math classes before I address the results for this
project. The intention of using data from third period and seventh period was due to the fact I
could compare two English Language Learner (ELL) students because that was the only category
I could not include if I used only one of the two periods. Third period has a total of 19 students
from the Deep Creek, Charlotte Harbor, and Punta Gorda areas. The gender ration in this class is
seven females to twelve males. In regards to academic achievement on standardized tests, Ms.
A's third period is composed of students who scored a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 on the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) from the previous school year. Out of the entire class,
only two students obtain the latter of the three levels. The majority of the class was a mixture of
Level 1 and Level 2. In addition to the low academic achievement on the state's standardized
test, this period has a unique mixture of students in need of accommodations. Third period has
one ELL student, five students with and Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and five students
with a 504 Plan. As a result, Ms. A and I have come to an agreement that third period was going
to be one of our lower performing core math periods out of the four we have this school year.
Seventh period has a similar composition when it comes to the students' geographical
data, but there is a big difference in gender, academic achievement, and students with special
needs. Seventh period is composed of 21 students. Based on academic achievement on the

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

FCAT, this group has a more evenly mixed of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 students. In
addition, this class has only one ELL student who also has an IEP in addition to her ELL
accommodations. Compared to third period, seventh period only has three students with a 504
Plan. Finally, seventh period's gender composite is the opposite of third period. Despite the
additional two students in this period, there are thirteen female students to eight male students.
Based on the first quarter results, Ms. A and I came to the agreement that seventh period is a
fence sitter when it comes to identifying if the group will be a mid-performing group or a lowperforming group due to the behavior problems we both have encounter thus far in the school
year.
Pre-Test
The pre-test and post-test I used for this project contained the same types of problems
with different numerical values. The test was composed of 25 questions (refer to Appendix A).
The first three questions asked the students to write an integer for each real-life scenario. The
following two questions required the students to plot integers on the number line. The next
section included three problems that the students had to evaluate the absolute values and solve
one word problem related to absolute value. For the next five problems, the students had to
compare integers with and without absolute values. The following section involved the students
with ordering sets of integers and rational numbers from least to greatest. Next, the students had
to create a number line with a chosen scale in order to plot a set of rational numbers. Finally, the
last six questions asked the students to plot coordinates with integers and rational numbers on a
coordinate plane, indentify coordinates and/or quadrants of points already plotted on a coordinate
plane. The reason I chose these question was due to what was required in the standards and the
level of difficulty the students will encounter on the new standardized test in the spring.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

I administered the pre-test on October 10, 2014 to all core math classes. The students had
one 46-minute period to complete the pre-test. Students with extended time accommodations
were allowed to come before first period to complete the remainder of the test. After collecting
all the pre-tests, I graded each question out of four points for a grand total of 100 points since
there were 25questions. On certain questions, students could receive partial credit for showing
the work or answering part of the question correctly. Table 1 contains the results for each
student in third period who participated in all three parts of the project. The pre-test data
included the students' pseudonym, gender, and score.
Table 1
Third Period's Pre-Test Data
Pseudonym
Gender
Pre-Test Score
62
Student A3
Male
52
Student B3
Male
42
Student C3
Male
28
Student D3
Male
0
Student E7
Male
42
Student E3
Male
54
Student F3
Male
50
Student G3
Female
30
Student H3
Female
57
Student I3
Female
34
Student J3
Male
72
Student K3
Female
72
Student L3
Male
73
Student M3
Female
40
Student N3
Male
30
Student P3
Female
67
Student Q3
Female
52
Student R3
Male
70
Student S3
Male
Note. Student E7 had a schedule change and
moved from seventh period to third period.
Student O3 had a schedule change.

Based on the pre-test scores, third period had a class average of 48.8% which meant they had

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

some background knowledge on the number system. The males' pre-test average was 45.7%,
while the females' pre-test average was 54.1%. I found this interesting since a good portion of
the female students were ELL, Exceptional Student Education (ESE), or 504. Also, when
comparing students with an IEP (Student D3, Student E3, Student F3, Student G3, and Student
N3), I found that the majority of the students scored within the 40-55 percent range. Student D3
was the only exception because he scored lower than the rest of his peers. Finally, the students
with a 504 Plan scores were a bit more evenly spaced, but the achievement level varied more for
the students with a 504 than students with an IEP.
Table 2
Seventh Period's Pre-Test Data
Pseudonym
Gender
Pre-Test Score
32
Student A7
Female
62
Student B7
Female
11
Student C7
Female
16
Student D7
Female
16
Student F7
Male
32
Student G7
Female
24
Student H7
Female
29
Student I7
Male
39
Student J7
Female
52
Student K7
Female
0
Student L7
Female
72
Student M7
Female
34
Student N7
Male
41
Student O7
Male
8
Student P7
Male
38
Student Q7
Male
16
Student R7
Male
42
Student S7
Female
52
Student T7
Male
61
Student U7
Female
28
Student V7
Female
Note. Student E7 had a schedule change and
moved from seventh period to third period.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Table 2 contains the results for each student in seventh period who participated in all three parts
of the project. The pre-test data included the students' pseudonym, gender, and score. Based on
the pre-test scores, third period had a class average of 33.6% which is 12.1% less than the class
average for third period. This could have meant that they did not have the same mathematical
background in the number system than third period or it was a forgotten skill. The males' pretest average was 29.3%, while the females' pre-test average was 36.2%. Again, the results have
shown that the female's students outperformed the male students on the pre-test. Since the ELL
student is also the only ESE student for this period, I will discuss her results in more depth in the
post-test results. As for the students with 504 Plans (Student C7, Student F7, and Student T7),
Student C7 and Student F7 had a similar level of achievement on the rational number system, but
Student T7 had a higher level of achievement because he was about 40 points higher than
Student C7 and Student F7.
Table 3.1
Question Analysis of Pre-Test Part I
Number of Students Who
Number of Students
Answer Incorrectly or
Questions
Who Answered Correctly
Received Partial Credit
11
1
29
11
2
29
18
3
22
16
4
24
14
5
25
24
6
16
27
7
13
26
8
14
26
9
14
13
10
23
17
11
33
16
12
34
27
13
13
Note. Due to limited space restrains of the paper, this is the first part of the
question analysis for the pre-test.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Table 3.1 displays the students' response to each of the pre-test's first 13 questions. The
data shows how many students received full credit for answering the question correctly or
incorrectly. Since I gave the students partial credit for some of the problems, I put those
responses with the incorrect answers because the students' response was not fully correct. Based
on the results, the area the students need more guidance in learning how to evaluate and compare
the absolute value of rational numbers.
Table 3.2
Question Analysis of Pre-Test Part II
Number of Students Who
Answer Incorrectly or
Received Partial Credit

Number of Students
Questions
Who Answered Correctly
30
14
10
18
15
22
39
16
1
35
17
5
34
18
6
33
19
7
34
20
6
40
21
0
32
22
8
23
23
17
29
24
11
40
25
0
Note. Due to limited space restrains of the paper, this is the second part of
the question analysis for the pre-test.

Table 3.2 displays the remaining twelve questions of the pre-test. The idea of more guidance
with absolute value of rational number still holds true for Question 14 which compares the
absolute value of two integers. The next major section that students will need guidance with
ordering rational numbers, creating numbers lines with a scale to plot rational numbers, plotting
integers and rational numbers on the coordinate plane, and identifying a point's quadrant because
the students scored the lowest in these areas. Due to the results of the pre-test, I decided to

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concentrate on evaluating and comparing the absolute value of rational numbers, ordering
rational numbers, creating numbers lines with a scale to plot rational numbers, plotting integers
and rational numbers on the coordinate plane, and identifying a point's quadrant as the main
focus of my instruction.
Instruction
Prior to the pre-test, I had already planned out the sequence of the lessons for my unit on
integers, rational numbers, and the coordinate plane. Table 4 shows my original plan for the
unit.
Table 4
Original Instructional Map for Integers, Rational Numbers, and the Coordinate Plane Unit
Number of Days
Topic/Assessment
Cluster/Standard(s)
MAFS.6.NS.3
1
Pres-Test
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
1
Introduction to Integers
1

Comparing Integers

Ordering Integers

Integer Review

Integer Quiz

Introduction to the Coordinate Plane

Plotting Coordinates

Identifying Coordinates

Eagle Assessment

1
2
2
1

Absolute Value
Decimals to Fractions
Fractions to Decimals
Comparing Rational Numbers

Ordering Rational Numbers

MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
Prerequisite
Prerequisite
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6

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1
1
2

Rational Numbers Review

Rational Number Quiz
Rational Numbers and the Coordinate Plane

1
Unit Review
1
Post-Test
Note. Unit plan prior to pre-test

11
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3
MAFS.6.NS.3

Since I had to focus on evaluating and comparing the absolute value of rational numbers,
ordering rational numbers, creating numbers lines with a scale to plot rational numbers, plotting
integers and rational numbers on the coordinate plane, and identifying a point's quadrant, I had to
change the pacing of my unit and remove the third quiz and quiz review from the unit since my
unit had a time restriction. As a result, I had to create a pacing guide to meet the needs of my
students. Table 5 shows the new pacing guide as the result of the pre-test.
Table 5
Revised Instructional Map for Integers, Rational Numbers, and the Coordinate Plane Unit
Number of Days
Topic/Assessment
Cluster/Standard(s)
MAFS.6.NS.3
1
Pres-Test
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
1
Introduction to Integers
2

Comparing Integers

Ordering Integers

Integer Review

Integer Quiz

The Coordinate Plan

Eagle Assessment

1
1
2
2

Absolute Value
Decimals to Fractions
Fractions to Decimals
Comparing Rational Numbers

MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
Prerequisite
Prerequisite
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.7

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2
2

Ordering Rational Numbers

Rational Numbers and the Coordinate Plane

1
Unit Review
1
Post-Test
Note. Unit plan after pre-test.

12
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
MAFS.6.NS.3
MAFS.6.NS.3

Even though I had to modify the pacing of the unit, I still encounter problems which will be
discussed at later.
In addition to the pacing of the unit, I planned to incorporate cooperative learning
activities, manipulatives, and real-world scenarios to help improve the instruction of the lessons
and keep the students engaged in the lesson. The cooperative learning games used the thinkpair-share strategy as well as the think-whole-group-share strategy. One use of the think-pairshare strategy was during the unit review game called Musical iPads. Student were put into pairs
and had to fill out a recording sheet based on the question they received after scanning a QR
code with their iPads. Each pair had to work together to solve the problem within a time-limit of
two minutes. During the integer review, I created a game based of the game show Deal or No
Deal. The game followed the traditional rules, but the reward was either extra credit points on
the integer quiz, extra credit points on the post-test, or no extra credit points. It was up to the
students to work together to get the correct answer on the review question to pick a briefcase to
open and decided whether to take the banker's offer or not. I used both strategies repeatedly
throughout the unit, but these two activities show the most student engagement.
As for manipulative, I have used whiteboards, grid boards (whiteboards with a coordinate
plan drawn on it), interactive games, human number lines, and a foldable during the unit. The
most useful manipulatives were the human number lines and the coordinate plane foldable.
When we first started comparing integers and rational numbers, I had two students hold a regular

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13

number line I created with yarn and card stock. Then, I handed the rest of the class a card with
an integer or a rational number depending on what lesson I was teaching. After looking at their
cards, the students had to plot themselves on the number line. During this activity, the students
were fully engaged in learning how to plot points on a number line and had fun in the process.
The students also enjoyed the foldable I created. It contained eight flaps, two per side, and a
coordinate plane as the center. On the front of two sets of the flaps, the students wrote the
quadrant number. Next, the students labeled the coordinate pair combination for each quadrant
on the front of the other set of flaps. After opening the flaps, the students identified if the x and y
values were positive or negative on the back of the flaps. Finally, the center of the foldable
housed the parts of the coordinate plane and an arrow showing the direction for the order of the
quadrants. Based on the comments I received from the students, they really enjoyed putting
together the foldable and found it easy to use and study for the test.
Another important part of the unit was to incorporate real-world scenarios to help the
students make the connection between the skills and their use in life. For the first part of the
unit, we talked about how integers can be used in real-world applications. After discussing how
we can use integers in the real world, I taught the students how to identify integers from
statements of real-world scenarios. Another way I incorporated world-world applications was
during the lessons on the coordinate plane. For the integer portion of the unit, I used a Scholastic
Math article and activity about the traveling patterns of snowy owls. The students had to plot the
path taken by a tracked owl and answer questions based on the path. The other real-world
connection I used during this unit was tracking a hurricane. Introduced to the students how the
Earth is a coordinate plane and that the equator is the x-axis and the prime meridian is the y-axis.
Next, I established the quadrants of the world's coordinate plane by relating the location of the

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14

continents to the equator and the prime meridian. Since this was the ten-year anniversary of
Hurricane Charley, I had the students graph its path on a map grid of the second quadrant. The
numbers used in the coordinates were decimals, so it dovetailed nicely with the rational number
part of the coordinate plane lesson. Overall, I feel the real-world connections not only help
improved the understanding of the lessons, but it also made the lesson more diverse when it
comes to interdisciplinary instruction.
For a majority of the unit, the pacing of the unit map remained intact until I reached the
perquisite skills and the first part of the rational numbers' section of the unit. The idea of
comparing and ordering fractions can be an abstract concept for most students. As a result, I
encountered problems when I taught the students how to convert from a fraction to a decimal and
a decimal to a fraction. The students had a hard time understanding this part of the lesson, so I
tried the chunking strategy to see if that could help the students understand the concept. For a
majority of the time the chunking strategy worked, but the students still had problems with
converting from a fraction to a decimal. I know they need additional time and practice to
improve their performance on mastering this concept, so my mentor and I came up with the idea
to incorporate this skill into other units as well. This did not help the immediate problems, but I
had to move on to the next topic.
Since the students had problems with converting fractions to decimals and vise versa, I
knew that this section of unit was going to be huge obstacle to overcome. After I completely
failed to teach the lesson on comparing rational numbers, I realized that my mentor and I did not
teach the students how to find the least common denominator using the least common multiple
(LCM). I understand that this skill was taught to them in elementary school, but I think they
need a refresher lesson on the skill. As a result, I created a mini-lesson on LCM and combined

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

15

comparing and ordering rational numbers together since you need to compare numbers before
you put them in order. After making these changes late in the unit, the students were able to
understand the last portion of the unit and were reading to take the post-test.
Post-Test
On November 14, I administer the post-test to the students. To make sure the validity
and the reliability of the test remained the same, I had the same number and types of questions.
The only difference between the pre-test and post-test was the use of different numbers and reallife scenarios. Based on the following graphs, I am pleased to say the class average for the posttest had increase by more than 25 percent.
Figure 1

Number of Quiz Items Answered

Correctly by Student with Partial Credit

Students' Pre-Test & Post-Test Scores

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Pre-Test
Post-Test

Students in Ms. A's 3rd Period Core Math Class

Figure 1 displays the comparison between the pre-test and post-test scores for all the students in
Ms. A's third period. With the exception of Student C3, all students made gains on the post-test.
This period's class average went from a 48.8% to an 80.0% (Note: The class average was
rounded to the nearest tenth.) which is a 31.2% increase in the class average score. Despite the

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

16

fact that the student had a difficult time at the beginning of the rational numbers part of the unit,
the students did well. I still there is room for improvement when it comes to this cluster, but I
believe the students have an average to slightly above average understanding of the material
taught. As for Student C3, the reason for his decrease in his post-test score is directly related to
his classroom behavior, absences, and in school suspensions. He missed a majority of the
lessons and did to follow through to make up the work or seek help for lessons he had missed.
Even though he is outlier for this class, I think his performance does not affect his classmates'
performance as a whole. Figure 2 displays the comparison between the pre-test and post-test
Figure 2

Number of Quiz Items Answered

Correctly by Student with Partial Credit

Students' Pre-Test & Post-Test Scores

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Pre-Test
Post-Test

Students in Ms. A's 7th Period Core Math Class

scores for all the students in Ms. A's seventh period. This period's class average went from a
33.6% to a 77.3% (Note: The class average was rounded to the nearest tenth.) which is a 43.7%
increase in the class average score. Unlike third period, seventh period had all increases. In
addition, it appears a majority of the students have increased their score tremendously in
comparison to their pre-test score. In comparison to third grade, this group made a larger gain in

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

17

the class average score; however, when comparing the ability level of seventh period to the
ability of third period, I believe that third period made a larger gain in accordance to the mixture
of abilities in that period. Despite my personal opinions, I believe each group did an excellent
job on the post-test.
Figure 3

Gender Comparison
90

Average Test Scores

80
70
60
50
40

Pre-Test

30

Post-Test

20
10
0

Female
Male
Female vs. Male Test Results
The following portion of the post-test data analysis will focus on breaking down the data
to look at specific subgroups within the classroom. First up is the gender comparison (see Figure
3). It is my personal believe that both boys and girls have the same potential of learning
mathematics. During the pre-test discussion, the data showed that the female students from both
periods outperformed the male students. The post-test data shows the same trend between the
two classes. The female students had an average score of 84% while the male students managed
a 72% post-test average score. If you would compare the average score increase between the
female students and the male students, the female students have an average score increase of
39% while the male students increased their average score by 35%. Based on this data, it

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

18

appears that both the females and males students made the same amount of progress between the
pre-test and post-test as a result of my instruction. When it came to analyzing the results from the
Figure 4

ELL Comparison
90
80

Test Scores

70
60
50
40

Pre-Test

30

Post-Test

20
10
0
Student P3

Student H7
ELL Students

pre-test and post-test between the two ELL students that were included in this project, both of
them made adequate progress from the time they took the pre-test to the post-test. Figure 4 show
that both students increased their score significantly Student P3 was able to increase her score to
an 83% while Student H7 increased her score to a 71%. When compared to their pre-test score,
Student P3 increased her test score by 53%, while Student H7 increased her score by 47%.
When comparing the two ELL students, it appears that Student P3 has made a larger gain that
Student H7, but please keep in mind that Student H7 has also been classified as ESE student as
well as an ELL student. Despite the six percent difference between the two girls' post-test
scores, Student H7 made equal or even greater than Student P3. Finally, we have come to the
last two subgroup, students with an IEP and students with a 504 Plan. The only major difference
between the two groups is that students with an IEP qualified for special accommodations due to

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

19
Figure 5

Students with an IEP Comparison

100
90

Test Scores

80
70
60
50

Pre-Test

40

Post-Test

30
20
10
0

Student D3 Student E3 Student F3 Student G3 Student N3 Student H7

Students with an IEP
following under one of the definitions of Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA) while the
other students qualified for general accommodations due to their needs. All of the students with
an IEP made gains on the post-test. Student D3 increased his pre-test score by 48% on the posttest; Student E3 increased his pre-test score by 35.5% on the post-test; Student F3 increased his
pre-test score by 25% on the post-test; Student G3 increased her pre-test score by 40% on the
post-test; and, Student N3 increased his pre-test score by 52% on the post-test. As a result, it
appears that Student N3 had the greatest gain, but I am glad that all six students were able to
increase their score and understand the topics I taught during this unit.
With the exception of Student C3, all of the students with a 504 made gains on the posttest as well (refer to Figure 6). Out of the entire subgroup, Student C7 made the largest gain in
her subgroup. Even though her post-test score is considered to be a "D" on the grading scale,
Student C7 was able to increase her pre-test score by 54%. What I find interesting about this set
of data is that the two students with the highest gain (Student C7 and Student F7) from the pre-

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test to the post-test belonged to seventh period where there is a higher frequency of behavior
problems during this period. Since students with a 504 and students with an IEP have similar
Figure 6

Test Scores

Students with a 504 Plan Comparison

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Pre-Test
Post-Test

Student Student Student Student Student Student Student Student

A3
C3
H3
I3
R3
C7
F7
T7
Students with a 504 Plan
needs and accommodations, I think it would be worthwhile to complete a quick comparison
between the two subgroups. When comparing the post-test score for both subgroups, the
students with an IEP made a larger gain on the post-test with an increase average score of 8.9%.
In addition, the students with an IEP made a larger gain from the pre-test to the post-test with
42.3% compared to the students with a 504 Plan who had a gain of 31.8%. We also have to take
into account that the reasons behind Student C3's post-test could have affected the subgroup's
average score. Even though it appears the students with special needs had a larger gain on the
post-test than the students with a 504 Plan, I believe that both subgroups of students did an
excellent job on the post-test.

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Figure 7

40
35
30
25
20
15
10

Pre-Test

Post-Test

0
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10
Question 11
Question 12
Question 13
Question 14
Question 15
Question 16
Question 17
Question 18
Question 19
Question 20
Question 21
Question 22
Question 23
Question 24
Question 25

Number of Students Who Answered

the Problem Correctly

Questions Analysis: Answered Correctly

Pre-Test and Post-Test Questions

Figure 8

Number of Students Who Answered the

Problem Incorrectly
(Including Partial Credit)

Question Analysis: Answered Incorrectly

(Including Partial Credit)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10

Pre-Test

Post-Test

Pre-Test and Post-Test Questions

The final section that I would like to discuss is the post-test test question analysis. Figure 7
shows the number of students who answered each question correctly on the pre-test and the post-

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test while Figure 8 displays the number of students who received partial credit or answered each
question incorrectly. With the exception of the ninth question, Figure 7 is the exact mirror of
Figure 8. In figure 7, the number of students who answered each question correctly increased as
the number of students who received partial credit or answered the question incorrectly
decreased. Question 9 seems to be the outlier of the data recorded for the question analysis. It
appears that the number of students who answered this question correctly decrease instead of
increased. I believe the results for this question is due to the fact the students had an average
understanding of absolute value. Some of the students thought that the absolute value of the
number is its opposite which could have led the students to believe that -33 feet was the correct
answer. On another note, it appears that the students had a slight struggle with absolute value
and plotting rational numbers using a scaled number line. In both cases, I believe the results
were due to my instruction. I only spent a day on absolute value and did not go into great detail
on how to create numbers with rational numbers due to the difficulties the students encountered
with comparing and order rational numbers. Despite this finding, I think the results that the
students did have an average to above average understanding of integers, rational numbers, and
the coordinate plane.
Final Reflection
At first, I thought I could accomplish the integer, rational numbers, and the coordinate
plane unit in two weeks. I was strongly mistaken. If it was not for the due date of this project
and Charlotte County Public School's pacing guide, I think I would have spent a couple of days
more on a few topics. For a majority of the unit, I felt I did an excellent job teaching the students
what they needed to know by teaching to the standards. With the exception of absolute value of
integers, only a handful of students did not master the skills on integers. I felt they did an

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excellent job on this section. Also, I believe the students did an excellent job on graphing points
and identifying parts of a coordinate plane. The only portion of I felt I failed my students was
during the rational portion of the test as previously discussed. I think they did not fully
understand the topic which reflects in the results of the post-test.
On a more positive note, I felt this project had helped me improve my instruction as well
as increasing my understanding on how to modify the pacing of a unit when encountering
obstacles. The pre-test portion of the project helped me restructure my pacing and instruction of
the unit. I figured out where to add addition on time on a particular topic and omit activities and
assessments in order to spend more time on instruction rather than assessing the students.
During the instruction section of the project, I learned that you might have to develop mini
lessons in order to bridge the gap between a previous skill and a new concept. Finally, the posttest portion of the project allowed me to see the fruits of my labor despite the obstacles the
students and I had to overcome. Overall, I feel that this assessment project was successful since
I was able to achieve my goal of increasing the class average by 20%.
Conclusion
The purpose of this assignment allowed the teacher candidate to create a unit plan on a
given topic by his or her mentor teacher, analyze the results from the pre-assessment based on
the lesson, modify the lesson plan according to the results, reassess the students using the same
or similar assessment, and analyze the results of the post-assessment. After completing this
project, I believe that all educators, both in-service teachers and current educators, should
complete this type of and data analysis several times a year to track their students progress.
Future use of this project would also allow teachers to keep anecdotal records of their students
progress for accountability purposes. On a personal note, I feel that my ability to guide

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instruction according to assessment data has improved. I feel more confident in planning and
creating my lessons. As I adventure into my own classroom, I will definitely use this project as a
template to help improve or guide my instruction.

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Appendix A

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Appendix B
Cluster

MAFS.6.NS.3
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by
fractions.
Standards
MAFS.6.NS.3.5
Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having
opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea
level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to
represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
MAFS.6.NS.3.6
Understand a rational number as a point on the number line. Extend number line diagrams and
coordinate axes familiar from previous grades to represent points on the line and in the plane
with negative number coordinates.
a. Recognize opposite signs of numbers as indicating locations on opposite sides of 0 on the
number line; recognize that the opposite of the opposite of a number is the number itself,
e.g., (3) = 3, and that 0 is its own opposite.
b. Understand signs of numbers in ordered pairs as indicating locations in quadrants of the
coordinate plane; recognize that when two ordered pairs differ only by signs, the
locations of the points are related by reflections across one or both axes.

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c. Find and position integers and other rational numbers on a horizontal or vertical number
line diagram; find and position pairs of integers and other rational numbers on a
coordinate plane.
MAFS.6.NS.3.7
Understand ordering and absolute value of rational numbers.
a. Interpret statements of inequality as statements about the relative position of two numbers
on a number line diagram. For example, interpret -3 > -7 as a statement that -3 is located
to the right of -7 on a number line oriented from left to right.
b. Write, interpret, and explain statements of order for rational numbers in real-world
contexts. For example, write -3 oC > -7 oC to express the fact that -3 oC is warmer than 7oC.
c. Understand the absolute value of a rational number as its distance from 0 on the number
line; interpret absolute value as magnitude for a positive or negative quantity in a realworld situation. For example, for an account balance of -30 dollars, write |-30| = 30 to
describe the size of the debt in dollars.
d. Distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about order. For example,
recognize that an account balance less than -30 dollars represents a debt greater than 30
dollars.
MAFS.6.NS.3.8
Solve real-world and mathematical problems by graphing points in all four quadrants of the
coordinate plane. Include use of coordinates and absolute value to find distances between points
with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate.

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Objectives

After a class discussion on how integers related to the real world, students will correctly
identify integers from real-world situations with 80% accuracy.

After direction instruction on integers, students will identify correctly identify an integer
and it opposite with 80% accuracy.

After direct instruction on ordering and comparing integers and rational numbers,
students will correctly graph integers and rational numbers on a number line with 80%
accuracy.

After direct instruction on ordering and comparing integers and rational numbers,
students will correctly create a number line using a scale to correctly plot integers and
rational numbers on a number line with 80% accuracy.

After direct instruction on ordering and comparing integers and rational numbers,
students will compare and order integers and rational number from least to greatest and
greatest to least with 80% accuracy.

After direct instruction on integers, rational numbers and the coordinate plane, students
will correctly graph integers and rational numbers on a coordinate plane with 80%
accuracy.

After direct instruction on integers, rational numbers and the coordinate plane, students
will correctly graph coordinates with integers and rational numbers on a coordinate plane
with 80% accuracy.

After reading the Scholastic Math article on snowy owls and using coordinate planes to
trace migration patterns, students will correctly plot the coordinates of an owl's migration
path with 80% accuracy.

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After direction instruction on hurricane tracking and it relationship to the coordinate

plane, students will recreate the path of Hurricane Charley by correctly plotting points on
a hurricane tracking sheet with 80% accuracy.

After direct instruction on absolute value, students will compare the absolute values of
integers and rational numbers, order the absolute value of integers and rational numbers,
and solve word problems related to absolute value, integers, and rational numbers with
80% accuracy.