Measure of Student Learning: Analysis

Based on the data, there is overall growth from before the research to the end of the unit.

Throughout the unit, we had lessons for each element listed in the data (thesis development,

finding and evaluating sources, outlining, quote integration, MLA formatting and citing, and

conclusion development. Lessons included lectures, notes, videos, and activities. All of these can

be seen in the Research Unit Plan. Students were graded based on these elements.

I chose to focus on these elements because I noticed that a majority of students struggled

with these aspects on their analytical essays (mainly quote integration, thesis development,

outlining and conclusion development) and other aspects have not been touched upon in my class

(MLA formatting and citing, finding and evaluating sources). During these lessons, I made time

to meet with individual students to work on whatever they were struggling with the most.

A few students made grade improvements. In this paper, I saw both Ryan and Marissa

improve with quote integration. In their analytical papers, both of these students would “drop

quotes,” meaning the quotes did not have context, were awkwardly placed, and lacked analysis.

With the worksheet and my guidance, these students integrated quotes seamlessly into their

research papers and improved their essays overall.

A few students that made this assignment a challenge were Olivia, Julia, and David.

These students have a higher readiness level than most of the other students in the class, so they

already felt comfortable and excelled in all/most elements. With these students, I worked to push

them further than the other students. These students chose more challenging topics, more

challenging articles to read, and came up with more in-depth theses. It may not be shown from

the data, but these students still improved their skills through this unit.