EDU 345 SFA Tutoring Final Exam (Summative Report)

Spring 2019

Ariel Morales
1. Introduction

Josiah is an African American first-grade student who lives in a suburban area with his

mom, dad, and siblings. He loves sports and science and his favorite part of school is physical

education. Having previously been tutored in the Fall of 2018, he has already made excellent

progress in his reading skills. Upon meeting Josiah, he was quiet and a bit reserved but by the

end of our first session he had warmed up and was telling me about himself.

Josiah has stated that he doesn’t like to read and has said that he thinks it is boring. He

struggles with focus and often becomes distracted. During our tutoring sessions I was able to get

him motivated with different reward strategies but still struggled to get him to complete

everything planned in a timely manner.

Further, Josiah shows no social or behavior challenges and is a very respectful boy.

However, I did notice that whenever he was unsure of an answer or began to lose focus, he

became fidgety and would squint his eyes as if trying to think. He is a very active boy and likes

interactive lessons that require any type of movement. He is responsive to constructive criticism

and responds well to reinforcement. It has been wonderful working with Josiah and getting to

know him.
2. Pre-assessment, Formative, and Summative Results

Pre- F1 F2 Final 3-4 Summative Reflection

assessment Formative Formative Lessons (Objective Met/Unmet)
Objective 1 Objective 1 Objective 1 Objective 1 Met
Phonemic Phonemic Phonemic Phonemic End of semester data shows mastery of
Awareness Awareness Awareness Awareness blending. The student has shown great
(Blends) (Segments) (Segments) growth and progress with this skill. Due
to mastery, we moved onto segmenting
part-way through the semester.
Unmet
End of semester data shows continued
struggle with segmenting, showing slow
but steady progress. However, the
student has established the difference
between blending and is on the way to
mastery.
Objective 2 Objective 2 Objective 2 Objective 2 Met
Letter Skills Letter Skills Letter Skills Letter Skills End of semester data shows mastery of
(Letter (Letter (Letter Letter naming. The student struggled
Naming) Naming) Naming) with letter naming during the pre-
assessment often giving me the sound
instead of the letter name. During the
lessons there was little sign of struggle
which led me to believe that, since this
was the last portion of the assessment
given during the pre-assessment, that he
had reached his focus limit, skewing my
assessment results.
Objective 3 Objective 3 Objective 3 Objective 3 Met
Word Skills Word Skills Word Skills Word Skills End of semester data shows mastery of
I I (Blends) I (Blends) I (Blends) blending. The student has shown great
growth and progress with this skill.
Objective 4 Objective 4 Objective 4 Objective 4 Unmet
Word Skills Word Skills Word Skills Word Skills End of semester data shows continued
II II(Segments) II(Segments) II(Segments) struggle with segmenting, showing slow
but steady progress. However, the
student has established the difference
between blending and is on the way to
mastery.
Objective 5 Objective 5 Objective 5 Objective 5 Unmet
Sight Words Sight Words Sight Words Sight Words End of semester data shows continued
struggle with sight words. The student
has shown great progress with his sight
words and has met his goal of recalling
5 new essential sight words. This said,
he still has room to grow and needs to
continue practicing his sight words in
school and at home.
Data Table 1. Showing the results and objectives throughout tutoring
 During the pre-assessment, Josiah struggled with his letter names, sight words, word

skills (blending), and long vowel sounds. During the Sight Word (SW) assessment he missed 6

of the words in set 1. Josiah also missed set 4 of the Letter Skills (LS) 1 assessment which

focused on long vowels. However, before I could stop him, he continued in the assessment and

showed that he is currently working on and gaining an understanding of sets 5-9. Moving

through to part two of the assessment he showed no understanding of the concept of blending

assessed in the Word Skills (WS) section. We then stopped the assessment per the instructions.

The results of the assessment imply that Josiah is between part one and part two of the

assessment and will be in tutoring plan part 2. Working on his WS, LS, and SW will hopefully

lead to success in the re-assessment and final assessment!

Throughout my time tutoring Josiah, I focused on sight words, mastery of letter names,

segmenting and blending. I wanted to be fully confident that he had mastered part one of the

assessment and was entirely ready for part two before we moved on. I began with a review of

letter names and letter sounds before going on to teach blending and sight words. I also

attempted to “hook” Josiah into reading with fun and engaging books separate from the Success

for All (SFA) tutoring plan. These books were age-appropriate as well as developmentally

appropriate and focused on the students’ interests. These books served as a brain break after

engaging in tutoring activities and instruction. As Josiah showed mastery of certain skills, I

moved him onto other more challenging activities and worked to develop his endurance.
3. Summative Assessment Reflection

Letter Naming

Josiah struggled with letter naming during the assessment but performed very well during

the first set of sessions. This was the last section we did of the assessment which made me think

that he may have reached his limit for focus. He has made excellent progress and shows mastery

of letter naming now! Josiah showed no struggle with letter naming during the second

assessment and has made excellent progress and shows mastery of letter naming now. As he has

mastered Letter Naming, we moved onto the skill of segmenting for the final half of our sessions

together.

Phonemic Awareness/Word Skills: Blending

Josiah has done a wonderful job of blending. I noticed that he struggled with the reading

of words during the semester. I wondered if this might be due to his struggle with letter names.

Throughout the first couple of sessions he made excellent progress and mastered this activity

with the help of visuals. As we continued into the second half of the sessions, Josiah really

enjoyed the activity of building words but continued to show a need for visual models and

guided practice before showing understanding. He really liked giving me words to try and

“build” and has shown great progress in this area!

Overall, Josiah has done a wonderful job of blending. After evaluating after the first

formative report and second set of assessments, I decided to move into the shared story and have

Josiah read more in order to increase his endurance and reading skills. Using the green words

from his shared story has been very beneficial to developing his word skills and blending.
Previewing the words also proves to be effective in building his confidence and motivation when

starting a new story.

Phonemic Awareness/Word Skills: Segmenting

Josiah is on his way to master segmenting. Visual models and guided practice seem to be

effective strategies for practicing this skill. He really liked “breaking” words apart and has

shown great improvement in this area! Throughout all the sessions, Josiah struggled with

segmenting and had trouble distinguishing between a blend and a segment. I was able to

implement various strategies to supplement the SFA activities. By the end of our sessions Josiah

continued to struggle with segmenting but is showing slow but steady progress. He has

established the difference between blending which is a great accomplishment.

Sight Words

Josiah struggled with the reading of his sight words and needs more practice outside of

school. During the assessment he knew very few of the sight words which was concerning.

Throughout the sessions, he did a great job of focusing and liked the flash card matching game I

used. This was a wonderful way for him to stay focused on the sight words and have fun at the

same time.

Josiah has shown great progress with his sight words and has met his goal of recalling 5

new essential sight words. This said, he still has room to grow and needs to continue practicing

his sight words in school and at home. During reassessment #2 he knew many more of the sight

words than when I started with him which was promising. Overall, he did a great job of focusing

yet still needs practice.

4. Final Recommendation for Tutee

Moving forward, the student should continue working on his sight words and segmenting

skills. It is recommended that intensive and explicit instruction continues in either one-on-one

settings or with a small group. He is showing great progress but often shows a lack of motivation

and excitement for reading. Games and manipulative based learning are beneficial and effective

for teaching Josiah. He responds well to reinforcements and takes constructive criticism well.

Josiah is currently in the process of testing for special education. He is a bright young

boy but seems to have trouble focusing and lacks the motivation and drive needed to succeed as

a reader. I noticed that when he is unsure of an answer or begins to lose focus, he becomes

fidgety and squints his eyes as if trying to pull the answer out of thin air.

Further, he hasn’t explicitly said so, but I think that his parents get busy because he has

mentioned that he has a “bunch” of siblings. He has also mentioned that he doesn’t read at home.

I think that igniting the fire of a love of reading and having it reinforced at home would really

help his growth. On the other hand, he could also possibly be struggling due to a reading or

learning disorder. His frustration and unfocused mentality are certainly the effect of a certain

stimulus or cause.

5. Two Significant Ideas That You Learned from This Experience

My first takeaway from this experience was that I need to believe in myself and my

ability to teach reading. This was an area of instruction that I felt unsure about and this semester

has given me the hands-on experience and pedagogy I needed to feel more confident. Further,

hearing from my classmates about their tutoring experiences and tutees has been really

reassuring and has boosted my confidence. I am not alone and on the same page as them in terms
of figuring out lessons and dealing with behavior. I still have much to learn but can confidently

put more strategies and instruction techniques in my “teaching tool belt”.

My second take-away was my teaching with virtue. I have practiced the virtue of

perseverance and patience with Josiah. Tutoring him has been a great experience and has

allowed me to have the courage to practice my faith in a public school. Upholding the human

dignity of everyone I encounter with a something as simple as a smile or friendly greeting

reflects my faith and the respect I have for all people. It was not always easy, but this experience

has given me the opportunity to practice and has given me the ability to see that I can teach with

virtue.