Student Learning Analysis

Kalie M. Miceli

Department of Education and Human Services

EED-4950-42596-Internship in Elementary Education

Dr. Dyanne Tracy

December 4, 2022
Introduction

My student teaching takes place in a fourth grade classroom at Wood Creek Elementary

which is located in the Farmington Public School district. Wood Creek is an IB school which

means we try to equip our scholars with the skills to be internationally minded. We have a total

of twenty three students in our class. Our first reading unit Launching Strong Readers focused

on skills that students need to develop and maintain in order to be successful readers. These

skills target topics such as finding just right books, building reading stamina, visualizing,

summarizing, literacy motivation and engagement, and so on. This unit was carried out for eight

weeks, and the genre we focused on was narrative fiction. My endorsement in English

Language Arts and love for reading and writing is what inspired me to focus on this area,

specifically summarizing. I thought reading would be an invaluable subject to explore as a

student teacher so that one day I can carry these experiences, strategies, and findings with me

into my future classroom. For the purposes of this assignment, I will be focusing on the growth

of a group of nine students.

The assessment is clearly aligned with specific learning goals and state/district

standards

The Common Core State Standard that I chose to focus on was RL4.2 Determine a

theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text, which falls under

the reading standards for literature for grade four. This standard aligns with our learning target

which is, I CAN create a summary of the information without telling every detail. The pre and

post-assessment is clearly aligned with our learning goal because we want our students to be

able to organize a strong summary, which includes the characters, setting, beginning, middle,

and end with the main events told in order. We use “I CAN” friendly language so the students

are able to more easily connect and relate to the learning goal.
The assessment produced information useful for conducting a substantive analysis of

student understanding.

Summarizing Pre and Pre-Assessment 9/28/22 Post-Assessment

Post-Assessment Data 10/21/22
Braylon C. 1 1.5
Cydney 2 3
Nyla 1 3
Kendrick 1 2.5
Cyrus 1.5 3
Braylon P. 1 3
Carlie 1 1.5
Amer’a 0 2
Samuel 2 1.5
Madilyn 1
Luke 3
Dakota 2
Kylie 3
Keith 3
Halena 3
Yuto 1.5
Beckett 1
Gabi 3
Zoe 3
Nevaeh 3
Joann 3
Rayne 2
Summer 2

To begin my student learning analysis, my mentor teacher and I worked together to assess

the students summarizing abilities at the beginning of the year, on September 28th. We wanted

to get an idea of the skills they brought with them from third grade so we could see how we

needed to plan our instruction. The pre and post-assessment scoring rubric was provided to me

by my mentor teacher and were administered individually to each student in the class. The

assessments were given at the back table while the rest of the students worked on other tasks,

such as Lexia.

For the pre and post-assessment I used the Rubric for Scoring the Comprehension

Conversation in Levels L-Z (see picture attached) from The Fountas and Pinnell Literacy

Continuum (Fountas and Pinnell, Heinemann 2017). This rubric is from the Benchmark
Assessment System 2, Third Edition. The scoring scale is as follows: 0 (not proficient), 1 (limited

proficiency), 2 (approaching proficiency), and 3 (proficient). This rubric includes categories for

within the text, beyond the text, and about the text. For the purposes of this specific

assessment, we used within the text to score. The rubric has separate sections labeled levels L-

N and levels O-Z. The rubric also is broken up into fiction and non-fiction and gives a description

of what each score entails and “look for’s.”

For the pre and post-assessment, the students were given a realistic fiction close reading

passage. My mentor provided the first passage which consisted of 253 words, was classified as

a grade three reading level, and converts to a level P with Fountas and Pinnel which is the

system our school utilizes. Students had the choice to read it out loud or silently in their heads

and we reminded them to select the method that helps them understand most efficiently. I

observed my mentor assess some students from our class before I worked with them

independently so that I could understand how to score each student. Once I was ready, I began

administering the pre-assessment and recorded their scores in our fourth grade reading data

Google Sheet. I used the same language with the students during the pre and post-assessment.

For example, once they finished reading I stated, “Summarize what you read,” which allowed

them to demonstrate their ability to summarize. I listened to each student without prompting,

scaffolding, or interrupting. Once their summary came to an end I asked, “Is there anything else

you would like to add?” This gave the students an opportunity to say more or clarify their ideas.

Analysis of assessment data produced insights into student thinking. Student feedback

was informed by this

After entering the scores into the fourth grade reading data Google Sheet, my mentor

and I analyzed the scores of the pre-assessment. The data showed us that 15 out of 23

students would need further instruction and support with summarizing. My mentor decided we

would split those 15 students up into small groups and that I would work with nine of those
students for my student learning analysis in order to help them continue to grow their

summarizing skills and confidence with giving a verbal summary. Our plan was to each meet

with two total small groups a day. For example, I had two small groups that were working on

consonant blends and these two summarizing groups, so I saw each summarizing group every

other day. The highlighted names on the data table are the nine students that were assigned to

me. All of these students scored below a 3, and by November we ideally want them to go up

one level.

As you can see in the table, eight students were proficient, about seven were

approaching proficiency, seven were at limited proficiency, and one student was not proficient.

I was surprised by some of the data. For example, there were a few students who seem to lack

motivation and engagement and they ended up scoring a 3. This was a very positive aspect of

the pre-assessment because it let me know that even though these students aren’t engaged or

don’t typically show active listening doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills and abilities to

succeed. I was surprised that a student scored a 0 and had no knowledge of what a summary

was. This informs me that she needs direct instruction in a small group setting and likely has

had lack of instruction as we suspected from the beginning of the school year.

As you can see in the table, most of the nine students in my group went up at least one

score with the post-assessment. This provides me with the information that they now have a

better understanding of what it means to summarize. There were a few students who only went

up half a point and even one student who went down half a point. These students in particular

get very shy and reluctant to share with me when it comes to the assessment. During our small

groups, these students tend to share the most, so I learned that it’s probably just nerves.

I was also a bit surprised by the variety of attitudes towards giving a verbal summary.

For example, some students were very confident, while others were very quiet and nervous.

The nine students that were assigned to me gave very limited responses and did not add on

more when I asked them if they wanted to. Before each assessment, I let them know that this
was a way for me to find out how I can better help as a learner. I told them to take a deep breath

and let them know they should not feel stressed out. After each assessment, I always thanked

the student for sharing with me. I gave students verbal praise no matter what their score was

because I wanted them to walk away from me feeling safe and capable. Later on in the

semester at parent teacher conferences, I gave the parents of these nine students verbal

feedback about their child’s growth with summarizing and some strategies they could try at

home with their child, such as having them read a book and then having the parent ask them to

summarize or tell them about what they read.

The data gathered, as well as the rubric, helped me determine the student’s strengths

and areas that needed further development. Knowing where these students were at helped me

to plan my future instruction when it came to both whole group and small group lessons. It also

gave me specific information about which elements students left out of their summary. For

example, I learned whether or not students knew how to organize their summaries, such as by

speaking about main events in chronological order. I also observed whether or not students

could remember which characters made up the story or where the setting was. It was made

clear that this group of students lacked an understanding for how to summarize what they read

or what a strong summary consists of.

To meet our learning target and standard, we wanted all students to be proficient at a 3.

A score of 3 for fiction is described as follows: Levels L-N Communicates most of the important

events in the story, including the problem, solution, and characters. For levels O-Z the student

communicates the important ideas and events in the form of a well-organized summary that

includes the key story elements (setting, characters, problem, and resolution).

During the pre-assessment it was clear that these nine students were not confident

when it came to summarizing. Most of these students only provided one or two sentences

answers, sat their quietly, etc. The students gave me very basic answers and their responses

lacked details such as the characters, setting, and the main events in order. Many students
chose to share arbitrary information, such as whether or not they liked the passage. Some sat

for several minutes without saying a word. It seemed like some students just wanted to get it

over with and be done.

The data I received from the pre-assessment helped me understand how I can best help

these students. I knew I needed to find just right books that would interest and engage them. I

knew I needed to change their attitudes towards reading and summarizing and make it fun. I

knew I would need to find and implement a variety of strategies to see which ways they learned

best. I knew that repetition and visual aids would help these students be successful. With this

information, I was able to plan out how I was going to tackle the next few weeks. My mentor

teacher leant me The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo. I began reading through

the book so I could select strategies that would attend to the individual needs of each of these

students.

Subsequent instruction is informed by the analysis of student thinking.

Since these nine students needed more support with summarizing a text, I used a

combination of whole group and small group instruction in order to meet the individual needs of

these learners. Within the eight week period, I conducted daily reading workshops with the

whole class which were approximately twenty minutes long. During these workshops, I

displayed slide decks so the students could have visuals, used mentor texts for interactive read

alouds, engaged students with technology such as instructional videos or catchy songs to help

students learn concepts, and each student had a Unit 1 reading packet to support their learning

and help track their thinking, goals, stamina, and growth over time. In order to build a sense of

community and cohesion amongst readers, the workshops were held on the front carpet in our

meeting area before read-to-self time and students sat next to their assigned reading partner.

These partnerships were carefully decided by my mentor and I based on the student’s
personality and skill level and needs, and the students sat with their partner in their assigned

spot on the carpet. I ensured that I had close proximity to students who were likely to become

distracted.

First, I am going to discuss what was done for the whole group workshops. A learning

target that we focused on was readers talk to their partners about the books they have read.

Each student has a set reading partner and assigned seat on the front carpet. I taught the

students that partners must hold themselves accountable for discussion during turn and talks. I

gave students a few opportunities to select a book from their basket that they are currently

reading or have read and had them simply discuss what happened or what was happening in

the story they selected. This helped them practice talking about what they read by using

transition words such as first, then, next, lastly, etc.

Throughout the next sessions, we discussed and practiced using the “narrative detail

hand.” This technique is a great way to help students remember what they need to include in

their summaries. The thumb represents the beginning which includes the characters and

setting. The middle three fingers represents the middle, or the main events in order, and the

pinky finger represents the end. We often referred to the detail hand while practicing

summarizing. We used the picture book Dancing in the Wings as a mentor text and cohesively

created a digital story mountain where we listed what happened in the beginning, middle, and

end. I typed in what the students told me to add and we put the conflict or problem at the top of

our mountain and in the heart of our story mountain we put the lesson learned.

We used the “Somebody..Wanted..Something..But…So…Then” method to help guide us

through the picture book Horrible Bears. Students talked to their reading partners about this and

after we went through the following questions, “Who are the main characters? What is the goal

of the main character? What is the problem? What gets in the character’s way? What does the
character do to fix it? What is the resolution?” I found an instructional song music video that

goes along with this idea, and this helped them to recall what they need to include in both their

verbal and written summaries. I had students compare the summary of Horrible Bears they

formulated with their partner to my typed summary that I projected on the screen and asked

them, “What important information did you share in your summary and what important

information might you try to include next time?” This helped them understand which details were

and were not necessary to create a strong summary.

Throughout these eight weeks we read the chapter book President of the Whole Fifth

Grade. Students had a “STOP and JOT” packet, and after we read a chapter students would jot

down one or two main events from that chapter, which helped them process what we read and

follow the main events in order. I had students use notecards while I was reading this book out

loud so the students could jot down words that helped them visualize and so they could draw

what they saw happening in their heads. This helped them stay focused during the read aloud

and helped them recall information to summarize. It gave each student an opportunity to

participate regardless of their skill level. The method of using the story mountain, somebody

wanted something but so then what, and the stop and jot were all ideas I found from Jennifer

Serravallo’s book The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled

Readers. We read a variety of other books that supported us in reaching our learning goal.

I am now going to discussion the instruction delivered to my small groups that needed

more support with summarizing (the nine highlighted students on the data table). Each small

group meeting was roughly 15 minutes. I stayed organized by using a Google Sheet to track

what we did and what we needed to do next time. I also made notes to help me remember how

students were doing. I provided choice to the students during the lessons which helped me

learn a bit more about their learning preference. For example, I would ask students if they
wanted me to read or have them read out loud or in their heads silently. This gave me additional

information because I was able to track their fluency (rate, expression, accuracy) abilities.

We used the “round robin” reading technique where each student took turns reading

pages out loud to the rest of the group. I made this interactive for the students by pausing

throughout the book to ask certain questions such as, “Who are the characters? What is the

setting? What is happening here?” Throughout the lessons, I had students turn and talk to each

other to summarize what they have read so far. This gave me an opportunity to listen to student

thinking.

Our school library has a large room filled with books for teachers to target certain

learning goals. The books are all organized by Fountas and Pinnell reading levels and many of

them come with teachers guides. The first book I chose for my small group was Nerve by

Maryann Schneider. I chose this book because many students in my group love basketball.

After we read this book, the students filled out a “hamburger” summarizing chart. They really

enjoyed this visual because it helped them understand that there is a beginning (burger bun),

middle (the toppings), and the end (burger bun). This helped them organize their thinking when

it came to structuring a summary because I noticed often times students would say their

summary out of order, and I was really trying to get them to say the main events in chronological

order. I really focused on teaching students that our summaries should consist of important

events, not irrelevant facts or details. The hamburger chart helped the students organize their

information in writing but I could tell they still weren’t totally confident verbally stating their

summary. They often left out the setting and important characters, or got the characters roles

confused.

This finding encouraged me to use another Jennifer Serravallo strategy, which is to

create a foldable BME chart (see attached photo) to help prompt students to remember what a

strong summary includes. I told them to bring this to every small group session to use as a
learning tool. We then read Brave Dog in the same manner. Instead of writing their summary, I

had them use their foldable BME chart while speaking with a partner about what they thought

their summary should include. Then, I had them share their summary with the other partners

and myself. We thought about and discussed who the characters are, what the setting is, and

what the problem or conflict was.  

The students seemed interested in the assessment aspect of summarizing, which

prompted me to expand on their thinking. I had the students play the role of the teacher. We

read a short passage together, and I prompted the students to say, “Summarize this for me.” I

then gave an example of what a level 1, 2, and 3 score would sound like. This helped the

students understand what I meant when I asked them, “Would you like to add anything else?” I

asked the students to point out certain characters, setting, or important information that I left out

of my summary. I really think this helped them understand what I expect them to do when I ask

them to summarize a text.

I administered the pre-assessment with these nine students on October 21st. After

reviewing the data with my mentor, we decided there were still four students that needed a bit

more support. I continued to hold small group sessions with these students, while the others

were placed into new small groups that focused on other reading concepts. With the remaining

four students, we read Yeh-Shein: A Chinese Cinderella Story, Where’s the Chameleon?, and

Runaway Alien. I really enjoyed reading Yeh-Shein because these students were all familiar

with the story of Cinderella. Before we began, I asked them to talk with their partner about

everything they knew about the story of Cinderella. As we were reading, we compared how this

story was similar, but had new characters and events. After we read, they filled out a slip that

had sentence starters on it, which they have seen before in their foldable BME chart. I learned

that a few of these students were stronger at writing a summary than providing a verbal one,

which could be due to nerves. The week ending in November 18th, I wrapped up my remaining

summary small group because my mentor and I felt confident that they were ready to move on
to new areas of focus, such as determining main ideas and supporting details in a nonfiction

text, which goes along with our new writing and reading unit.

Additional assessment information was produced to determine student growth.

Summarizing Pre and Pre-Assessment 9/28/22 Post-Assessment

Post Assessment Data 10/21/22
Braylon C. 1 1.5
Cydney 2 3
Nyla 1 3
Kendrick 1 2.5
Cyrus 1.5 3
Braylon P. 1 3
Carlie 1 1.5
Amer’a 0 2
Samuel 2 1.5

Using the same scoring rubric and language from the pre-assessment, I administered the

post-assessment to my nine students on October 21st. This time, my mentor found three different

passages on Raz-Plus and let me choose which one I wanted to administer to my group. I

chose The Surprise Party because I thought it would be most relatable to these students, who

often talk about celebrating their birthdays. This passage is a level M with Fountas and Pinnell. I

chose this passage because it was listed under “comprehension” category and targeted

sequencing events. The listed learning objective on Raz-Plus for this passage is, “Identify the

sequence of events using clue words; distinguish important events from descriptive details,” and

I thought this fit nicely with my standard and learning target/goal.

This data told me that these students have grown in their skills with summarizing. I was very

impressed with Amer’a as she went from not knowing what a summary was and having nothing

to say and then jumped to a score of 2. There were multiple students who went from a 1 to a 3.

This informs me that my small group instruction was a success and that these students needed

their instruction to be differentiated in order to grasp the concept. One student, Samuel, went
down half a score. However, he is actually one of the stronger readers and summarizers in this

group. He seems to get tense while being assessed, but I know he is very capable of

summarizing a text. This informs me that not all students perform well under pressure, and I

believe with time he would get more comfortable verbally telling me a summary. I logged all

student scores in our fourth grade reading data Google sheet.

I had all nine students complete a reflection slip. The reason I had the students fill this out is

because I wanted them to think about their feelings and attitudes towards summarizing, as well

as making them realize how much they have grown from the beginning of the semester

compared to now. The reflection slip had the following questions: How did you feel at the

beginning of the semester about summarizing? How do you feel about summarizing now? The

options for the first question were, not so good, I felt okay about it, or I was an expert! The

options for the second question were, I still need help, I’m almost there, or I got it! There was an

emoji face that went along with each response and the student circled which one they believed

to be true. At the end of the reflection, there was a section that read, Circle what you think a

strong summary should have, and there was a list of possible answers. The students were

smiling when they turned in their reflection slip, and they were happy to share that they either

still needed more help or they got it! I could tell that this gave them a confidence boost when it

comes to summarizing and that it helped them know that teachers are always there to help them

grow and that it’s ok if they don’t get a concept immediately.

In order to determine further growth, my mentor and I also assessed all twenty three

students using the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition. We

used a recording form to do a running record which gives us information about the students

decoding and fluency skills. This assessment targeted their oral reading, fluency, reading rate,

and comprehension. While performing this assessment, I marked the student’s errors, self-

corrections, repetitions, and so on. In the comprehension section, I took notes of what the
students said when responding to questions that targeted key understandings including within

the text, beyond the text and about the text. The chart below shows my nine student’s growth.

Although this was not directly related to my pre and post-assessment, I believe their growth is

partly due to their small group time with me. By this time in fourth grade we want our students to

be at a level Q. As you can see, some students are ahead while others are shortly behind or

right on target. By the end of fourth grade, we want them to be at an S, and I am confident many

of them will get there and beyond. In the table below are my nine students that I focused on. I

believe our work in both whole and small groups contributed to their increased reading level.

Fountas and Pinnell Spring/September F and P Fall F and P

Braylon C. P Q
Cydney O P
Nyla N O
Kendrick P R
Cyrus O O
Braylon P. M N
Carlie P Q
Amer’a N O
Samuel Q R

Conclusion

This experience has made me realize how invaluable pre and post-assessments are in

the classroom. Without these, we cannot accurately measure student growth or plan

instruction to meet the needs of all learners. The student learning analysis emphasized to

me that not all students learn in the same way and that it’s common to have a large variety

of skill levels amongst learners in one classroom. As a teacher, it’s my job to present

opportunities for all students to challenge themselves and learn from a combination of

research based strategies. More importantly, this pre and post-assessment showed me that

sometimes students just need encouragement, motivation, and a positive mindset in order to

try their best and be successful. I also learned the importance of meeting in small groups,

and I am very happy with my results. If I could do anything differently, I would include more
use of engaging technology into my small groups in order to instill even more excitement

into our meetings. This could even include having them read books on Epic or Raz-Kids.

Although it can feel overwhelming to meet with multiple small groups per day, the outcomes

are well worth it and I take pride in the lessons I planned for these students. Whole group

instruction is not enough for learners. They need someone who can sit down with them and

make the material interesting, relatable, and fun.