Measure of Student Learning

Emma Gagne
Holyoke High School - Dean Campus

9th Grade Ultimate Games Unit

October 23, 2023 - October 27, 2023
 Ultimate Games Assessment Given to Students (Correct Answers are Highlighted):
Name:____________________________ Date:_______________
Circle the correct answer to each of the following questions.

1. Participating in Ultimate Games is a great way to build _______________.

a. Flexibility c. Strength
b. Endurance d. Muscle

2. The original “frisbee” was a _______________.

a. Tin pie plate c. Paper plate
b. Trash can lid d. Saucer sled

3. How do you score in Ultimate Games?

a. Running the frisbee/ball into c. Intercepting a pass from the
the endzone other team
b. Throwing the frisbee/ball d. Catching a pass in the
through the goalposts endzone

4. In Ultimate Games, what is a pass backward used to reset a play called?

a. Reset pass c. Snap
b. Dump d. Pitch

5. The stall count goes up to what number?

a. 10 c. 15
b. 7 d. 5

6. In Ultimate Frisbee, what is the pass made from the same side as your dominant
hand called?
a. Backhand c. Chicken Wing
b. Hammer d. Forehand

7. Which of the following is not a way to turnover the frisbee in Ultimate?

a. The frisbee goes out of c. The frisbee is tipped by a
bounds defender, but an offensive
b. The frisbee is caught by the player catches it before it hits
other team the ground
d. The frisbee hits the ground

8. How many steps are allowed in Ultimate Frisbee when holding the frisbee?
a. 5 b. 3 or whatever it takes to stop
 c. 2 d. 4
9. What is the important part of Ultimate that involves self-officiating, safety, respect,
honesty, and having fun?
a. Spirit of the Game c. Love of the Game
b. Passion for the Game d. Enjoyment of the Game

10. When a team scores in Ultimate Frisbee, they get _______ point(s). When a team
scores in Ultimate Football, they get _______ point(s).
a. 1, 6 c. 1, 7
b. 3, 5 d. 2, 6

11. After a score, play restarts with a throw off. What happens if the receiving team
attempts to catch the frisbee, but ends up dropping it?
a. They can keep playing from c. The throwing team gets a
where it lands. point.
b. The throwing team has to d. The throwing team gets the
redo the throw off. frisbee where it landed

12. The player who is typically responsible for moving the frisbee up the field with a
series of accurate throws like a football quarterback, is called ____________.
a. Disc Controller c. Thrower
b. Passer d. Handler

13. A travel occurs when ______________.

a. A player without the frisbee
runs the length of the field.
b. The player with the frisbee
takes more than their allowed
steps.
c. The frisbee is thrown the
length of the field.
d. The defensive team needs to
sprint back into position.

14. The throw that is released from the opposite side of the body than the dominant
hand is called a ____________.
a. Backhand c. Forehand
b. Hammer d. Fling

15. The act of diving for a thrown frisbee is often called ____________.
a. Diving c. Laying out
b. Sliding d. Laying down
Background Information:
A 15 question multiple choice assessment was administered to 9th grade students during the last
class before the Ultimate Games unit (10/13/23) and the last class of the Ultimate Games unit
being assessed (10/27/23). Each question had four answers for the students to choose from. 42
students were assessed before and after the unit. The unit was 5 days long and consisted of
instruction focused around cognitive aspects of Ultimate Games in combination with
student-centered practice of skills and competitive gameplay as a way to apply the content they
learned.

Learning Parameters:
High Learning Gain: 12-15 out of 15 (80-100%) on Post-Test
Moderate Learning Gain: 8-11 out of 15 (53-73%) on Post-Test
Low Learning Gain: 7 out of 15 or lower (≤ 47%) on Post-Test
Constant Learning Gain: 10/10 (100%) on Pre- and Post-Test

Data:
Class #1 (9th Grade)
Ultimate Games Assessment (out of 15)
Student Pre-Test Post-Test Difference Learning Gain
1 8 13 +5 High
2 9 14 +5 High
3 8 12 +4 High
4 4 10 +6 Moderate
5 4 8 +4 Moderate
6 5 9 +4 Moderate
7 3 12 +9 High
8 4 10 +6 Moderate
9 4 12 +8 High
10 6 10 +4 Moderate
11 6 10 +4 Moderate
12 6 12 +6 High
13 6 12 +6 High
14 7 14 +7 High
15 3 10 +7 Moderate
16 8 15 +7 High
17 2 10 +8 Moderate
18 2 9 +7 Moderate

Class #2 (9th Grade)

Ultimate Games Assessment (out of 15)
Student Pre-Test Post-Test Difference Learning Gain
1 6 10 +4 Moderate
2 4 13 +9 High
3 3 11 +8 Moderate
4 5 9 +4 Moderate
5 2 10 +8 Moderate
6 6 13 +7 High
7 1 11 +10 Moderate
8 8 12 +4 High
9 2 10 +8 Moderate
10 6 14 +8 High
11 7 10 +3 Moderate
12 5 10 +5 Moderate
13 5 10 +5 Moderate
14 4 13 +9 High
15 2 6 +4 Low
16 8 15 +7 High
17 5 12 +7 High
18 3 8 +5 Moderate
19 5 10 +5 Moderate
20 4 9 +5 Moderate
21 5 8 +3 Moderate
22 6 14 +8 High
23 4 12 +8 High
24 6 11 +5 Moderate

Total Number of Students High Learning Moderate Low Learning

Assessed in Class #1 Gain Learning Gain Gain

18 9 9 0

100% 50% 50% 0%

Total Number of Students High Learning Moderate Low Learning

Assessed in Class #2 Gain Learning Gain Gain

24 9 14 1

100% 37.5% 58.3% 4.17%

Total Number of Students Moderate Learning Low Learning

High Learning Gain
Assessed Gain Gain

42 18 23 1

100% 42.9% 54.8% 2.38%

 Question Breakdown Across Both Classes

Pre-Test Post-Test

Question # Number of Incorrect Answers Question # Number of Incorrect Answers

1 13 1 2

2 32 2 4

3 29 3 9

4 38 4 10

5 33 5 5

6 26 6 19

7 22 7 24

8 28 8 8

9 32 9 1

10 28 10 7

11 33 11 21

12 38 12 9

13 16 13 6

14 27 14 18

15 28 15 20

AAAAAAA = Decreased Amount of Incorrect Answers from Pre-Test to Post-Test.

AAAAAAA = No Change in Amount of Incorrect Answers from Pre-Test to Post-Test.
AAAAAAA = Increased Amount of Incorrect Answers from Pre-Test to Post-Test.
Analysis:
In total, 42 students were able to respond to the 15 question multiple choice pre and post
assessments. There were 4 students who took the pre-assessment and were then absent for the
post-test. One student was absent for the pre-assessment, but still took the post-assessment.
These 5 combined students were omitted from the final data sets due to incomplete results. Out
of the 42 students assessed, 18 (42.9%) of them achieved a High Learning Gain, 23 (54.8%) of
them achieved a Moderate Learning Gain, and 1 (2.38%) of them achieved a Low Learning
Gain. All of the students assessed improved their score on the Post-Test. The differences between
the Pre and Post Tests range from +3 to +10.
After reviewing the data, I have come to the conclusion that my teaching and instruction
was highly effective. As stated, ALL students had an improved score on the Post-Test in
comparison to the Pre-Test. The data also reflects my competence in all 7 essential elements, but
especially in Subject Matter Knowledge, Well-Structured Units and Lessons, and Meeting
Diverse Needs. In general, my Subject Matter Knowledge of Ultimate Games, and more
specifically Ultimate Frisbee, is very strong for a few reasons. One being that my high school PE
program engaged us in a strong Ultimate Frisbee unit. However, the main reason for this is that I
play Ultimate Frisbee at the Collegiate Club level. I am very familiar with and versed in the
vocabulary, rules, skills, and culture of the game. This aspect most definitely helped the students
understand the Spirit of the Game element because I was able to pull real scenarios, examples,
and situations from my past experiences to better explain and emphasize this concept. In relation
to Well-Structured Units and Lessons, I made great progress implementing my Professional
Practice Goal of incorporating purposeful questioning to stimulate and enhance students’ higher
order thinking and recall. Each day, content was reviewed using questions. This meant that
students were responsible for the review. They were accountable for the knowledge, instead of
me simply reading off bullet points and hoping it stuck with the students. This also allowed me
to gauge where students were at with the content and make decisions about upcoming tasks or
content to best fit their needs. Additionally, the pacing and progression of the unit was very
appropriate and smooth throughout. On a couple of occasions, one of the classes was able to
progress quicker than the other classes simply due to it being a small class of students with
higher maturity and skill levels. Despite this, all classes reached the same objective and end
goals in their own way and in their own time. Additionally, incorporating gameplay into each
lesson was a crucial decision because it offered ample opportunities for students to apply and
observe the concepts and skills we practiced and talked about now being used in an authentic
setting. Incorporating Spirit of the Game into each lesson positively impacted the students’
learning because it was frequently spoken about and reviewed, but also students were shouted
out at the end of class for exemplifying Spirit of the Game qualities. Students benefited from
seeing the qualities in action and demonstrated by their peers. Lastly, by being able to Meet
Diverse Needs, I was able to make the content accessible to all students, which in turn is
reflected in the fact that all students gained knowledge (improved their assessment scores) by the
end of the unit. I did this in various ways. First, most if not all of my instruction was presented in
at least two ways to accommodate visual and auditory learners. For example, when explaining
the two main types of cuts, I drew a diagram for each, talked through the diagram, demonstrated
the cut, and included cuing for when the students performed the skill. Another example was
when I showed a slowed down CoEd High School Ultimate Frisbee game to point out the use of
open space and the application of vocabulary to the classes who were struggling to understand
the flow of the game. Posting a Word Wall in the gymnasium of the important words and phrases
for the unit was also beneficial for all students. They could reference it at any time on their own.
Again, autonomy was incorporated into the unit. The Word Wall included both the English and
Spanish translations of the words, phrases and definitions. All of these instructional practices in
relation to the 7 Essential Elements positively impacted the students’ outcomes.
One instructional practice that may have negatively impacted the students’ outcomes was
not using consistent vocabulary that the students were eventually assessed on. For example,
“pull” and “throw off” were used interchangeably and “turnover” was not explained thoroughly
enough. These practices led to confusion on the assessment. To adjust, I would only use the word
“pull” since that is how it was listed on the Word Wall and described as in the instructions. I
would rephrase the wording of the question to meet these needs. Additionally, I had thought that
students understood the word “turnover” more than they actually did. To adjust for this, creating
and sharing a simple definition with examples would likely give the students a better
understanding. I could also create an Exit Ticket for the end 1st or 2nd lesson of the unit which
would ask students to describe what a turnover is in order to reinforce previously learned
content, practice recalling the content, and inform me of their overall understanding of the term.
Otherwise, the only adjustment made or needing to be made would be the ones that happen in the
moment during a lesson. Based on the class’s needs, activities are extended, added, eliminated,
or altered to allow the students to achieve and exceed the goals I have set for them.
Low-performing students require simple practice activities primarily focused on skill work and
instruction that is detailed, yet still basic. For example, low-performing students would benefit
from only introducing 2-3 rules per lesson to focus on. Average-performing students would
benefit from having extensions up or down that they can choose from to best meet their needs.
High-performing students would benefit from introducing more complex skills and concepts,
such as the hammer throw and offensive/defensive plays, sets, and tactics. All of these
adjustments can be incorporated into the same lesson in order to cater to the needs of low,
average, and high performing students. The next step for making these adjustments to practice is
using this knowledge to make decisions in future units. Making sure the wording and phrases in
instructions are crystal clear is something that should always happen. Additionally, making note
of these adjustments is important and would be supportive because the next time I teach this unit
I will be able to refer back to my past successes and failures. A support for this would be making
a master list of vocabulary words to base all instruction off of.
After breaking down the number of incorrect answers for each question it is clear to see
that great improvements were made. For example, on the Pre-Test, 32 out of 42 students got
Question 9 wrong. On the Post-Test, 1 student out of 42 students got Question 9 wrong. This was
the greatest improvement in correct answers over the 15 questions. The 4 questions that the
students struggled with the most were questions 6, 7, 11, and 15. Question #6 asked students to
identify what throw is made from the same side as their dominant hand. This question was likely
challenging for a few reasons. First, we primarily focused on backhand throws because I came to
learn that most students had never thrown a frisbee before, so keeping it simple was the best
route to take at the time. Second, the phrasing of “dominant hand” may have been confusing for
some students and I also believe that I explained it as the “throwing side.” Third, it is often
confusing and difficult to differentiate between two things that serve similar purposes and also
sound relatively similar, such as forehand and backhand. The students poor performance on
Question #7 caught me off guard because we reviewed types of turnovers on several occasions,
as well as the roles of the offense and defense in these situations. However, I am not sure if I
even actually defined the word, “turnover.” This would be an adjustment I would make for the
next time I teach this content. Question #11 involved identifying what happens if the receiving
team attempts to catch the frisbee, but drops it on the pull. In the question, I used the phrase
“throw off” instead of “pull” which likely confused the students. I believe that they would have
been more successful with this question given different wording because the students definitely
understand the rule based on my observations during gameplay. The next time I teach this unit, I
would likely omit Question #15. It is not relevant to the students' understanding of the game. It
involves identifying what the act of diving in frisbee is called. I only spoke about this a few
times and explained it in two different ways. The terms “bid” and “layout” were used
interchangeably. Despite this, I feel that students were inhibited by the fact that they were not
actually allowed to apply this concept as diving was prohibited for safety reasons. The word was
simply not relevant to their performance in application activities, which likely led to low
retention of the vocabulary term.
The results collected from this Measure of Student Learning happened for a few reasons.
First, the students worked extremely hard for the entirety of this unit. Their interest, excitement,
and energy was off the charts and I truly believe that they made the biggest difference in their
own learning. Second, purposeful questioning forced the students to be accountable for the
knowledge that was taught. Each class had questions at the beginning, middle, and end. Students
replied verbally in some cases and in written form, such as on the Spirit of the Game Exit Ticket
or Mid-Unit Check In. Questions were repetitive, but learning occurs from repetition.
Additionally, the students' responses to questions, specifically on the Mid-Unit Check In helped
me to alter my instruction to meet the needs of the students. On this assessment, for example,
students struggled with knowing the difference between handler and cutter. As a result, I made it
a point to review and reinforce this concept. Students demonstrated improved knowledge of this
concept on the Post-Assessment. Lastly, all lessons were designed in a way that all content
introduced was then practiced. Students were able to apply their cognitive skills in a physical
manner, which gave students a more holistic approach to and understanding of Ultimate Games.
As a result of this unit and tracking the students’ learning, I have learned a great deal.
First, the more modalities of instruction included in a lesson, the more students that are reached.
Some students learn best through spoken instructions. Some learn best with demonstrations,
while others learn best by doing. By including all of these methods, the population of students
that are going to understand the content increases dramatically. I also learned that it is very
beneficial to give a mid-unit check in assignment to gauge where the students are. I tried this
strategy and the results told me that the students were very confused on a certain concept
(positions in Ultimate Frisbee), so I revisited it multiple times and as a result students did very
well on the question relating to it on the Post-Assessment. I learned that not every class is going
to progress the same way. It is okay if every lesson does not run the exact same for each class. As
long as they are getting the same content and demonstrating understanding, it is all fine. It is also
important not to give up on a class. One of the classes had a rough first day. They had lower level
skills than I anticipated, but despite this, by the end of the week they were at the same level as
the other classes. Lastly, I learned to proofread the assessments I make. Number #4 had two
correct answers. I should have put them as one answer (“reset/dump”) and substituted in another
option. All in all, I am very content with how this unit progressed and I am very proud of the
students' progress and learning throughout this unit.