In order to analyze your student data, it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re
In order to analyze your student data, it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re looking for: What does proficient mean? What do the students still need to learn? This process of defining proficiency requires you as a teacher to shift your mindset from scoring (a summative examination) to diagnosing (a formative examination) student performance. Often teachers spend a great deal of time sorting student responses (either by letter grades or by rubric scores) and virtually no time diagnosing what students know and still need to learn. It is diagnostic information that is essential to helping teachers understand what to do next with their students’ instruction.
Error Analysis
Error Analysis to Guide Instruction
Error Analysis Example
Lesson Objectives
1. By the end of this 40 minute lesson, students will organize information to demonstrate an understanding of main ideas within a content area text through accurately charting with a Venn Diagram.
2. By the end of this lesson, students will accurately identify 8 elements for each of two ecosystems: aquatic and grassland and 5 elements that are common to both.
Formative Assessment in Error Analysis Example
After content instruction and guided practice on the elements of ecosystems and how to compare ecosystems, students completed the following as an independent practice: 1. read information about aquatic and grassland ecosystems (or listened, through the use of an MP3 player, to the information being read), 2. used a highlighter to highlight elements of each ecosystem as they read/listened (green for grassland and blue for aquatic), 3. identified common elements of both ecosystems by circling them, 4. recorded all elements on a Venn Diagram.
Work Sample Analysis for Student 1: Since he identified 13 aquatic elements, this student’s knowledge of that ecosystem is at mastery level, with one exception. He did not identify grass as being an element in both aquatic and grassland ecosystems (identified as only as an element in grassland ecosystem). This misconception was cleared up when I conferenced with him about his work. When examining his understanding of grassland ecosystems, it was found that although he demonstrated understanding of the main idea of the text material by correctly charting elements, his demonstrated knowledge about grassland ecosystems did not meet the lesson objective mastery criteria. His background knowledge about grasslands coupled with the text did not provide enough information for him to build a complete schema.
Future Instruction for Student 1: Additional instruction along with further practice will be provided through a Webquest. The Webquest will provide examples of several grasslands and the elements that make up the grassland ecosystem and the student will practice identifying the elements. His ability to determine common elements (compare) the two ecosystems is not at mastery level either but may be affected by his lack of complete schema about the grasslands. It is apparen