The image used above is in the public domain
Qualitative Growth
Introduction
Each week throughout the year my students practice their reading and writing skills while learning about various current events taking place around the world. I use the NewsELA app to assign a variety of articles for students to choose from at the beginning of each week. While reading the article, students search for the main idea and supporting details in order to assist them in crafting a well thought out summary. I chose to showcase the writing growth from their NewsELA summaries because students work on these articles each week throughout the year, providing me with updated data on a weekly basis. The evidence below follows three students’ writing journey from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year. I chose to highlight these students as they have made significant growth in their writing skills this year.
Student 1: ED
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by ED at the beginning of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by ED in the middle of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
This student has achieved tremendous writing growth throughout this year. The writing assignment from the beginning of the year received an 8 out of 16, however after months of intentional instruction this student was able to improve their score to 14 out of 16. At the beginning of the year, this student displayed basic writing skills that required targeted instruction in order to improve. On the middle of the year writing assessment, this student was able to stay on topic and include a variety of details that show complete understanding of the text. This student also utilized a student rubric in order to guide their writing towards mastery.
Student 2: ZD
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by ZD at the beginning of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by ZD at the middle of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
This student’s writing skills have gradually improved throughout this year. This student only scored an 8 out of 16 on the first assignment, but after months of writing instruction their score increased to 16 out of 16. At the beginning of the year this student struggled to use language to effectively clarify ideas, which was an area for growth. However, by the middle of the year this student’s writing performance drastically improved. This student and I often review the rubric in order to address any misconceptions. As the year progresses I will continue to provide this student with intentionally planned rigorous instruction in order to ensure proficiency by the conclusion of the year.
Student 3: MC
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by MC at the beginning of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
The image below shows the NewsELA article read by MC at the middle of the year, and also includes a written summary and graded rubric.
This student has also shown dramatic growth from the beginning of the year assessment to the middle of the year assessment. By choosing texts that interested this student, they were able to passionately express their thoughts through writing activities. The image featured on the left displays this student’s first attempt at the writing assignment, which scored an 11 out of 16. This student needs to improve the variety of their sentences in order to improve their score. They were able to effectively list facts about a topic, but struggled to transform these facts into a well designed essay. After noticing this, I provided the student with direct instruction on writing structure and this student was able to improve their score to 16 out of 16.
Conclusion
These three students’ writing skills have improved dramatically since the beginning of the year. They began the year with minimal writing skills, practice, and confidence, but persevered through the challenging writing process in order to achieve these outstanding gains. As I continue to work with these students through the end of the school year I am confident that they will show dramatic academic growth by the end of the year assessment.