Dramatic Academic Growth
Academic gains are the ultimate door opener – they are the foundation of a truly transformational teacher. Students make dramatic levels of academic growth. Families know the level of rigor necessary for college and career readiness in the 21st century.
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the school year, I communicate to students and families that dramatic academic growth is one of our core classroom goals. The more growth students achieve, the better opportunities they will have in college and beyond. I use a variety of curricular planning resources, instructional delivery strategies, and data-driven assessments to help my students achieve dramatic academic growth. Over the course of the school year, my students have achieved dramatic academic growth that can be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.
There is strong evidence of quantitative student growth, as measured by the American College Testing (ACT) exam. In April and June, my students will take the official ACT exam and use their score for their college applications. Each quarter, KIPP administers practice ACT exams, which they call Interims, to all 11th grade students. This year, I have tracked my students' growth through their first three Interims. The data garnered from these Interims are highly useful in my curricular planning and instructional methods. By thoroughly analyzing data from the Interims, I gain deeper insight into my students' strengths and weaknesses. With their learning needs in mind, I create high-impact, targeted teaching methods that dramatically increase students' scores.
There is also strong evidence of qualitative student growth in my Algebra II classroom. Standardized, completely multiple choice exams such as the ACT do not capture the full growth of my students. I gather qualitative evidence of student growth through various writing assignments. Writing assignments are more open-ended than multiple choice assessments and allow students to show the depths of their knowledge. My students have multiple opportunities to showcase their growth, as they write about Algebra II topics at the beginning, throughout, and end of each unit. In addition, each writing assignment is evaluated through a rubric, which allows me to analyze and reflect on the level of understanding, and adjust future lessons accordingly.
Please click on an image below to view how dramatic academic growth is evident in my classroom.
Throughout the school year, I communicate to students and families that dramatic academic growth is one of our core classroom goals. The more growth students achieve, the better opportunities they will have in college and beyond. I use a variety of curricular planning resources, instructional delivery strategies, and data-driven assessments to help my students achieve dramatic academic growth. Over the course of the school year, my students have achieved dramatic academic growth that can be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.
There is strong evidence of quantitative student growth, as measured by the American College Testing (ACT) exam. In April and June, my students will take the official ACT exam and use their score for their college applications. Each quarter, KIPP administers practice ACT exams, which they call Interims, to all 11th grade students. This year, I have tracked my students' growth through their first three Interims. The data garnered from these Interims are highly useful in my curricular planning and instructional methods. By thoroughly analyzing data from the Interims, I gain deeper insight into my students' strengths and weaknesses. With their learning needs in mind, I create high-impact, targeted teaching methods that dramatically increase students' scores.
There is also strong evidence of qualitative student growth in my Algebra II classroom. Standardized, completely multiple choice exams such as the ACT do not capture the full growth of my students. I gather qualitative evidence of student growth through various writing assignments. Writing assignments are more open-ended than multiple choice assessments and allow students to show the depths of their knowledge. My students have multiple opportunities to showcase their growth, as they write about Algebra II topics at the beginning, throughout, and end of each unit. In addition, each writing assignment is evaluated through a rubric, which allows me to analyze and reflect on the level of understanding, and adjust future lessons accordingly.
Please click on an image below to view how dramatic academic growth is evident in my classroom.
CONCLUSION
My goal is for students to grow at least three points on the ACT over the course of the school year, and to have 80% mastery of Algebra II topics on writing assessments. I communicate my high expectations to students and their families because student motivation and family engagement are key to college and career readiness in the 21st century. I share the results of each Interim and summative assessment with students and families, so that they can persist in their learning of Algebra II and preparation for the ACT.
Dramatic academic growth is foundational to transformational teaching. Through high impact and targeted teaching methods, I strive for measurable and rigorous student growth. I assess for both quantitative and qualitative, in order to have a deeper sense of student understanding. I track mastery of specific standards and skill sets, so that I can drive future lesson planning and delivery with data analysis. In addition, my data-driven approach allows me to differentiate instruction so that all students are able to achieve dramatic academic growth.
My goal is for students to grow at least three points on the ACT over the course of the school year, and to have 80% mastery of Algebra II topics on writing assessments. I communicate my high expectations to students and their families because student motivation and family engagement are key to college and career readiness in the 21st century. I share the results of each Interim and summative assessment with students and families, so that they can persist in their learning of Algebra II and preparation for the ACT.
Dramatic academic growth is foundational to transformational teaching. Through high impact and targeted teaching methods, I strive for measurable and rigorous student growth. I assess for both quantitative and qualitative, in order to have a deeper sense of student understanding. I track mastery of specific standards and skill sets, so that I can drive future lesson planning and delivery with data analysis. In addition, my data-driven approach allows me to differentiate instruction so that all students are able to achieve dramatic academic growth.