Running head: Case study

Learning and Differentiating in School Context Case Study

Claire Meitzner
University of South Florida
College of Education
EDP3273

Abstract

Case study

The observation of one kindergarten students, Alana Hawkins (pseudonym), cultural

background, linguistics, social-emotional status, classroom behaviors, and school background
lead to the creation of this detailed description of individual specific instructional decisions.
These instructional decisions were designed with the best interest of the student in mind to help
her develop academic and psychologically. Various theories and theorists such as Jean Piagets
theory of cognitive development, Nancy Eilenbergs theory of pro-social moral reasoning, and
Erik Eriksons psychosocial theory, are referenced when analyzing Alana and when generating
instructional decisions specified for her. The instructional decisions that are suggested require
that both Alana and her teacher make adjustments to their current learning and teaching styles
and their emotions towards certain aspects of education.

Cultural Description

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Alana Hawkins (pseudonym) is a kindergartener at Crestwood Elementary school. Before

attending this school, Alana was not enrolled in any academic institutes. Her mother and father
both speak Spanish and she has an older sister that she is very close to. Alanas mother makes it
her priority to go over and assist her with her homework and reads books to her. Alanas sister is
in the 3rd grade and she is a role model for Alana. Alanas mother is very adamant that Alana
speaks Spanish at home to ensure that she does not lose her Spanish culture. She taught to speak
Spanish at home and English at school. Every day when Alana walks into the front door she is
immersed into the energy of her kindergarten classroom and teacher. A typical day in class is
nothing less than exciting and varied. With the positive vibes of the learning environment Alana
is determined and ready to learn due to her inquisitive and curious nature.
Linguistic
To fully understand Alanas linguistic abilities, I performed a variety of academic
assessments on her. The first test I administered with Alana was the Yopp-Singer Phoneme
Segmentation assessment. This test is meant to assess Alanas phonemic awareness, which tests
her awareness that words consist of series of sounds. I orally recited a list of words to her and
when she heard the word she sounded them out and gave me her best interpretation of what the
parts of the word were. At some times she gave me the letter name instead of the sound it made
in the word, so I would remind her to tell me the sounds that she hears not the letters in the word.
When she sounded out the word she went through the whole process of finding the sounds,
forming them with her lips and then putting them together to finish the word. What I did notice
was she did not yet understand consonant digraphs such as th, wh, and sh. She attempts to
break them up into their own sounds instead of keeping them together. With Alanas score of 11
out of 20 she is considered an emerging reader and she is on the path to becoming a better reader

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with more practice and exposure to phoneme activities. In order to determine what Alanas
overall spelling capability. I administered the first seven words to her in the Primary Spelling
Inventory (PSI) assessment. My overall findings are that she understands her initial and final
consonants but she is not listening for the short vowels. As I watched her sound out the words I
noticed that she mainly focused on the first and last sounds that she was hearing and ignoring the
sounds and letters between them. She uses her knowledge of phonemes to break apart the word
but does not listen to all the sounds she hears and as a result she is not able to spell the words
correctly. Because of Alanas age and grade level I decided to only test her on the first 5-7 words.
Numbers 8-26 were much too hard and out of range for Alana. For the future Alana, will need to
continue working on all aspects of spelling; consonants, short vowels, long vowels, digraphs,
blends, etc., but where she is now I see much potential in her. During her assessments, she has
shown signs of positive and inquisitive thinking that will take her far in her school years.
Social Emotional
Alana is very a social and friendly student. She talks with her peers throughout the day
and does not have a problem answering questions in front of the class. She frequently asking
questions and raising her hand in the classroom. She helps her peers that sit around her and
seems to care a lot about her friends. She is not in a specific clique in her class but she does
tend to surround herself with the girls in her class. She typically sits next to other girls and holds
their hand when going to lunch. I believe she may be undergoing early signs of the peer selection
process where she seeks out others who are similar to herself (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber,
2012). The girls she most frequently is seen with are also Spanish speakers who tend to talk a lot
and are active in the class just like her. I have also noticed in their friend group it very much
resembles friendships that are based off of moment-to-moment interactions (Bohlin, Durwin, &

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Reese-Weber, 2012). It is not uncommon for the girls to get into an argument then announce that
they are no longer friends. Alana underwent this type of situation right as class was starting one
day. She teared up and sat somewhat away from the group, until the same friend who unfriended
her sat next to her as if nothing had even happened. In Eriksons Psychosocial theory, Alana falls
under the developmental stage of school-age. This stage revolves around the psychosocial crisis
of industry versus inferiority (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). She is learning to master
skills needed in the classrooms such as school subjects but she is also learning physical skills like
sports. Her parents are still very important figures in her life, but now her teacher has also
become a big part of her life. She is no longer just trying to obey her parents but now her teacher
as well. When Alana participates in class by answering questions she is very enthusiastic, but
when she gets the answer wrong she gets slightly upset but it does not stop her from trying again.
Alana has a high level of sociability, which can be seen in her high levels of social participation,
friendships with classmates and participation in peer conversations (Bohlin, Durwin, & ReeseWeber, 2012).
Behavior
Alana, being the social and friendly girl she is, tends to talk a lot in class and is
occasionally reprimanded for that. She has been frequently scolded for calling out answers in
class instead of raising her hand. As a result of this Alanas teacher has created a way to halt
these shout outs. Every student who calls out is required to pull a bubble off the chart (a velcro
pink circle resembling a piece of bubble gum) on the board, which is one of the teachers
methods of getting the students to be quiet. At the end of the week in the student still has all their
bubbles on the chart then they are able to get a piece of bubble gum. I have observed her
having to do that multiple times. She gets quite upset when that happens and pouts for a while

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afterwards. When it comes to following the rules, Alana does fairly well. I have noticed that she
seeks approval from her teacher, which in Einsbergs theory of Prosocial moral reasoning puts
Alana in level one hedonistic or self-focused orientation (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber,
2012). For example, when the class is walking to the lunch room students are too put their
bubbles in (be quiet) and walk straight and Alanas teacher walks around making sure students
are following the line rules and occasionally give away a lion loot, pretend money that can be
saved for access to the treasure box, to students who are doing the right thing. I have observed
Alana intentionally putting her bubble in and walking straight primarily when her teacher is in
viewing distance, but as soon as she is far enough away will turn and talk to the student behind
her. As the teacher makes her way around the line Alana puts her finger to her mouth and
straightens up again, hoping to get a lion loot and will even interject and announce to her teacher
look at me I have my bubble in!
Psychological/Cognitive
In order to fully understand Alana at all possible levels we must assess where she is in
relation to her cognitive development. According to developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget, all
students thinking are influenced by biological maturation, active exploration of the physical
environment, social equilibrium and self-regulation (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). He
also suggested that children go through stages of cognitive development starting in sensorimotor
then gradually moving through pre-operational, concrete operational, and lastly formal
operational. At the present time, Alana would be considered to be in the pre-operational stage.
The pre-operational stage claims that students are one-way thinking and are typically showing
ability to concentrate on a given task (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012.). During this stage
students are not yet able to understand the idea of reversibility or conservation (Bohlin, Durwin,

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& Reese-Weber, 2012). Alana has exhibited this lack of knowledge about conservation. Her
teacher lined up two lines of counting bears; the two lines both had 5 bears in them. She asked
the students which line had more bears, then one of the students answered by counting the bears
out one by one, then decided that they were the same. Then my CT moved the bottom
line making them have both 5 bears but spread out the second line so there was more space
between the bears. She then asked Alana which line had more bears. Alana looked at the line and
chose the that was longer because it was spread out. Alanas teacher told her to count again. She
did as she was asked and student counted again, this time coming to the realization that both
lines had the same amount of bears. Alana was unable to see the quantity of the line stayed the
same even though the line was more spread apart.
Metacognitive/Intellectual
Close observation of Alanas metacognitive skills reveals further insight into her thought
process. Metacognition falls under three categories person knowledge, task knowledge and
strategy knowledge. Alana displays personal knowledge, knowing ones own capabilities
(Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). When I discuss with her what her favorite subject is
she tell me it is reading and that she is really good at sounding out her words, which she is. She
knows that she is in reading level 2/3 and she is good at finding sight words when she is reading.
When I asked her what subject, she has the most trouble with she told me that it was writing. She
says that she has trouble with her letters and writing the words that she is thinking. Intellectually
Alana is doing very well. In reading she is making great progress. I administered the Elementary
Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) to understand her attitude towards reading. Reading is such an
important part of a students academics and in such an early time in her academic career knowing
her feelings towards reading will help me understand her a little more. Alana was asked to rank

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her feelings towards both academic and recreational aspects of reading such as her feelings about
reading in school (academic) and how she felt about reading at home for fun. She would then
answer the question by looking at the facial features of images of Garfield, the familiar comic
strip character. Overall Alana had an overall positive attitude about reading, both academically
and recreationally. She is in 2/3 reading level and she is required to be at 4/6 reading level by the
end of kindergarten. I predict that she will pass that level by the end of the year. In other subjects,
such as math she is doing well at grasping concepts and finishing assignments. She tends to take
all the time allotted her teacher gives to finish math assignments, but they are usually completed
and generally accurate.
Institutional
The school that Alana attends is a title 1 school that houses 952 students. The schools
population is 78.15% Hispanic students, 6.72% African American, 5.78% Caucasian, and 4.41%
Asian. These demographics show that more than three-fourth of the schools population is of
Hispanic background, the school is being proactive and attempting to meet the needs of its
diverse student population. All important documents and handbooks are offered in both Spanish
and English to make sure all parents can accurately and easily read and access them. The school
offers an Dual Language Learner (DLL) parent resource center for the parents who speak
Spanish and have DLL students enrolled in the school. All parents have the opportunity to join
the parent involvement program, Achieve and take part in PTA meetings. At this school 93%
of its students are on free/reduced lunch and is a 92% minority school. In an effort to meet the
needs of DLL students, all students whose parents reported that Spanish is the most frequently
spoken language in their household, are tested and depending on the students score will be pulled
out of their classes every so often to work on learning English with dual language teachers.

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When DLL students are pulled from their classes for extra assistance they are supported by an
DLL teacher who is aware of the students needs and how they can help them achieve more in
their classroom.
Instructional Plan
Cognitive Development Plan
With the aim of meeting Alanas cognitive needs, I have a few suggestions. I suggest
designing lesson plans and activities to be based on Alana and her classmates developmental
level (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Alanas teacher needs to be aware of what her
students can contribute cognitively to the lessons and accommodate or create lessons that
enhance their involvement in lessons or activities. Being in the pre-operational stage of cognitive
development, Alana has a one-way thinking path and she needs to be exposed to the logic that
there are more than one way to look at things. Other ways to develop Alanas cognitive skills
would be to link new concepts to her prior knowledge (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012).
By bringing up what students already know and making it connect to the new knowledge that
they are learning will help them have a more meaningful learning process. By having students
recall previously learned information will also trigger the use of their working and long-term
memory. Connecting different subjects to each other will make it more likely that students will
remember the information because it will trigger many different ideas. I also suggest asking
open-ended questions to facilitate deeper thinking, instead of questions with one answer to them.
With the use of open ended questions Alanas teacher should expose the students with puzzling
and thought-provoking information that will help to re-shape their schemas. Schemas are
organized patterns of physical action that are preformed mentally or without thinking. By
challenging students schemas, teachers can show them more ways of thinking and in the end,

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can help enhance their cognitive skills.

Language Development Plan
Language development is a big part of school learning throughout early childhood, and
continues all the way through secondary education. It is important to understand that language
plays a part in not only oral skills but also in the foundation of reading and writing skills (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Since Alana is a dual language learner this also plays an
important part in her language development. Being a bilingual student involves learning two
separate languages that interact with each other (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). With
the intention of improving her English language, I suggest continuing her learning of phonemic
awareness. Phonemic awareness is understanding that words are made up of smaller units of
sounds and those words can be divided into syllables, onsets, rimes, and phonemes (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Developing her phonemic awareness will also help with her
reading by helping her decode or sound out words while reading. Alana would respond well to
phonemic awareness activities that incorporate songs and games such as the game, Guessing the
Covered Word (Cunningham & Allington, 2016). Alanas teacher is using the instructional
method of English immersion, where all instruction is given in English and there are generally no
changes to accommodate bilingual students (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Alana is
fluent in both languages therefore, she is not particularly affected by this method of teaching.
Alanas teacher can improve her language development by doing a couple of simple things.
Talking, reading, and singing out loud to Alana will help promote her expressive skills and
vocabulary development. Children are always listening and are commonly seen repeating the
things that they hear. If Alanas teacher models correct language skills like phonemic awareness,
syntax, stimulating vocabulary, and fluency then she will be likely to develop similar skills.

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Alanas oral language would also benefit from more group activities rather than larger group
activities (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Large group activities can be intimidating
and confined to whether or not Alana raises her hand and gets chosen to talk. By incorporating
more small group activities Alana will be able to discuss topics with her peers and orally express
her feeling and thoughts toward subjects. Since Alana is in a kindergarten class, her teacher may
need to walk around, facilitating the conversation and making sure they are staying focused.
They also may want to come together after they have talked for a while and then have the large
group discussion as a way to wrap up the activity.
Social-Emotional Development Plan
Alanas developmental period in Eriksons Psychosocial theory, school age, puts her in
the psychosocial crisis stage of industry versus inferiority. There are many features of being in
the classroom environment that have the potential to affect Alanas sense of industry (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). There are a few things that I would suggest to help decrease any
possible feeling s of inferiority. One of them would be attempting to avoid activities that promote
competition among students. These competitive activities focus on students varying skill levels
and may leave students feel inferior compared to others. This may hurt their ego and make them
feel unworthy. As an alternative to competition among students I would suggest making sure that
students are aware that they are doing great individually and that they do not need to compare
themselves to the other students in the class. Alana would benefit from this specifically because
she is very much dependent on what her peers think of her and if she feels as if she is behind the
rest of her classmates it may have an impact on her self-esteem. When it comes to teaching
emotional intelligence to Alana I would suggest having her teacher work on the concept of
social-emotional learning (SEL), through teaching effective communication skills, emotional

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self-control perspective taking, optimism, problem-solving and respect for others (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). By teaching these concepts early on in Alanas life will help her
for the rest of her life and will leave her with skills that she can use in many different
environments, not just in school. Each of these techniques can help Alana communicate her
feelings to her friends and give her the tools to solve conflicts correctly and effectively without
the interference of her teacher. Implementing SEL in classrooms has been commonly associated
with students showing improved achievement scores, decreased amount of misbehaviors by
28%, and an increase in attendance rates (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012).
Moral Development Plan
Alana is fairly good at following the rules and deciphering between right and wrong.
Since she does such a great job at this I would just suggest that her teacher keep reviewing the
rules and having the students explain why certain behaviors should not be performed and what
makes certain behaviors good or bad. This will keep Alana on the right path. She also gets along
with her friends but does show some hedonistic characteristics that she needs to work on. In
Nancy Eisenbergs theory of prosocial moral reasoning theory Alana is in the level labeled
hedonistic or self-focused. In this level the individual focuses on herself above anyone else and
they will manipulate their behavior in order to benefit themselves (Bohlin, Durwin, & ReeseWeber, 2012). I have also observed that Alana, in Kohlbergs theory of moral reasoning, is at the
preconventional level. She is at the stage of expecting equal exchanges of actions (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012.). For example, Alana promised to let one of her friends borrow
her pencil eraser only if she let her sit next to her at lunch time instead of another girl in the
class. Alana only exchanged her pencil eraser for the opportunity to sit next to the girl. This
shows that Alana is at a more self-centered time in her moral development where she hasnt

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necessarily mastered the idea of doing something just to be nice. Some teachers believe that the
moral curriculum should not be separated from academic content, but rather the two should be
connected and intertwined within the classroom and school (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber,
2012, p. 86). Taking this into account I would suggest talking to Alana about the idea of sharing
with friends just to be nice or to treat her friends as she would like to be treated. By exposing
Alana to these ideas may help to morph her current moral development into one that is more
well-rounded and caring. Teaching morals in the classroom can have the potential to affect how
the students behave as they grow up and become vital factors in the community. I would just
suggest being careful on the morals that her teacher teaches in order to avoid overstepping her
boundaries with Alanas parents. Parents and teachers need to work together to generate morally
acceptable individuals. When and if Alana makes a bad choice I would suggest to not point it out
in front of the class, unless it is physically harming herself or her peers around her. Instead I
would suggest discussing with her in private why the choices she made were not necessarily
good. Having her explain why the behavior was not a good and how she could have handled the
situation differently will help her to think and work on better handling herself.
Ideal Behavioral and Social Cognitive Environment
To create an ideal behavioral and social cognitive environment there are a few things that
I would suggest. First, I would create a visual representation of the rules that are expected in the
classroom. Right now, the students are expected to just know the rules/expectations of the
classroom but they do not a anything to refer to as a way to guide their behaviors. Alanas
teacher could put up a poster or something of that nature that explains the rules and expectations.
It could have the potential to work like a sight word wall, students could refer to it when they are
in challenging situations and choose to follow the rules that are right in front of them. I also

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would suggest slightly altering Alanas teachers reward system. Currently they receive lion
loot, fake money, that they can receive by making good choices and participating in class and
after receiving 20 lion loots they can go into the treasure box. This is a classic example of the
operant behavioral theory component: positive reinforcement. Alanas teacher is taking use of the
commonly used technique that allows her to cleverly control her classrooms behavior. Positive
reinforcement is the act of adding something to increase a desired response (Bohlin, Durwin, &
Reese-Weber, 2012). My only problem with this reward system is the quantity of lion loots
required to have access to the treasure box. Having to wait till 20 are collected can be defeating
and causes the enthusiasm of receiving a lion loot not as rewarding as it could be. I would
suggest changing the amount required to be ten instead, that way the students have more
opportunities to receive the reward. Also by lowering the amount required will help to improve
other students behaviors because other students will see their classmates receiving a prize from
the treasure box and will as a result will work just as hard to have their own chance to get a prize.
I would also place the treasure box in a more visible location, so students can have a visual
reminder. To address Alanas tendency to talk a lot in class I have two suggestions. One would
be to just simply move her from her current seat and see if sitting her next to different classmates
will help. If that does not work I would suggest adapting the bubble gum reward system from
just shouting out answers during large group time to include talking while students are expected
to be doing individual work. Alanas problem is she has a hard time staying focused and she is
spending too much time talking to her classmates around her instead of doing her work in a time
efficient manner. Working on her talkativeness will help keep her focused on her work and will
consequently help the students around her. One more suggestion that I have would be increasing
the sense of community within the classroom. One way to do this is by adding a more personal

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component to morning meeting. By adding a section such as student greeting or sharing time
would allow students to get to know each other and allows them to make connections to each
other. Students in Alanas class are all friendly towards each other but they have a very limited
amount of time to actually talk and get to know each other on a personal level. Adding in this
time for the students to get to know each other more will create a larger sense of community win
the classroom.
Recommendations for Instruction
If I had to make any changes to the way that Alanas teacher is instructing her, they
would only be minor, but I think they would help Alana become a better and well-rounded
student. I would recommend exposing Alana to more reading materials. Alanas teacher has a
great variety of books but she lacks non-fiction books. Non-fiction books would expose Alana to
a different genre of books she may not be used to. Considering her love of animals, I think she
would particularly enjoy some non-fiction animal books. When it comes to math I would suggest
creating groups where student at similar ability levels can work with the teacher for some more
focused individual help. Right now, during math the students are all trying to get the teachers
help and if she has guided math groups then Alanas teacher can help the small groups (Bohlin,
Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). The guided group that worked with the teacher would rotate
each day. Alanas teacher would also be able specifically design lessons around each groups
ability. For instance, students that are flying through the math activities that the teacher has for
the whole class, can get a more advanced math activity. That way the teacher does not have to
hold them back from their potential and she would not overwhelm the other students with
activities that are too difficult for them, this is also referred to as differential item functioning
(DIF) (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). Another thing that I would suggest that Alanas

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teacher try to include in her instructional plans are the incorporation of more engaging activities
to go along with read-alouds. Read alouds occur every day in Alanas classroom and have
become very monotonous because her teacher just reads the book then they talk about it for a
few minutes then are sent to their desk to do some sort of activity that is related to the story. If
Alanas teacher created more interesting and diverse activities related to the read aloud then
students may find them more interesting. An idea of a different activity that would get the
students interested in read alouds could be allowing students to bring their favorite books in from
home or even allowing the students to write and illustrate their own books and then allowing
them to read them to the class. This activity could take a while but would help with students oral
fluency, writing skills, and reading skills and giving students the opportunity to write their own
story allows them to use their imagination and will boost their interest in read alouds.
Critical Thinking Skills
Students who have critical thinking skills are able to evaluate, reflect, explore and
analyze information in an advanced manner (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012.). Alana can
definitely benefit from activities and applications of critical thinking in her classroom. It is never
too early to learn critical thinking skills. At this point in the year I have not seen very many
activities or opportunities to have students foster their critical thinking skills. One way to help
students enhance their critical thinking skills would be to include more forms of questioning into
class discussions. Class discussions come in three forms: spontaneous discussion, exploratory
discussion, and issue-specific discussion (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). By applying a
variety of these different forms of discussion in the classroom permits students to think
sophisticatedly and think outside of the box. I would suggest using a variation of different types
of questions during class discussions that will encourage students to use critical thinking. For

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example, using questions of clarification such as, Why do you say that? or questions that probe
for reasons and evidence like, What led you to that conclusion? (Bohlin, Durwin, & ReeseWeber, 2012). In addition to the assortment of discussion question types, Alanas teacher needs
to allocate enough wait time after posing the question, in order to let her students, understand the
question and then think critically about their answer, before calling on them. Developing Alanas
critical thinking skills will also help to enhance her problem solving skills as well, which she can
use in the classroom setting and/or in everyday situations (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber,
2012). Teaching Alana the acronym IDEAL is a great way to teach her five important steps to
problem solving. IDEAL stands for identify the problem, define goals, explore possible
strategies, anticipate outcomes and look back and learn (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012).
By integrating even simple critical think skills into Alanas early school years will prepare her
for her future academic challenges and ultimately many life situations she may encounter.
Family Engagement Plan
Alanas teacher has done an adequate amount of family engagement thus far in the year
by consistently updating her parents on her improvement and behavior through conferences and
notes in her agenda. But there are a few ways that she can improve Alanas family involvement. I
would suggest making sure Alanas mom is promoting reading in both Spanish and English at
home. Because of our knowledge of Alanas mother insistence of maintaining Alanas Spanish
language, it is important to make sure that she is practicing both English and Spanish at home.
Alana needs to be practicing her reading and writing at home and needs to have her parents
motivation and support. Alanas teacher should also make sure she is making a personal
connection with her parents, so that they can make sure they are all on the same page when it
comes to Alanas education. Her teacher also should make sure her parents feel included and

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welcome. This can be implemented by inviting parents to come into the classroom to read once a
month or something of that nature. The essential connection between a students parents and their
teacher is justified in Bronfenbrenners biological theory. Bronfenbrenner puts the
communication between parents and teachers in in developmental level he termed as the
mesosystem (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). The mesosystem is the link between
school environment and the home environment. This link needs to be kept strong because
family-school relations and parental involvement in education have been identified as a way to
close demographic gap in achievement and maximize students potential (Bohlin, Durwin, &
Reese-Weber, 2012, p. 341)
if a students parents and teachers are collaborating and are on the same page then the
student has a higher chance of excelling in school.

Assessment Strategies
Alana has taken a few standardized tests in the beginning of the year that were focused on
determining her strengths and weaknesses (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). She has also
taken a few math tests so far in the year. Alanas kindergarten curriculum does not include very
extensive and rigorous assessments and that may be the reason why she has not taken very many
tests. But in order to prepare and assist her for future tests there are a few strategies that her
teacher should consider teaching her. I would suggest continuing to give Alana tests to see if she
is fully grasping the concepts that are being taught. The assessments that are given to her can be
either formal or informal; both will give feedback on her progress. Formal assessments are
preplanned test and quizzes that are specifically used to see what they have learned and informal
assessments are day-to-day observations of Alanas participation and behavior in class (Bohlin,

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Durwin, & Reese-Weber, 2012). After assessments are graded and assessed Alanas teacher
should not only inform her on how she did but also give her advice on how to improve for future
tests. When it comes to the content and quality of the test there are a few provisions that need to
be met. Test should have these four qualities: validity, reliability, fairness and equivalence, and
practicality. Test that do not have these four qualities are considered to be poor. Low quality test
acquire inaccurate results and therefore defeat the purpose of administering the test. Another
aspect of Alanas assessment strategies that needs to be addressed is her behaviors or emotions
towards them. I have observed Alanas behavior instantly flip when she hears her teacher
announce that they will be taking a test. Regardless of the fact that these kindergarten students
have not been in school long enough to of developed testing anxiety, there is still a sense of fear
of failure when it comes to testing. I can tell that Alana does not enjoy testing and I think it has a
lot to do with the fact that she cannot rely on her classmates or her teacher for help during the
test. I have observed this when she was talking a math test. She was consistently caught for
looking at her neighbors answers. She was not confident in her answers so as a result she would
look over at her neighbors test. This is something that needs to be address. The importance of
not cheating is something that needs to be brought to Alanas attention.
Action Research Plan
To ensure that Alana is on track developmentally I would create an action research plan
that is based on detailed requirements that need to be met in the different areas of development;
linguistic, social-emotional, behaviors, psychological/cognitive, and metacognitive/intellectual.
This way I can see if the instructional plans that I suggested assisted and applied to her needs as
a student. It will be necessary to keep track of her development, to ensure that she is becoming a
balanced student. To get concrete evidence to see if my instructional suggestions worked I plan

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on re-administering the assessments towards the end of the year. Re-administering the
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) will allow me to see if Alanas attitude towards
reading increased or decreased from the previously administered test. Retesting Alana on her
phonemic awareness, by having her take the Yopp-Singer again, would allow me to be see if the
language development plan helped increase her knowledge of phonemic segmentation. By
reviewing new results I would be able to see if the incorporation of more phonemic awareness
lessons helped advance her language development, or if it had no effect. In order to see Alanas
spelling progress throughout the year I will have her retake the Primary Spelling Test. I will be
looking for her ability to stretch the word out and sound out the different parts of the word. I will
be looking for her method and technique behind the spelling of each word.

Conclusion
As I finished and finalized this case study, I reflect on the entire process of choosing my
focus student, administering varying assessments, and deciding the best instructional decisions to
help her become a stronger student. This process is a very targeted and minimized version of
what teachers are meant to do with every student. It is their job as the teacher to observe and
determine the best plan of action to take to help every student reach their full potential. As I
continue on my path to become a teacher I plan on learning all the best ways to teach all types of
students and how to create a classroom environment that accommodates all my students.
Teachers have a lot of components to consider when it comes to creating the best educational
environment for students such as, instructional methods, classroom environment, classroom
management and so many other things. Using Alana as my focus student has helped me get a

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glimpse of what being a kindergarten teacher will imply. I hope that Alana continues to grow and
become the great student that I believe she is on the path to becoming.

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References

Bohlin, L., Durwin, C. C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2012). Edpsych: Modules. New York: McGraw
Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Cunningham, P. M., & Allington, R. L. (2016). Classrooms that work: They can all read and
write. New York: Longman.