Category 5: Education Research

Entry 11 Data Analysis of a Unit

The candidate seeks, analyzes, and uses research and data to make wise judgments about
curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

This entry will analyze the data from one specific unit taught during the student internship.
The candidate will complete data tables and subsequent questions in response to prompt
11. There is no reflective essay for this entry, but reflective questions regarding data
analysis at the end of the data tables.

Examples of data that can be collected and examined prior to and after instruction include:
relevant standardized assessment data, student performance on previous tasks and units of
study, student self-assessment, teacher assessment of student readiness, student grasp of
essential concepts to be taught during the unit.

The goal of the analysis of this data is not to measure student understanding of low-level
identification items prior to instruction, but rather to anticipate and plan for student
growth in learning, comprehension, and higher-order thinking from instruction during the
unit. Thus, pre- and post- measurement should not be an automatic given, but rather a true
measurement of growth from the teaching of the student intern. The tables and
presentation of data can be modified from what is given below. The candidate should
consult with the cooperating teacher, university supervisor, and clinical instructor to
identify relevant sources of useful information for analysis.
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 2

Contextual Factors Template

Total Number of Students in the School: __674______

School Socio-Economic Make-Up (i.e., % free and reduced lunches): ___________

Class Class
1 2
Grade Level/Subject Taught 3rd grade/ 3rd grade/
general music general music
Number of Students in Classroom 20 20

Contextual Information: Class Class Student Learning Adaptations:

(List the number of students identified
in each class you teach and identify the
class in which you are teaching your
unit)
Gender
Number of Females:
Number of Males:
Ethnic/Cultural Make-Up
Caucasian/White:
African American/ Black:
Hispanic/Latino:
Asian/Pacific Islander:
American Indian/Alaskan Native:
Language Proficiency
Number of English Language
Learners (ELL):
1 2 (Describe at least one example of a strategy
to provide equitable opportunities,
accommodations, or modifications you
attempted for any student identified within
each contextual characteristic)
F: 11 F: 11 With there being more girls than boys, I
M:9 M: 9 would split them by where they were
sitting more often than by gender. When
answering questions, I would ask for
anyone who knew to raise their hand.
C: 15 C: 18 The school I student taught in for the whole
AA: 3 H: 2 semester is primarily white and a catholic
H: 1 school that pays no tuition. While the
A: 1 subject material is not affected by this, I
think it is important to bring other cultures
to the forefront to study so that the
students have a more well-rounded musical
education.
0 0 While these classes did not have any ELL
students, others in the school do. I think it
important to reach every student in a way
that they could understand it.

Academic Performance
Students Performing
Below Grade Level:
Student Performing
Above Grade Level:
Students with Special Needs
Learning Disability:
Emotional/Behavioral Impairment:
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD):
Developmental Disability:
Intellectual Disability:
Speech/Language Impairment:
Autism Spectrum:
E/B: 1 E/B: 1 While no one should be singled out because
ADD: 1 of their learning needs, it does make lesson
LD: 3 planning interesting. For both of these
classes, I had to make sure that we kept
moving through the lesson because the
children who need extra help also happen
to be the loudest talkers and/or bring a lot
of attention to themselves and away from
the lesson if it’s not constantly pushing
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 3

Gifted: forward.
Blind/Visual Impairment (VI):
Deaf /Hearing Impairment (HI):
Physical Disability:
Other Health Impairment:
Military Connected Students N/A N/A This would not impact the lessons.

Student Characteristics:
Describe the developmental characteristics of students in your classroom.
(Cognitive, Physical, Emotional, Social).
The students in these classes have a wide range of characteristics. In class 1, the cognitive skills are lacking
in many students. This makes deeper thinking about musical concepts a little challenging, but with the right
prompt questions they get there eventually. The range of the students cognitive, emotional, and social
development is the widest in this class. As third graders, they are going through a good deal of emotional
growing and social growth as well. During this year at this school, they move to a different hallway after
being in the same hallway from K-2. This promotes maturity but only if the student is ready. It becomes clear
that some were not ready to move on socially or emotionally. However, all the students in the class help one
another and encourage each other when things are getting tough.

Highlight the prior knowledge and interests of students in your classroom.

The prior knowledge of the students is tied into the teacher. They have had the same music teacher since
kindergarten or preschool and are now in third grade. This is last year they have with the same teacher until
seventh grade, as there is another music teacher that teaches 4th -6th grade. They have a strong base
knowledge and are working towards labeling everything they have learned in years prior.

Describe the implications these characteristics have on planning and instruction.

(e.g. What instructional strategies will you use to meet the unique learning needs of all your students?)
With these characteristics in mind, I have to make sure that my lessons are challenging enough for those that
need it but explained in a way that the others can understand. For those that are ahead or right on track, I try
to find other ways from them to explore the concepts we learn while also making sure that everyone is on the
right track. I also try to find ways for them to be leaders if their personality fits and they are comfortable in
that position. This way, they can fully understand the concept while helping their classmates out.

Environmental Factors:
Describe district, school, and classroom environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all of
your students.
39 catholic schools in the district. 35 elementary/middle schools and 4 high schools. The diocese is very
large and the most schools are in Wichita along with the headquarters for the diocese. The school I taught in,
has a very strong parish attached to it and the parent involvement is great! The environmental factors could
be that the students don’t pay tuition and the state doesn’t pay for school. This limits the number of things the
students are exposed to during their time here (K-8). This also limits the types of students who can come
here, because there is no state funding, students with special needs don’t have the resources they need to
succeed, so they go to other schools.
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 4

Describe community and family environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all of your
students. The community and family environment is very strong here at this school. Being a Catholic parish,
the community is God centered and everyone here has the same objective: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic
School’s mission calls us to form, inform and transform students into Christ’s Mystical Body. We fulfill this
mission through our core values of stewardship, faithfulness, scholarship and unity.

Describe the implications these factors have on planning and instruction.

(What instructional strategies will you use to address the unique environmental factors impacting each
student?)

These only impact in lesson planning is that we have to incorporate mass hymns and go to mass on Fridays
as a whole school. This may take away from other songs but there are so many teachable concepts in the
hymns that the concepts do not vary. This may impact students who are not Catholic but are very strongly
Christian. They may hear one thing at home and another at school and this could be confusing. The impact of
community and togetherness really brings the students closer together and the staff together. With both of
these, the environment at the school is relaxed and comfortable but hardworking.

Focus Students Information

Provide information about the two focus students you selected from the class in which you will be
teaching your unit that you feel would benefit from modified instruction. You MUST choose one
student with exceptionalities or an English Language Learner as one of your focus students.
Complete the chart below referring to these students only as Student A and Student B. Do not use
proper names.

Describe this student using Why did you What did you find out Based on this
information from the select this about this student? information what
Contextual Information student? Address characteristics are the
and Student Learning from the Contextual implications for
Adaptations Information and this student’s
Student Learning instruction?
Adaptations
Studen Student A is a Caucasian I selected this Cognitive I would try to
tA male who has emotional student This student is a little pair this student
below grade level
and behavioral because after because of
who is high in
hinderances. This observing comprehension of the class when
student often leaves the him I had musical skills we did partner
classroom to use the questions work so that he
restroom sometimes about his Emotional could hear the
This student is most
multiple times in a class. behavior. I likely below grade level
explanation from
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 5

After talking to his wanted to because of the way he a classmate. I

primary teacher, there is know why behaves in class and would also offer
responds to difficult
no medical reason for and how I problems (with
the student work
this and we concluded could teach frustration and anger) one on one with
that he simply wanted to him and the teacher to
leave music class. As others like Physical really
the semester went on, him in the This student has no understand
physical restrictions
we realized this is future. concepts.
because focusing is Social
difficult for him and he This student is slightly
wasn’t getting the below grade level
concepts we were socially. I have seen that
he often talks with
teaching. students younger than
him and does not seem to
have a lot of friends in
his grade.

Describe this student using Why did you What did you find out Based on this
information from the select this about this student? information what
Contextual Information student? Address characteristics are the
and Student Learning from the Contextual implications for
Adaptations Information and this student’s
Student Learning instruction?
Adaptations
Studen Student B is an African I chose this Cognitive I would try to
tB American female with student This student is under engage this
grade level cognitively
most likely undiagnosed because I because of lack of focus
student one on
ADD. She can follow have never and attention one to try to get
concepts one on one but had more attention
struggles in a larger experience Emotional and focus in my
environment. teaching a Student seems at grade classroom. I
level for emotional
student with development
would also ask
ADD and her primary
especially Physical teacher if they
one where This student does not had techniques
the teachers have any physical that work in
limitations
know but their clasroom
there is a Social that could be
disconnect at This student appears at used in mine.
home. grade level for social
development
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 6

Entry 11: Data Analysis Template

Pre-Assessment Data
Student Scores by Objective on the Pre Assessment
Student Obj 1 Obj 2 Overall %
Students will sing loud or Students will listen for a singer
soft using the song “Closet and respond using “You who”.
Key”
1-18 yes yes 100%
Focus A yes yes 100%
Focus B yes yes 100%

What do these data mean for instruction during the unit?

This data shows that the students really knew the music. This is because they had learned it
in prior years. I thought going into this that they would not have remembered as well as
they did, but they surprised me

What do these data mean for instruction for the Focus Students
during the unit?
This means that the prior instruction was very good and had been gone over many times in
order for them to remember as well as they did. I was excited to see them excited about
something they knew and could do well.

Formative Assessment Data

Student Scores of Two Selected Formative Assessments
Student Formative 1 Formative 2
Students will sing a Students will sing the
phrase by themselves song “Great Big House”
and then choose who on solfege at least 80%
responded using the song accurate.
“You Who”
1-18 yes yes
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 7

Focus A no no
Focus B yes no

How did the data from these formative assessments impact

learning during the unit?
This impacted my way of revising and teaching in the middle of the lesson. I revised my
approach and had them think over the right solfege and helped me write it on the board.
While picking the person, I had them listen to the person a few times and asked them to
listen for location and then if they could whether it was a boy or girl. The last question was
hard because at this age most of them still sound the same.

How did the data from these formative assessments impact

Focus Student Learning during the unit?
This showed me that I need to have prompt questions ready to go at any time and that I also
need to have variance in my explanation of something so that more students can grasp it
better.

Post-Assessment Data
Student Scores by Objective on the Post Assessment
Student Obj 1 Obj 2 Overall %
Students will sing “Great Big Students will either soft or
House” on words and perform an loud using the song “Five Fat
ostinato with boomwhackers Turkeys” depending on
location
1-18 1-19- yes 1-no 1-19-yes 1-no 99%
Focus A no yes 50%
Focus B yes no 50%

What does these data mean for learning during the unit?
This means that the rhythm ground work that had been laid down was not there for some
students. And when the student is not paying attention, they tend to be off course. This also
means that my class direction could have been clearer

What does these data mean for learning for the Focus Students
during the unit?
This means that while teaching I should break things down even further than I thought.
This also could mean that smaller group work could be beneficial to these students.
 C&I UG PORTFOLIO 8

For future instruction, what have you learned about how

students learn and the efficacy of your instructional style?
What would you change, if anything?
I have learned that students need much more variation in one class period than I previously
thought. I knew they needed it but was unaware of how often things have to change on the
fly in order to reach those students. I also learned that students learn at varying rate in
every classroom. Most are on the same page, but some are either above or below and the
classroom environment needs to be controlled in both of these cases.
I would change how I thought teaching was going to be. I thought I had a good view of it but
it’s very different when you’re in the classroom every day and having to control the
classroom and the teaching. I am going to change my approach by having more questions to
ask the students to assess their knowledge and go in further to the concepts.