HALEY BRITTINGHAM  ⍚  PORTFOLIO

Transformational teaching involves combining multiple forms of instruction to provide an engaging learning environment that is rigorous enough to push students academically. The lower grades of elementary school are critically important in shaping the attitudes and confidence levels of students while they build and master their foundational skills, especially in mathematics and writing. My 2015-2016 first-grade class made dramatic academic growth on their end of year summative math assessment (EOY) compared to the middle of year formative assessment (MOY) along with their narrative writing skills demonstrating their readiness for second grade and providing them a stable platform to continue their success as a learner in elementary school and beyond. 

 

Within the quantitative section is the North Carolina First Grade Summative Assessment. The test was given at the end of the 2015-16 school year to determine proficiency in four core areas: number and operations in base ten, operations and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, and geometry. It was used to determine if students mastered the required skills needed to move onto the next grade level. The EOY assessment, in my opinion, was a good indicator of how well students were able to solve complex first-grade mathematical problems in comparison to the MOY assessment. As a class, eighty-five percent of my students showed proficiency on the MOY assessment with an average class score of eighty-four percent. However, ninety-four percent of my class was proficient with an average class score of eighty-six percent by the end of the year. Fourteen out of the seventeen total students received an eighty percent or higher. Only one student did not meet proficiency but met her growth goals according to her IEP. This data demonstrates that my students had mastered the four core areas of math for first grade and were ready to learn second-grade math concepts. 

 

The qualitative data includes student samples involving word problems from the MOY and EOY assessment to show dramatic academic growth for three different students. The first and third sample shows a compare-"how many fewer" word problem type. The second sample shows an add to/change unknown word problem type.  All three of the samples show an evolution of how students went from relying on drawings to solve their problems to writing equations, solving by making tens or using the relationship between addition and subtraction. Not only did students show growth by merely getting the answers correct on the EOY assessment, compared to the MOY assessment, but the evidence also demonstrates the complexity of the problems and their ability to solve these problems despite the increased complexity. These samples were chosen because by the end the year, the number of students who received a proficient overall score increased to ninety-four percent from eighty-five showcasing dramatic academic growth.

 

Along with math work samples, there are three sets of writing samples demonstrating growth during first grade for three students. These samples were a part of a district-wide writing assessment. Students were asked to write a story, or narrative, based off a real-life event that happened to or around them. They were not given any guidance except were reminded to use the tools they had learned in their writing lessons. These samples were chosen to showcase growth because overall students showed an increase in their use of transition words, detailed beginning, middle, and end parts of their stories and improved legibility. They grew in their ability to write cohesive and engaging stories based off real-life events that took place in their lives. 

 

Through much practice, engaging reinforcement activities and building a love of learning, my students made dramatic academic growth in math and writing, along with other subjects not mentioned here, setting them on a path to academic success.