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 (that is measurable and rigorous). Families know the level of rigor necessary for college and career readiness in the 21st century.
Introduction
The Common Core “standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live” (Common Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.). Thus, to ensure my students are prepared for what's beyond school, it's imperative that they make dramatic academic growth based on the standards. For the next sections, I’m focusing on dramatic academic growth in reading and writing which are the areas my students struggle with due to the rigorous standards.
I believe that students ability to read provides access to an immeasurable amount of opportunities. Thus, developing foundational reading skills in kindergarten is vital. Using quantifiable data helps create a comprehensive understanding of students reading skills, determine students’ growth and provide insight into students’ strengths and needs, allowing my co-teacher and myself to adjust instruction accordingly. To assess students' reading skills; my grade level uses a teacher-created kindergarten diagnostic. Students reading levels are assessed using Fountas & Pinnell reading comprehension test. Both tests are given quarterly, and the data is used to measure growth.
Writing is also a crucial part of kindergarten as it provides students with another way to communicate their thoughts, opinions, and knowledge. Qualitative data analysis happens throughout the year as students work on developing their writing throughout each quarter. A unique aspect of kindergarten is that students receive almost immediate feedback as they work on their papers. However, a rubric outlines where students are and their progress as the year continues.
Dramatic levels of academic growth can be measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Thus to gain a comprehensive understanding of student growth over time, it is valuable to look at both. Using the links below readers will be able to explore further how qualitative and quantitative data is used in my classroom.
Click the link above to learn more about the standardized assessments that I use in my kindergarten classroom.
Click the link above to see the growth over time in the type of work my students have produced.
Conclusion
Kindergarten is a crucial year. For the majority of my students, it is a time where they are beginning to develop the foundational skills they need to make academic gains in school. It is important to note that the majority of them are coming in without any preschool experience, so the content they are being exposed to is rigorous. However, with the rigorous Common Core standards, students have the opportunity to demonstrate dramatic academic growth as they continue to build upon and progress through carefully analyzed data. Therefore, despite their young age and the rigor of the content, my students demonstrate that they can make dramatic academic growth over time.
REFERENCES
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). Development Process. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/
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