Although my pre-test and post-test had a different amount of questions, they

were both very similar in the type of problems that were asked. My pre-test scoring
was not very complicated at all, as I was simply trying to gauge where the class was
at entering the unit. So I gave very little partial credit and made every question
worth 1 point, and the total pre-test was out of 10 points. I wanted to see the
students process in answering the questions, as oppose to their final answer. For
me, seeing their process was a better indication of prior knowledge as oppose to
their final answer. The post-test however, was scored much differently and worth a
total of 59 points, with a total of 20 questions being asked.
The first two questions asks students to solve each system of equations by
graphing (7.1). Both of these questions were worth 4 points because they needed
to successfully graph each equation, find the intersection of the two lines, then
check their solution by plugging in their solution into both equations. The next
questions simply asks students to convert from standard form into slope-intercept
form, then graph the equation. This question simply was used to test their
knowledge from the previous unit, and it was only worth two points. The next two
questions asks students two solve each system by substitution (7.2), and they were
worth 3 points each. Students were given a point for their process, and a point each
for the two variables that they were solving for.
The next four questions asked students to solve each system by elimination
(7.3) with each question worth 3 points. Students were given one point for their
process, as well as one point for each variable they were able to successfully solve
for. The next two questions were word problems that asked them to create a
system of equations and solve for their two unknowns, given the information that
modeled a real-world situation (7.4). Each word problem was worth four points
each, and students were given a point for setting up the problem correctly, one
point for their process, and one point for each unknown that they were able to
successfully solve for.
The next question was a multiple choice question worth two points and asks
students which of the following points is NOT a solution to y>= -2. No partial credit
was given as students either got it correct or did not. The next two questions ask
students to graph each linear inequality (7.5), and each question was worth two
points. One point was given for graphing the line correctly, and the second point
came from shading correctly. The next question is also from section 7.5, and the
students are given a graph and are asked the write the linear inequality that is
being shown in the graph. This question was worth 3 points. The next four
questions ask students to solve each system of linear inequalities by graphing (7.6).
Each question was worth 3 points. Students got one point for each line that was
graphed correctly, and another point for shading in the appropriate region. The last
question test students on why two parallel lines have no solution, and how we know
that they are in fact parallel. This question was worth two points.
That is basically how each problem broke down, though I did give partial
credit on majority of the questions. If a question was worth 3 points, and the
students process was absolutely correct but they made a small arithmetic error

early on in the problem, then I forgive them for that and give them a 2 out of 3
points. Students understand that, while I do want the correct answer, I ultimately
am grading them on the process and not just their final answer. Little mathematical
errors are going to occur, especially in algebra, but if their process is sound then I
want to reward them with as much partial credit as possible.
Below are the results of the pre and post-tests that were given to the
students. I broke it down and compared male scores versus the females scores, as
well as students who turned in at least 75% of their homework, versus those who
turned in less than that. For anonymity purposes I did not put the students names
and instead just assigned each student a random letter. The first chart shows each
students pre-test scores and what the averages were for both male and female.
The next chart and graphs show their post test results, and shows the comparison
between the two different sub groups that Ive chosen.
Pre-Test Results (Percentage):
Male
Students
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M

Average

Score
20
20
30
10
20
20
20
20
20
30
30
20
10

20.8

Female
Students
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
AA
BB

Average

Score
10
10
30
20
40
30
20
40
10
40
20
10
20
10
10

21.3

Average Male Score

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

Average Female Score

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

less than 75% HW Completion

2

3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

1.5
1
0.5
0

At least 75% HW Completion

Post-Test Results:
Male Students
A
B

Score
s
90
75

Female
Students
N
O

Score
s
47
79

C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M

93
56
78
77
83
79
86
94
86
84
50

Average

79.3

P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
AA
BB

86
98
74
90
97
83
98
86
92
86
65
86
57

Average

81.6

Male Students
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Female Students
100
80
60
40
20

Post Test Results (Students who turned in less than 75% of their HW
assignments vs at least 75%):
Less than 75%: Average Score 73.27
Score 86.76

At least 75%: Average

At least 75% Comp

Less than 75%

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

100
80
60
40
20
1

Overall:
As expected, every student made a major improvement from their pre-test to posttest. The average score in the entire class was an 80%, which I was very pleased
with. Majority of the students did very well with keeping up with their homework,
and were able to grasp the concepts by participating frequently and staying
engaged during this unit. The lowest score was a 47, and out of 28 students, there
were only 4 Fs, compared to the 8 students that received an A. This was not
necessarily an easy unit, but it is a very important one, and I am glad that majority
of the students were able to successfully grasp the concepts.
Male vs Female:
The reason I wanted to compare males to females is because from my experience,
females tend to participate and engage more than males. They are also less likely
to talk throughout the lesson, at least from my experience. So given their pre-test
scores, which I expected to be very similar (20.8% to 21.3%), I wanted to see who
would make the bigger improvement. Looking at the post test scores, we see that
the average male score was 79.3%, while the females had an average score of 81.6.
Although it is not a big difference, there is a 2% difference between the two scores,
which can make a difference in their overall grade. Although I expected females to
have a higher average, I knew it would be pretty close because both were engaged
and did a great job of participating during lessons. No gender was more disruptive
or less disruptive than the other, so it is not surprising to see that the averages
were very similar.
Students that have completed AT LEAST 75% of their HW assignments vs
completing LESS THAN 75%:
I was really interested in seeing the results for this sub-group because I wanted to
see if there is in fact a positive correlation between completing your homework, and
not doing your homework. I already knew the answer to that, but having this data
is just proof that there is in fact a correlation. Students who turned in 75% of their
homework assignments had an average pre-test score of 28% and a post test score

of 86.7%. Students who turned in less than 75% had an average pre-test score of
17% and a post test score of 73.27%. The data shows that students that did their
homework made a bigger improvement from their pre to post test, and also had a
higher average on their test scores by 13%. Although all four of the Fs came from
students who turned in less than 75% of their homework assignments, with any set
of data, there are always outliers. With students that turned in less than 75%, two
got an A and three others got Bs. Those students are students that are naturals
at math, and have had math come easy to them. I used to be one of the students,
and what they will learn is that eventually they will be challenged mathematically,
and the bad work ethic they have developed could come back to hurt them. I spoke
to the students the importance of doing their homework goes beyond their test
scores. It is a skill that will transfer to real-life and will pay more dividends than any
math concept ever could.
Regardless of subgroups, I am very pleased with the class as a whole and feel that
the class average of an 80% shows that majority of the students were able to grasp
the concepts that were taught, and made significant improvement in their abilities
to relate algebra to the real-world. The post-test, in my opinion, was very fair and
was broken up into the different sections that they were taught, and were given in
that order as well. Each question on the test were discussed and taught several
times throughout the course of the unit. A majority of the test questions came
directly from the homework quiz questions that students took every day to start
class. If there are any weaknesses in the assessment, it would be that it may have
been a couple of problems too long, though I feel like every question was needed. A
couple of students needed extra time to finish, which is fine, but overall I thought
the test was more than fair.
Stats dont lie, and students learned that if you do not do your homework, you are
only hurting yourself in the long run.