ENTRY 11 DATA ANALYSIS ACTIVITY

Dear Music Ed Supterstars,

We have hired you to help one of our teachers do a better job of analyzing and use data for their
teaching. The teacher has been teaching a middle school general music class (Music
Appreciation) and hasn’t changed their teaching style. The classroom only has lectures, only
summative assessments, and when not lecturing, the teacher shows old videos from Beethoven
Lives Upstairs. The teacher is open to changing, especially when the administrator says “shape
up or your contract will not be renewed for next year.” They have asked you to provide
suggestions on the data provided on the first pre-test he has administered. Some supplementary
material has been provided as well to help you make sense of the classroom setting. We are only
asking you to help him make sense of the assessment data.

Thanks,

Dr. Payne
Principal, BHS
Unit: Protest Songs of the 60s Grade: 8th

Objectives
1. The student identifies seminal bands composing music protesting involvement in the
Vietnam Conflict.
2. The student selects three songs from these bands and analyzes the lyrics to determine the
position they were taking regarding the conflict.
3. The student describes the significance of these songs on the American public.
4. The student names significant musicians and their contributions to popular music in the
1960s.
5. The student analyzes the impact of protest songs of the 60s as they relate to the history of
rock and roll.

BHS required rate for mastering objectives: 70%

Snapshot IEP: Focus Student A

Student A was diagnosed with dyslexia only recently. Because of this late diagnosis, she has a
very negative view of school and will not engage much in class. She is a “social butterfly” as
described by her mother and has strong verbal and social skills. She also has had success in
extracurricular activities. She refuses to read in class because of her dyslexia and has been tested
at a low 2nd grade level on the STAR assessment. She also seems to have some learned
helplessness because of her reading inability.

Snapshot IEP: Focus Student B

Student B reads four years below grade level due to his lagging efforts during elementary
learning. He has normal oral skills, but his writing is very sloppy to read. His social skills are
very deficient as he often interrupts others and talks excessively in the classroom. He has normal
motor skills, but has difficulty in seat-work due to fidgeting and wanting to get up and move
around the classroom. Because of medication, the student can come to class extremely fatigued
if on one task for an extended period of time. He was diagnosed with ADD in the 5th grade.
Pre-Assessment Data
Student Scores by Objective on the Pre-Assessment
(Scores listed below represent the number of items correct. For percentage correct see the final
column)
Student Obj 1 Obj 2 Obj 3 Obj 4 Obj 5 Overall %
5 items 5 items 5 items 5 items 5 items 25 items
1 5 5 5 5 5 100
2 5 4 3 3 3 72
3 4 3 2 4 1 56
4 5 3 3 2 1 56
5 5 2 3 1 1 48
6 4 3 2 1 0 40
7 5 3 2 1 1 48
8 4 2 1 1 0 32
9 3 1 2 2 1 36
10 4 3 2 2 2 52
11 4 3 2 3 2 56
12 4 4 2 2 1 52
13 4 3 2 2 0 44
Focus A 3 3 2 2 2 48
Focus B 4 3 2 1 0 40

What do these data mean for instruction during the unit?

The average score for our pretest was 52% which is a great starting point. Students have some
familiarity with the content, especially with objectives 1 and 2. I would begin designing the unit
by beginning with what do students need to succeed in objectives 3, 4, and 5 from objectives 1
and 2. Starting with backwards design will be the key to students using the knowledge they
already have to build upon their own learning. Providing a variety of mediums to learn from such
as readings, listenings, videos, and hands-on projects will be the key to drawing in all students
from Focus A & B to Student 1. For assessing student learning, I would choose for students to
create a project to synthesize their learning from the unit. This could range from creating a
podcast episode covering significant musicians to infographics on the relation to the history of
rock and roll.
What do these data mean for instruction for the Focus Students
during the unit?

For Focus Student A, this will be a great opportunity to shine her social skills. With this project,
she could create a podcast where she interviews her peers on the subject. She will need guidance
throughout the design process of this project and daily check ins (which you would do with all
students anyways).
For Focus Student B, we may need to create more guidance and if possible, partner with a friend
in the class. He would do great creating a dance or video to go along with the protest songs. I
believe a partner who is patient and kind towards Student B will be the key in creating a
meaningful learning experience.
For both of these students, the student-led idea of creating their own assignment for what works
for them will be key to making this an authentic and valuable learning experience.
Dear Intern,

Your aid in helping the teacher make some good instructional decisions based on the Pre-
Assessment data was very useful in having the teacher plan instruction. Please find below the
Formative Data for two assessments from the teacher’s unit. The first was a timeline activity
that was graded by a rubric and aligned to Objective 3. The second was from a Historical Profile
of a musician assigned to the student, graded by a rubric and aligned to Objective 4. Please
provide advice for how he should use the data for this unit and in future teaching.

Thanks,

Dr. Payne
Principal, BHS

Formative Assessment Data

Student Scores of Two Selected Formative Assessments
Student Formative 1 Formative 2
Timeline (%) Figure Profile (%)
1 100 100
2 90 97
3 82 90
4 86 90
5 84 90
6 76 80
7 66 50
8 78 84
9 77.5 80
10 90 100
11 81 90
12 78 80
13 50 50
Focus A 75 85
Focus B 77 60
How did the data from these formative assessments impact learning
during the unit?
These students have made great improvement since the pretest. There are a few that could use
additional improvement, but I believe they would be fine to continue and build upon these skills
as application may help students understand. While looking at each lesson, take notes on how
you taught certain concepts that may have not stuck with students. Keep these notes with the unit
for the next time this is taught, as you may have a new idea that could solve problems and/or
inconsistencies with delivery and retention. For students that are struggling, I recommend pairing
them with other students in the class who have a good understanding through partners or small
groups.

How did the data from these formative assessments impact Focus
Student Learning during the unit?

Both focus students improved greatly with the third objective. In the fourth objective, Student
A’s improvement showed that the lessons in this unit allowed for her to adapt and learn freely
without limitations. Student B showed growth in the third objective but performed lower on the
fourth. To raise him to the BHS required rate at 70%, I would recommend incorporating more
kinesthetic activities to provide opportunities to move and get engaged in the lesson. I would
continue to incorporate other students to keep him on task and provide opportunities to grow
socially. After that, I would meet with him individually to check up on his status with the
objectives and how student interactions are going.
Dear Intern,

Your aid in helping the teacher understand how to use data from formative assessments was very
useful. Please find below the Summative Data from the teacher’s unit. Please provide advice
for how he should use the data for this unit and in future teaching.

Thanks,

Dr. Payne
Principal, BHS

Post-Assessment Data
Student Scores by Objective on the Post Assessment
Student Obj 1 Obj 2 Obj 3 Obj 4 Obj 5 Overall %
% % % % %
1 100 100 100 100 100 100
2 100 100 100 100 100 100
3 100 98 98 98 96 98
4 90 88 88 88 86 88
5 95 92 88 85 90 90
6 100 84 84 84 88 88
7 65 60 72 80 52 66
8 90 75 75 78 82 80
9 90 84 60 60 96 78
10 85 70 70 75 75 75
11 90 80 80 90 84 84
12 85 85 85 70 85 82
13 60 60 60 60 0 48
Focus A 90 75 75 80 80 80
Focus B 90 80 70 70 70 76
What does these data mean for learning during the unit?

The class average was 82.2%, which is above the BHS required rate and up from 52% from the
pretest! Students 7 and 13 did not met the 70% benchmark but their scores from the pretest
hadn’t changed much. This shows that the students may have just not been interested in the unit
or the activities were not effective in their learning process. I would recommend having students
complete an exit survey to have students express their thoughts before, during, and after the unit
to see what could be improved the next time the unit is taught.

What does these data mean for learning for the Focus Students
during the unit?

Both focus students showed gradual growth throughout the unit. Student A showed a much
larger improvement which can be accredited to alternative activities and individualized projects.
Student B showed improvement, but it could be improved and more consistent. Although he met
the 70% benchmark, improving beyond that would show great growth and improve his
confidence. Using both focus students exit surveys and comparing them to other students would
give great data on how student led project-based learning impacted them.

For future instruction, what have you learned about how students
learn and the effectiveness of your instructional style? What would
you change, if anything?

The effectiveness of my instructional style is generally high; but did not reach every student as
intended. If I could change anything, I would involve more check-ins with each student and
possibly have each student maintain a journal for each class. They would document what was
successful, not successful, their accomplishments, their concerns, but really anything that would
be helpful for them to remember. Setting short term goals will allow students to feel successful
in their learning but ensure that they feel that the knowledge they learn is meaningful for not
only later in the unit, but in their lives.