1. L EVEL 4-N ON AIG S TUDENTS : ADVENTURES IN ACTION RESEARCH presented by Katie Anderson as part of the Governor’s Teacher Network

2. T HE PROBLEM … o Statistically and historically speaking, our level 4, Non-AIG students have not been making expected growth as measured by the NC EOGs. o Level 4, Non-AIG students refer to students who score at the highest levels of proficiency on the NC EOG, but are not identified as Academically Gifted. o So why are these smart kids not showing growth? Well….

3. P OTENTIAL CAUSES … The “Ceiling Effect.” The NC EOG is a non- adaptive achievement test, which means that once students reach a certain achievement level, we do not receive specific information about their level. Is the third grader in the 99 th percentile performing at a 5 th grade level or a 10 th grade level? The Bell Curve. Moving up in percentile points becomes significantly more difficult nearer to the end of the spectrum. For example, it takes more to move from the 97 th percentile to the 99 th percentile than from the 50 th to the 70 th percentile.

5. S O UNTIL WE HAVE A DIFFERENT TESTING SYSTEM, WHAT CAN WE DO ? Level 4, Non-AIG students pose a particular challenge. They are bright, but do not receive differentiation through the AIG program. It is vital that we provide opportunities for these students to show us what they can do. This is where I come in! Student Choice is a strategy that research has proven to be effective in motivating and engaging gifted students, leading to higher levels of achievement. I want to explore how incorporating student choice into assessments affects our Level 4, Non-AIG population.

6. W HAT IS S TUDENT C HOICE AND HOW DOES IT WORK ? Student choice involves allowing students to choose from a variety of assessment activities, rather than having all students complete a teacher mandated assessment. Just as cookies are a “sometimes” food, this is a “sometimes” strategy.

7. E XAMPLES OF S TUDENT C HOICE INCLUDE : Think –Tac – Toes RAFT Activities Homework/ Assessment Menus

8. S TUDENT C HOICE : W HAT ’ S IN IT FOR US ? Green Hope ES implications:  Increased motivation and engagement for students  Teaching based on research-based best practices  Happy parents (look how much individualization their children are getting!)  Having more fun!

9. W HAT MY A CTION R ESEARCH WILL LOOK LIKE... I would like to work with 2 teachers on the same grade level. We will work on effective, meaningful ways to incorporate student choice into assessment in one subject area. We will work together for 6 weeks. Throughout the 6 week period, I will collect both qualitative data (student and teacher surveys) and quantitative data (assessment scores) to determine the effectiveness of student choice on engagement, motivation, and achievement. Co-teaching Collecting Data

10. N EXT S TEPS … What do you have to do? Absolutely nothing that you don’t want to. (Aside from filling out my very short survey!) However, if you’re interested, you can…  Become one of my action research co-teachers  Have me come to your PLT to talk about how we could incorporate student choice into your classroom.  Work with me to create a student choice activity for your students.  Invite me into your classroom to teach a lesson and demonstrate what student choice can look like. I have built flexible time into my schedule to be available as a resource to you – please put me to work!

11. T HANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE MY PROJECT WITH YOU !