1. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Problem Statement:
Several of my students are indifferent with being responsible for their learning. They lack any personal accountability or concern for their learning which results in students stagnating their skills. The problem focuses on the subject of math. The problem is significant because they are capable. They loose focus because of not possessing intrinsic connections to their learning. All they know is they have taken assessments and they move on to the next grade. They don’t have a clear direction or desire about improving their skills.
One difficulty is the type of general run of the mill feedback I have given them. Also the types of assessment I have used have not been the most effective.

2. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Advocated Solutions:
Survey students about their confidence, attitude and awareness about math.
Review current math level with each student. Teach and establish SMART goals with students individually and set timeline.
Have students review their goals daily before beginning math.
Students self-assess their work in math daily by providing timely feedback.
Assess students weekly for progression and retention.
Students self-asses at the end of each week about progressing towards their goal and adjust their SMART action plan as needed after reviewing with the teacher.
7. At the end of the timeline, students complete self-assessment and reflection with the teacher and celebrate successes.

3. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Implementation Plan:
The goal is to increase students’ learning awareness and to increase math grades by 5 percent or more in preparation for the Kansas State Math Assessment.
Professional Goal: To effectively incorporate student goal setting and self-analysis in order to promote and develop student accountability. To understand how individual goal setting and assessment feedback affects student achievement.
Learner Goal: The student will be able to set obtainable personal learning goals of 5 percent or more increase in math grades. The student will be able to receive immediate feedback by measuring or analyzing their learning through assessments in relation to their goals.

4. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 1: Student Reflection Plan – Part 1
The artifact is an attitude scale to
determine students’ feelings,
perceptions, and beliefs about math.
The survey consists of twelve Likert
scale questions focusing on
students behavior, effort, and work
habit awareness.
Each student was able to choose
Always, Sometimes, or Never for
each of the twelve questions.
Students identified 3 strengths and 3
improvement areas in math.

5. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 1: Student Reflection Plan – Part 2
The artifact is a goal setting and
organization form to put thoughts into
action.
The plan is organized into four
categories for students to reference.
Each student reflects about their
current math score.
Each student sets a personal goal for
improving their math by at least 5%
and reviews each day before math.

6. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 1: Student Reflection Plan – Part 3
The artifact is a weekly review form
over the math lessons, cyclic review,
BAIP, and homework for the week.
Reviews the student’s set goal.
Asks the student if they are working
towards their goal and how they know.
Asks the student what they need
to do to reach their goal? Does their
plan need to be revised.

7. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 1: Student Reflection Plan – Part 4
The artifact is final reflection form
completed at the end of the action
timeframe.
Analyzes beginning and ending
scores and if goal was met.
Reflects what worked and what didn’t
work about their action plan.
Asks about future use about SMART
Math and any changes to its use.

8. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 1 – Part 1
The survey’s intent was to give the class and myself the opportunity to open dialogue about how students relate about math. We cooperatively made seating changes to help students keep on task and increase their performance and accountability especially during cooperative learning.
The artifact helped emphasize that their learning is up to them and they are responsible. It showed students that their attitudes and behaviors can reflect their effort towards learning.
The survey additionally set the stage for introducing the following artifacts of goal setting and immediate feedback.

9. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 1 – Part 1
Based on the response percentages I ranked each statement in order of importance with a low percentage of “Always”/ high percentage of “Sometimes” as the most important to the high percentage of “Always”/ low percentage of “Sometimes” as the least important. I ranked the responses in this order to be able to identify clearly which areas need attention in order to improve student performance.
Statements Posed Ranked in Order of Importance %
Always
% Sometimes
Never
8. I turn in neat math work. 40 60
11. I ask questions if I don’t understand. 50
2. I am responsible for myself during the math lesson. 55 45
9. I use my time during math wisely.
12. I stay on task until I have completed the assignment.
6. I work cooperatively in math activities. 65 35
3. I listen and speak appropriately at appropriate times.
1. I show respect for my classmates and teacher during math. 70 30
7. I turn in all math work on time.
4. I consistently do quality work in math. 75 25
10. I am organized for math.
5. I do my personal best for math. 90 10

10. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 1 - Part 2
The goal setting part of the process showed me that students need structure and guidance in meeting any goal. Students need help in how to achieve their goal rather than just telling them to work harder. Helping students identify what they need to do and how to do it is just as critical as giving them positive encouragement. By goal setting and conferencing with students I have been able to learn in greater detail students’ perceptions and fears about math. By being able to fine tune my “tuning in” on students I am able to look at my lessons and see where I need to provide additional instruction. I prepared this form to use a guideline or reference for students when working towards their goal. It also makes it more concrete for them by having it in writing and having it where they can see it every day. It is reduced and taped to their desks to use every day at the beginning of math to help students prepare their thinking about math.

11. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 1 - Part 3
The weekly review form provides a one page appraisal of how students are progressing in all areas of math. When I conference weekly with students I am able to pull from this form which students need further discussion of their goal or need to make changes in their action plan for their goal. I planned this form because it has all of the current week’s scores on one form to review with students. Students can easily see how they are doing. The questions are directed toward the student and not the teacher. I am also able to send this home to notify parents of their student’s weekly progress.

12. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 1 – Part 4
The final review provides me with an overall review of what students thoughts are of the process. From their written reflections on the artifact, I can ascertain if students have taken any accountability for their learning or have remained apathetic. It provides an additional opportunity to dialogue with each student for a final time on how they worked towards their goal. The artifact has the beginning and ending scores on one form to review with students. Students can easily see how they performed and come to a final conclusion about their learning.
NBPTS Core Proposition Met for Artifact 1
Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to Students and Their Learning
This artifact shows that I care about my students’ feelings, beliefs, and perceptions on how they learn math. The fact that I am willing to improve my skills and make adjustments to my teaching shows my dedication. I want to learn as much as I can about my students in order to satisfy their needs and relate to them so they can learn to their potential.

13. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 2: Student Data Collection
The How Am I Doing? form allows students to evaluate daily their own execution of specific math computation review problems.
The How Did I Do With Cyclic Review form allows students to evaluate daily their performance of previously taught multiple objectives review problems.

14. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Reflection of Artifact 2
The How Am I Doing? form gives me snap-shots of where students need help and how they are progressing with an instructional focus. I am able to quickly see and make decisions about instruction and extra support. Students have to be honest and it makes them accountable to themselves. Simple forms like this can have a big impact on teacher instruction and student learning. It has helped students perceive how they are progressing rather than seeing a grade on a paper here and there. Students also have immediate feedback and can reflect instantly. It has also increased the number of students asking questions about problems they missed. It is right there, right now while they’re thinking about it. Again, using my classroom as my lab has made significant impact of my learning through actually seeing the application in progress rather just theory. Providing students with immediate feedback is powerful in enhancing student achievement.

15. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 2: Student Data Collection
The How Did I Do With Cyclic Review? form gives me a quick indication of where students need help with certain objectives and how they are progressing through the cyclic review. Again, students have to honest and it’s interesting to observe if they are accountable to themselves. This display of their scores has helped students see more clearly if they are retaining previously taught skills. The immediate feedback causes them to reflect whether they realize it or not and keeps them engaged.
NBPTS Core Propositions Met for Artifact 2
Proposition 3: Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning.
I have seen a correlation between goal setting and an increase in student involvement towards their learning. This artifact helped me observe at-a-glance whether student were improving their skills or need additional re-teaching. One of the priorities of being a professional educator is to monitor student learning and help manage their learning with the student and parents.

16. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 3: Teacher Data Analysis Recording Sheet
The artifact is a data collecting form to record and analyze students’ scores during the action research timeframe. Through the use of this artifact I am able obtain if students achieved their goal. I am also able to take into consideration if students’ scores improved but didn’t meet their goal, if students’ scores stayed the same, or if students’ scores ended lower than their beginning scores.

17. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Student Number
Beginning Score
Ending Score
Goal to Achieve
Performance Category 7 89 96
Met Goal 3 85 93 90 5 81 86 19 78 84 83 21 94 9 67 6 72 11 63 75 68 16 74 1 56 76 10 61 8
Improved 4 91 20 92 17
Stayed Same 12 14 2
100
Lowered 15 13 98 18 73 22 70 69
Reflection of Artifact 3
The six highlighted students who met their goal are the area of focus apathy group with beginning scores in the fifties and sixties. At the end of the timeframe they are in the seventies and eighties. This has been incredible. They took responsibility for their learning and have reaped the rewards of it. The verbal praises and celebrating during conferencing and at the end along with assisting them with modifying their action plans and showing that I truly believed in them made a significant difference. Student were possibly apathetic because they didn’t have the tools they needed to know how to take responsibility. They’ve been told they are responsible, but they didn’t know how to go about being responsible. Many educators would assume that the students who met their goal would be all of your high and middle achievers or the top half of your class. The group is a success because they learned about themselves as learners and who is responsible for their learning.

18. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Artifact 3: Teacher Data Analysis Recording Sheet
NBPTS Core Proposition Met for Artifact 3
Proposition 2: Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Students
One of the most useful tools for my action research has been this artifact. By analyzing scores I can look for areas that need improvement and re-teach within an appropriate amount of time. It keeps me current on my grading which in turn keeps me current on my students’ progress.

19. MAT 733: Research Based Teaching Strategies and Assessment
Final Reflection
When I conducted the first conference with each student I did perceive several students were not being truthful or trusting of the action plan. At the end I would have liked to have conference with them further about their current perceptions, but I left it alone. The fact that they reached their goal was celebration enough.
A question or area that I felt was not fully answered is that of the students who are diversified learners and go to Resource for additional assistance. I want to conduct action research to help them better utilize their learning opportunities at school through goal setting and immediate feedback on a year long basis.
The key concept of goal setting and immediate feedback is to be able to empower students about their own learning. The surveying, specific observing, assessment, ongoing dialogue, and implementing analysis and reflection plans I had with my students not only helped me to know them better, but they were able to know themselves better. It has created a more positive environment in my classroom. I believe my students feel more confident.