Problem of Practice
Challenges•School administrative team felt that supporting our new teachers in 5th grade reading was essential to improving scores.
•Belmont was a low performing school for the second year in a row •As a Leader In Me school, our Lighthouse team challenged our school to develop an effective data tracking method •Our reading scores were our greatest opportunity for improvement •The need to improvement our upcoming 5th grade reading scores aligned with a stated goal in our Low Performing Plan that was presented to the district and approved. •Student growth in vocabulary knowledge was stagnant |
5th Grade Reading Reports- Red indicates did not meet growth
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Triple Entry Journal Template
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Opportunities•Teachers were not explicitly teaching vocabulary on a daily basis
•Vocabulary instruction consisted of a weekly worksheet with definitions already on it •Students were not tracking data in a systematic format •Vocabulary assessment data not easily aggregated •Teachers weren’t meeting to discuss data on vocabulary tests. •Students were not studying outside of school and had limited engagement with content. |
Pre-Work•Teachers were given professional development on the triple entry journal prior to implementation
•Teachers collaborated with administration to collect most frequently used EOG terms and content specific words for review •Teachers were given professional development on the appropriate methods to track data •25 students were originally selected to participate in the intervention •Participants were chosen by the teachers based on demonstrating a need for increased vocabulary instruction (previous vocabulary tests/benchmarks scores) •Students were briefed on procedures, expectations, requirements, and participation permission before intervention was provided. |
Professional Development for Teachers on Data Tracking and Triple Entry Journal
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Implementation•Teachers created a list of ten high frequency EOG and content specific terms each week
•Administration created pre and post test each week on the ten selected terms •PreTest was given paper/pencil •Post Test used Google Forms •The rigor of the Post Test was escalated each week to ensure that students built positive emotions and intrinsic value about Post Test Results •Triple Entry Journal was checked each week by the teacher of record for proper completion •Data tracking information was reviewed each week (after Pre and Post Test) to ensure proper entry of scores and studying time. |
Results•Improvement in students’ engagement
•Teachers reported massive interest in the intervention •Students scores from pre to post test data improved every week •100% of students tracked pre and post test data accurately •Students increased capacity to study and learn new words without shutting down •Over 75% of students responded that tracking pre and post test data was simple and easy to do. •90% of students reported that their EOG vocabulary knowledge increased due to the intervention |
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Next Steps• Additional preplanning on data tracking methods
• Additional involvement on behalf of parents to provide for increased studying opportunities at home • Continue to increase rigor of post tests as confidence and metacognition about correlation between studying and improved scores grows • Allow for Triple Entry Journal to become part of our CORE curriculum • Extend intervention to all students • Extend intervention to subject areas • Extend data tracking method to all grade levels • Release more control over the creation of pre and post test creation to the teachers. • Maintain flexibility to meet the needs of the students |
Quotes from teacher exit survey
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