Term 2 - Inquiry Update

 This update comes as a result of testing in the form of running records using Probe testing for students reading above 8.5 years and PM testing kit2 for students reading below this.

From the 13 initial target students, 1 student left PES so we are left with an even group of 12.

Here are their Term 2 testing results.

My next steps will be to analyse their reading data, adjust their reading groups and continue to target their next steps based on their reading behaviours observed in group and testing time.

2023 - Term 1 Inquiry

My inquiry this year is still based around reading. I've decided to carry on my inquiry from last year as I had made a start but didn't get to carry out our plan and see it through. My target students are also in the same reading age range as last years. 

Here is my blog post from last years inquiry. 

This year I have 13 students in my target group. 2 boys are reading at 5.6 years old (Level 7 on the colour wheel). 2 are reading at 6.5 years, 2 reading at 7 years old, 5 reading at 7.5 years and 2 reading at 8 years old.  Here is what they look like compared to their ages.

My goals for Term 1 were to set group norms and class routines to ensure students knew what to do each day and to gain some consistency. Although this is my introductory post for my inquiry, being the end of term 1 I can also give a quick update that my 2 reading groups are well established with their routines during reading time. They know where to find the text for the day and where books are located. Their follow up tasks have followed similar layouts that they are able to complete most tasks without assistance, especially help with reading instructions. 

I have many wonderings and thoughts about my target students. They are a combination of second language learners, some with learning difficulties, behavioural problems over the years, as well as frequent absences and general lack of interest in learning. Despite these barriers, I still want to give these students the best opportunities to navigate their own way through reading so they feel even just a bit of confidence in preparing them for high school learning. So far, they have been very open to the types of texts given, and the follow up tasks they are completing. 

Goals for Term 2 

The start of Term start starts with Y8 camp and Y7 step up program. So actual in class learning will not start until week 2. Term 2, I hope to be able to test students 2 or 3 levels higher than where they were placed last year. I will only test them back if they fail the initial first test. 

I am also gathering some resources from past CoL inquiries and MIT teachers who have created sites and resources to address students reading in this age bracket. I have made connections with Kelsey Parrant who has given me some resources around the Purple, Gold and Silver levels to get me started. I'd also like to pair up with Danni Stone as she has a lot of gems on different ways to accelerate learning for students in Year 7 and 8. 

I am definitely looking forward to seeing more student progress in Term 2. Stay tuned.

2022 - Inquiry intro and update

 My inquiry this year started towards the end of term 2 and I'm only now getting some traction in term 3. 

Focus Question: How can I make accelerated shifts in reading for Year 7/8 students reading at 7.5-8 year old?

As a staff we have been encouraged to set 2-3 goals that are simple, measurable and achievable. Although my inquiry question is not a simple one to answer, I have decided to inquiry into this by setting 2 goals that can be measured and can be achievable. 

I have 8 students who are reading from levels 16-21. For testing they need to complete 2 PM reader tests before moving to the next reading bracket (8-8.5 readers). This is how I plan to measure the achievement towards the middle of term 4.

How do we plan on achieving this? Our first goal is to increase our reading mileage. Students in this group have at least 3+ new texts to read each week. Our second goal is to ensure this group is seen each literacy lesson by the classroom teacher. Along with teacher time, everyone in this group also gets at least one other reading intervention with others around school. These are AWS (Agility With Sounds), Reading Recovery and Steps programme. Our hope is that all these interventions, along with intentional in class teacher time, and reading mileage, this would help to accelerate our focus groups reading levels. 

Check back next term for an update.

Preliminary Findings

 I started my data journey by analysing my target groups beginning of year STAR and PAT reading comprehension tests. I am always interested in find out raw scores (how many questions were actually answered correctly), the scale scores and stanines. Here are the results of my target group.

Unfortunately we had a technical glitch which didn't allow Student G1 to complete her test in order to generate a mark. 

One of the things I always find fascinating in analysing students test results is to look at their raw scores. How many questions our of the 37/38 questions in the test, did they actually get correct. As shown in the table above, only half the students managed to get more than 10 questions correct.

It's important to also note that the students whose test was out of 37 questions sat a slightly easier test that the rest who had 38 questions. This was because the students had already been identified as high needs in reading and writing in general. 

Another source of data gathering I conducted was collecting student voice. The list of questions and answers will be discussed in my next blog post.

My weekly reflections have been very useful. I have used my groups modelling books to take notes of vocab/attempts students have made as well as ideas being shared. This was to initially help with report writing comments coming up later in the term, but I've also found upon reflection that it works with my next steps for some students. 

One of the things which I didn't count on was having a student teacher. This meant I had 2 weeks of observing while she taught my classes. This gave me an opportunity to get some 1-1 time with my target learners, unpacking some of their thinking processes and ideas around school and reading in particular. This also will be discussed together with the student voice survey carried out.

Historic Hikoi with Nagti Paoa

 I can hand on heart say this was one of the most powerful, insightful, greatest learning experience I've had in my 15 years of teaching. As part of our partnership with Ngati Paoa, our teachers at Pt England experienced a part 2 session with Hayden and Crystal with a historic hikoi to certain sites around the area which told stories of how things came about for them as people of Ngati Paoa.

Here is a map of our trek on Thursday 1st April.

There were many favourite parts to the day but one I did find fascinating was listening to the battles which happened at Mokoia. Learning about the different Taniwha's and where the name Mokoia derived from - Mokoikahikuwaru. Another exciting part I look forward to is the building of the Marae at Te Whanake - Just next to the Pt England Reserve now. Just listening to the stories and making connections with names I've heard before and getting to know the history behind street names and historical sites. So much to take in! I cannot wait to share this same experience with our learners! Well worth the sore feet at the end of the day! Thank you to everyone involved in making this day possible.

Tools, Measures & Approaches

Building an accurate profile of students' learning - tools, measures and approaches...

Describe the tools/measures/approaches you plan to use to get a more detailed and accurate profile of students’ learning in relation to that challenge. Justify why you chose these approaches and tools.

Kahui Ako Achievement Challenge 5: Increase the achievement of Years 7-10, in reading, writing and maths, as measured against National Standards and agreed targets.

My inquiry problem/ challenge: Year 7 and 8 students who are 'stuck' at the reading ages of 8-9 years old.  Some of the problems I've been faced with already are the types of reading material available for this reading age, but not suitable or interesting enough for this age group (11, 12, 13 year olds).

To measure how much 'new knowledge' or reading strategies students are learning or picking up, I plan to use the following tools and approaches:

PAT/STAR/e-asTTle/ARBs/Running records:

I plan to analyse the PAT closely and group the types of questions students struggled on. STAR is a great indicator of sentence structures and vocabulary acquisition and meaning. This can be done 1-1 with students who have completed the STAR test. Filling the gaps is a great task to work out sense making, if learners even know what a grammatically correct sentence sounds like.

Use of e-asttle mini tests and ARBs will also be beneficial for testing out specific reading strategies/comprehension skilss taught in short weeks. This can be done as a before and after mini test. 

Running Records can be of use when you are wanting to take note of particular reading behaviours. These are very useful using the PM readers up to Level 30.

Student Voice:

This has been very useful and informative in my past inquiries as sometimes the way you think the lesson went doesn't always match up with how students feel. Gaining student voice before, during and after an intervention in a great way to gauge whether something is working, and students are interested in what they are learning.

Plan/Reflect Weekly: 

This is very important to carry out as well as monitor. Plan on how I will go about the intervention, then reflect each week on whether it needs changing or if it on the right track. Completing reflections straight after a reading lesson can sometimes be difficult so jotting down notes to self on the modelling sheets or on the board with student initials as students are learning will be great in helping to gather evidence at reflection time.

Who are my Learners?

 My target group consist of 8 Year 7&8 students who's reading ages range from 8 - 9 years old. 5 girls and 3 boys.

G1 - Year 8 currently reading at 8.5 years old. She attends class regularly and looks like she pays attention. Upon group check ins, most of the time she has sat there doing nothing. Her reading is very static, and often needs to repeat after me to hear a more fluent sentence.

G2 - Year 7 currently reading at 8.5 years old. She is able to decode fluently but often does not take in what she is reading. We've had multiple tries at re-reading or scanning a text for key words we discuss in group time.

G3 - Year 7 currently reading at 8.5 years old. She comes off as quite confident in group situations. However when reading 1-1, she reverts back to doubting herself and comprehending what she has just read.

G4 - Year 8 currently reading at 8.5 years old. A second language learner to English. She has only been in our NZ schooling system for 2 years. Very confident with playground language, but struggles forming her ideas about a text. She decodes very well and can sound out unknown words confidently. 

G5 - Year 8 currently reading at 9 years old. She is able to complete set tasks but can totally miss the mark with comprehension questions at times. Literal questions are simple for her but anything to do with opinions or providing supporting evidence she tends to get confused with.

B1 - Year 8 currently reading at 8 years old. A second language learner to English, he made great shifts in 2020 from a reading age of 5.9 to 8 by the end of the year. He is currently already 13 years old turning 14 this year.

B2 - Year 7 currently reading at 9 years old. He tends to rush through a lot of things from tasks to reading. But when asked to slow down, he struggles to put into words the work he is struggling with. Vocabulary acquisition is a big thing for him. He often forgets a lot of new vocab from day to day group discussions. 

B3 - Year 8 currently reading at 9 years old. A second language learner to English, he moved made a whole years shift from 8-9 years old in 2020. He is more able this year in navigating his way independently through his learning. His reading and writing make more sense, and he normally helps out B1 with his daily tasks. 

This here is a brief summary about my target group this year. There are 2 more students in this group but for tracking purposes, I have purposely left them out due to frequent absenteeism. 

Later on this term, I hope to have a more complete profile of my learners using student voice survey, as well as academic data from beginning of year tests.