Rationale:
Justification for my study
My capstone project was implemented on all twenty-three of my students. As of May 2019, in the elementary school that I currently teach at, there were 560 students enrolled. As of August 2019, a new school was established within the district which decreased our population tremendously. Over 93% of our student population are white and 12.74% receive free and reduced lunch. My third grade classroom consisted of ten boys and thirteen girls. Within my classroom, I had two students that qualify for special education, one with an IEP for ADHD and one with an IRIP (Individualized Reading Improvement Plan).
Since I had a large amount of students performing below grade level in comprehension there was an evident need for growth. I had 7 students that were reading below grade level according to the districts scale, with two of those students qualifying for an IRIP. My students MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) reading average is 192, which is 4 points above the third grade threshold for the beginning of the year. Four of my students qualify for HAL (high ability learner). We took weekly comprehension tests that were ten points each. On our first comprehension test, the average score in my classroom was a 6 out of 10. My students particularly enjoyed reading, but when it came to answering questions based off a cold read, they often used a variety of avoidance techniques. For example, I have at least four students that will ask to use a fidget tool during the test. I noticed that a large amount of my students were unengaged during the test, which might be impacting their scores.
Need:
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Importance:
The information gained from this study is important because it allowed me to know where each of my students stood within their independent comprehension level. This study helped me identify the students that are struggling in enhancing their comprehension level as they progress through the grade levels. Comprehension is so important because it applies to all subject areas. No matter the content area, student's have to understand and comprehend what they are reading in order to retain the information. From teaching strategies to help build comprehension, the students applied what they learned in all content areas.