MBG in 8th Grade ELA

8th Grade ELA

Damian Jones

Hypothesis: if I break down each learning outcome attached to the 8th grade ELA standards by including components of performance indicators, will the students that are not approaching learning outcomes show measurable growth, as measured by grades in the hive. Overall Findings/Impact: I did have some success with working through this hypothesis, but there were also a few obstacles that I encountered. There was no need to collect additional data, as the purpose of this inquiry was to alter the 8th grade ELA learning outcomes to meet student K, a student who has major difficulties mastering 8th grade content, where he is. In addition to using performance indicators, I also gave the student access to a website where the student could read materials on his level. Using the website became a challenge as the lack of sufficient bandwidth kept the site from performing at its optimal, including taking several minutes for each page to load. This of course, was not ideal. Where relying on the internet proved cumbersome, there was more success with going into the performance indicators for lower level elementary, and providing student K with assignments that made him feel successful, and that also gave him/her necessary practice to build his skills as a reader. Actionable Step: Teachers who service students who are not able to access grade level materials, where the student may have success if the work is broken down by performance indicators for lower grades, can adjust their learning outcomes for that student, meeting them where they are.