Valerie Sellars
Alamance County
Graham High School
Science

Background

Students in North Carolina are required to pass a standardized Biology End of Course Test as a requirement for high school graduation.  Students frequently use more than one semester to fulfill this requirement because they may lack grade-appropriate reading skills or they may not have sufficient prior experience with and knowledge of science.

Many high school Biology teachers are under pressure to improve their students’ test scores not only to make sure students are eligible to graduate but also because Adequately Yearly Progress (AYP) status for the entire school is based in part on Biology scores. 

The purpose of the research is to determine if feedback from formative classroom assessment will motivate students to participate in re-teaching strategies that should lead to mastery of concepts in preparation for the North Carolina End of Course Test in Biology.

Exploring how feedback from diagnostic assessments is related to student mastery of concepts

Goal of this Study

The primary goal of this study is to develop effective ways to encourage students to think critically about how they learn concepts. This learning should lead to deeper understanding and better performance on the Biology End of Course Test. The techniques developed in this project should apply beyond Biology, allowing many teachers to adapt these tools in their own classrooms.

Research Questions

The study analyzed students’ preconceived perceptions of feedback.  Research questions included:

• What do students think a numerical test grade means?

• Does a low test grade motivate a student to do better?

• Will introducing the concept of diagnostic feedback cause students attitudes to change about using feedback as a tool to master concepts?

• Will students utilize the data effectively to participate in re-teaching exercises to lead to mastery?

• Can students analyze what classroom activities lead to proficiency?