Researching, developing, and planning a professional development from start to finish required a LOT of work! My site supervisor and I decided that even though my Action Research Plan focuses on 3rd grade math, I would plan and lead professional development that all of the K-5 math teachers could implement in their instruction.
One of the activities I am focusing on to impact 3rd grade math achievement is the direct teaching of test taking strategies. In analyzing the 3rd grade STAAR data that shows the answer choices that students picked, it became clear that teaching students about the possible answers is a worthwhile endeavor. Research shows that the three incorrect options on a multiple choice test serve as distractors because there are legitimate (though incorrect) ways to reach those answers. The wrong answers on a multiple choice mathematics test are not random numbers. In fact, they are answers that a student will reach if the student:
1. uses an incorrect operation,
2. misreads a data table or graph,
3. applies a misconception,
4. performs steps in an improper order, or
5. fails to perform one or more steps.
This proved to be true on the 3rd grade math released STAAR test as well as other grade level end-of-year (EOY) mathematics assessments.
In order to prepare for the professional development, I first performed further research on analyzing test questions and answer distractors. I then analyzed the EOY math assessment data for each grade level. I choose test 6 tests items for each grade level where students picked a distractor more than or at least as often as the correct answer. I made a packet of information specific to each grade level to distribute during the presentation.
(Completed October 1-14, 2013)
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