Joseph Ballou
Social Studies Preliminary Application
Item 3: Narrative of Assessment Data
Please find assessment data attached to application email, OR at
www.joeballou.com/tep
Context
Students:
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10th grade global history class, 2009-2010 school year, Bronx, NY.
15 total students.
o Two students had IEPs and 4 had long-term absentee issues
o Nine students were African-American and six students were of Latino
descent.
o Nine students were female and six were male.
Assignments:
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Three thematic essays over a six-month period.
Skills Assessed:
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Four key writing skills from NYS Regents exam:
o Organization
o Analysis
o Development
o Use of evidence
Outcomes:
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Class advanced from a 1.6 overall score to a 2.2 from September to early
March
The class showed steady growth in every category, with one exception on the
November test.
Of 15 students all but two maintained or improved their overall scores
Narrative
This series of assessments demonstrates the impact I had on a class of struggling
tenth grade students during my first year of teaching at the Bronx Preparatory
Charter School. The first assessment I administered was a diagnostic on the topic of
government policy, and students were permitted to use examples from United
States history. The overall score for the class on this essay was a 1.6, which is not
sufficient for students to pass the Regents.
After the diagnostic tests, I established a year-end goal for all students to write a
thematic essay of at least a “2,” and for the class average to increase by 1 point
overall. These scores would be determined based on a rubric derived from the
Regents writing standards applied to 4 subsequent essay assignments, scheduled
for November, March, May and June.
To reach the end of year goals, students would have to make incremental progress
during the first half of the year. By the third assessment, students would need to be
at least half way to the end of year goals. What this data demonstrates is our
successful progression during the first half of the year. This was the result of
intentional, explicit instruction and practice with key essay writing strategies.
When students are writing far below standards, it is essential to provide a
scaffolded process to follow, and gradually raise the bar as students master
fundamental skills. In this class, students had very little previous training in
generating analytical thesis statements and planning structured essays. The natural
sequencing of instruction for writing on a Regents exam begins with establishing an
argument; effective use of evidence comes later.
My students had the opportunity during the first half of the year to practice
generating analytical thesis statements and logically organizing concepts. These
skills enhanced the students’ ability to execute these interim assessments with
greater proficiency, and accounts for the gains in results on all categories outside of
the use of evidence.
Assessments
Assessment 1: Diagnostic Essay Question (September)
Assessment 2: GEOGRAPHY ESSAY description (November)
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes and introduction, several
paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use evidence from at least four documents in your
essay. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details. Include
additional outside information.
Theme: Geography
Throughout history, human behaviors such as trade/cultural diffusion,
agriculture, and conflict have all been affected by geography.
Task: Using your knowledge of global history, write an essay in which you
Select two human behaviors mentioned in the historical context and for each
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Describe the human behavior
Discuss how the human behavior was influenced by geography
Guidelines:
In your essay, be sure to
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
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Develop all aspects of the task
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and
a conclusion that are beyond a restatement of the theme
Assessment 3: Religion (March)
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes and introduction, several
paragraphs, and a conclusion. Support your response with relevant facts, examples,
and details.
Theme: Spread of Religions
During the early modern period, various religions spread and were adopted
across vast geographic and cultural territory. Buddhism, Christianity and
Islam were the most successful in gaining adoption among various ethnic,
political and linguistic groups.
Task: Using your knowledge of global history, write an essay in which you
Select two of the world religions (Islam, Christianity and Buddhism)
mentioned above and for each
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Explain the core beliefs of the religion
Discuss how the religion came to be adopted by various groups
Explain how each religion had an impact on the civilizations it reached
Guidelines:
In your essay, be sure to



Develop all aspects of the task
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and
a conclusion that are beyond a restatement of the theme