Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education


Fundations Assessments



Table of Contents



Introduction
Student Fundations Samples
Beginning of Year (BOY) Fundations Data
Fundations Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
Investing Students in Fundations Data
How I Use Student Data to Drive Instruction
Conclusion




Introduction





What is Fundations?



Fundations in the phonics program that Ingenuity Prep uses to teach letter identification and letter sounds to students. This program is unique in comparison to others in that it utilizes a variety of different techniques to engage students in the learning process (like Mama Echo and Baby Echo owls) and to make learning phonics fun. As the Fundations teacher, it is important that I am using Fundations assessments to assess students on progress at the end of each lesson in order to drive appropriate instruction for the next day, as Fundations is a daily lesson. I also assess Fundations at the end of each letter unit and with progress monitoring to ensure that students have mastered the skills taught before moving forward. Below are our letter cards that are used in our Fundations lessons daily. The letters have magnets on the back that allows for my students and me to manipulate them in the lesson. Vowels are in pink and consonants are in yellow, helping students to keep track of the two different types of letters.



Above is our Fundations letter cards that students use during Fundations lessons on the large whiteboard. The letter have magnets on the back that students can manipulate on the board.




Student Fundations Samples





How are student samples driving instruction?



The student samples driving instruction on a day-to-day basis are typically those that happen during whole group instruction when students are using their letter boards or their small white boards as a way to practice writing letters and letter formation. This type of assessment enables me to gather data on students and create lessons that reflect where students are in the moment. The student samples that I use when thinking about reteaching certain letters or letter formations come later, when I check student notebooks for formation and during whole group when I assess students on their letter sounds knowledge. If reteaching needs to happen, I am able to accommodate students in the moment to address any misconceptions and concerns or plan detailed reteaching lessons for the next day.



Above is a student workbook sample for letter a formation. This shows that the student has proper understanding of the different types of lines that we use in Fundations (sky line, plane line, grass line, and worm line). This student will need more practice in forming letters but has a solid understanding the foundation of formation.



Above is another student workbook sample for letter c formation. This student also have proper understanding of the different types of lines used in Fundations. This student will continue with letter practice.



Above shows where a student wrote the letters b and t on the white board. Notice that the student was instructed to begin writing the letter at the top blue dot and to not go past the grass line (lower blue dot). This student is beginning to understand the concept of the lines used in Fundations.



Above shows where a student spelled the word "bat" using their letter board after reviewing letters b and t. Students use the letters when identifying letter sounds and making CVC words during the Fundations lessons.



This video shows a student being assessed on their lowercase letter recognition. This student knew most of the letters in the assessment. This is an example of a benchmark assessment that is used to progress monitor students.



Above is a student sample for lowercase letter formation. This student knew all of the sounds that each letter made and could successfully write and name each letter.




Beginning of Year (BOY) Fundations Data





What can this data tell us?



Fundations did not start off as a daily occurrence in the Ingenuity Prep K-2 academy, but when Fundations began, I was able to use the materials in each lesson to gather formative data on my students in order to make informed decisions about which students needed the most assistance, specifically gathering data on trouble spots with letter formation and letter sounds. When we received our student notebooks, I was able to collect data on students who continue to struggle with letter formation, and can provide interventions to remedy those knowledge gaps. Moving forward, I have taken this data and used it to help create intervention activities with students that will move them forward without falling behind in whole group. Below are two examples of student data that were gathered at the beginning of the year from students that helped me plan according to which letters needed the most emphasis in Fundations.



This student's BOY data shows that they knew only ten out of the fifty-two total letters tested at the very beginning of the year.



Even though this student knew most of their letters, these letter assessments helped me realize that almost all students were struggling heavily with lowercase letters d, b, and q.



Beginning of year Fundations data is important in ensuring that students are showing growth when it comes to letter recognition and knowing letter sounds. Without a diagnostic to begin with, there is no baseline for student growth. In order for students to succeed, teachers need to have data to pinpoint spots where students need the most support. Continuously referring to this data and progress monitoring students throughout the year ensures that data is on the forefront of planning and instruction to push student growth.



Above is our Fundations "sky line, plane line, grass line, and worm line" instructional poster used to teach students how to properly form letters. These lines are useful in assessing student ability to write the letter correctly.



Above is an example of a student letter board that allows for students to build words. The boards and letters are magnetic, as well as white boards. Teachers are able to quickly assess students in the moment and to gather data on which students will need reteaching or remediation in small group.




Fundations Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring





How is this formative data important to the process of planning for instruction?



Phonics is the starting point for the majority of instruction in Kindergarten, which focuses on ensuring that students know all of their letters, uppercase and lowercase, as well as letter sounds. Students that are struggling with these concepts (whom I have identified through Fundations lessons and assessments) are students that can use the extra practice at the beginning of guided reading lessons or throughout the day. Since we are almost halfway through the school year, the data we are assessing is in comparison to where students begin Kindergarten. This shows how much students have grown throughout the year. Students are growing at a pace that is consistent with the Ingenuity Prep practice of starting phonics first as the main instruction throughout the year, then following with intervention or reteaching in small group if needed to address any misconceptions.



Above is a student working in their student notebook. I use these student notebooks to check letter formation, recognition, and to see which students need remediation on which letters. Those students are pulled during our centers and are given one-on-on extra practice.



Above is the Fundations student notebooks that have several different types of work pages for students to complete. Students have letter formation practice, letter to keyword matching, and keyword internalization.



Based on what I see in student notebooks, during whole group, or during small group activities, I can address any student misconceptions immediately and either regroup students whole group and review the problem at hand, or pull students into small groups that will ensure they are understanding the skills we are covering. Student notebooks and other Fundations worksheets make it easy for me to gather student work samples for student portfolios and to show parents how students are performing in the classroom. This type of data collection is also important to show when thinking about time for students- the workbooks help to keep us on pace and the work collections provide students with a sense of accomplishment.



Above a student engages with the Fundations benchmark for lowercase letter recognition. Students are asked to identify each letter, letter sound, and write the letter. If a student can identify each lowercase letter and write each lowercase letter, students "pass" the lowercase letter section of assessment.



Above another student engages with the letter identification and letter writing section. Students will continue to take this mini assessment throughout the year to ensure that students are retaining the information and to show improvements in handwriting and letter formation.



Above is a student sample of progress monitoring. This progress monitoring sheet started with a baseline of the letters and letter sounds the student could identify at the beginning of the school year. The next time that students will be assessed with this progress monitoring sheet will be at the end of the second quarter.



Above is another sample of progress monitoring with letters. The different colors used show the student growth and mastery that is occurring as the year progresses. This data is shared with parents during parent-teacher conferences, and this data shows teachers which letters need to be retaught or discussed in interventions after each progress monitoring section.




Investing Students in Fundations Data





How can we invest students in Fundations data?



My students love Fundations time, namely because they love to learn their letters and to sing the Fundations songs. Students are already eager to read, and there is oftentimes some competition between students for who knows the most letters. One way that I ensure students are invested in the letter/letter sound data that we collect is publicly praising them when they achieve their goals. Students love the "I know all my lowercase letters" hats, and they enjoy going to visit Pre-Kindergarten teachers and other staff members on our hall to show them that they have grown and achieved the benchmarks.



Above a student scored 100% on her lowercase letter assessment (for the second time) and wears her "I know all my lowercase letters" hat.



Above a students shows his lowercase letter assessment and wears his hat. Students love wearing the hats and showing their peers and former teachers their growth and progress.



Above a student wears his lowercase letters hat. Students are excited to wear these hats around the school building and to wear them home to show their parents.



Above a group of students show off their letter hats. Students are eager to earn their hat!




How I Use Student Data to Drive Instruction





How do I use data to inform instruction?



Data tracking is one of the most important tools that I use in the classroom, especially for Fundations, and students benefit from instruction that is tailored to their specific needs. Students are grouped in Guided Reading groups based on their reading level, but I also take into consideration which letters and letter sounds that students need to master. When planning for whole group phonics, I take into consideration which letters students struggle with the most (based on assessments) and can spend more time on certain letters if students need more detailed instruction. Below is an example of my student letter and letter sound tracker. If students can identify the lowercase letter and identify the letter sound, they score 100% on the letter. If students only know the letter or only know the letter sound, they score 50%. If a student does not know the letter or the letter sound, their scores is 0%. There are several students who came into Kindergarten knowing no letters or letter sounds, as detailed below. Those students are ones that receive tailored interventions during Guided Reading centers.



Above is our Fundations letter and letter sounds tracker. Students who know the letter and sound receive the grading point of 100, while students who just know the letter or just the sound receive the grading point of 50. There are several students in my classroom who are still working on mastering letter identification and letter sounds. There percentage of class mastery is listed below each letter at the top of the worksheet.




Conclusion





Looking ahead to next quarter and beyond:



Assessments are an integral part of instruction, especially for our phonics curriculum. When one thinks of Kindergarten, one thinks about learning letters and letter sounds, and students need to have those letters and letter sounds mastered before they leave my classroom. Assessments help to ensure that every student knows their letters before they leave, and students that have fallen behind where they are supposed to be are quickly identified to receive interventions.