Example 1

apparent for some or most students. Cite evidence to support your analysis from the three
student work samples or the documentation of student work you selected. (TPE 3)
Based on the summary of student learning in regards to the standards, students understood
how to clearly state their position and also provide some arguments with supporting detail.
73% of the class received a 3 for their position, which means they clearly stated their
positions in response to the prompt in their letters. For example, in looking at student work
sample 1, this student wrote, “I strongly believe that you should apologize to Hu Jintao for
mocking him,” giving that student a 3 for a stating a clear position. Additionally, in
examining student work sample 2, this student wrote, “You should take back what you did
to President Hu Jintao” and also received a 3 for a stating a clear position in response to the
prompt. The entire class also wrote arguments in their letters with 37% of the class
receiving a 3 for having clearly stated arguments and supporting details while 63% got a 2
for writing their arguments, but was either unclear or not supported. Focusing on student
work sample 3, this student wrote, “Think of children listening to your radio show. They
may be mocking you and the mocking the Chinese culture. What if someone did that to
[you?] Wouldn’t you be mad [?].” This student has a great argument, “Think of children
listening to your radio show,” but needs to support this argument more by explaining that
perhaps children tend to imitate what they see and hear, so he should be careful with what
he says and does. Or, this student could support the argument by saying that Limbaugh’s
actions suggest that it is okay for people to mock people because they do not understand
them or because it is something “different.” This student’s work is a good example of what
many students (63%) did in regards to stating their arguments, but not supporting them
well, but also some only stated one argument, when they were prompted to have written
two arguments. Overwhelmingly, the students struggled with counterarguments. With
40% of the class receiving a 2 for writing their counterargument unclearly or without
supporting detail and 53% of the class not writing a counterargument at all shows that the
students needed more support and/or examples. Looking at student work sample 2, this
student wrote, “If you were in Hu Jintao’s place and you had no translator what would you
think if a person like you were making fun of you?” This student is clearly attempting to
write an effective counterargument, but just misses the target a bit. The counterargument
could have been, “Perhaps you have been in that situation before and you were made fun
of, but that does not mean you should then make fun of others.” By doing so, the student
does not just hypothetically place Limbaugh in that situation, but acknowledges that
Limbaugh may have already been in such a predicament, then rejects his actions when he
witnesses someone else in that exact same situation. Once again, this student’s attempt at
writing and supporting a counterargument highlights the challenges my students faced in
writing their counterarguments.
(REQUIRED) 4.
From the three students whose work samples were selected, choose two students, at least
one of which is an English Learner. For these two students, describe their prior knowledge of
the content and their individual learning strengths and challenges (e.g., academic
development, language proficiency, special needs). What did you conclude about their
learning during the learning segment? Cite specific evidence from the work samples and
from other classroom assessments relevant to the same evaluative criteria (or rubric). (TPE
3)
For all of my students, this would be their first time writing a persuasive letter in the
classroom in accordance to the California English Language Arts Content Standards. While
they have been doing a lot of writing in class, they were not taught the key components of a
persuasive letter (position, argument, counterargument). The two student work samples