Feedback from Students via Journals

Journals area a wonderful way for students to share what they feel and think about a topic. They feel comfortable knowing that I'll keep this information between the student and myself. Students are always eager to get their journals back to read the comments I made on their entries. For one of their entries I asked students to write how they felt about being in the FT Program and what skills were being improved if any. Below are some of their responses in their own words including errors.

Student, Boy:
I like fast track because it help me read better. I think that fast Track helps a lot of kids. I’m better at writing because Fast Track help me. It make me feal better because I now how to read more.

Student, Girl:
I like fasttrack because I learn to wrighi beter. Fasttrack has helped me to lern more.

Student, Boy:
I like fast Track because it help me read better. I think that fast Track helps a lot of kids. I’m better at writing because Fast Track help me. It make me feal better because I now how to read more.

Most of the students said they liked the Fast Track Program and their skills in reading, writing, and spelling were improving. I was glad to know some of the students self esteem improved as they result of increased reading abilities.

Data Collection Techniques & Results

I collected most of my data from my students from last year. I used their journals, questionnaires, surveys, interviews, videotapes, and pictures, as well as students work. To determine student's growth academically I gathered data from their reading comprehension assessments that were given about every six to eight weeks.
This year I started to implement the fluency strategies immediately with other reading material besides the fluency cards they use within the reading program. I used the pre assessment scores to compare them to the post assessment scores and see whether using the strategies were of any benefit. This year's students scores turned out to be higher than the scores students from last year overall. The results show that students scored higher on their reading comprehension assessments as a result of using their reading fluency strategies in class.