Discussion Board: Action Plan to Support Mastery of Literacy Skills (Reading Standardsfor Informational Texts and Paraphrasing) for Third-Grade Learners

For instructors, summative assessments are the foundational tools for evaluating the
mastery of skills among learners at the end of a course or instructional unit. Therefore, as an
instructor for third-grade students, realizing that over 62% of the class failed the end unit
summative assessment can be disheartening. My first reaction is to what best can be done to
support the mastery of most students’ skills, especially reading standards for informational texts
and paraphrasing (the main idea). I might consider all three intervention options, remediation,
and differentiation, to ensure that all students, including those with learning difficulties, master
these skills.
The primary goal of differentiation will be to offer short-term – probably lesson-by-
lesson – instructions to learners on reading standards for informational texts and paraphrasing
ideas and formative assessments. According to Holt (2016), this method involves rendering
instructional programs (teaching and assessment) per lesson. The hallmark of differentiation is
categorizing students based on their skills, understanding, or knowledge of the two concepts.
After dividing students, I will create tiered tasks and assignments that differ in complexity;
students that need additional support will receive more scaffolded assignments, while those that
demonstrate mastery of the skills will get a bit more challenging.
In addition to differentiation, I will consider offering ‘remedial intervention’ or
‘intervention’ to students with learning disabilities. I will separate students with learning
disabilities from the rest and then develop and offer personalized lessons and assessments
(formal). The lessons and assessments will be tailored per individual to meet their unique needs.

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Unlike differentiation, the intervention will be offered for extended periods, perhaps stretching
the whole term. I might consider offering peer tutoring or one-on-one sessions to these learners.
Finally, consider integrating remediation into my action plan. This is because remediation
is pertinent to virtually all students who have yet to master the skills and concepts. Also called
re-teaching, remediation can allow me as an instructor to identify ‘blind spots’ in the learner’s
mastery of the two concepts and emphasize them (Lake Michigan Academy, 2021). My number
approach would be to schedule extra sessions to reexamine or review the concepts that learners
struggled with and then apply different examples, resources, and strategies to reinforce their
knowledge.

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References

Holt, S. (2016). Intervention versus differentiation – what’s the difference? LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/intervention-versus-differentiation-whats-difference-
stephanie-holt
Lake Michigan Academy. (2021). Intervention vs remediation: What’s the difference?
https://www.lakemichiganacademy.org/intervention-vs-remediation-whats-the-difference