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OJM2 Task 2: Identifying and Evaluating Data Sources
Western Governors University, MSCIN
Data-Informed Practices
Professor Lori Ramey
May 6, 2025
Problem Statement
Despite some efforts to promote literacy and writing proficiency in intermediate school,
many high school students demonstrate deficiencies in writing mechanics, including content,
organization, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Factors contributing to these deficiencies
include limited exposure to literacy-rich environments, inadequate practice in writing skills,
language barriers for English language learners, chronic absenteeism, and lack of individualized
support for students with learning differences. These deficiencies hinder students’ ability to
effectively communicate their ideas, demonstrate understanding of content, and meet academic
standards. As a result, students experience challenges completing written assignments,
performing well on assessments, and achieving academic success across various subjects. This
, can lead to lower grades, decreased confidence, and disengagement from learning. Additionally,
deficiencies in writing mechanics can affect students’ future prospects, as communication skills
are essential for success in higher education and the workforce. Addressing these writing
mechanics deficiencies is critical in ensuring that my dental assisting students develop crucial
communication skills, written and oral, and are prepared for academic and professional success
in the dental field.
Existing Data
General Characteristics and Demographics of Participants
A writing mechanics assessment is completed yearly with my Introduction to Dental
Assisting Class. The Introduction to Dental Assisting class has 35 students composed of 9th and
10th graders. There are 33 Hispanic and 2 African American students, 9 males and 26 females.
10 students have IEPS, 1 student has a 504 plan, and 4 are English Language learners. 85.4% of
the students are economically disadvantaged. According to the 2023 NJSLA scores, only 31% of
current 9th graders met or exceeded the ELA expectations and only 21% of current 10th graders
met or exceeded the ELA expectations.
Timeliness of Data
The first data set was collected in September 2023, during the second week of the 2023-
2024 school year. This data provided the baseline of student writing mechanics. The second data
set was collected at the end of marking period 1, November 2023 to analyze student growth and
achievement.
Type of Data
Utilizing a writing mechanics rubric to score my students’ reflective essays is a
qualitative data collection based on my expertise, experience, and interpretation of the criteria