Action Research Plan

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

 

Goal: Increase standardized test scores in the areas of math and reading for fourth and fifth graders who are currently receiving Tier II and Tier III interventions.

Action Step #1

Pre-Assess Tier II and Tier III students using the Academy of Math and Academy of Reading computer program.

Persons Responsible

Instructional Paraprofessionals and Specialist who work with each group of students.
(Five students max per group.)

Start:                                                          End:

September 13, 2010                                    September 24, 2010

Resources Needed

• Computer lab with installed program software
• Students must be enrolled in the program on the computer

Evaluations
Run pre-test report after 100% of students have taken the pre-assessment in the required subjects. (Reading, math, or possibly both)

 

Action Step #2
All students identified as the action research “sample” group will complete an interest survey, learning style inventory, and a multiple intelligence indicator questionnaire.
Person Responsible

• Instructional Teacher Advisor (Cynthia Perez) is responsible for the three documents that will provide more information about the way the students learn.
• The instructional paraprofessional and specialists who work with the students will help them to complete each form: survey, inventory, and questionnaire.

Due Dates

• Interest survey complete on September 15, 2010
• Learning style inventory complete on September 16
• Multiple Intelligence Questionnaire complete on September 17, 2010

Resources Needed

• Plenty of copies of each form.
• Group rosters by name and homeroom teacher.
• Quiet room for students to complete the survey, inventory, and questionnaire,
• Paraprofessional or specialist to monitor and facilitate students.

Evaluation

Instructional Advisor will create score the forms and create a spreadsheet that includes the results of each form. This data will be used to further group students after the final academic reports are run.

 

Action Step #3
Create master rosters for each grade level and subject.  There should be no more than 15-20 students per grade level in Tier II (divided into 3 groups of 5-7) and no more than 5 students in Tier III. (one group)
Person Responsible
Instructional Teacher Advisor (Cynthia Perez) will create the rosters for each staff member in charge of the groups.

Start:                                      End: 

 

September 20, 2010                May 20, 2011

 

Resources Needed

Grade level lists of Tier II and Tier III students requiring math and/or reading interventions.
Evaluation
Teachers will verify that each student requiring intervention is on a roster.

 

Action Step #4
Create master schedule for each group Tier II A, Tier II B, Tier II C, and Tier III A for both grade levels
Person Responsible

Instructional Teacher Advisor

(Cynthia Perez)
Begin:                                    
September 20,2010

 Resources Needed

• Class schedules: Science Lab, Fine Arts, PE, Technology
• Creating a master schedule takes a keen eye so that students aren’t overlapping in two places at one time. The assistant principal and counselor will look ever schedules

Evaluations

All groups in each grade level have three time slots per week for a minimum of thirty minutes each for Academy of Math and Academy of Reading. Students enrolled in both programs will need six slots available.

 

Action Step #5
Each group will adhere to the schedule and attend the technology lab to complete 90 minutes of work in each subject area needed.
Persons Responsible
Group leader: Instructional Para’s for Tier II and the Reading/Math Specialist for Tier III students
Start                                            End
September 20, 2010                     May 20,2011

 

Resources Needed

• Computer lab
• Instructional Leader
• Proper scheduling

Evaluations

Weekly reports will be run to verify that each student completed the required 90 minutes of on task activity per week.

 

Action Step #6

Post Assessment-Tier II and Tier III students using the Academy of Math and Academy of Reading computer program.

Persons Responsible

Instructional Paraprofessionals and Specialist who work with each group of students.
(Five students max per group.)

Start:                                            End

May 16, 2011                               May 20, 2011

Resources Needed

• Computer lab with installed program software
• Students must be enrolled in the program on the computer

Evaluation
Run report after 100% of students have taken the post-assessment in the required subjects. (Reading, math, or possibly both)

Action Step #7

Compare the results of the first administration of the TAKS test with the previous years results for students being serviced with the Tier II and Tier III computer based interventions. 
Person Responsible
Instructional Teacher Advisor (Cynthia Perez)
Dates
Immediately following the release of the TAKS math and reading scores.
Resources Needed

• AEIS report
• Individual TAKS summary sheets
• Last years summary sheets

 

 

 

My day with Dr. Todd Whitaker

Who would have thought that one day I am referencing the work of  Dr. Todd Whitaker on my Week 2 assignment and the next day I am listening to him, learning from him, and talking one on one with him at a PLC retreat sponsored by my district.  This man has such a passion for what he does.  Here are a few things that really stood out to me today.

1.   Three behaviors that should never take place:      
           *    Never Argue    *   Never Yell    *   Never use Sarcasm

2.   He said that when dealing with teachers, students, parents, or stake holders, "It is OK to be afraid, just  don't act afraid."

3.   "Do not correct misbehavior.  Teach behavior"  Often times children don't understand why they get in  trouble because their behavior is accepted at home.  As educators, rather than yell at students, teach them the correct behavior.

4.   He talked about leaders knowing how they come across to other people.  They should be able to relate to everyone in the school, not just the teachers.

5.  He left us with this thought.  Use emotion to get people to make change.  Logic will not overcome emotion.

I had the pleasure of listening to him for six hours.  Yes, six hours.  How does one person talk for six hours and sustain the attention of his audience?  Dr. Whitaker was a true leader.  He had us reflect on our leadership style.  Reflect on changes we want to make in our school.  We talked about the steps to make these changes.  He truly captivated us and motivated us to get the year started out just right for our school.

On a side note: He and I thought it was pretty cool that I was quoting him in my homework the night before.

Action Research Possible Topics

After meeting with my Principal, Aurelia Barrera, who is also my site supervisor for my internship plan, we decided on the three possible areas of action research.

1. “How does the presence of the Parent Facilitator in the parent room, impact the number of volunteers and the number of hours they volunteer?”
2. “How do extracurricular activities impact the academic success of students who participate regularly?”
3. "Does the method of Tier II intervention instruction impact student achievement?"

Although we would like to investigate all three of these during the next school year, she really wants me to focus on the third topic of Tier II interventions. Response to Intervention is a huge initiative in our district. We serve many students in the Tier II model in all grade levels. In order for us to best serve our students we need to be sure that the instructional model we are using is giving us the results we want. We need to see which method works better for certain students. Many students do perform better with computer based instruction, but many also need small group or individual direct instruction with manipulatives and instructional level activities. As stated in this week’s readings, “It is people and not programs that determine the quality of the school.” (Whitaker, 2003)

References:

Whitaker, T. (2003). What great principals do differently: Fifteen things that matter most. Larchmont, NY:Eye on Education, Inc.

Lessons learned from Video Interviews

Sometimes affirmation is as good as new learning.  A common theme in all the interviews was to begin with the data first.  Look at the facts.  Always secure the identity of your students. 

We have all heard the old saying, "If I can just reach one child, then....".  This is no longer enough.  It was nice to hear a leader like Dr. Chargois state this.  With the high stakes accountability that puts so much pressure on our teachers, it just isn't enough to reach one student.  We need to have high expectations for all of our students.  Teachers need to recognize the pressure and increase student performance.

Dr. Lewis made it very clear that if action research is relevant, then teachers are more likely to:
1.  Be interested
2.  Be focused
3. Achieve student success

Action research must be practical and applicable to the campus environment.  Action research should drive immediate changes in the climate, and culture of the campus to help students succeed.  In order for us to know if what we are doing is effective, we need to be ready to ask ourselves this question, reflect on the findings, and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.

How might educational leaders use blogs?

Leaders can use blogs to share their "inquiry".  Many schools have the same needs and could benefit from the data gathered and concluded.  Leaders can post the school's plan for improvement so that other schools can borrow pieces or even all of the plan if it fits their campus needs.  Blogs are a great tool for networking and collaborating with one another.  The convenience of being able to log in from any computer with internet access makes sharing results an easy task.  The ease also includes how many people can access the information at any given time.  Blog followers can monitor progress and make suggestions if applicable.

Action Research... What it is.....What I've learned......

Action research is the latest trend in research based inquiry. The intent of action research is to bring about change through a systematic process that begins with a "wondering".  We have all asked ourselves why things are as they are and if those "things" really work.  Action research allows us to look at the needs of our campus and collaborate the inquiry question to yield results.  After the campus leader or staff member comes up with an area of interest, concern, or inquiry, steps are taken to gather data, analyze data, reflect on the data, and ultimately to create a plan that is going to thrust the campus in a direction that will allow students to be very successful.  Action research is a result of reflecting on your current practice and gathering data to make campus improvements.  The more data you can collect from multiple sources, the better insight you will gain into your action research project.  Action research enables a campus to look deep inside the campus and reflect on what is and isn't working.  The knowledge gained should drive your plan to improve the campus.  As an aspiring leader, I have learned that action research is more beneficial to the campus because it addresses the specific needs of the school.  I have learned that although it will require a creative use of my time, it is imperative that time be made to conduct action research projects well.  Leaders must show that they care about the "inquiry" to make time to do some action research.