Friday, August 6, 2010
Viewing Comments
As I have not received comments on my blog at this time I will be addressing comments that were shared either on the discussion board or Action Research Connections. I appreciate the positive comments that have been posted and I am working to consider the opinions that have been shared. I especially appreciate the specific comments about the RTI process and how it will be implemented and monitored. At this time I do not foresee any major changes to my plan just some tweaking or steps to consider along the way.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Action Research Plan
Setting the Foundation:
Increasing elementary student performance in math is a district and individual school objective. Meeting with my school principal we debated several concerns but came to the decision to focus on the manner and setting in which struggling students receive math assistance. The school has implemented the use of a math coach that works with identified students in the regular classroom as opposed to the pull out system that many other district schools are using at this time. It seems appropriate to analyze whether or not this is an effective program for the students by collecting student performance data.
Analyzing the Data:
District assessments are administered throughout the school year in an effort to benchmark student performance. They include benchmarks and the following: Beginning of the Year, Middle of the Year, Released TAKS, End of the Year, and actual TAKS. These assessments will be analyzed to monitor student improvement. Data will also be gathered through journaling and student artifacts. Student work will be collected for comparison. Teachers and students will journal throughout the process.
Developing Deeper Understanding:
Interviews will be conducted with teachers and students throughout the process. Student performance and classroom grades will also be analyzed. Parent surveys will be completed at the beginning and the end of the process.
Self-Reflection:
What other forms of assessment would be beneficial?
How can students’ have the opportunity to personalize the learning?
What will the teachers need from the math coach?
Are there times that students should be pulled out of class to work either in small group or individually?
How will students be assisted in the classroom without disrupting the learning of other students.
Determining Direction:
What effect does working with a math coach have on the math achievement of 5th grade students in the regular education classroom at Birdville Elementary?
This question will guide the research and data collection in order to determine if there is a positive effect of the math coach working with students in the classroom.
Action Steps:
1.Administer Beginning of the Year (BOY) Assessment to all 5th grade students.
2.Identify students that need to be Tier 2 or 3 according to state and district RTI guidelines.
3.Select students from the 5th grade general population for random sample to be used in comparison.
4.Work with identified students in small groups within the classroom setting.
5.Administer district benchmark assessments (Middle of the Year (MOY) assessment/ Released TAKS test) according to the district schedule.
6.Administer End of Year (EOY) assessment and/or 2011 TAKS test to determine end of the year performance.
7.Compare results from assessments that were administered throughout the school year noting any increases and/or decreases. Compare the identified group to the sample group.
8.Develop conclusions after analyzing data to evaluate the success of the program.
9.Share results and conclusions with stakeholders and other invested parties.
10.Consider revisions to improve or enhance the program for the next year.
Future Considerations:
Upon completion of the action steps the analysis will help in decisions on changes that will be needed for the program. The timeline will be adjusted according to findings so that it can be utilized again the following year.
Increasing elementary student performance in math is a district and individual school objective. Meeting with my school principal we debated several concerns but came to the decision to focus on the manner and setting in which struggling students receive math assistance. The school has implemented the use of a math coach that works with identified students in the regular classroom as opposed to the pull out system that many other district schools are using at this time. It seems appropriate to analyze whether or not this is an effective program for the students by collecting student performance data.
Analyzing the Data:
District assessments are administered throughout the school year in an effort to benchmark student performance. They include benchmarks and the following: Beginning of the Year, Middle of the Year, Released TAKS, End of the Year, and actual TAKS. These assessments will be analyzed to monitor student improvement. Data will also be gathered through journaling and student artifacts. Student work will be collected for comparison. Teachers and students will journal throughout the process.
Developing Deeper Understanding:
Interviews will be conducted with teachers and students throughout the process. Student performance and classroom grades will also be analyzed. Parent surveys will be completed at the beginning and the end of the process.
Self-Reflection:
What other forms of assessment would be beneficial?
How can students’ have the opportunity to personalize the learning?
What will the teachers need from the math coach?
Are there times that students should be pulled out of class to work either in small group or individually?
How will students be assisted in the classroom without disrupting the learning of other students.
Determining Direction:
What effect does working with a math coach have on the math achievement of 5th grade students in the regular education classroom at Birdville Elementary?
This question will guide the research and data collection in order to determine if there is a positive effect of the math coach working with students in the classroom.
Action Steps:
1.Administer Beginning of the Year (BOY) Assessment to all 5th grade students.
2.Identify students that need to be Tier 2 or 3 according to state and district RTI guidelines.
3.Select students from the 5th grade general population for random sample to be used in comparison.
4.Work with identified students in small groups within the classroom setting.
5.Administer district benchmark assessments (Middle of the Year (MOY) assessment/ Released TAKS test) according to the district schedule.
6.Administer End of Year (EOY) assessment and/or 2011 TAKS test to determine end of the year performance.
7.Compare results from assessments that were administered throughout the school year noting any increases and/or decreases. Compare the identified group to the sample group.
8.Develop conclusions after analyzing data to evaluate the success of the program.
9.Share results and conclusions with stakeholders and other invested parties.
10.Consider revisions to improve or enhance the program for the next year.
Future Considerations:
Upon completion of the action steps the analysis will help in decisions on changes that will be needed for the program. The timeline will be adjusted according to findings so that it can be utilized again the following year.
Action Research Topic
What effect does working with a math coach have on the math achievement of 5th grade students in the regular education classroom at Birdville Elementary?
The setting will be the 5th grade regular education math classroom. This wondering is significant in consideration of the effective use of support personnel in the elementary school. It will also consider the effectiveness of the support staff working with students in the classroom in order to avoid pulling students out to another room. The target population will be the 5th grade students that have been identified as a Tier 2 or Tier 3 in math through the RTI leveling process. The comparison groups will be 10-15 5th grade students randomly chosen from the general population. The number of students correlates with the number of identified students the work with the math coach. Choosing the comparison sample randomly helps to keep the study group representative of the whole grade level. The research will be conducted throughout the 2010-2011 school year using various forms of data collection and comparison processes. The data will be collected and compared through both formative and summative assessments including benchmarks, pre/post testing, journaling, artifacts and student work. In summation, the goal of the action research is to consider the effective use of a math coach as support personnel in the classroom.
The setting will be the 5th grade regular education math classroom. This wondering is significant in consideration of the effective use of support personnel in the elementary school. It will also consider the effectiveness of the support staff working with students in the classroom in order to avoid pulling students out to another room. The target population will be the 5th grade students that have been identified as a Tier 2 or Tier 3 in math through the RTI leveling process. The comparison groups will be 10-15 5th grade students randomly chosen from the general population. The number of students correlates with the number of identified students the work with the math coach. Choosing the comparison sample randomly helps to keep the study group representative of the whole grade level. The research will be conducted throughout the 2010-2011 school year using various forms of data collection and comparison processes. The data will be collected and compared through both formative and summative assessments including benchmarks, pre/post testing, journaling, artifacts and student work. In summation, the goal of the action research is to consider the effective use of a math coach as support personnel in the classroom.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Real Life Research Action Examples
This week I found the reading from the the Dana text to be very interesting. (Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.) I think that her reference to the 9 passions or wonderings is right on track. They got me to thinking about my own passions and wonderings. I am struggling somewhat to bring clarity to my query for my action research topic. Math is my passion and the focus of my job so that is an easy choice but the specific question still alludes me. One of my thoughts falls in the area of staff development which is another passion of mine as I enjoy presenting training sessions. The other two could be part of either individual students or school performance. My current change of job and school has left me without an opportunity to speak with my supervisor at this time. I look forward to meeting with him soon and discussing my queries with him. I am confident that he will help me to narrow down my choice as we discuss the needs of the school.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Blogs: How might they be used by educational leaders?
Blogs can be an effective tool for leaders because they open up the lines of communication between stakeholders. It is a way for everyone to have input without actually having to be in the same place at the same time. You can comment on a blog when it is convenient for your schedule. It also can be less threatening since it is not face-to-face. These are all good reasons for an educational leader to use a blog as a form of communication. Specifically a blog could be used to present an a strategy or idea and receive feedback. This would be appropriate for both staff members and parents to contribute. I also could see a leader using it to survey students about a particular topic. Students seem to be far more likely to contribute in this type of format. As the administrator of the blog you can edit out inappropriate comments but maintain an interaction between comments. Due to the ability to access a blog at everyone's own convenience they can be a great way to expand communication.
Action Research Summary
As I have begun reading the textbooks for EDLD 5301 I am learning in greater detail what Action Research is actually all about. The first thing that comes to mind is that I have been part of action research in various forms though I would not have given it that title. Our district has a policy of using this process when making changes or investigating the possible need for change. We are encouraged to use strategies that are research based. The thing I am coming to realize is that we use a combination of looking at traditional research and action research as we make those changes. I believe that this will help me as I progress through this class and learn how to use action research appropriately and effectively. It is important to investigate the research that has been completed by experts on a subject but to make it work for your situation you need to actually put that information to work. This means creating specific action steps that are appropriate for your situation and then evaluating their effectiveness before moving on with and/or adjusting the plan.
I think that at first I will find action research to be the most useful in the process of utilizing Professional Learning Communities. These learning communities create opportunities for collaboration among peers and lend themselves to the action research process. The PLC will meet with a common need in mind. For instance, the Math Goal Team will analyze student performance to find areas in need of improvement. When the team decides on a specific need they will work within the action research process to investigate strategies and processes that will enhance student performance. They will develop steps that will be implemented by the campus. It will then be important for them to meet and evaluate the implementation and results of those steps on a regularly scheduled basis. At that time the team will make decisions on whether or not to continue on the present course or to make adjustments. It is my belief that I could successfully mesh action research with professional learning communities to enhance school success.
I think that at first I will find action research to be the most useful in the process of utilizing Professional Learning Communities. These learning communities create opportunities for collaboration among peers and lend themselves to the action research process. The PLC will meet with a common need in mind. For instance, the Math Goal Team will analyze student performance to find areas in need of improvement. When the team decides on a specific need they will work within the action research process to investigate strategies and processes that will enhance student performance. They will develop steps that will be implemented by the campus. It will then be important for them to meet and evaluate the implementation and results of those steps on a regularly scheduled basis. At that time the team will make decisions on whether or not to continue on the present course or to make adjustments. It is my belief that I could successfully mesh action research with professional learning communities to enhance school success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)