Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal: How effective is our after school program, The Commended Club, in helping to raise the Math STAAR scores of targeted students?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Analyze commended club students' Math STAAR scores from 7th grade and 8th grade	Sarah Morvant and Campus Improvement Specialist	May 2013	2012 & 2013 STAAR scores	Analyzing the STAAR scores for the students that attended the commended club tutorials will allow me to see the improvements made from the 7th grade to the 8th grade.
Analyze the attendance rates of the students attending the after school commended club tutorials	Sarah Morvant and Campus Improvement Specialist	May 2013	Student sign-in sheets	After examining the attendance rates, I will be able to see if the students who consistently attended showed improved scores.
Conduct student interviews	Sarah Morvant	May 2013	Interview questions	Interviewing the students that attended the tutorials will allow me to understand from a student's perspective what helped on the STAAR test and what didn't.  I can then compare the answers between the students that showed improvement and those that did not.
Conduct teacher interviews with math teachers that taught the tutorial classes.	Sarah Morvant	May 2013	Interview questions	Interviewing the teachers will enable me to understand the planning and implementation of the chosen tutorial curriculum.
Meet with tutorial teachers and administration to discuss finding of data analysis & to discuss ways to improve the tutorial program for the 2013-2014 school year	Sarah Morvant, Administration	September 2013	Data analysis Curriculum options	This will allow for an open discussion of the data and what it reflects about the effectiveness of the tutorial program.  The committee can then determine what needs to change and what needs to continue.
Implement changes to the tutorial program in the 2013-2014 school year	Tutorial teachers	November 2013-March 2014	Varied according to agreed upon changes	Formative assessments can be utilized throughout the tutorial program.
Analyze 2014 Math STAAR scores	Sarah Morvant and campus improvement specialist	April 2014	2014 Math STAAR scores	Compare the STAAR scores of the students currently attending the tutorial program to see if gains were made.

 

1.  Setting the Foundation - After meeting with my site supervisor and examining the campus improvement plan, math STAAR scores were identified as a target area.  There is currently an after school tutorial program that has been in place for two years, and it's effectiveness has been questioned by parents.

2.  Analyzing Data - I will use STAAR scores from 2012 & 2013, tutorial attendance rates, and student and teacher interviews and/or surveys.

3.  Developing Deeper Understanding - Upon completion of my initial data analysis, additional questions about instructional and student behavior may arise.  Curriculum and teacher planning may also be further questioned.

4.  Engaging in Self-Reflection - I will ask myself reflective questions such as:

            - What outside factors may have also affected student STAAR scores?

            - Is the changing of teachers teaching the tutorials affecting learning?

            - How can we support these students during the school day?

5.  Exploring Programmatic Patterns - Meetings with my site supervisor and campus improvement specialist will lead to a more definite plan about what to keep and change about the after school tutorial program.

6.  Determining Direction - I am clear about the parameters of the program that I am analyzing.  My timeline for analyzing the data is one month which I feel is reasonable.  The timeline for planning the changes to the program is two to three months which I also feel is reasonable.  As the project gets underway, improvements and revisions will be made as needed.

7.  Taking Action for School Improvement - I will develop a written plan of my project and will use Tool 7.1 to guide me.

8.  Sustaining Improvement - If the results of my project show positive changes, then I will share my results with other teachers/campuses that could benefit.  I will also apply this process to other aspects of my personal and professional development.

From my readings this week, I have learned that the possibilities for action research are endless.  I really enjoyed reading about administrators making positive changes for their campuses through action research.  The wonderings about my own classroom and campus have greatly increased this week, and I can't wait to put some of them into action.

I met with my site supervisor this week, and we agreed upon my action research project.  Last week I talked about how I needed to become better at incorporating technology into my classroom.  I discussed this idea with my professor, and she advised that this might be a little too broad and that I really had already answered my own question because I understood that I had not had the proper training for the tools at my disposal.  Professional development is the key to successfully incorporating technology into the classroom.  It is still something I'm going to work on for my classroom next year.  I need to adjust the inquiry question.

For the purposes of my action research class, I am going to research the effectiveness of our campus math tutorial program for struggling students.  It is held after school twice a week and has had some negative feedback from parents.  Raising the campus math STAAR scores is a large part of our campus improvement plan.  I will be analyzing the test scores of the students before and after the tutorials, their attendance rate, teacher feedback and the curriculum being utilized.  This action research project, I think, will help prepare me for an administrator role.

Action research is a reflective practice that can be used by principals or teachers to allow them to make positive changes on their campuses or in their classrooms.  The researcher looks at their practices, makes changes, and then looks at the data or results of those changes.  It allows the researcher to stop and take the time to really think about what's working for them, and what is in the best interest of the students on the campus.  In turn, allowing them to become proactive instead of reactive.  A principal that uses action research and truly becomes a lead learner can create a positive learning experience for all those on their campus.

As a classroom teacher and an administrator I can use action research right now to reflect on my classroom practices.  I consider myself to be pretty tech savvy, but I still struggle incorporating technology into my ELA classroom.  I know that I am fortunate to teach on a campus that has wifi and access to computer labs, laptops, iPads and the students' own devices.  I would like to become a teacher that uses technology in the classroom seamlessly.  As an administrator, I want to be able to support my teachers to incorporate technology into their classrooms to enhance learning for all students.  In order to do this, I can use action research to figure out time management and professional development.

Blogging:

A blog can be a powerful administrative tool.  It can allow all stakeholders to gain an understanding of the inquiry of which an administrator is involved.  Many times as teachers we just want to know the thoughts behind changes that are made in the schools.  A blog can be that window for the teachers.  It can also allow others to see the struggles that many times go unseen.  When stakeholders are allowed to comment on the blog entries, then the administrator can use the blog as a data collector.