Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan
Goal: To find out if the current reading program is successful and if there are additional ways I can increase the lexile score of each student who reads below grade level on the high school campus. Assessment instruments: SRI, SFA, TAKS, attendance reports, discipline reports Process for monitoring: Use assessments throughout the 2010 / 2011 school year to collect data and compare.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Determine the initial lexile score of each student who is placed in the reading program. Students took the initial assessment in September 2010.	Cassie Herndon	Starts and ends on November 29, 2010.	SRI SAM program- This program records the SRI score of each student.	After gathering data, find the average lexile score of the teacher’s entire student population for the first administration of the SRI.
Look at past TAKS scores of each student in the area of Reading and/or English Language Arts and Reading.	Cassie Herndon	Starts and ends on November 29, 2010	Infoserve program- This program will allow me to look up TAKS scores.	After gathering data, determine the percentage of students who passed the 2010 Reading and/or English Language Arts and Reading TAKS.
Administer the second SRI of the 2010 / 2011 school year.	Cassie Herndon	Start: November 30, 2010. End: December 10, 2010	SRI SAM program: This program records the SRI score of each student.	After the second SRI is given, an average is determined using teacher’s entire student population. Then, a comparison can be made to the initial average lexile score that was collected in September.
Administer the first Reading Standard Formative Assessment of the 2010 / 2011 school year.	Cassie Herndon	Start: December 2, 2010 End: December 8, 2010	SFA that is issued by the district	A percentage of students passing the SFA will be calculated using the teacher’s entire student population. This data will be saved and compared to the second SFA, which will be given in the second semester.
Incorporate more technology into the classroom. This includes using Ning, Wikis, Google Docs, games, movie clips, xtranormal, and Jing.	Cassie Herndon	Start: November 22, 2010 End: May 27, 2011	Ning- used to blog and discuss Wikis- used to blog, discuss, and turn in classwork Google Docs- used for student collaboration and class assignments Interactive Vocabulary Games- engages students and makes learning fun Vocabulary Video Clips- uses visual aids to help students understand and recall new vocabulary words xtranormal website- used to teach lesson Jing- used as a study aid on school wires	Monitor blogs, documents, writings, and classwork of each student who uses technology.
Incorporate more differentiation into the classroom: “singing” lyrics on icon charts that reflect reading objectives, creating hands on projects that reinforce reading objectives, and providing more visual aids that depict learning objectives.	Cassie Herndon	Start: November 22, 2010 End: May 27, 2011	Icon charts, “singing” activities, manipulatives, hands on projects, etc.	Monitor the comprehension of students concerning the reading objectives. This can be collected through formal and informal assessments.
Administer the second SFA of the 2010 / 2011 school year.	Cassie Herndon	Start and End: Second Semester Specific Time: To be determined	Standard Formative Assessment issued by the school district.	A percentage of students passing the SFA will be calculated using the teacher’s entire student population. This data will be saved and compared to the first SFA, which was given the first semester.
Administer the third SRI of the 2010 / 2011 school year	Cassie Herndon	Start: February 22, 2011 End: March 4, 2011	SRI SAM program: This program records the SRI score of each student.	After the third SRI is given, an average is determined using teacher’s entire student population. Then, a comparison can be made to the initial and second average lexile score that was collected.
Administer the fourth SRI of the 2010 / 2011 school year	Cassie Herndon	Start: May 2, 2011 End: May 13, 2011	SRI SAM program: This program records the SRI score of each student.	After the fourth SRI is given, an average is determined using teacher’s entire student population. Then, a comparison can be made to the three previous administrations of the SRI.
Run a report on student attendance for the teacher’s entire student population for the 2010 / 2011 school year	Cassie Herndon	Start: November 2010 End: May 2011	Pinnacle software	Attendance will be monitored throughout the school year. A comparison will be made between the first and second semester.
Run a report on student discipline for the teacher’s entire student population for the 2010 / 2011 school year	Cassie Herndon	Start: November 2010 End: May 2011	Pinnacle software	The amount of referrals will compared between the first and second semester.

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools
(Harris, Edmonson, Combs, 2010)

Action Research Plan

ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

PROCESS OVERVIEW

Reading Program: success rate and future strategies

1. SETTING THE FOUNDATION –

After collaborating with the site supervisor, a wondering arose concerning the success rate of the current reading program and how it can be strengthened to ensure that each student who reads below grade level on the high school campus can increase his or her lexile level.

2. ANALYZING DATA –

Data will be collected from SRI, SFA, TAKS, informal, and formal assessments to monitor student progress throughout an academic school year in the content area of Reading. The entire student population of one Reading teacher will be used to provide data, statistics, and percentages.  

3. DEVELOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING –

After initial data is gathered, further monitoring is required. As this process unfolds, research on past reading strategies that have been proven to work will be conducted. Once these strategies have been identified, the school stakeholders will be contacted to discuss which teaching practices should be implemented to ensure student success. A list of pros and cons, along with a final decision will be documented.

4. ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION –

Self-reflection will be utilized to look at the action research plan objectively. Certain reflection questions will be asked in order to understand consequences of the implemented strategies concerning the reading program. The following questions will help achieve this goal.

• Do I possess the skills and resources needed to conduct a successful action research project that reflects my selected solutions?

• If I like the idea of using more technology in the classroom, do I have the skills or the resources needed to monitor student success?

• If I like the idea of using more differentiated instruction, do I have a viable approach and the skills needed to implement it?

• Do I possess the necessary means to collect data?

• Is the data reliable and does it reflect the statistics needed to evaluate the reading program and teaching strategies that influence student success?

5. EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS –

After talking with the site supervisor and other administrative staff, it became evident that there are pros and cons of the solutions used to solve the problem of below grade level readers. The pros of the action research plan are reliable assessments and data, and good teaching strategies. The con is that it might be hard to evaluate the success of differentiated instruction.  An increase in formal and informal assessments may or may not be correlated with differentiated instruction; other factors might influence the results. The site supervisor believes that the SRIs, SFAs, TAKS tests, and other assessments are essential in collecting reliable data. She also believes that the good teaching practices are crucial for student success.   

6. DETERMINING DIRECTION –

After reviewing the action research draft and discussing it with the site supervisor and appropriate administrative staff, it has become evident that the topic is clear and will produce reliable data.

The skills and resources have been adequately addressed.

A collaborative approach has been established.  

The time lines are realistic and feasible to complete.

There is a reasonable plan to monitor the project.

There is also a reasonable plan to determine the level of success.

Revision and improvement of the plan will be based on constant and consistent assessments. Revisions will be made by implementing or taking away teaching strategies that influence student learning.

7. TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

A committee will be created to assist with the action research project.  A written plan of action will be given to the members of the committee. Also, data will be shared with committee members. The data will summarize the progress of the action research project; it will reflect the success rate of the current reading program and teaching strategies that have increased the lexile scores of students who read below grade level.

8. SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT

Positive results will be utilized to improve the learning and culture of the Reading classroom. The results will also be shared with teachers on campus, within the school district, and online. The action research process will strengthen my teaching skills and be applied to my overall professional development.

Action Research

During week two, I have learned many different aspects of action research. According to Dana (2009), there are nine major wonderings of many school leaders: staff development, curriculum development, individual teacher(s), individual student(s), school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance, and social justice or equity issues. In order to run a school in excellence, these nine major areas need to be researched and reviewed so that strengths and weakness are exposed. As an administrator, I will allow teachers to preform action research; this will allow reliable and campus specific data to be collected.  As a result of teachers conducting action research, real problems and solutions will be revealed. 

Resource:
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Crowin Press.

Action Research

Action research is a process of wondering; it allows an administrator to become an active participant in a problem solving environment. Administrative inquiry longs for change; therefore, it will find out what the current problems on a campus are and seek out to solve these problems. This takes a set of steps: wonder, collection of data, insight, analyzing of data with readings that are relevant, changes, and a sharing of data (Dana, 2009).

I have learned that action research requires reflection. It forces an administrator to take the time to take the time to evaluate past decisions. This requires the administrator to find out if and why certain decisions had positive or negative outcomes. Secondly, it allows for change to occur on a need to need basis. Sometimes, a new idea, procedure, or policy will work for a time, but then needs to be tweaked or removed based on the changing needs of students. Also, reflection reveals strengths and weaknesses of a leader. This helps the administrator sharpen his or her leadership skills. 

There are many ways I could use action research as an administrator. First of all, I could participate in district meetings that gather input from principals to find out current problems and strategies on how to solve them. Second, I could create a leadership team that would share the responsibility of finding out the needs of the campus and make good decisions based on data and input. Lastly, I could implement a professional learning community on campus. This would help create an atmosphere that encourages collaboration and creative ways to implement best teaching practices.

Educational leaders might use blogs to promote a learning community on campus. Faculty and staff could link their blogs to stay in constant communication about problems and issues that arise on campus. This would allow a collection of data to occur. Then, strategies and solutions could be formulated.

Resource:

Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.     Thousand Oaks, CA: Cowin Press.