Week 4 Assignment, Part 3
Draft Action Research Project Report
Draft Action Research Project Report
Objective and Vision:
Early during the 2010-2011 school
year it was clear that our goal was to maintain our recognized status. We developed plans of attack and spent a
great amount of time evaluating data and targeting students at risk of not
being successful. When the results came
out that we didn’t quite make it specifically due to mathematics performance I
knew what I needed to study and evaluate moving forward. Instead of sulking in the failure of meeting
this goal we started looking forward to what worked and what could be
improved.
Our objective for the year was
simple; modify our approach as needed to achieve Recognized levels of student
performance in math. We began working on
a plan as a department to reach this goal.
How are you implementing the vision
(ELCC 1.3)?
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School Value: Student Success is our
ultimate measure.
Goal: To improve students’ math TAKS
results to meet campus expectations.
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Steward the Vision (ELCC 1.4)
During
the week of in-service prior to the 2011-2012 school year the math department
met to strategize with this topic in mind.
We began by thinking about our approach in the past. We felt the benchmarks and quizzing of the
past were unrelated to what we were teaching and gave us little insight into
our students’ abilities. This is when we
came up with structured warm-ups that would lead up to the objective
quizzes. We felt keeping this as a daily
activity and checking up on success along the way had a greater impact on our
students understanding of the topic and our understanding of our students’
ability. Other topics that came out
during the meeting were a more hands on approach to our teaching of TAKS
objectives. The last piece was taking
specific vocabulary from previous tests and incorporating the same vocabulary
in our teaching.
With the
plan developed in a round table type meeting, the buy into the process and
maintaining the vision became much greater.
It wasn’t administrators you need to do more of this and this; it was a
collaborative effort appealing to the experience of the educators in the
department.
Promote community involvement in the
vision (ELCC 1.5).
One way
individual teachers were able to engage community support was during “Meet the
Teacher Night” and during parent conferences.
We were able to explain the new system and give the reasoning behind
it. When the vision and purpose is
creating more success for our students it is much easier to get support from
parents and the community.
Articulate
the Vision:
While
some may have conflicts with considering success based upon campus ratings it
is truly the most standardized widespread comparison of school performance
across the state. Therefore, when we
received a rating of only Academically Acceptable we knew we had more to
accomplish. We know as a campus we have
a top academic program and some of the best students in the state but we would
like to be sure our campus rating reflects this important piece and drives this
project.
Review
of the Literature and Action Research Strategy:
Dr.
Larson describes a number of best practices regarding preparation of students
for state testing. The major focus of
the article is presenting material using the same techniques, vocabulary and
look of the assigned state tests.
Therefore, when students get to the testing day they are very
comfortable and confident of the chances of success.
Bill
Lombard presents more of a framework for success. He outlines start to finish what teachers
should consider as they help prepare their students for standardized testing.
Both
individuals provide great points to consider and aspects from both articles
will be included in the action portion of this research project.
Larson,
M. A Developmental Approach to Preparing Students for Standardized or State
Tests. Houghton Mifflin Math. Retrieved from
http://www.eduplace.com/state/pdf/author/larson1_hmm05.pdf
Lombard,
B. (2008). State Testing – Prepare Students and Teachers with this 7 Step
Plan. TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FOR MATH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
Retrieved from http://www.mrlsmath.com/state-testing-prepare-students-and-
teachers-with-this-7-step-plan/
The
decision making for this project was a culmination of the entire math
department. It was up to us to improve
scores and modify our approach as needed.
As part of my internship I chose to more closely examine the process and
data as a whole for my action research topic.
Manage resources (ELCC 3.3).
A
beneficial piece to my action research is it required no new resources. The technology was already available to all
math teachers. The warm-ups and objective
quizzes were teacher created. Each
teacher was assigned an objective and created the necessary information for
their objective. All parties had an
equal share and there was no financial burden of the project. I was able to assist some teachers in getting
their technology set-up to work in the class setting. Once they were assisted all were on board
with the process.
Manage
Operations
Throughout the project I worked closely with
the assistant principal in charge of the department and the department
chair. I helped lead some meetings as we
neared closer to testing time. Also
created a number of materials to be implemented into the classroom. Conflict over the project was minimal as I
feel the vision of the project was shared by all and so the focus was clear
that this was in the best academic interest of our students.
Mobilize community resources (ELCC
4.3).
With this
research being focused on the approach classroom teachers took with presenting
material there were very limited community resources involved in the process.
Respond
to Community Interest and Needs
Students are required to pass standardized tests to qualify for
graduation in Texas. Therefore, programs
and projects designed to improve test preparation positively impact student
success. Furthermore, with
accountability considering each student group we will focus on each and every
student and assure their success. This
is ultimately our goal each day as educators.
Promote positive school culture(ELCC
2.1).
The
driving force of this project was trying to raise math scores to positively
impact the school culture. There was
mild, but present dissention towards the math department for causing our school
to drop in ratings. Therefore, the
bonding together of the math department to raise these scores was driven by the
desire to achieve success for the whole campus.
Provide an effective instructional
program (ELCC 2.2).
The goal
set-forth with this project was to raise TAKS scores in math to meet AYP
expectations. The ultimate success of
the project would be if we did or did not meet these levels.
These
results were tough to digest. We felt we
put forth our very best in developing the new program and approach. We thought the data along the way would
prepare us to meet the necessary goals.
However, with the ever increasing expectations of the state it just
wasn’t sufficient and the plan was not successful.
Influencing the larger context (ELCC
6.3).
From Week 3:
Initially as part of the program I created a blog to make
public information of my research project.
I will continue to update the blog and provide information of the status
of my research project. If I am
successful I plan to send my final draft to NCTM and other math organizations
in hopes to publish the work. As
mentioned above I will share the information electronically with my district as
well.
This is a
tough situation. When the approach
created by our teachers was not successful it’s hard to actively spread the word. While much can be learned and some
improvement can be made, if the data does not back up the process it is hard to
significantly stand behind and spread the word.
Design a comprehensive professional
growth plan (ELCC 2.4).
We had a goal
when we began the process, and sadly the goal was not met. However, much can be said about the process
as a whole. The department banded
together under the idea of continuous improvement. Trying to make positive change in our
approach to benefit our students. We wanted
nothing more than to see this success in the end but that was just not the
situation with this project. One of the
biggest lessons learned from the project was our job as an administrator is
never complete. With a bit more guidance
from the administrative team we have revamped our approach and will continue to
modify for our ever changing students.
Key Words, Phrases or
Terms describing your Action Research Project
TAKS MATH,
Collaboration, Technology, Responders, Math Vocabulary, High Stakes Testing,
TAKS/EOC
Action
Research Blog:
