Action Research-Week 4

I think it's great that you will have meetings. I think I will carry that into my action research and have meetings with my teachers to discuss the progress of my action research. I think that is very important. Thank you for sharing your action research! –Jennifer Nguyen

I admire that you are taking the bull by the horns and leading your team in figuring out the new curriculum! Your story is a familiar one. My district just implemented a new textbook adoption, and we have received almost no training on the materials and how to use them. Good luck on your endeavor!  -James Mahler

Based on my peer suggestions and comments I feel really good about my action research plan and didn’t see the need to make any changes with my plan.  Based on the peer comments I am moving forward with implementing my action research plan.   

My meeting with my site supervisor was very helpful with giving me tips and the confidence that I needed to successfully implement my action research plan. One suggestion that I plan to use in my action research and in the rest of my leadership career is meeting management. It was suggested that I assign each group member a specific duty or role such as time keeper, task manager, recorder of meeting minutes, etc. ” I always struggled with meeting management until it was suggested to me that I assign roles. Once I started using this system, my meetings were much more effective, efficient, and productive. Also, rotate the responsibilities. Keep every group member on their toes!” After receiving this personal insight on how meeting management will help with your productivity I plan to always use this system in any meetings that I conduct.

Action Research Plan

TOOL 7.1 Action Planning Template Goal: Facilitate teacher professional development to aid in their integration of the STAAR Test and CScope academic concepts throughout our elementary curriculum. Action Step 1.Identify area of focus and develop research questions Person Responsible Erica Seastrunk, Teacher Timeline: Start/End November/December 2011 Needed Resources Meeting with principal and 5th grade teachers Evaluation We will meet and decide on some specific research questions to focus on to achieve the stated goal. Action Step 2. Review CScope online curriculum Person Responsible Erica Seastrunk Timeline: Start/End December 2011 Needed Resources Internet and CScope online curriculum Evaluation I will compile a list and copies of several CScope documents that teachers need an in-depth understanding of to use when planning their curriculum lessons for their students. Action Step 3. Presentations/collect data Person Responsible Erica Seastrunk Timeline: Start/End December-May 2012 Needed Resources Curriculum test scores, district benchmark scores, STAAR results, online gradebook for scores from daily assignments, TEK assignments, and Scope unit test Evaluation The assessment data from daily assignments, tests, and district benchmarks from the first semester will be collected and compared to those same assessments during the second semester after CScope staff development has been presented.  There will also be an assessment for the students to take after every CScope unit as it is covered, to determine if, on average, students tend to master the CScope objective better during the semester before the teacher CScope staff development or after or if there is no difference. Action Step 4. Develop/deliver lessons that include CScope exemplar lessons & student journals Person (s) Responsible 5th grade teachers Timeline: Start/End December-May 2012 Needed Resources CScope online curriculum, supplemental resources Evaluation Beginning in the second semester, I along with the four other 5th grade teachers will begin incorporating CScope exemplar lessons and student journals as our primary instructional strategy and will use the data I collect from various assessments to compare the students’ academic growth and attitudes towards their subject areas to that of the first semester. Action Step 5. Analyze data Person Responsible Erica Seastrunk Timeline: Start/End April-May 2012 Needed Resources Curriculum test scores, district benchmark scores, STAAR results Evaluation Compare the assessment data collected from the first semester to the second semester to see if there are any marked changes/ improvements.  Also, examine the difference in their fifth grade state assessment results compared to their 3rd and 4th grade results.  Action Step 6. Compile action research into a paper Person Responsible Erica Seastrunk Timeline: Start/End May-June 2012 Needed Resources Data and resources used in all previous action steps Evaluation Compose a presentation to share my findings with my colleagues and use the Delphi Method to determine where the next area for action research should be.