week 3,4 and 5 action research

:

Reflection on EDLD 5301 Research

Before commencing this course, EDLD 5301 Research, I had an idea what to expect because I had conducted research for marketing before.  I had heard a colleague state that it was going to be a difficult class.  I was eager to begin this class and to be the best I can be at action research. 

            The readings that were included with this course were very informative and helpful.  Leading with Passion and Knowledge: the Principal as an Action Researcher by Nancy Dana Fichman and Examining What we do to Improve our Schools: 8 Steps to Improve our Schools by S. Harris, S. Edmondson, and J. Combs. Both books were very informative.  In the book Leading with Passion and Knowledge: the Principal as an Action Researcher, “Administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry.  Inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions or “wondering”, collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others (Dana p.2-3).”  This process is a long process and does require a well thought out plan that takes quite a bit of time.  I found this process somewhat demanding of my own time since I am currently a teacher and I also own a business that sells medical equipment to Latin America.  It will take a lot of time and effort once the plan is in place. 

               With the use of the blog for this class, it was amazing being able to see and communicate with others in my class as well as followers outside of my class and rely on reactions and feedback from them as well on any suggestions or changes that needed to be made to my Action Research Plan.   Blogging is a tool that I will use throughout my teaching career I was under the impression that it was an entertainment tool for younger people.

               With the use of the tools and resources received from this course, it will make the process of implementing my Action Research Plan as smooth as being a 30 year old veteran pilot landing a commercial airplane.  I will use the information I acquired to follow through with my current Action Research plan and in the future to also create new action research plans to seek the continuous improvement my campus needs in order to increase student achievement. 

The Force Field Analysis: are forces that drive change accompanied by forces that resist change.  In order for change to occur, the driving forces for the change must exceed the resisting forces against the change. The Force Field Analysis looks at the pros and cons of a situation and allows you to weigh both sides before making a decision. Once a decision is made, the committee can create a plan for implementation.

Example of Force Field Analysis: A bilingual curriculum director concerned of making improvements can propose a district improvement plan to create consensus by leading the committee with the possible driving and resisting forces of the potential change. After identifying the force field forces the committee can develop a plan that specifies strategies to address the driving and resisting forces.

How I can use Force Field Analysis:

During my Action Research Project I could use the Force Field Analysis method so those involved could share their pros and cons. Once we have discussed all of the pros and cons, we can then begin to work together to develop our plan of action.

The Delphi Method: relies on a panel of individuals who would be part and affected by the decision or change.  The individuals respond to questions in several or two rounds made through email.  Data is gathered through questionnaires with several rounds taking place until a consensus is reached.  After each round, the facilitator provides a summary of the answers given and provides a rationale for those answers. As the process continues, the range of responses decrease as well as the individuals converges to a consensus.

Example of the Delphi Method: The Delphi method is the technique that most educators have been exposed to the most because the Principals use it often during after school meetings. It starts with a question about a problem; for example after school dismissal, then the staff writes the written ideas that are collected without any discussion, then the comments are collected and reproduced into one list that is synthesized at a later time due to time restriction, after the ideas or possible solutions are synthesized the list is sent by email or revealed at the next faculty meeting, the participants are asked to rank the items, the list is once again given back after the scores are tallied or re-ranked, finally the decision on the dismissal problem is selected from the group consensus.

How I can use the Delphi Method: I can employ the Delphi Method to develop a deeper understanding about the action research topic amongst the group. It can be utilized as a tool to identify ways to sustain school improvement while looking at the future needs of the school. It will built consensus among the action research group by building consensus on a well thought out converged idea.

The Nominal Group Technique: is a 5 step process that is led by a facilitator normally in a faculty meeting.  The facilitator is not judgmental nor do they allow judgmental comments from the participants in the meeting. The nominal group technique involves staff members and a facilitator, such as the principal, starting with each individual writing needs/issues of the school with no conversation. Then each individual shares their information, facilitator writes all the comments down, and still there is no discussion. Next, each group of educators discusses the needs/issues listed; once the discussion is over they rewrite the information and rate it with a numerical value. During the process, the facilitator keeps a peaceful or secure atmosphere were the educators feel safe to contribute.

Example of the Nominal Group technique: An example that employs this technique might come about by creating a nominal group that consists of several people gathered in one room. This group might be exposed to a problem like increasing math scores. This group can easily discuss the math problem at a faculty meeting,where the participants are prepared to work as a team to resolve the decreasing math scores. This sharing of ideas to solve the devreasing math scores; which are anonymously submitted promotes a sense of involvement and motivation within the group. The group converges on a solution to the decreasing math scores by contributing to a consensus.

 

How I can use the Nominal Group technique:

The Nominal Group Technique could be used to allow those involved to propose a need that they feel is important to them and/or their classrooms. Once all of those involved have stated their needs, we could talk through them all to agree on what our focus is going to be to begin with and where we could continue to grow.

SUMMARY:

After reading and reviewing these methods, I learned that all three strategies were led by facilitators but included affected individuals to create change that leads to school improvement.  All three of these strategies can easily be incorporated on any campus to build collaboration as well as incorporate a sense of confidentiality among educators.  These strategies involve everyone involved in school improvement and student achievement and should be an integral part of decision making on campus instead of leaving the decision making solely on the administrators. 

Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs. (2010). Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. New York: Eye on Education, Inc.

Tool 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool

Identify Concerns that must change (look to the future)

(Assign points to concerns from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Increase 3^rd grade English Language Learner student achievement on the STAAR reading test.

2. Meet the reading needs of all English Language Learners in the classroom all year.

3. Attending additional professional development over ELL Reading techniques.

Identify Affirmations that must be sustained (look to the present)

(Assign points to affirmations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Rigorous instruction by all the 3^rd grade English Language Learner teachers.
2. Full commitment by all the 3^rd grade English Language Learner teachers.

3. Dedicating time to analyze data and plan instructions accordingly.

SMART Recommendations that must be implemented:

(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)

(Assign points to recommendations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important recommendations to implement.)

1. English Language Learner Students will master 3^rd grade STAAR reading preparation assessments with a minimum of 80% every Friday during the second semester.
2. English Language Learner Students will master 3^rd grade mid spring mock STAAR release test with a minimum of 80%.
3. 3^rd grade English Language Learner Teachers will re-evaluate their classroom SMART goals every six weeks.

EVALUATE – Specifically and Often

(Identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations.)

1. Managing by walking around; teacher walk through is performed twice a month or more often if needed.

2. Collaborative meetings- twice a month or more often if needed or requested by those involved.

3. Assessments- District issued 3^rd grade reading ELL benchmarks every 9 weeks, STAAR testing.

Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs. (2010). Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. New York: Eye on Education, Inc.

Goal 

The purpose of my research is to study the trend that shows the 3rd grade ELL readers having a difficult time with 3^rd grade STAAR reading test and to ultimately find a solution to increase the scores on the 3^rd grade STAAR reading test. As an educator it is crucial to find out why the3rd grade ELL students are having such a difficult time with the STAAR reading test. The purpose of this study is to be able to increase scores and help all teachers involved with deciphering what skills need to be taught, how the particular skills need to be presented to the students and most importantly in what language the 3rd grade ELL student population should be taught.

Action Steps:

• First, we need to improve the assessment system used to monitor student’s progress in order to decipher what language must be used to improve reading performance of the STAAR reading test.
• Second, design an intervention program that satisfies the needs of the ELL students, examples might be: an after school tutorial program, a web based reading program, incentives.

• Third, form a committee that is a vertically aligned across all school grade levels. There are three campuses that make up the Pre-k to 5^th grade student population.

• Fourth, study teachers that are being successful at attaining better average scores than their teaching peers and find out if there is a correlation due to better teaching techniques or as a result of separating students into clusters of higher reading level.

Persons Responsible:

The persons responsible for the implementation of the action research will include all of the 3^rd grade bilingual teachers, the principal, the assistant principal, the SBDM committee which is comprised of all the team leaders (3^rd, 4^th and fifth), the counselor, communities in schools coordinator, reading specialist, math specialist, PTO president, the librarian, the speech pathologist, the gifted and talented specialist, the head special education teacher, the physical education teacher, the art teacher and the peer facilitator. The implementation of the action research will include all parties to solicit their input to make certain the project is supported and welcomed by all from beginning until its completion.

Timeline:

The draft timeline for completion or implementation of the activities or action steps mentioned above will be implemented after Spring break to have ample time to collect the baseline data for future comparison purposes. The action research project will continue throughout the 2012-2013 academic school period to make certain that a full year of data collection, observations, and future implementations to improve 3^rd grade ELL STAAR reading scores are recorded, proven and validated entirely. The beginning date for the action research timeline is February 2012 and the end of the action research project will take effect in April 2013 or when the final 3^rd grade reading STAAR test results are revealed to the school.

Needed Resources:

Resources and research tools needed for data gathering are the following:

·        Time- from February 2012 until the end of the school year in 2013 or when 3^rd grade English Language Learners STAAR reading test scores are revealed.

·        People- All of the 3^rd grade bilingual teachers, the principal, the assistant principal, the SBDM committee which is comprised of all the team leaders (3^rd, 4^th and fifth), the counselor, communities in schools coordinator, reading specialist, math specialist, PTO president, the librarian, the speech pathologist, the gifted and talented specialist, the head special education teacher, the physical education teacher, the art teacher and the peer facilitator.

·        Support- Support from the other two elementary campuses in gathering data will be requested. Support from parents will be requested.

·        Equipment- A computer or laptop to have access to all of the data already collected within the school district. Promethean board and equipment to present the action research project to the parties mentioned above.

·        Training- The staff will need to be trained to create a common goal and understanding of the action research project. Once the data is analyzed and we find a solution or another question it will have to be shared with everyone in the school.

·        Resources- Due to budget reductions if there are any costs involved with the action research project; I will have to cover the future expenses.

Monitoring process:

Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives of the action research project must be implemented to secure communication and to decipher what is functioning or not. The successful implementation of any plan needs monitoring at all times. Monitoring mainly includes formative assessments.

·        The SBDM committee already meets every month; the action research project committee will meet every other month to discuss any findings or changes to the project.

·        Communication via email will be established to have a weekly exchange of information.

·        A brief meeting agenda will be displayed on the PowerPoint presentation.

·        Regular progress reports will be distributed with the current reading scores for the 3^rd grade ELL student population to have a better picture of where we are as a group.

·        Communication will be ongoing to maintain accountability and to create ownership with the action research action steps.

Evaluation component:

Assessment instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study are essential for the validity of the action research study. The evaluation of the action research will be conducted in various forms and at the agreed time schedules. Documentation of all steps and events will be recorded to have valid outcomes and high quality action research project results. The summative evaluation should include quantitative data and qualitative data. The summative evaluation will help decipher what worked and what did not work. The summative evaluation is a wise method because it combines several evaluation components into one report.

·        We are going to use several different forms of quantitative data, as well as some qualitative means. Specific ways to evaluate outcomes that can be utilized are: attendance records, special program data, referrals, Tejas Lee scores, STAAR scores, TPRI scores, Lexia, Iowa reading scores, Aprenda reading scores, DRA scores, benchmark scores, TAKS scores, Reading class grades, student folder, meeting agendas, classroom observations, open ended surveys, Interview students, Interview teachers, and Interview parents.