Action research status (EDLD 5326 week 5)

As a STAAR subject teacher, I am passionate about the preparation that goes in to getting these students prepared for test. I have also taught and facilitated various acceleration programs and am eagar to see the patterns that form in relation to student success and which prep classes they have been involved in.

 

I am still in the process of gathering the most recent testing data. I have constructed a detailed spreadsheet of what prep classes have been taking place and the overall success and demographics of the students in classes. The next step is to identify patterns and analyze why things are/are not being successful. I will be looking at time frame, duration, class size and material being used for each of the prep classes that have been taking place over the course of this year. Once this is done, I can sit down and have a meeting with administrators and testing coordinators.

 

At a general preliminary glance, I have seen that the summer acceleration classes did not have as much success as anticipated. These classes incorporated many student tutors and had teachers facilitating the process. The pull out acceleration has had a much high success rate. These are things I will discuss with adminstrators and testing teams upon the collection of all relevant data.

 

The goal for this action research is to decide on what methods work best for maximizing success on the STAAR test. The data collected is based solely on the Algebra 1 test and may vary across subject areas. The results and reflections of this research will serve as a guide for methods that should continue to be used and others that could be tweaked across all subject areas.

Week 5 Update

After meeting with my mentor a few more times I have decided to change my topic. I realize it is late in the game to do so but I feel that my new topic directly affects me in a much more meaningful way. Since I teach a STAAR testing subject (Algebra 1), I have decided to research and investigate the success of acceleration classes. I have been teaching an acceleration class since January and am very interested to see how and why things work and do not work. I also plan on being extremely involved in the summer school acceleration programs for the students retesting in July. By comparing results, conducting interviews and teaching these classes, I feel that I can better understand why so many of our students are struggling to meet the passing standards for the new STAAR test.  Most of my research will take place during the summer with the help of administrators, summer school teachers and the testing coordinator.

While I still value the success of the ESL program, I find that this topic will help me better prepare my future students for standardized testing, including but not limited to our ESL population as well.

Change of topic - NEW and IMPROVED action research plan!

SETTING THE FOUNDATION:

The new STAAR test has served to raise the bar at which students in Texas are being held accountable to. While it has good intentions, teachers/students across the state have felt the pressure rising. As an Algebra 1 teacher, I too have undertaken the challenge of teaching current 9^th grades at a higher level and at a faster pace. By meeting with and speaking to other Algebra 1 teachers, it has become clear that students are not reaching the bar at the expectancy that we would like. Several students are improving while others are falling behind. Acceleration summer school and pull-outs are being held in order to provide this group of students with the additional support in preparation for the retest.

ANALYZING DATA:
Demographics, reports and benchmark testing scores will be analyzed from the last two years of Algebra 1 STAAR testing. My main focus will be on the most recent Algebra 1 STAAR test of 2013.

DEVOLOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING:

In addition to pulling reports, I plan to meet and interview several key stakeholders in the Algebra 1 department in order to gain a better understand of the issue at hand. I will conduct interviews with the math coordinator, the administrator above math, regular algebra 1 teachers, algebra 1 acceleration teachers, and several students who have not passed the Algebra 1 STAAR test. This will allow me to understand this issue through many different perspectives. I am hoping to find many similarities but also several differences between the visions of various people.

ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION:

Through self-reflection both prior to and after my research I hope to gain a better understand as to things and techniques that I can do differently to better accommodate the struggling math students that I have in my classroom. In the long run, as an administrator, I will be better prepared to work with other teachers who may have the same issues or concerns about this matter. I will ask myself questions such as: How am I capable of changing and improving the programs the school offers and how can I participate more? Am I being fair in my assessment and conclusions of this particular group? Do I and the school have the resources and skills needed to improve and make progress when working with these students? The ultimate goal is to encourage these students to continue to try and continue to learn.

EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS:

After speaking with my site supervisor and the math coordinator, I have a better idea of when and what needs to be done to have successful action research. Assistance from these people along with other teachers and staff members will be most beneficial to me. I have a better understanding of what skills and resources are available to me and to the math acceleration program.

 

DETERMINING DIRECTION:
At this point my goal and intentions for my topics are clear to myself and my site supervisor. I have addressed the skills and resources to be successful and established my approach, primarily through data reports, interviews, and finally the retest. My timeline is as realistic as possible considering the summer break and testing season and I plan to remain constant throughout the rest of this year and the summer Based on results, I know I will need to flexible in altering my plan as a result of periodic evaluation.

TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT:
During and at the conclusion of my research I will collaborate with the testing coordinator and math coordinator to construct a comprehensive report of my findings. I will propose possible solutions and encourage the progress of the acceleration program based on my results. I will submit this to my supervisor along with the site based committee and will include a proposal for action to improve the academic success of students who struggle not just with algebra 1 but with all STAAR testing subjects.

SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT:

My results will be shared with my own math department as I find it a necessity to reach out to all students during instruction. Ideally I would like my research to be beneficially across all subject areas and would encourage all teachers to use the techniques and accommodations put in place by the STAAR acceleration committee. It is imperative to not let these students fall behind. We need to learn how to teach our material well while at the same time encourage those who do not understand to continue to progress. It is also important that I keep up with these results from year to year to ensure that this population of students is not being left behind.

School Vision:

The vision for MISD is “Quest for excellence. Success for all students.” The vision for West Mesquite High School is to equip students with the skills to meet all requirements for graduation in Texas, including the TAKS and STAAR exams at the proficient or commended level as well as to equip them with skills necessary to be successful in college or the workforce.

 Goal:

The goal of WMHS is to encourage students to be life-long learners.
*My goal for this action research is to identify and target student who have not met the passing standards on the Algebra 1 STAAR test and to investigate the success of the acceleration program along with other programs the school offers. I would also like to identity what more could be done to support these students and how they are affected academically and socially.

 Activities:

Interview math coordinator about the acceleration program

Meet with administrator over math
Interview several students who have not met the standards
Interview general algebra 1 teachers
Look into trainings STAAR teachers are receiving
Identify target areas for instruction
Compare testing data and results
Compare state standards to MISD standards
List accommodations and useful techniques

 Outcomes:

Get a better idea of how effective acceleration is at our school
Understand the standards and requirements for placement
Discuss how the program is affected on the administrative level
Learn and make improvements on how the program supports the students
Understand what students feel works best and what they would like improvements on
Discuss tactics that work and do not work, implement changes
Learn how all teachers trained to handle situations and make necessary changes to benefit both teacher and student
What needs the most work and how can we fix it by building on the most successful approaches
Makes sure all standards align across state, district and school
Learn more about what is being done to support teachers, students and parents and if it is working

 Resources/Tools/Responsibility:

I will use any resources I can come in contact with: administrators, teachers, websites, books and interviews. I will be responsible for all interviews and all data collecting. Assistance will be provided primarily by the testing coordinator and math head at my school and other supporting teachers at the school. 

 Timeline:

Research will be completed for the remainder of the school year and into the summer acceleration program. Initial interviews and investigation will be done prior to the end of the school year. Since we are in prime testing season, data will be collected as soon as possible and in time for summer acceleration classes. Changes will be implemented in time for testing again in the July. This allows time for trial techniques and time for investigation and interviews of the various teachers and students across many subject areas.

Evaluation/Assessment:
This process cannot fully be evaluated until after the research has been conducted and some changes can be made during the upcoming academic year. Numbers and data will be collected and compared between the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school year. Interviews will also be conducted regularly to get a regular understanding of the success and progress of this process.

Action Planning Template
Goal: My goal for this action research is to investigate the success rate of acceleration instruction for the Algebra 1 STAAR retest students.  I would also like to identity what more could be done to support these students in the future and to increase the overall passing rate for first time testing students.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Interview the math coordinator	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. Math coordinator will also support.	Before the end of the 2013 school year	List of programs
Look into who gets placed into acceleration classes and programs	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. I will require help and information from the administration	Before the end of 2013 year	District testing for placement and requirements
Meet with administrator over math	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. I will be speaking with administrators as well for this activity.	May 2013	List of questions
Interview several students in acceleration classes	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. I will choose a sample size who will help me conduct these interviews.	End of 2013 and summer	Spreadsheets and lists of questions
List accommodations and useful techniques	I will be mainly responsible for all activities.	End of 2013 and summer	List of accommodations and spreadsheets of who/how they are used.
Compare state standards to MISD standards for LEP	I will be mainly responsible for all activities.	Summer 2013	Online resources
Compare testing data and results	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. Along with the testing coordinator as well.	Summer 2013	Data reports from testing coordinator
Identify target areas for instruction	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. General education teachers	Summer 2013	Interviews and spreadsheets across subject areas
Look into trainings for STAAR testing teachers	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. Staff development head	Summer 2013	List of staff developments and trainings
Interview general education teachers	I will be mainly responsible for all activities. Teacher across several subject areas will be helping me complete this activity.	End of 2013	List of teachers, spreadsheets and questions

 

WEEK 4 REFLECTION

I have realized that my topic may be too broad and my direction unclear. I will be narrowing my research to specifically this question:

How are ESL students being accommodated in general education classes?

This is an issue that directly affects me in the classroom as I have several non-english speaking students. Teaching Algebra 1/Geometry successfully to a student with such  a large language barrier has proven to be a challenge and I would like to learn more about what else I can do to keep these students motivated and encouraged.

My plan should not change much as I still plan to meet with adminstrators, ESL department heads, teachers, students and parents and evaluate scores and data. However, I now have a guiding question in mind which will now help me stay focused on the issue at hand.

Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan for ESL programs

SETTING THE FOUNDATION: Limited English speaking students are increase by the year. At the same time, their success in general education is rapidly decreasing. By meeting and speaking with the head of the ESL department and administration, it has become clear that while many programs are offered, there is room for improvement in this area.   ANALYZING DATA: Demographics, reports and benchmark testing scores will be analyzed not just from year to year but also within grading terms in the same school year. My main focus will be the 2013-2014 academic year.   DEVOLOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING: In addition to pulling reports, I plan to meet and interview several key stakeholders in the ESL department in order to gain a better understand of the issue at hand. I will conduct interviews with the head of ESL for our campus, the administrator above ESl, general education teachers, ESL teachers and several ESL students. This will allow me to understand this issue through many different perspectives. I am hoping to find many similarities but also several differences between the visions of various people.   ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION: Through self-reflection both prior to and after my research I hope to gain a better understand as to things and techniques that I can do differently to better accommodate the ESL students that I have in my classroom. In the long run, as an administrator, I will be better prepared to work with other teachers who may have the same issues or concerns about this matter. I will ask myself questions such as: How am I capable of changing and improving the programs the school offers and how can I participate more? Am I being fair in my assessment and conclusions of this particular group? Do I and the school have the resources and skills needed to improve and make progress when working with these students?   EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS: After speaking with my site supervisor and the head of ESL department, I have a better idea of when and what needs to be done to have successful action research. Assistance from these people along with other teachers and staff members will be most beneficial to me. I have a better understanding of what skills and resources are available to me and to the ESL program.       DETERMINING DIRECTION: At this point my goal and intentions for my topics are clear to myself and my site supervisor. I have addressed the skills and resources to be successful and established my approach, primarily through data reports and interviews. My timeline is as realistic as possible considering the summer break and testing season and I plan to remain constant throughout the year with my investigation. Based on results, I know I will need to flexible in altering my plan as a result of periodic evaluation.   TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: During and at the conclusion of my research I will collaborate with the testing coordinator and ESL head to construct a comprehensive report of my findings. I will propose possible solutions and encourage the progress of the program based on my results. I will submit this to my supervisor along with the site based committee and will include a proposal for action to improve the academic success of students who struggle with the language barrier in general education classrooms.   SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT: My results will be shared with my own math department as I find it a necessity to reach out to all students during instruction. Ideally I would like my research to be beneficially across all subject areas and would encourage all teachers to use the techniques and accommodations put in place by the ESL department. It is imperative to not let these students fall behind because they have limited English skills. We need to learn how to teach our material while at the same time encourage those who do not understand to continue to progress. It is also important that I keep up with these results from year to year to ensure that this population of students is not being left behind.

 

EDLD5301 (week 2) ACTION RESEARCH

I feel that I have gained so much insight about action research throughout the course of this week. I was able to reflect on the ways action research is affecting the different scholars and their prospective campuses. Dr. Briseno, Dr. Chargois, and Dr. Lewis have provided great examples of topics worth looking in to. I was able to identify and analyze various topics for action research in the nine major wonderings of leaders in a school. By completing this part of the assignment, I was present with many more topics and suggestions for research topics. Finally, I met with my mentor (via email) to discuss possible topics of interest.  I decided to conduct my research on a topic that directly affects me in the classroom each day. That topic is investigating the programs and accommodations we have for our non (low) level speaking English population.  

Leaders and Blogs

There are uncountable ways how educational leaders can use and implement blogs in their personal and professional life. As a teacher or leader of a school, a blog can be used as an instructional tool. They can post announcements, homework topics/changes, upload videos or pictures of problems and even hold online study sessions. I think it is something that students would be excited and interested to be involved in. An administrator can use a blog to reach out to their staff or to get vital information out to a large population. Blogs are a great and fun means of communication and can be handy when dealing with a large, diverse group of people.