Week 3 Action Plan steps

Steps for action research Week 3

1.   Setting the Foundations:  All of our students have taken a State Evaluation until entering the 6^th grade.  Students from Texas are given the TAKS test. TAKS test evaluate how well students are learning TEKS in Writing, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies.  It can also be used in preparing students for college.  TEKS are the same in all districts in Texas.  Performance expectations for teachers are all the same, high quality instruction delivered to each student in Texas.   Evaluating these results within your own campus prepare teachers to individualize student needs and focus on weakness.  If there are continuous deficiencies in student performance is it a district issue, campus issue or state issue.  Are students entering our school out performing our students within our districts?

 2.  Analyzing data:  Examine data collected from TAKS test as well as scores of assessments of students entering our district.  Collect this information from cumulative folders for all students.

Use a variety of resources such as cumulative folders, teachers and field supervisor.  Stay on completion track by utilizing a pre-made form.  Also use this form as a way to monitor achievement of goals set forth and reaching objectives set.

3.  Developing deeper understanding:  While gathering data, meet with Site Base Committee and discuss my findings of scores and interpretations of data gathering.  Listen to advice and recommendation from the committee to help my progress along.  Interview coaches and asked how they develop staff development based on data.   Continuous meetings with my Principles to discuss my progress and data.  Use the internet at look at similar research. 

4.  Engaging in Self-Reflection:  Reflect periodically and insure my goals and objectives are being reached.  Some other reflections questions answered is:

                            *Am I gathering the information I need or missing needed data

                            *Have I gathered data from only general education

                            *Have I paced myself adequately

                            *Do I need clarification?  

5.  Exploring programmatic patterns:  Identify gaps and patterns in the data collected.

6.  Determining direction:  Keep communication between my site supervisor, field supervisor and site base.  Provide them with my data to ensure I am accomplishing my goals and objectives as previously discuss.  Identify missed information from my data.  Does my research need any clarifications?  How can I improve my plan? 

7.  Taking Action for School Improvement:  Complete Tool 8-1 weekly as a checkpoint and monitoring system.  Scan the sheet for convenience.  You can not copy the chart, you have to print it and then scan to edit.

8.  Sustain Improvement:    Great ways to share information.  Post to my blog so that I can get others viewpoints.  Share with my peers.  Share with my classmates in discussion blogs.  This year the STARR test will replace the TAKS test so my next step will be to compare the scores of the STARR test to those of the TAKS test and examine if the increase rigor of the test caused a big drop in test scores of the past.