TK's Blog: My action research topic as of: 7/24/11

TK's Blog: My action research topic as of: 7/24/11: "This is the topic of my action research and my wonderings of inquiry: In regards to the STAAR program: We all know that this newly impleme..."

TEKEIRA’S ACTION RESEARCH PLAN--DRAFT

SCHOOL VISION:  *Students are paramount.  *We are scholarly and professional members of one team.  *We strive for continuous improvement. 

Strive to make Midland High School a synergized campus.  Synergism is the interaction of individuals such that the overall outcome is greater than the sum of the contributions.  For our school to become truly synergistic, individual faculty members must be involved in a manner such that they see the educational dynamics in all classrooms and hallways across the building as their responsibility.

                                                                                    --Jeff Horner

GOAL: To Discover ways to enhance student achievement on the STAAR tests, with a focus on low-performing students/subgroups, who have performed poorly in the past on the TAKS tests. To Find the strategies and the plans of action these students’ teachers will implement and  utilize to prepare themselves, to prepare these low-performing students/subgroups, for academic achievement/improvement on the STAAR test.  When research is complete, we as stakeholders, can find solutions to problems, see what worked and what didn’t work, and come up with ways and purposes to continue research, exploring opportunities for higher learning as educators.  Ultimately, we want to become better leaders of our students in the future, and help the low-performing students/subgroups, become better learners, improve their academic performance and achieve great things to the best of their potential.

ACTION STEPS	PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE	TIMELINE START/END	NEEDED RESOURCES	EVALUATION
Study our campus, 2010-2011 NCLB Report Card Part I, Part II, Part III; Grade 10; ELA; SS; Math; Science	Rene Aldrin; Grade Level Counselors	July-February	2010-2011 AYP Data Charts and Tables; % of Students Tested; Achievement by Proficiency Level Reports	Determine Lowest Performing Subgroups; TAKS passing rates
Gain Data and review data  from ADA, AEIS, PBMAS  (2010), for subgroups who Performed the lowest on TAKS	Jeff Horner; Elise Kail; Rene Aldrin; Collegiate Coaches	August-October	2010-2011 Ethnicity Tables/Reports/ Graphs—ELA, Math, Science, SS	Disaggregate data  and examine any significant differences in the data between ethnicity, socio economic status, and gender
Gain access to Student Contact List and Student Subpop List through Schoolnet, to generate Count and % of students By grade level, gender, Ethnicity, for a Demographic overview	Elise Kail; Rene Aldrin; Data Clerk	September-December	Create a PDF file in the SchoolNet Database system; Teacher Course Section	Create an analysis spreadsheet using disaggregated data including facts and percentages
In sets of 10, contact low- Performing students Parents, to find out if they Have access to internet Gradespeed	Students; Shelly King, Core Subject Teachers; parents	September-January	Access to Student Contact List; ITCCS; Teacher Info. For Individual Students	A group of 5 core subject teachers who will volunteer to Initiate contact/communication to provide support and encouragement for parental involvement; Provides an efficient way for parents to follow their children’s progress/regression/areas of concern; communicate w/ teachers
Develop a student survey/ Questionnaire focusing on Topics/issues designed for Student input, that relate To the students directly (10-11 grade Core Subject Teachers)	10th and 11th grade students, parents, Core Subject Teachers; Shelly King	October-November	Become familiar w/homework, late, make-up work, absences policies	Document student responses in a spreadsheet/chart report format; Indicate how students/parents are notified on classroom policies/expectations, major projects, participation, Unit, Chapter, daily tests, final exams
Volunteer to help teachers Identify Homeless students Unaccompanied Youth and Suicidal students; Provide Teachers w/support by Reaching our as a monitoring Resource for these students	Core Subject Teachers; Grade Level Counselors; Campus Homeless Liason	August-May	Become familiar with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;  Know MISD procedures and compliance; Follow required steps of intervention	Assist in Assuring that homeless students’ educational rights and protections are secured; Assist in parental involvement, if any,  providing the personal and academic needs of the child
Communicate w/grade level Counselors and collegiate Coaches; schedule times to Review testing and other Qualitative data on incoming sophomores	Grade Level Counselors; Collegiate Coaches; Core Subject Teachers	September-January	2010-2011 Ethnicity, AYP, ADA, AEIS, PMDAS Tables/Reports/Tables/Charts/Graphs; Spreadsheet of Disaggregated Data Identifying lowest-performing subgroups on TAKS (ELA, Science, Math, SS)	Collaborate ways to reach these populations, in small group  or individual settings; Share findings, information, circumstances w/their teachers; Explore ways, plans, strategies to improve students’ personal and academic well-being in small, but effective ways
View, Document, File Dept. Chair Meeting Minutes; Attend as many Dept. Chair Meetings as possible	Department Chairpersons	Monthly Basis	Schedule of dates, times, and locations of meetings; Filing Notebook; Refer to Campus calendar located on website	Record field notes; Collect documentation, agendas, literature; schedule interview w/leaders, teachers; Update progress on tasks and note completed tasks
Follow our SimpleK12Blogs, From EdTech, connected with Our Campus and district	Core Subject Teachers, Dept. Chairpersons	Weekly	Google email account; Available Downloads for extended research	Gain insight on possible implementations strategies, suggestions, feedback, for and from administrators/teachers/students/parents; share information when needed and when possible
Communicate via email in the “Superintendent’s Message” Question/ answer/ Conversations	Ryder Warren; Teacher Communication Members	Weekly-Monthly	Superintendent’s Message Communication Committee; Midland Reporter Telegram; Google email account	Provides teachers district wide, with the opportunity to communicate  and discuss issues that come up on their campuses, plans of action, suggestions/advice for teachers, curriculum implementation (problems and successes), expectations on instructional delivery, and what strategies are geared towards improving the academic performance for low-performing students; Document helpful information, share with others
Stay current with Midland High School-Barks and Bites,	Jeff Horner; Shelly King	Monthly	Educator’s Corner; Google email account	A monthly Message from our head principal that shares his thoughts, vision, Direction for our campus, plans, Updates agendas, and ambitions for the campus; Evaluate and Assess Climate and Culture of campus continually through field note taking, communication, observations
MISD Communications Buzz LOGO- Provides info, updates, district Schedule of events, board of trustees meetings, notices achievements of MISD employees, Headlines TEA info, notes important dates, involves the community	Woodrow Bailey; Communications Director	Monthly	MISD website; Google email account; District Calendar	Make efforts to attend board meetings; report discussions, agendas, decisions to site supervisor, and possibly dept. chairs, individuals involved and effected by topics discussed
Attend as many CEIC meetings as Possible; Ask principal if I can represent the Special Ed dept.; Review minutes on a consistent basis	Jeff Horner; Rene Aldrin	Monthly	Campus Calendar; Filing Notebook; Required documents; Google email account	Communicate Business, PMDAS, Action Items, Approvals, Proposals  to Special Ed lead teacher, and department
Attend Teacher Communication Meetings with the Superintendent; Read follow up email stating teachers’ questions and Superintendent’s responses	Committee Members; Ryder Warren	Monthly--Yearly	District Calendar, Midland Reporter Telegram, Google email account	Collaborate with dept. chairpersons (Core Subject), compile a list of inquiry questions or wonderings, specific to our campus, in terms of low-performing students/subgroups; present to the committee members, document Superintendent’s responses, report back to campus
Attend as many STAAR training/professional development sessions as possible	District, Regional, State Presenters; Dept. Chairs	September-May	Intranet; Campus Calendar; Dept. Chair Minutes	Retrieve information, goals, objectives, purpose of the sessions;  Show how it will be relevant to classroom instructional delivery/implementation in report form;  Observe teachers classrooms to see if low-performing students/subgroups are benefitting from what teachers learned
Schedule Walkthroughs, observations w/teachers whose classes have the most students, that fall into the low-performing subgroups	10th-11th grade core subject teachers (5 teachers per core subject)	September-May	Personal Calendar of Events; Generated Data/Qualitative Data and information; Lesson Plans	Field notes on peer-peer, student-teacher interaction, document observational data; brainstorm ways to assist target population; Schedule/Meet with teachers to reflect on findings; discuss ways to improve and assure students are getting quality instruction and desired learning outcomes
Assist w/encouragement and motivation of low-performing students/subgroups, attending tutorial sessions, study sessions, and STAAR blitzes	(5) Core Subject teachers, per subject; Parents; Dept. Chairs; A+ teachers	September-May; When needed and when possible	Notifications, Teacher Syllabi and Flyers of scheduled tutorials/blitzes	Interview students, contact parents, teachers involved; share information, results, findings; collaborate ways to keep up student/teacher/parent morale, improve participation in numbers; provide support for all stakeholders involved
Visit TEA website to gain pertinent information and details about the STAAR program’s testing format	Department Chairpersons	September-December	TEA Website; Department Chair Meeting Calendar/Details on Updated info; Google email account	Meet with Dept. Chairs and Core Subject teachers (5 from each Subject); Find out how teachers are implementing testing rigor and format into daily-weekly instruction; Assess student performance/outcomes/areas where improvement is needed; Create a report of the findings
Determine if the low-performing students/subgroups are aligned with the help and aid of the Instructional CoTeach classroom structure/model	Co-Teachers/Regular Ed classroom teachers; Rene Aldrin; Grade level Counselors; Diagnostician	September-November	Master Schedule; Co-Teach training Materials	Attend Co-Teach Trainings; Interview Co-teachers and regular ed teachers; Find out how each intends to implement lesson plan strategies; Determine Co-Teach model each pair will use; How will Target population benefit in terms of instructional delivery, applied accomodations, monitoring systems, assessments, test preparation; Gather Data and research findings; find out if adjustments  are needed
Be a valuable source in assuring that 504 and Special Education IEP’s, BIP’s, Accomodations, and other pertinent documentation is being properly inputted, initiated, and followed through to the fullest	Special Education Teachers; Monitoring teachers	September-May	Progress Monitoring Charts/Intervention Strategy Reports; Lesson Plans that are Available; Access to Encore Database	Communicate with Monitoring/Core Subject teachers during collaborative days or on an as needed basis. Assist in the Unit Master List Active Monitoring system for Special Education teachers; Look for evidence of compliance on required documentation and implementation/initiation of educational plans and services to be provided for special needs student populations; Collaborate with teachers on ways to adjust and differentiate instruction to meet each individual student’ s learning style and capability, so that they will achieve success on standardized state assessments