Action Research Concerns

The biggest challenge I see in implementing PLC’s to focus on student failures is going to be time and motivation.  After meeting with my campus principal we have agreed to a set schedule of meetings during the regular school day to avoid using teacher’s time before or after school.  We will create a schedule and email it out to all participants to ensure they are aware of the meeting dates and times in hopes of avoiding scheduling conflicts and promoting participation.  The other concern is keeping the teachers and students involved and motivated to succeed.  We are aware that not every student is going to respond to the first intervention and that it may require numerous attempts on numerous students.  As of right now we have a few ideas on motivation concepts for the students but I do not have any ideas on how I will keep my teachers motivated if they encounter students who are not responding.

Action Research Plan

Action Steps:   
Using current grade reports, online intervention program reports, previous year’s standardized test scores and teacher evaluations students will be identified as at risk for failure.  According to the content area, study sessions will be created and lead by teachers certified in that area two days a week. In addition to  online program tutorials two additional days a week monitored by paraprofessionals


Person(s) Responsible: 
Myself and campus principal

Timeline: 
All groups will meet the last week of school in December to identify at risk students.  Upon returning from Christmas break the groups will meet again to review the student list and scheduling of the tutorial sessions.  On a weekly basis the group will meet to make adjustments to the schedule and content teachers as needed.  This intervention will continue until the end of May after all semester exams have been completed or all students are no longer at risk.

Needed Resources:

Grade Reports on all students, previous years testing scores, computer labs, tutorial labs, paraprofessionals.

Evaluations:

Student progress will be monitored on a weekly basis by myself, the principal and grade level teachers.  Using data from the online resources IXL and ReadingPlus, classroom observations, grade reports and testing scores.  As a group we will review the data in weekly PLC meetings to decide if any adjustments or  further inventions need to be made on a per student basis.

Action Research Plan

1.    Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – In discussion with my  principal, the issue of student increased student failures in core content areas  was identified as a concern.

2.    Analyzing data – After researching the schools online programs, grade reports and testing scores students were identified as scoring low on all reports and marked as at risk.

3.    Developing deeper understanding – PLC’s are being developed to review the data and discuss the individual student’s needs and concerns in each grade level class.

4.    Engaging in Self-Reflection – 

Do I have the leadership skills to motivate teachers to look beyond the student’s behavior issues and focus on improving the students learning.

Can I effectively provide the teachers with the information necessary for them to understand the task at hand?

5.    Exploring Programmatic Patterns – After talking with my principal we have discussed issues we may face such as sufficient monitoring of the teachers to ensure that tutoring is taking place.  We have selected the school counselor to monitor the math programs and pull the lowest for one on one tutoring during specific class periods if additional intervention is required.

6.    Determining direction – My principal and I have discussed in length the direction we want these groups to go.  We have developed a schedule for implementation and an agenda for the first meeting.  We have agreed to monitor conversations to keep them positive and on topic while in meetings.  We have agreed to meet weekly prior to meeting with the grade level PLC’s to determine agendas for the meetings and any additional areas of concerns.

7.    Taking action for school improvement – I will be using a template to guide the action research

8.    Sustaining improvement – The progress of the groups and students scores will be monitored and information shared to ensure continued improvement.