Week 3 - Getting More Specific

One thing that I like about action research projects such as this, is that it is a work in progress.  I have had a difficult time taking my topic and dwindling it down to something specific.  I believe this is because I am not currently teaching in the school that this project will be taking place in next year.  So I feel like I am not getting the time, the feedback that I believe I would be getting if I was a current teacher there.  On a positive note, my new principal is amazing and I am really looking forward to working with her as my mentor during this project. 
I was able to meet with her once for quite some time and she and I were able to come up with the topic of 5th grade Science STAAR scores of the district relative to the state scores and the reasons as to why our scores were lower than the state.  We will be looking at time spent in the science classrooms (going from a 45 minute period to a 65 minute period) and having a vertically aligned curriculum from K through 6.  After I emailed her my original plan, she wanted to add a piece to the project:  teaming.  She believes that bringing teaming back to the intermediate grades will allow us as a team of teachers to create interdisciplinary units that will support the science classes.
 

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To improve the district science STAAR scores of fifth grade students relative to the state scores from 2012 to 2014.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Increase the amount of time fifth grade students spend in science class from 45 minutes to 65 minutes daily.	All fifth grade teachers will plan according to the new schedule. Assistant Principals Principal District Elementary Science Coordinator	New schedule: August 2013 – 2014 First Survey:  November 2013 Second Survey: March 2013 District will determine the benchmark dates for the 2013-2014 school year. Classroom Observations:  August 2013 – May 2014	Surveys given to fifth grade science teachers to see if they see improvement in student achievement in their own classrooms.  How often? School and District-wide Benchmark assessments given to the students to check for improvement of grades from the 2012-2013 school year to the current 2013-2014 school year.	I will gather the survey results given to the teachers and determine if time is a factor in student achievement. I will compare the benchmark assessments given during varied times of the year to look for improvement of scores.  I will also compare the benchmark assessment scores from 2012-2013 school year to the current 2013-2014 school year. Classroom observations
Reintroduce teams at the fifth grade level so interdisciplinary units that support science are possible.	Fifth grade teams and their science teachers to aid in the creation and implementation of science-based interdisciplinary units. Team Leaders Principal	August 2013 - February 2014 Unit Test: February 2014 Survey: February 2014	I will work collaboratively with the team teachers to create an interdisciplinary unit that will support the science curriculum and create the assessment to measure the learning objectives presented to the students. Survey given to the team teachers after the unit takes place to evaluate student performance and the academic outcomes provided in the unit.	I will collect date from the assessments given to the students and will gather the survey results given to the teachers.
Use vertically aligned Science Curriculum (grades K-6)	Fifth grade Science teachers Principal District Elementary Science Coordinator	Stemscopes and Curriculum:  August 2013 – May 2014 District will determine the benchmark dates for the 2013-2014 school year. First Survey:  November 2013 Second Survey: March 2013	Stemscopes Science Curriculum Stemscopes Representative – Gloria Chatelain District Scope and Sequence Collaboration on lesson plans for fifth grade science Survey to teachers over use of new curriculum	Calibration of assessments based on Stemscopes and the new curriculum. I will use District-wide Benchmark assessment results to see if the curriculum is being used successfully in grades K-5. I will gather the survey results from the teachers to compare the amount of time using the new curriculum to the assessment scores.
Analysis of Science STAAR scores from 2012 through 2014.	Principal District Elementary Science Coordinator	May 2014	Texas Education Agency District and state fifth grade Science STAAR results from 2012, 2013, and 2014	I will compare the scores given the original 45 minute classes, no teams, and not having a vertically aligned curriculum with the 2014 Science STAAR results after an increase in class time, having teams at the fifth grade level, and a vertically aligned curriculum grades K-6. I will compare district versus state scores to look for an improvement over the state scores.

Lessons Learned from Week 2

This week the most important lesson I learned involving administrators conducting their own action research was in the interviews of Dr. Aterbury, Dr. Jenkins, Dr. Bresno, and Dr. Lewis.  They all said that action research is important but not to reinvent the wheel.  As educators we do not have to create brand new research topics and research.  We can use research that has been done before and apply certain aspects of the research into our schools to use as a tool to help in our own findings and our own questions. 
I've also come to the conclusion that to be a good administrator, it is important to always be engaged in a form of inquiry or action research.  Best practices show that teachers and administrators are doing forms of it now, minus the formalities.  I think that in the quest of being the best in what we do, educators and administrators need to engage in action research.  The data will lead to more questions and more research. It allows us to customize what we do to fit the needs of the students that are at our campus.

How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs

I have no experience creating or writing a blog myself.  However, I can see how blogging can be used as a great communication tool.  Depending on the audience, blogging can serve as a way to communicate information and receive feedback from those stakeholders. 

I also think it could be a great collaboration tool.  Blogging can aide in building a professional community with others to gain insight and information concerning projects and research, and exchange concerns, opinions and advice from a variety of areas around the country.  It can serve as a way to build personal development and aide in personal growth as an administrator because it holds reflections and data that can be used at varying times during a career.

Why Action Research?

Action research is a reflective process that aides administrators and educators in working collaboratively to address and solve real, everyday problems that will improve instruction and lead to high levels of student achievement.  It is about looking at the current issues that concerns them at their particular school instead of looking at more general research that could pertain to their school.  The issues are closest to them so they can exhibit some influence and make change.

I am constantly in search to be a better educator.  I do a lot of reflecting on assignments, activities, and labs to determine if they are truly well-written and if the students understand to mastery according to the TEK described.  I think being an administrator, I will continue to reflect on how I can better serve my teachers, students, and parents. I can be more effective as a teacher or as an administrator when I examine and assess my own work and then consider ways to work differently for better student achievement.  Action research stresses the development of the teacher and will help in the creation of professional development opportunities instead of focusing on the content they teach.  They know their content.  This betters themselves as a professional educator.

I would use action research as an administrator to come up with solutions to various concerns or problems that may be taking place at my school.  My leadership style is definitely not that of a dictator. Administrators see certain things that teachers may not see and visa versa.  So I would put together a team of teachers that show invested interested in the concern.  Team work and individual contributions are incredibly important to the group as progress is made toward the goal.  Narrowing the problem question, gathering and analyzing data, and creating a plan of action, will lead to a sense of ownership and accomplishment for the people on the team.  I would not be making a decision on my own, but we would be making a decision together as a school-wide effort to effectively solve a problem on our campus.