Week 4 Revised Plan

Goal: To find different ways of progress monitoring teachers can do to compile data regarding interventions for struggling students. The purpose of this data is to determine effectiveness of the prescribed intervention.

ACTION STEP: Data collection through survey results
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Myself and grade level teachers
TIMELINE: 1 week
NEEDED RESOURCES: Survey questions for teachers to reflect on their experiences of using progress monitoring
EVALUATION: Number of returned surveys

ACTION STEP: Data collection through analysis of district and state test results
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Response to Intervention team (AP, Intervention specialist, Counselor, Diagnostician, Special Education Representative, Grade level representative, Specials representative, and classroom teacher)
TIMELINE: Ongoing basis for 9 week assessments and annually for statewide test results
NEEDED RESOURCES: Standardized test results by objective breakdown to identify student’s struggling areas
EVALUATION: Identification of weak areas and establishing a SMART goal to address those areas of need

ACTION STEP: Data collection through field notes
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Member of RTI team observing intervention strategy in progress between teacher and student
TIMELINE: At least one time per week for 3 weeks
NEEDED RESOURCES: Scheduled time for observation between teacher and student
EVALUATION: Compiled notes

ACTION STEP: Data collection through document-ation
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Classroom teachers with students in RTI system with SMART goals
TIMELINE: Three to six weeks
NEEDED RESOURCES: SMART goal and documentation of progress monitoring of regular interventions
EVALUATION: Progress monitoring samples turned in

ACTION STEP: Data collection through book study:
63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, K-6, Bob Algozzine, Pam Campbell, and Adam Wang
Interventions for Struggling Learners: Putting RTI into Practice, Gretchen Goodman
RTI Toolkit: a Practical Guide for Schools, Jim Wright
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Response to intervention team
(AP, Intervention specialist, Counselor, Diagnostician, Special Education Representative, Grade level representative, Specials representative, and classroom teacher)
TIMELINE: Up to one semester after choosing one or a sequential order to work through these books.
NEEDED RESOURCES: Access to multiple copies of chosen book(s)
EVALUATION: Discussion questions, strategies and tools from studies put into use on our campus

ACTION STEP: Data collection through notes and minutes from actual Tier 2 and Tier 3 RTI meetings.
PERSONS RESPONSIBLE: Assistant Principal through notes section in Eduphoria tracking system
TIMELINE: Throughout first semester
NEEDED RESOURCES: Access to the Eduphoria technology to view RTI forms and notes.
EVALUATION: Compiling attitudes of teachers to determine effectiveness of strategies tried to meet SMART goals.

Action Research Plan

Goal: To find different ways of progress monitoring teachers can do to compile data regarding interventions for struggling students. The purpose of this data is to determine effectiveness of the prescribed intervention.
Action Step: Data collection through survey results
Persons Responsible: Myself and staff members
Timeline: 1 week
Needed Resources: Survey questions for teachers to reflect on their experiences of using progress monitoring
Evaluation: Number of returned surveys

Action Step:Data collection through analysis of district and state test results
Persons Responsible: Response to Intervention team and classroom teacher
Timeline: Ongoing basis for 9 week assessments and annually for statewide test results
Needed Resources: Standardized test results by objective breakdown to identify student’s struggling areas
Evaluation: Identification of weak areas and establishing a SMART goal to address those areas of need

Action Step: Data collection through field notes
Persons Responsible: Member of RTI team observing intervention strategy in progress between teacher and student
Timeline: At least one time per week for 3 weeks
Needed Resources: Scheduled time for observation between teacher and student
Evaluation: Compiled notes

Action Step: Data collection through documentation
Persons Responsible: Teacher
Timeline: Three to six weeks
Needed Resources: SMART goal and documentation of progress monitoring of regular interventions
Evaluations: Progress monitoring samples turned in

Action Step: Data collection through book study:
63 Tactics for Teaching Diverse Learners, K-6, Bob Algozzine, Pam Campbell, and Adam Wang,
Interventions for Struggling Learners: Putting RTI into Practice, Gretchen Goodman, or
RTI Toolkit: a Practical Guide for Schools, Jim Wright
Persons Responsible: Response to intervention team
Timeline: Up to one semester after choosing one or a sequential order to work through these books.
Needed Resources: Access to multiple copies of chosen book(s)
Evaluations: Discussion questions, strategies and tools from studies put into use on our campus

Action Research Continued

This week I found out that there are a million different things that an educator might want to participate in an action research project. I have to admit that many of the topics I read about I have wondered about myself! How can we reach all students? How can peer coaching help both veteran and novice teachers? How can I as an administrator motivate teachers towards lifelong learning? What happens to students who are dismissed from intervention programs? And many other topics are of interest to me. Most importantly I learned that action research can be used to strengthen many different aspects of education: staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, individual or groups of students, school community, leadership skills, management skills, school performance, and social justice. I also learned that it is important not to see action research as a way to control or change teacher behavior, but to use it to learn and understand behaviors and figure out how to work with those understandings.

From this week's learning, I believe I will do my action research on documentation of the RTI process. I hope to discover ways to help teachers streamline this process in order to have a clearer understanding of what is and isn't working for their struggling students.

How Can Educators use Action Research?

Educators can use action research in multiple ways! Grade level teams, campus leadership teams, professional learning communities, department teams, administrative teams, fine arts teams, and entire faculties can use action research to learn more about what you want to know! The best part about it is that the topic of research can be different or the same for each group within one building, it just depends upon what you want to know more about! One of the benefits of Action research is that everyone is involved in a collaborative enviroment. As educators we are charged to use current, research based best practices that include collaborative grouping, so we can model this for our students by participating in Action Research on our campuses! The inquiry model is endless because of the varying knowledge bases represented by veteran and novice teachers on one campus. Action research helps level out the playing field by addressing areas that are needed and agreed upon at that point in time. Schools can use Action research to find out more about classroom management, discipline, extra curriculur activities, cross-curricular activities, use of professional learning communities, engaging the community, promoting leadership among the staff, effective intervention ideas, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Action Research

Action Research is different from traditional research because of what you do with the information you have learned. Traditional research is important because it can build your background knowledge in specific topics, but Action research is important because of the context in which it is used. Used is key here because the information gained is only the first step in Action Research! The first step is to systematically collect data from a variety of resources that will be used to help solve problems. The problems being solved or the research being done in Action research is up to you! Anyone can use action research with a group of people to inquire about an area of concern in their present environment. It is relevant to what the group wants to learn more about. The information gained is used to make decisions about what to do next. The research is put into action, analyzed, reflected upon, and shared. This process helps make decisions about what to do next. If situations are changed to the point of success determined by the group, then you are finished, but if the group wants to see a different outcome, the inquiry process continues. All participants take part in the research process. Action Research is a valuable tool to make continuous improvement that is needed where you are and when you need it.