Revised Action Inquiry Plan

The end of week 4 has arrived and I have finished the revisions to my action research plan.  It was difficult to complete the class assignment because I didn't have many comments and suggestions to use for revision from this blog.  I am finding that meeting with my collaborative partner is the most beneficial way for me to explore ideas and garner new perspectives on the plan to refine it.


I do want to thank my commentors for contributing. 

Here is the revised plan on the template.  I apologize for the small size, but it would not post in the template format on this blog other than as a picture.

Goal: The goal of this research inquiry is to improve the educational outcomes in the domain of math for students in the subgroups of economically disadvantaged and special education at Lampasas High School.

Action Research Plan

Goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of the research investigation:



The goal of this research inquiry is to improve the educational outcomes in the domain of math for students served through special education at Lampasas High School.

Objectives for this inquiry include an investigation into the causes of students not being successful, implementation of strategies to adjust instructional programs to meet identified areas for improvement, and providing needed instructional and continuing development supports necessary to meet the goal.

The expected outcome for this inquiry is an increase in performance by special education students on state assessments by 15% each year and increases in performance equal to or exceeding the performance of other inclusive campuses within Lampasas ISD.

Activities designed to achieve the objectives:


Activities to assist in achieving the objectives of the inquiry include a review of related literature to gain an understanding of the nature of the problems being faced by districts similar to Lampasas High School. Information will be sought to enable a comparison of the style of inclusive practices implemented at Lampasas High school and how they differ from the inclusive practices at other campuses within the district. A review of staff development provided to Lampasas High teachers will be conducted to determine the level of support provided to prepare them for implementation of inclusive and differentiated instruction.


Resources and research tools needed for data gathering:


Resources necessary for completing the research inquiry will include interviews and surveys of teachers implementing inclusive practices within Lampasas ISD. The research will include observations of inclusive classrooms both at Lampasas High and other campuses within Lampasas ISD. Data will be gathered from student records and will be examined for trends in student progress over time to look for improvement of static periods as they transitioned from campus to campus. The interns will be used to conduct a review of literature and identify readings related to the situation faced by Lampasas High.

Timeline:


The timeline for completing the initial research inquiry will be one year. A follow-up study will continue on an annual basis for at least two additional years to monitor success. Research will begin in the fall term with a review of literature. This will tentatively be completed by the beginning of October. After the literature is reviewed, the investigation into differences in inclusive practices will be conducted. This will involve observation protocols and surveys of participants in inclusive classrooms. The survey portion will tentatively be completed by the beginning of November. The next step in the process, a review of student data, will be completed by the end of the fall semester. Analysis of the data gathered and an identification of trends and possible interventions will be completed by the end of January. Changes and needed interventions will be implemented beginning in February. The strategies will continue to be implemented during the spring term. At the conclusion of the school year, data will be reviewed to look for success of interventions and adjustments, or patterns for which compensation still may needed. A follow up survey will be conducted to gain insight into teacher perception of the interventions and their success. TAKS data will be used to gauge growth over previous years. The program will continue to be evaluated over the next year to gauge continued improvement. The summer break will be used to follow up on the initial research inquiries to assure all areas of the inquiries have been adequately addressed.


Persons responsible for the implementation of the research plan:


Primary Participants Include:


Christine Byrd, ARD Facilitator, Lampasas High School


Laurie McDaniel, Special Education Teacher, Lampasas High School


Mark Kehoe, Principal, Lampasas High School


Nancy Yeary, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Lampasas ISD


Kelly Adams, Director of Special Education, Lampasas ISD


Teachers and Staff of Lampasas ISD


Christine Byrd and Laurie McDaniel will conduct the review of literature. Christine Byrd, Laurie McDaniel, Nancy Yeary, Kelly Adams, and Mark Kehoe will develop the survey questionnaires. Surveys will be conducted on all campuses at LISD on a voluntary basis; the participants will be primarily teachers, paraprofessionals, and special education staff members. Christine Byrd and Laurie McDaniel will conduct observations of inclusive settings within Lampasas ISD. Student data information collection will be completed by classroom teachers, and then be analyzed by Christine Byrd, Laurie McDaniel, and Mark Kehoe. Recommendations for interventions and changes to instructional settings will be developed and presented by Nancy Yeary, Kelly Adams, Mark Kehoe, Christine Byrd, and Laurie McDaniel. TAKS data will be analyzed by Nancy Yeary, Christine Byrd, and Laurie McDaniel. Survey information will be analyzed by Christine Byrd, Lauire McDaniel, and Mark Kehoe. Data from classroom observations, benchmark tests, progress on IEP goals and objectives, and grades will be compiled by LISD staff, and then analyzed by Laurie McDaniel and Christine Byrd.


Process for monitoring the achievement of the research goal and objectives:


Progress toward attainment of the goals of the research inquiry will be an ongoing process. Initial data will be gathered in a pre/post format. During the fall term, a baseline will be established using TAKS data, and identified progress toward IEP goals and objectives using the Class Plus program. A comparison will be made in the spring term once adjustments to teaching strategies have been implemented. Grades, TAKS test results, benchmark test results, classroom observations, and formal assessment data such as testing for IEP progress and will be used to determine initial success of the research inquiry and subsequent teaching adjustments. Data from state assessments such as end of course exams and TAKS as it may exist, will be used yearly to gauge continued growth.

Assessment instruments used to evaluate the effectiveness of the research inquiry:

Instruments used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions recommended as a result of the study will include surveys developed specifically for the study, state assessment results, formal and informal classroom observations, and classroom assessment instruments used to evaluate progress toward IEP goals and objectives.

Action Inquiry Purpose

In this week's readings and assignments, I became aware of how vast each research topic can become.  As I looked into information on one topic, it led to another that led to another and another and so on.  It is really difficult to keep focused on one direction for my inquiry.  I have had to limit the scope of my research and narrow the exploration to be able to fully study the topic indepth.  In meeting with my site supervisor, I reviewed several topics and all are relevant to our campus.  I am going to be focusing on the current interventions for high school special education students for math to identify which ones are most effective in improving student learning and performance on state accountability instruments.

The purpose of this study is to explore our current interventions locally and determine their effectiveness and to investigate other districts' interventions to identify which ones may be implemented to improve performance on our local high school special education students in the area of math.

Using blogs

The question was posed as to how educators and administrators could use blogs.  I think that communication is always good and sometimes when I feel that I am the Lone Ranger, this medium can provide connections to others experiencing similar situations.  I can use them to find fresh perspectives or at least different perspectives and maybe some solutions that have worked for others that might be viable for my situation.  Maybe something I think of or have tried can benefit someone else and perhaps we all don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time.

Day 1-The Journey Begins

In reading the required texts for my M.Ed Administration Research class at Lamar University, it dawned on me that actual practitioner's research is being viewed differently than it has been in the past. Previously, most research came from an outside source, usually university researchers, and then administrators were expected to implement those findings. Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Fichtman Dana asserts that in the process-product research concept many administrators are discouraged from highlighting problem areas they might wish to address because of negative repercussions that arise from admitting there are problematic areas in their campuses.



Who better to recognize relevant needs to address than someone on the inside? Finally, the trend is to lend some credence to the people working in the trenches who have first-hand knowledge of what is really going on in the school without penalizing them for identifying issues that are negatively impacting student learning.



Although finding time to conduct an action research plan is difficult, it is necessary to continue to improve the education the students are receiving. As an administrator, it is vital to model and promote practices that will encourage all faculty to strive for excellence and to use the experience and knowledge they possess to seek out strategies to improve the quality of education.

Resources
Dana, Nancy. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.