Start of My Action Research Project

First, I had to develop the action research plan in EDLD 5301. I then meet with my site supervision, described the plan to him and got permission to move ahead with the project. Next, I met with the Administrative officer over my school (this is the person my principal answers to) and explained what I will be trying to accomplish and why. Again, I was given permission and it was determined that we needed to get with the district assessment Administrative Officer for some additional planning. We realized from that meeting that we were missing some vital components in the assessment area such as software and specific assessment tools to get started. I needed to formulate what we wanted that to look like. We had to brainstorm as a group and come up with a conclusion that would have academic fidelity through the various grade levels. Since this is a new concept for the elementary DAEP, we are realizing that we have to start small with one subject area and build upon it in the future after this initial test run. We have a meeting scheduled within the next two weeks with a team of teachers to talk about the implementation of the plan which will include the Administrative Office over the school, the Administrative Officer of Assessment, the principal, key teachers, and me. I also spent some time with the challenge intake secretary and became familiar with the intake document and all of the specifics pertaining to each elementary student that is given a challenge placement.

Slightly Revised Action Research Plan

GOAL:  To determine whether or not the DAEP at the Mesquite Learning Center is academically effective for long-term elementary students.

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBILIY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	Benchmarks/ ASSESSMENT	Revisions to SIP/ PIP based on monitoring and assessments
-Determine whether or not the DAEP is effective for long-term elementary students.	-Examine data of long-term elementary students. Data will be both previous and on-going assessments and grades.	-Previous assessments/test scores and grades of students entering into the DAEP	-Natalie Stewart (me)	-Beginning August 27, 2012		- Begin to formulate a more definite solution if there is a problem.
-Show that elementary students at the DAEP do not loose academic ground.	-Collect assessments (benchmarks, milestones, etc.) of students while at the L.C.	-Pre-test and post-test	-Keith Adams (building principal and site supervisor)	-Ending June 6, 2013		-Determine pros and cons of plausible solutions with site supervisor.
	-Continually monitor the academic progress of students.	-Computer spread sheet such as Excel	-Donna McAda (Administrative Officer)	-The steps in between start and end will be determined as students enter and leave the Learning Center.		-Identify pit-falls before implementing solution.
	-Share findings with other faculty and staff (particularly elementary teachers),	-I will need last years STAAR test results as well as the pre-tests and post-tests we will be giving the students as they enter and leave the L.C.	-Debbie Shewmake (Administrative Officer)
	-Schedule collaborative meetings with site supervisor.	-I will need background information on each student such as what home school they attend, their home room teacher, and the reason they were sent to the DAEP,
	Engage in self-reflection and ask reflective questions.	-Students will be given some form of self-reflection/assessment to find out their opinions on their progress while at the L.C.

Important Action Research Inquiry Information to Share with Fellow Educators

1. Background Information: I will be sharing background information with my administration as well as the DAEP elementary team on my campus. I will share with them that I will be examining prior state assessments and data from the previous year as well as data within the current school year of all long-term elementary students.

2. Design of the Action Research: I will also share with my team that I will be putting the data collected on each student (previous state assessments and data and also data from current school year like assessments, tests, benchmarks and milestones. I will also be including  post-tests and pre-tests, the student’s home school, the students teacher, and the reason the student was sent to the Learning Center) onto a data log spread sheet such as Excel. At the end of the school year, after all of the data has been collected and recorded, I will analyze the data and determine whether or not the DAEP is academically effective for the elementary students in Mesquite ISD.

3. What is Being Learned From the Action Research Project: The data will clearly show whether or not the DAEP is effective for elementary students at our school. If the data shows that the program is effective for our elementary students then I will be delighted to share the news and data with my fellow DAEP elementary team, but if it shows that the program is ineffective then I will have to talk with my principal to get advice on selecting the most powerful pieces of data to share that represent the statements of my learning.

4. Concluding Thoughts and Recommendations: If the DAEP is found to be effective for our elementary students they the conclusion will provide answers for us. However, if the data shows that our program is ineffective for these students then the conclusion will generate a whole new set of questions and further areas for inquiry. In this case the elementary team and administrators would need to begin to formulate possible solutions to address the problem, determine the pros and cons of the plausible solutions, and identify the pit-falls before implementing a solution.

ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

GOAL:  To determine whether or not the DAEP at the Mesquite Learning Center is academically effective for long-term elementary students.

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	Benchmarks/ ASSESSMENT	Revisions to SIP/ PIP based on monitoring and assessments
-Determine whether or not the DAEP is effective for long-term elementary students.	-Examine data of long-term elementary students. Data will be both previous and on-going assessments and grades.	-Previous assessments/test scores and grades of students entering into the DAEP	-Natalie Stewart (me)	-Beginning August 27, 2012		- Begin to formulate a more definite solution if there is a problem.
-Show that elementary students at the DAEP do not loose academic ground.	-Collect assessments (benchmarks, milestones, etc.) of students while at the L.C.	-Pre-test and post-test	-Keith Adams (building principal and site supervisor)	-Ending June 6, 2013		-Determine pros and cons of plausible solutions with site supervisor.
	-Continually monitor the academic progress of students.	-Computer spread sheet such as Excell	-Donna McAda (Administrative Officer)	-The steps in between start and end will be determined as students enter and leave the Learning Center.		-Identify pit-falls before implementing solution.
	-Share findings with other faculty and staff (particularly elementary teachers),	-I will need last years STAAR test results as well as the pre-tests and post-tests we will be giving the students as they enter and leave the L.C.	-Debbie Shewmake (Administrative Officer)
	-Schedule collaborative meetings with site supervisor.
	Engage in self-reflection and ask reflective questions.

Action Research Factors and Tips

   As an administrator, when someone comes to you with a problem there are two key questions you need to ask:

(1)   What is the problem?

(2)   What is the source of the problem?

You should then proceed with looking at the facts, collecting data, and looking at the qualitative perspective of things.  Never shy away from a problem. Read up on the issue and do your best to find out how others have been successful in solving it. Why re-invent the wheel if you do not have to? It is important to use your resources to help answer your questions. Find out what others in the same or a similar situation have done to help solve the problem and make comparisons with your findings. It is also vital that educators communicate with one another and collaborate to solve the problem and to better the school. Another important aspect of action research is that the research needs to be practical ( not just theoretical) for your situation and environment so that you will be interested, focused on the outcome, and so that your students will benefit from it. is working for your students and that it is relevant and helps them connect to the material. Lastly, it is important in action research to be able to extract, analyze, and apply data to find out if what you are doing is effective or not and what areas you are strong in and what areas need to be assessed further and revised.