Research Course Ends!

Today our Research course has come to an end. I really liked the layout of this course. I'm so glad that we had the whole 5 weeks to create the research plan. The courses are already super accelerated so having one course completely dedicated to the plan was extremely helpful.
I am very eager to discover the findings in regards to my research. I hope that my findings show that ELLs in the dual language program perform at higher levels than ELLs not enrolled in the program. The dual language was created for the ELL student population. I hope that my research shows that the program is in fact serving the students from whom it was created.

Revised Plan

Action Planning

 

Goal: Discover the relationship between enrollment in the campus dual language program and student academic achievement as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR) amongst the English Language Learner (ELL) student population.

 

Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible		Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources		Evaluation
1.  Gather ELL testing data measured by the following testing instruments: STARR, DRA, EDL, TPRI, Tejas Lee, PBMAS.	Myself Classroom teacher Instructional Specialist Counselor		April 2013-March 2014	Individual student results for following standardized tests: STARR, DRA, EDL, TPRI, Tejas Lee Allotted time to meet with Instructional Specialist Allotted time to meet with campus counselor		Testing records Special program data
2. Conduct teacher surveys regarding student performance for ELL students in mainstream classrooms and dual language classrooms.	Myself Classroom teacher Counselor		April 2013- March 2014	Survey Allotted time for teachers to complete student performance surveys		Classroom observations
3. Input testing data into a spreadsheet to cross-examine student performance and formulate final report.	Myself		April 2013- March 2014	Allotted time to complete spreadsheet Computer		Administrative review
4. Conduct parent surveys regarding student performance of their ELL students	Myself Parent Counselor	April 2013- March 2014			Survey Allotted time for parents to complete student performance surveys		Completed survey
5. Conduct administrative interviews regarding possibility of dual language participants out-performing non-participants.	Myself Principal Vice-Principal Curriculum Specialist Counselor	April 2013-March 2014			Interview questions Allotted time to interview various administrators		Completed interviews with various solutions
6. Share results of research action study	Myself Principal Vice Principal Campus teachers	April 2013-March 2014			Space Allotted time to share research results		Completion of staff meeting

 

Resource: Harris et al. text, Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template, p. 85

Please comment on my Research Plan

Hello!
If you have a few minutes, please leave a short comment on my research plan template.

This week I met with my Vice-Principal. My Vice-Principal is almost likea  2nd Site Supervisor as many times my site supervisor, my Principal is very busy. My VP looked over my research plan template and offered me a great idea! In addition to the testing instruments I was going to use (DRA, EDL, TPRI, Tejas Lee), she suggested another set of data I could use for my research plan. My Asst. Superintendent has this data and it is data regarding the TELPAS ratings of all English Language Learners.

Action Planning

 

Goal: Discover the relationship between enrollment in the campus dual language program and student academic achievement as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR) amongst the English Language Learner (ELL) student population.

 

Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible		Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources		Evaluation
1.  Gather ELL testing data measured by the following testing instruments: STARR, DRA, EDL, TPRI, Tejas Lee.	Myself Classroom teacher Instructional Specialist Counselor		April 2013-March 2014	Individual student results for following standardized tests: STARR, DRA, EDL, TPRI, Tejas Lee Allotted time to meet with Instructional Specialist Allotted time to meet with campus counselor		Testing records Special program data
2. Conduct teacher surveys regarding student performance for ELL students in mainstream classrooms and dual language classrooms.	Myself Classroom teacher Counselor		April 2013- March 2014	Survey Allotted time for teachers to complete student performance surveys		Classroom observations
3. Input testing data into a spreadsheet to cross-examine student performance and formulate final report.	Myself		April 2013- March 2014	Allotted time to complete spreadsheet Computer		Administrative review
4. Conduct parent surveys regarding student performance of their ELL students	Myself Parent Counselor	April 2013- March 2014			Survey Allotted time for parents to complete student performance surveys		Completed survey
5. Conduct administrative interviews regarding possibility of dual language participants out-performing non-participants.	Myself Principal Vice-Principal Curriculum Specialist Counselor	April 2013-March 2014			Interview questions Allotted time to interview various administrators		Completed interviews with various solutions
6. Share results of research action study	Myself Principal Vice Principal Campus teachers	April 2013-March 2014			Space Allotted time to share research results		Completion of staff meeting

 

Resource: Harris et al. text, Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template, p. 85

My research

For my research project I am researching the effectiveness of 3rd grade interventions. Does anyone have any pointers for what I can use to gather appropriate data?

Thanks!

Need help with following

Hello fellow Research class students!

If anyone is reading this blog, can you explain to me how to "follow" someone's blog?  I attempted to follow several blogs from the PDF file but not sure if it worked.

On another note, I am excited to begin my research for my project. The 3rd grade interventions require a lot of time and personnel. I hope my research helps discover findings that will make the interventions most efficient.

           Action research is something that all administrators should make use of. Action research is when administrators intentionally observe their administrative practices. After intentionally observing their administrative practices, administrators then make change based on what they observed. These continuous reflections and changes are all for the betterment of the school campus.

Action research is different from traditional forms of research/inquiry. Traditional forms of research consisted of administrators simply carrying out what professors and other educators recommended in books. Traditionally, the principal simply carried out someone else’s orders. Action research allows administrators to find answers within themselves instead of seeking out someone else’s.

I have already begun using action research. In my previous course we created an internship plan that required me to reflect on many of my practices as a teacher and a future administrator. I will use what I intentionally observed to make changes. For example, through action research I have realized that an administrator is always being watch so punctuality is key. I’ve also realized that once you put something out there you can’t take it back. Through action research I have realized that I need to and will change my choice of what comes out my mouth. Action research has forced me to examine the good and bad of my practices.

An administrator can make use of blogs. I believe one way he/she can do so is by creating a blog that includes all teachers. If a serious decision is coming up or the principal would like input from all teachers, the administrator can post the topic online and teachers can blog regarding the topic. At the end of the week the administrator can read through the blog to gauge the morale and opinions of his/her staff.