Week Three Posting - Action Plan

When I started to decide what to research I was guided by my principal to examine ways to improve student achievement on TAKS so that we can get off of the AYP list. Through research I found that students may need more time with a particular subject so they have enough time to learn the material an put it to use in meaningful hands-on activities. This is how I came to the decision to determine the effectiveness of a double blocked schedule in math and reading.
My action research plan is based from one of our goals in our campus improvement plan, “Continue double blocking of mathematics in order to increase retention, student confidence levels, and student achievement on TAKS”.
The goal of this study is to determine the effects of double blocking math and language arts for middle school students. We will be looking for effects on student achievement and student confidence levels.
As activities I will be doing the following:
I will be conducting research reviewing literature and prior research on the effects of double blocking classes. Our campus has 2 years of data for double blocking math so I will be comparing that data with previous data to identify success or failure. My campus has in the master schedule math being double blocked for the following year. I will be sampling 10 students from each of the 12 math teachers as well as 2 reading teachers who virtually have a double block with struggling learners. I will also sample data from a nearby middle school that utilizes a single blocked schedule. Qualitative data will be collected throughout the year through surveys, interviews, teacher’s student files. This data will be collected in May after state testing. This is what the authors of the text Examining What we do to Improve our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action, Harris, Edmonson and Combs labeled as developing a deeper understanding. Using Qualitative data one might be able to see a bigger picture and gain a deeper understanding of the topic as opposed to only using quantitative data.
Resources:
I will be utilizing data from the AEIS reports from the last 4 years, D2SC data from district benchmark, teacher data, research literature for gathering data as well as survey and interview notes.
Timeline:
Research has already begun and literature is being reviewed.
September 2010 Sample subjects will be selected and teachers informed to begin data collection.
October 2010 1st benchmark data collection
December 2010 Primary interviews and surveys taken & 2 – 3 Benchmark data collection.
March 2011 Teacher interviews benchmark 4 data collection.
April 2011 TAKS test
May 2011 Collect teacher data, surveys, etc…..
July – August 2011 Collect 2011 TAKS data
Persons Responsible:
12 math teachers, 2 reading teachers, 10 students from each teacher sampled (140)
Administrators, Math and reading department heads, district secondary math coordinator.
In order to determine the effectiveness of the study we will be collecting and analyzing data throughout the year in comparison to previous years as well as the other middle school campus that is not double blocked. I will be assisted by my school principal and secondary math coordinator in analyzing the data. I will also look at the survey results to gain an understanding of the teacher’s perception, such as an increase in content retention, behavior issues, etc… I will also research what other schools that are in similar situations to see if there is a direct correlation between double blocking and an increase in student achievement and retention. Once all information is in we will share the results with our campus improvement committee and determine if changes should be made to our master schedule.