Final Reflection from 5301

This course felt like graduate school.

I am weary with the kind of satisfaction one only gets from a job well done. I still cannot believe all that I have learned in the last five weeks about things I knew a lot about but didn’t know what it was that I knew and things that I thought I knew a lot about but didn’t really know nearly as much as I thought I knew. If you can understand that last sentence, you’ve probably taken this course at some point in your life. Fortunately, one of my classmates said it a whole lot better than that in his blog. Before we all had our brains stirred like so much tapioca, Travis Patocka wrote the following:

What I did know, however, was that as an educator you need to always take a step back from your work, your curriculum and assess your student learning to see if your instruction was effective.  If something wasn't working out, it is your responsibility to initiate change.  I would look at the issue, whether it was students not understanding some particular concept, or something with higher stakes such as a class not meeting its' average yearly progress or AYP, on standardized tests and would create some plan of attack to implement change.

As I started reading the two texts from my graduate studies class through Lamar University, EDLD 5301, I received a formal introduction to administrative inquiry and action research.  What I have been learning from my readings is that the whole time that I have been making decisions about my school curriculum or how to address issues that were popping up in my classes that I had been following a basic form of an action plan… (Patocka, 2012, para. 1-2)

Mr. Patocka has been a sounding board for me throughout the course, and his eloquence in this early blog post said volumes. Action research is what we, as caring and devoted educators, do naturally. We do it because it is right and proper and how one solves problems in ways that engender lasting effects that enhance student growth. I don’t think any of us really knew that that was what we’ve been doing. And I know that I, for one, never stopped to imagine that I should document my work in the way we’ve been taught to do here, to formulate the ideas and discoveries in such a way that others might benefit from it in the future.  Now we know better, and I look forward to all the fruit I know my project will bear.

Another very interesting part of the course was the video interviews we had to watch during the second week. I learned a lot from individuals who have taken the road upon which my classmates and I now travel, learned from it, and arrived at some of the potential ends of it. I especially, as I reflect on action research both as a concept and as an implement of change in my own life, find an echo of Dr. Chargois’s eloquent statement describing the purpose that should be behind all of the research that we, as principal-researchers, carry out: “Is it going to help us increase student performance?” (Interview 2: Dr. Timothy Chargois).  If our work is not aimed at increasing student performance, then it is for glory or some other reason that has as much to do with reality as magic has to do with science. We all have a single goal in our business – to teach children. If our research is not pointed at finding better and better ways of doing that, then we are doing it for the wrong reasons and need to find a new and more appropriate line of work. I, for one, will keep that question in the back of my mind like a mantra for the rest of my career.  For every change I hope to implement, for every problem and solution I envision, I will be sure to ask whether it is “going to help us increase student performance”.  At the end of the day, after all, nothing else is of any consequence whatsoever.

A third notion from the course that I will endeavor to maintain in my career is the idea of the Force Field Analysis.  I will try, when I begin to see a problem in my environment and that problem is coming into focus, to remember “that bringing about change begins with understanding the circumstances surrounding the needed change” (Harris et al., 2010, p. 94). We too often dive into a good idea without fully realizing all that might be at stake, and all that might bring that good idea to a negative end.  By using Lewin’s Force Field Analysis method, we are sure to place our theories, hypotheses, and supposed solutions in the proper context with the awareness of the needs and pitfalls determined by and inherent in the environment in which we are working.  When I applied the Force Field Analysis to my own Action Research Project, I was astounded at all of the vectors I hadn’t even imagined. I was surprised at all the things I would need to keep track of through my reflections and the potential directions in which the research could eventually take me.  In short, this analysis was illuminating at a moment when I thought that I was staring at the very sun.  It is not until the lights come on, sometimes, that we realize we have been standing in a very dim room, indeed.

In short, these three moments in the course have given me more pause and fodder for reflection than I may ever know since each one, in its way, promises to keep me humble and searching for the rest of my career.  Mr. Patocka and the rest of our classmates will keep moving me forward and pointing me in the right direction through their blogs and through their responses to mine. Dr. Chargois’s words will keep me steady and dedicated to the children for whom we all give everything we can every day we can do it.  And Mr. Lewin’s method for analyzing change and sustaining improvement will guide me to the level of knowledge I will always need in those moments when I feel that I have discovered everything that I need to know.  These three drops in the bucket of work that the course demanded are but bright lights in a swirling sea of stars. I have learned more in five weeks than I have in full semester courses in the past, and while I hope that the courses to come will be somewhat less demanding, I wish this only so that my action research project does not suffer too much loss of my attention. For now that I know how to do what I must, I must move forward and do it, posthaste.

References

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. P. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Interview 2: Dr. Timothy Chargois [Video file]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com/ webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_51546_1%26url%3D

Patocka, Travis. (2012, October 8). [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://travispatocka.blogspot.com/2012/10/24-hours-ago-i-knew-absolutely-nothing_8.html

What are we going to do?

All right. This post exists outside of whatever the happy our assignment calls for at this point. I haven't gotten that far.  I'm busy creating Six Weeks Benchmark Tests this week, so the homework is going to get squeezed in where I can. But while I have a minute here, I wanted to get something down.

I'm worried about what we're all going to do now that the course is drawing to a close. I have the distinct feeling that our professors in our future classes are decidedly NOT going to nag us to make sure that we are keeping up with our ARP, much less these blogs.  But as I see it, these blogs are our lifelines to reflection.  I mean, maybe you're the journal/diary type, but I am not. I have only been able to make myself take the time for reflection when the assignments have called for it.

So, I’m going to try something. I’m going to create a recurring Event in Microsoft Outlook. The Exchange Server will synch this to my phone. I’m going to figure out a time when I know I’ll be able to stop and put something down. Maybe Sunday night after the weekend work is done.  Something like that, anyway. And I’m going to have all of this technology help me instead of feeling like a ball and chain around my ankle.

The event I create will be simple.  Reflect on ARP Progress.  Something like that. I can do it from my phone while I walk the grocery store or from my computer at home or even pound something out on my conference period, but if I don’t remind myself of the necessity, it will not happen.  So, make sure you think this through, too. We’re all tired. We’re all looking for a break. But don’t let your guard down. Don’t stop so long that you neglect this. We’ll need it.

NEW & IMPROVED - Same Great Taste, Higher Constitution!

Action Planning Template
Goal: I will determine the extent to which the overall performance of struggling readers be increased through the implementation of a multi-faceted reading intervention program?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start-End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.    Determine eligible students for the program	Mrs. Shannon Allen, Principal; Mrs. Jenny Angelo, Reading Department Chair; Mrs. Ava Batiste, Counselor; Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Reading Interventionist/ Researcher	May 2012-July 2012	STAAR raw scores, STAR scaled scores	Students who exhibited low performance on both assessments will be placed in the program. Remaining spots will be filled based upon Fall 2012 Universal Screen (STAR) data. Number of students selected for sample is held at 63 in order to accommodate those new, incoming or previously unidentified low-performing students. Cap is based on maintaining an approximately 1:18 (or less) teacher-student ratio.
2.    Institute class periods during which the interven-tions will take place	Mrs. Shannon Allen Mrs. Ava Batiste, Mr. Jeffrey Farley	May 2012-June 2012	Master Schedule	Evaluate Master Schedule to assess the possibility of removing 8th grade ELAR students to other teachers in order to make Mr. Farley’s class periods available for Reading Improvement classes
3.    Conduct Universal Screen	Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Reading Department teachers	August 31, 2012-September 7, 2012	Campus STAR Reading subscription, computer labs (3 labs/3 days)	All students on the campus will take the assessment in order to verify placement of children from previous assessment data and to fill spots in the classes with as many other students from the bottom of the field as the class capacity allows. Look particularly at incoming 6th graders for placement.
NOTE REGARDING UNIVERSAL SCREEN: In September 2012, a total of 811 students were tested. 26 students, from our total of 837 enrolled at that time, were not tested in the screen due to enrollment in Life Skills, Home-bound, or Alternative Campus Placement at the time of the screen. .
4.    Begin daily interventions using audio books	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	September 6, 2012-April 24, 2013	Taped books, PlayAways, cassette players, headphones, power (strips, cords, etc.), Campus Accelerated Reader (AR) subscription	Students will work four days each week (M-Th) reading for 40 minutes each day. Remaining time will be spent documenting the day’s reading on the summary bookmark created for that book. Student reading will be tracked through the AR Reading Practice quizzes – point totals, average book level, and average quiz score will be assessed and documented.
5.    Administer STAR Reading assessment weekly to monitor progress	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	September 14, 2012-May 3, 2013	Campus STAR Reading subscription, computer lab (every Friday, all year – administer STAR 2nd-4th Fridays of every month)	The STAR assessment will be used to determine starting Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in terms of AR Book Level to help students choose appropriately comfortable/challenging independent reading material. Students will also track their own scaled score from the weekly assessments on a paper graph in their folder – this will help them self-assess their own progress and drive them to keep reaching.
6.    Following analysis of Universal Screen data, low-perform-ing sixth grade students are added to the program	Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Mrs. Shannon Allen, Mrs. Ava Batiste	September 18, 2012	Master Schedule, STAR Universal Screen data	Fourteen new students from the sixth grade are entered into the program bringing the total Tier II sample group to 77 students. These 77 students will receive interventions and progress monitoring until either they achieve three consecutive scaled scores at or above benchmark or the end of the school year, whichever comes first.
7.    Administer Istation Indicators of Progress (ISIP) assessment	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	October 12, 2012-May 10, 2013	District Istation subscription, computer labs (1st Friday of every month), headphones	The ISIP assessment will be a second diagnostic tool to help understand specific problem areas for each child in the program. The assessment will also inform the Istation practice platform so that each student receives interventions appropriate to his or her level/area(s) of difficulty
8.    Begin taking AR Vocabulary quizzes immediately following AR Reading Practice quizzes	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	October 25, 2012-May 31, 2013	Campus AR subscription	Based on preliminary examination of ISIP data, many students are struggling specifically with vocabulary and word analysis.  While the vocabulary quizzes in AR are based on the level of the book, and those book levels are often well-below grade level, the vocabulary quiz offers another data point for the dashboard and an opportunity to remediate students when performance of these assessments is low.
9.    Administer Student Reading Survey	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	November 2, 2012	Google Survey modified from 2011 Concordia University Research study survey component	I will build the online survey using the CU survey component as a guide and administer the online survey after weekly progress monitoring in the lab on 11/2/2012. Survey data will be assessed as immediately as possible to determine whether factors within the students might need to be addressed during the program.
10.  Begin using “Reading with ISIP” computer- based intervention program	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	November 2, 2012-May 31, 2013	District Istation subscription, computer labs (every Friday of the school year)	Students will spend any time after completing either the STAR or the ISIP on the Istation reading practice platform. Performance in this environment will be assessed at least every three weeks for grade reporting purposes and to discover the nature of the students’ use and priority areas as determined by performance in the practices.
11.  Administer Parent Survey	Mr. Jeffrey Farley	November 9, 2012	Google Survey or Survey Monkey survey	The parent survey will focus on Istation, primarily, but also on the students’ attitudes toward school as perceived by those at home. With regard Istation, I hope to learn whether parents are using the resource, how the feel about it, and what would make it easier for them do so if they are not.
12.  Administer mid-year STAR Universal Screen	Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Reading department teachers	January 7, 2013-January 18, 2013	Campus STAR Reading subscription, computer labs (3 labs/3 days)	Mid-year Universal Screen will look for students who may have dropped during the first half of the year or entered the school during that time but after the initial Screen. All students will, again, be compared against every other student on the campus.
13.  Begin promoting STAAR Incentive program	Campus Incentive Committee	January 7, 2013-April 26, 2013	Box Tops for Education funding, School Dance & other special event funds to purchase performance incentive prizes	Incentive Committee will begin promoting STAAR Incentive giveaways to be drawn on the last day of the school year with incentive drawing opportunities tied to STAAR performance. This program will be used to motivate students in the sample to redouble their efforts in the program and to achieve benchmark scores in Progress Monitoring assessments.
14.  Administer STAAR Reading assessment	Entire Marshall MS faculty	April 3, 2013 (8th grade) and April 24, 2013 (6th & 7th grade)	State-provided Assessment	The STAAR Assessment will be one of the major, overall assessments of whether students improved throughout the course of the year. By comparing scaled scores with the 2012 scaled scores (to be reported in January 2013), we can begin to assess overall improvement.
15.  Administer end-of-year STAR Universal Screen	Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Reading department teachers	May 1, 2013-May 15, 2013	Campus STAR Reading subscription, computer labs (3 labs/3 days)	End-of-year Universal Screen will provide a second assessment of overall reading progress based on scaled score, grade equivalency increases, and increases in Instructional Reading Levels (IRLs). All students will, again, be compared against every other student on the campus.
16.  Make recommend-dations for placement for 2013-2014 school year based upon preliminary STAAR data and Spring Universal Screen data	Mr. Jeffrey Farley, Mrs. Shannon Allen, Mrs. Ava Batiste	May 15, 2013-June 7, 2013	Disaggregated STAAR data, STAR Universal Screen data, Istation data (where available), Master Schedule	Reassess Master Schedule to determine whether more sections of Reading Improvement are necessary/possible. Analyze assessment data comparing STAAR Performance, Spring Universal Screen data, and Istation data (most current, where available). Assess number of slots in Reading Improvement classes for next school year, determine need for returning students, and determine a reasonable (large as possible) number of seats to save for incoming sixth graders.
17.   Distribute STAAR Incentive rewards at the end-of-year Pep Rally	Incentive Committee	June 7, 2013	STAAR Incentive prizes purchased with Incentive Committee funds	All students gather in the gymnasium on the last day of school to be present for the drawings for STAAR Incentive gifts. All students are entered once in the drawing. Students receive additional entries for every STAAR test passed at Level II (Satisfactory Performance), and additional entries beyond that for every STAAR test passed at Level III (Advanced Performance).