Week 3 Assignment, Part 3
Draft Action Research Project Progress Report
Title:
Improving our learning gaps with our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage students.
Needs Assessment:
We didn’t meet AYP in 2010-2011 in reading therefore, I have looked at our AYP data, the past three years TAKS scores in 3rd and fourth grade, and I’ve pulled all the RTI paperwork. This has led to more questions, for example: Has fourth grade being departmentalized caused the TAKS scores to fall by 8%? %? I also used qualitative data to further my reaserch I’ve interviewed our Dyslexia teacher, reading specialist, and our ESL teacher and ask them what they thought is causing our drop in scores. One teacher thought it was lack of detailed instruction, another thought it’s because our ESL students are often quiet teacher pleasers so the teachers are unaware that they don’t understand. The last teacher thought it was because of the grade level being departmentalized. To improve our learning gaps with our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage students. Since my research is showing that, our female Hispanic students seem to be most at risk. My targeted population is our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantaged students that account for 30% of our fourth grade population, which is 22 students. I would like to start this after Christmas and continue until June. I want to find out how our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage students can pass the state assessment in third grade, but failed it in fourth grade. What changes need to happen? Can we pinpoint the students in need? Do we have enough time to make a change?
Objectives and Vision of the action research project. (ELCC 1.1)
The need's assessment for our campus showed that our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage student's scores dropped by 8% from third grade to fourth. Therefore, we didn’t meet AYP.
My vision for the action research project is to improve our reading scores with our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage students. This will be done by tutoring at-risk students in reading, and place targeted population into interventions, offer workshops on reading to parents, offer workshops on small reading groups to fourth-grade teachers, and monitor student's progress and change as data reflects.
Measureable objects that well be used are monthly running records, ISIP data, Texas Treasures unit reading assessment data, monthly meetings with the action committee to discuss findings and STARR data once it’s received. This will begin in January 2012 and continue until May 2012. I expect to see a gain in our non-LEP Hispnaic economically disadvantage students reading scores. I have received our AYP rating for 2011-2012, and we did meet AYP all of my target populations passed this year.
Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy
Literature review: My topic is how to improve reading scores with our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantaged students. My research provided me with an outline on how to help fourth-grade students with reading it stated to focus on such as vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, making connections in text, visualizing, and questioning these skills must be taught struggling students can’t automatically do these on their own (Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A., 2007). An article that I found helpful was called, “How to Set Up 4th Grade Reading Groups,” this article was about how important it is to still have reading groups in fourth grade to teach needed skills such as comprehension (Peters, M.). Another article called, “Helping Hispanic Students Reach High Academic Standards,” broke it down explaining that 40% of Hispanic students are; living in poverty due to family income, neighborhood poverty, parental educational level, race, and immigrant status. My decision making process was based on our AYP assessment score that was my campuses biggest need because we didn’t meet AYP. I review data for the past three years and interviewed teachers to find out what they feel have caused this issue in reading at our fourth-grade level. All the fourth-grade teachers, reading specialist, ESL teacher, counselor, vice-principal, and I were all involved in this project. The grade level was undepartmentalized, so they couldn’t blame just one teacher anymore. The decision was made to make sure that our targeted population be served entirely even if they weren’t failing. They either were in tutoring after school or in intervention or worked with me during my planning time.
References
Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement. Portland, Maine:Stenhouse Publishers
Peters, M. How to Set Up 4th Grade Reading Groups. eHowContributor
Ed.gov. (2000). Helping Hispanic Students Reach High Academic Standards. Retrieved from: http:// www.2.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/Hispanic/Chapter1.html
Articulate the Vision (ELCC 1.2)
I communicated this at a meeting with staff and community members were invited, but none came. I passed out data, an agenda I had a power point with the information listed that I went over. I started with the data, so they could see why this is an issue. Then I described the vision of closing the gap with our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantaged students by tracking their progress and making sure that all of them received dome form of tutoring in reading to help them progress. I presented a plan where we would check their ISIP data and reading benchmarks monthly, Texas Treasure reading assessments every six weeks, and we will meet monthly to see if they are progressing, or if we need to implement some changes. All students who were non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantaged were placed in tutoring or intervention regardless if they were failing or not. The AYP data over the last three years showed that these children would pass the TAKs in third grade, and some were commended, but when they got to fourth grade, they would fail, therefore, the entire group no matter what current grades they had were place in a tutoring group.
Manage the organization (ELCC 3.1)
I compiled a list of target population, which was our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantage students in fourth grade. Then I received tutoring lists from all of our fourth-grade teachers and an intervention list from our reading specialists and our ESL teachers. I correlated this list to see if all the target population was receiving extra support, and all but five students were. I worked with those five during my conference time three days a week to make sure they had the support they need. Our fourth-grade teachers, reading specialist, and our ESL teacher, counselor and vice-principal were on our action research committee. I worked closely with the fourth-grade teachers, reading specialist, and our ESL teacher to check on the student's progress. The fourth-grade teachers were responsible for give me current data that they reviewed as a team, the reading specialist help gather reports on these student's grades and test scores. The ESL teacher helps give us ideas on how to make some of the vocabulary and subjects meaning for our target population. Since I teach second grade and not fourth the fourth-grade teachers help with some ideas of what I need to work on with my group of students, and one fourth-grade teacher even modeled the way she was teaching some of the harder concepts. We would meet monthly, look over data, and share what we have been working on. We didn’t receive and money for this, and we met after school once a month as a committee.
Manage Operations (ELCC 3.2)
The principal helped me with the need's assessment, which showed our biggest need was to meet AYP for 2011-2012, because we didn’t meet it the year before. After I analyzed the past three years AYP results and TAKS scores to look for a pattern, I found that the data showed our non-LEP Hispanic students passed in third grade but failed in fourth grade. Next, I interviewed teachers and ask if they could think of a reason this is happening. After that, I looked at our targeted population to make sure that they are all receiving turning or an intervention, so I review our RTI information and collected tutoring list from fourth-grade teachers. The group process that was used was making an action research project committee, which included all fourth-grade teachers, the counselor, and myself, the reading specialist, ESL teacher, and vice principal, and we met once a month to go over data and progress. By having the vice-principal on the committee, I didn’t have any issues with building a consensus and there wasn’t any conflict either.
Respond to Community Interest and Needs (ELCC 4.2)
Since my targeted population was our non-LEP Hispanic economically disadvantaged student who was my main focus, which is how I’m helping students with a diverse background. After identifying our targeted population, I then check the fourth-grade class rosters to make sure that every student was receiving either tutoring or interventions, and only five students weren't, and I pulled them three days a week to work with me during my conference time. I met with the dyslexia teacher to ensure that I wasn’t teaching her dyslexia students anything that could hinder their growth in her program.
