Action Research Plan - The Bobcat Tracker

1.  Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation. Questions:  Should all grade levels use a tracker to monitor attendance, grades and behavior to promote greater success in all classes?  Is the Bobcat Tracker worth the time and do the grades reflect its effectiveness?  2.  Activities designed to achieve the objectives. I plan on collecting data from each six weeks and comparing them.  The first six weeks, there was no tracker, so the idea is that the failure rate becomes lower each six weeks.  The 6th grade team implemented this plan so I will be collecting the data.  It is important for them, as a team, to be assertive and accountable for checking the student’s trackers.  The student’s should never leave a class with a blank next to it.  It should provide either what they did that day or what is due later in the week.  This also makes it a helpful tool for their parents to see what they are learning, how they are behaving in class and their attendance.  I will be in charge of lunch detention for the student’s that forget their trackers, lose them or receive two signatures for misbehavior in classes.  3.  Resources and research tools needed for data gathering. I will use the data from the end of each six weeks.  I will get with Tricia Barba, our Data Clerk, to run me off a copy of the 6th grade classes failure report as well as all of their grades to see if there is improvement. I will meet with the 6th grade team at the end of each six weeks to modify or adjust the tracker if needed and let them know what the data says.  I will collaborate with my site supervisor as well to inform him of the progress. 4.  Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities. I will collect data from the first six weeks to see where we started as far as failure rates.  Then, I will collect it at the end of each six weeks after that to see if the implementation is working.  By June of 2013, I should know if the tracker was effective and worth pursuing.  I will also collect data from the 7th grade team to see how their failure rate was at the end of the year without using any type of tracker.  At that point, I will compare the two grade levels and show the progression of the tracker if there is one. 5.  Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan. Although it is my responsibility to follow through with the data and the action plan itself, the implementation of the plan will fall mainly on the 6th grade team.  This was originally their project so I know they support it.  I will also keep my site supervisor informed throughout the research.  All data will need to be collected from my data clerk at school. 6.  Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives. I will compare data each six weeks as well as monitor lunch detention for the student’s that have issues with their trackers.  I will also communicate with parents that have questions about the tracker.  By June, the process will be complete and it will just be a case of comparing to see if the goal was met. 7.  Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study. Luckily, numbers don’t lie.  The assessment will be done by comparing the amount of failures at the end of each 6 weeks period.  Also, at the end of the school year, we will also pull data from the 7th grade to use it for comparison as well.  By evaluating the use of the tracker with one class versus no tracker at all, we ought to be able to come to a conclusion on the effectiveness of the tracker. Action Planning Template Goal:  To determine the effectiveness of the Bobcat Tracker Action Steps(s): Person(s) Responsible: Timeline: Start/End Needed Resources Evaluation Get a print out of grades from the first six weeks and note the number of failures Brandi Stearns, 6th grade teachers and the Data Clerk December 2012 Computer and the print out of grades Notes and suggestions taken from the 6th grade team.  Review tardies, discipline and homework.  Get a print out of grades from the second six weeks and note the number of failures.  Then compare them with the first six weeks. Brandi Stearns, 6th grade teachers and the Data Clerk December 2012 Computer and the print out of grades Notes and suggestions taken from the 6th grade team.  Review tardies, discipline and homework.  Continue getting print outs from each six weeks and note the number of failures.  Create a diagram with improvement if applicable for comparison. Brandi Stearns, 6th grade teachers and the Data Clerk January-June of 2013 Computer and print out of the grades Notes and suggestions taken from the 6th grade team.  Review tardies, discipline and homework. Conduct assessments at the end of each 6 weeks period.  Compile a list of grades from the 7th graders of the last six weeks of school.  Compare the failure rate to that of the 6th grade team that utilized the Tracker and test for its effectiveness. Brandi Stearns, 6th and 7th grade teams and the Data Clerk May-June 2013 Computer and print out of the grades Compare and contrast the 6th and 7th grade data with site supervisor and determine the effectiveness of the Tracker. Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

GRANTS

After reviewing the videos in week 2, I chose to summarize Dr. Chargois and Dr. Lewis.  I found it interesting that they both used grants for their BIG projects.  One used the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and the other used Melinda and Bill Gates School Improvement Grant.  As education funds are being cut drastically, we need to open our eyes and see what all is out there.  I have heard horror stories about filling out grant paperwork, but if the outcome is what you are seeking, then it was worth the time you put into it.  We can't just assume that our districts will be behinid our projects and help get them funded.  It takes RESEARCH, lots and lots of research but there are some wonderful prgrams that want to help with student achievement.
We better start looking into grants.............