Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan

SCHOOL VISION:

Our mission is to produce students who are exceptional academically, socially and emotionally.  Therefore, our teachers and students must have the most effective strategies, techniques and resources available to them.

GOAL: 

The goal is to stream-line and vertically-align the learning strategies, teaching techniques and resources that are used across all grade levels (K-5) through an inquiry based Professional Learning Community   

ACTIVITY	Recruit at least one teacher from each grade level (K-5) to join an inquiry based PCL (“Math Committee”)	Develop “Meteor Math” weekly math drill and practice.  “Meteor Math” drills will become progressively more difficult throughout the series as students successfully and accurately complete them.	Attend Professional Development Conferences to learn about high-quality, research-based, practical materials that can be used across all grade levels and tailored to our specific needs	I will leave final column for additional activities that arise as Math Committee identifies needs of students
OUTCOME	Create a forum for brainstorming, collaborating and communicating the gaps in academic successes, approaches for addresses gaps and evaluate best practices to avoid gaps in the future	Provide effective, structured math drills for students to practice identifying operation and increase speed for correctly answering addition/subtraction/ multiplication/division problems.  Each grade level will have 10-12 worksheets or electronic tests of sum/difference/product/ quotient and must accurately recite skip counting to a pre-established ending number	This will encourage consistency and familiarity in learning strategies and teaching practices across grade-levels.  Will also increase effectiveness of upper-grade teachers by saving them the time they currently use to “reteach” their preferred strategies as their preferred strategies will be introduced in lower grades.
RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	Teachers who volunteer their time, energy and knowledge	Series of math drill worksheets OR select a website with pre-established drills available electronically K – Identify shapes, count to 20, skip count by 2s, 5s, 10s 1 -  Mixed Drills of sums and differences, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 10s 2 – Mixed Drills of sums and differences, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, and 10s 3 – Mixed Drills of sums/differences with regrouping, multiplication, skip counting by, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s 4 – Mixed Drills of multiplication and division, skip counting by 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 11s, 12s 5 – Mixed Drills of multiplication and division, skip counting by 2s – 12s	Kim Sutton’s Creative Mathematics “Math Camp” and evaluate resources/techniques introduced at conference to determine those that should be used/modified by our teachers for our students.
RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITY	Asst. Principal, L. Higham (K), M. Hanley (1st), R. Kruger (2nd), C. Crowe (3rd), D. Keller (4th), S. Richmond (5th)	Teacher will establish a time each week that is devoted to practicing and grading these drills with all students in class.  Student will move to the next drill in the series only when they successfully and accurately complete the previous drill.	K-1 Math Camp L. Higham & M. Hanley 2-4 Math Camp C. Crowe & D. Keller
TIME LINE	January 2012 – June 2013	August 2012 – June 2013	July 2012 in Dallas
ASSESSMENT	Attendance will be taken at monthly meetings to record consistent participation	Students will earn a point toward “Meteor Math” award when they successfully and accurately complete the entire drill provided to them.  They will progress to the next drill in the series until all drills have been successfully and accurately completed.	New materials that are discovered at Math Camp will be utilized in classes beginning next school year, we will evaluate the success based on student achievement throughout the year and continue to modify as the teachers find appropriate based on new/different academic gaps if they exist
REVISIONS BASED ON ASSESSMENTS