• Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation
The goal of this research investigation is to determine the best way to improve reading skills of the bottom quartile of the children at Deer Creek Elementary School. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Voyager Passport Ticket to Read program by comparing the progress of first and second grade students that participated in last years’ program with the progress of the third and fourth grade students that will participate in this years’ program.
• Activities designed to achieve the objectives
Teaching duties will be performed by the paraprofessional assigned to the program.
Daily lessons 30- 45 minutes in length will provide intensive, targeted, small-group instruction.
Choral reading will allow the paraprofessional to model the rate, enunciation, and intonation that gives meaningful expression to the passage.
Comprehension review will help students demonstrate understanding by retelling the main idea of the passage.
Vocabulary review will allow students to identify unfamiliar words while writing, pronouncing and defining them.
Reading with a partner is done on the second reading when paired students read alternating passages to one another.
• Resources and research tools needed for data gathering
Data will be gathered from classroom teachers, student report cards, TAKS results and VPORT (Voyagers online data management system).
• Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities
The program will be implemented at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, after students are identified, and will continue for 26 weeks. Data will be compiled as it occurs and the analysis will be completed by the end of the school year.
• Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan
Robert Williams, action researcher
Karla Ellis, Principal
Campus Planning Onsite Committee (CPOC)
• Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives
Benchmarks and progress monitoring measures will be administered at the beginning, middle and end of implementation. These measures will enable teachers to determine if students are responding to intervention and identify a student as struggling, emerging, or on-track.
Biweekly progress monitors will be used to determine instructional needs of students between benchmarks.
Weekly criterion-referenced assessments provide teachers with additional information needed for instructional decision making.
• Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
Vital Indicators of Progress, a progress monitoring component of the program, will be used to make instructional decisions.
Voyager’s online data management system will be used to make a detailed comparison between the two years data.
A summary comparison using all data will be made at the conclusion of the study.
I really appreciate the detail and variety of methods for implementing your research. The monitoring schedule for the research will be challenging for faculty and students alike. The consistency will enhance the results! Good Luck with the program!
ReplyDeleteYour research plan has a significant amount of depth and should provide results that will encourage teachers to desire participating in the programs. After reading your ideas, I wondered if you planned to account differently for students who are enter the district at a later date and for students who receive additional tutoring outside of the school day.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a chance, will you please comment on my blog: http://www.gayedontyler.blogspot.com/
I waited until the last minute which was not a very good idea!
Good luck on your research. I am sure your school will benefit from your work.