Update on My Adventure

I wanted to provide an update as to the progress I have made on my Action Research Project, titled, 

     After School Tutoring:  Targeted Practice for Success.  

I did a lot of data collection, then disaggregation of that testing data and created my groups over Spring Break last year.  In May, I met with teachers who had demonstrated improved student scores with the inclusion of after school tutoring, be it ever so slight.  In meeting with them, I was able to compile a list of those techniques and strategies that they had used when tutoring students during the year.  At the end of the year, I went through the attendance records to determine the average number of minutes that students spent in after school tutoring.  During the summer I completed my research and developed my targeted and structured mini after school tutoring model.  In July I met with my principal to go over the proposed plan.  She approved the implementation and is excited to see the results.  My plan is to provide after school tutoring that is structured and uniform for all participants.  The sessions will be targeted toward certain tested standards, whose selection is based on classroom data.  Students will attend only three sessions prior to a major test.  In addition to this, we are providing more staff development to teachers to strengthen lessons and classroom instruction.  We are also increasing the number of Saturday Math Camps.  The idea is that if we can improve first instruction, and offer periodic Saturday camps to allow students to practice math skills in fun, novel ways, then we can use that brief, targeted burst of repeated instruction and practice (after school tutoring) to solidify the information, so that it is ready for use on the day of the test.   To this end, I have set the dates for staff development, tutoring and camps on the calendar.  We have already begun our staff development sessions, focusing on improving lesson plans, expanding opportunities for higher order thinking, and helping teachers examine data and putting the results to use.  We begin our Saturday camps in one week, and tutoring planning will begin shortly after that.  At the end of October we will have our first set of Math Target Practice days, and in early November, students will take their first major math test.  After that, I will again begin compiling data for comparison to last year’s groups. 

I'm Listening!

I read the comments posted and found them to be very helpful!  I have narrowed my group and given  a clear explanation as to whom I will present my findings.  Thank you so much to those who offered insight! 

New and Improved Plan!

Action Research Planning Template
Question: What characteristics make for an effective math after school tutoring program, with effectiveness determined by results of district math test results?
		Action Step	Person Responsible		Time Line Start/End		Needed Resources		Evaluation
1		Looking at the fourth graders who failed the 2012 November district math benchmark, divide students into two groups, those that were assigned to and participated in after school tutoring, and those that were not.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data, Tutoring rosters		Creation of two study groups, one group that did receive after school tutoring as an intervention and one group that did not.
2		Determine an average score for each of the two groups, using the 2012 November math benchmark results.  Then, determine the average score for each of the groups, using the 2013 March math CBA.  Scores will be compared to determine the baseline effectiveness of our current after school tutoring program.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data,  CBA Data, selected student groups		Baseline scores will be  determined to calculate the effectiveness of the 2012-2013 after school math tutoring program as compared to the effect of no tutoring, at fourth grade.
3		Look at students who have participated in after school math and reading tutoring in grades 3, 4, and 5 this year.  Using the same benchmark and CBA data for each grade level, pinpoint which tutoring teachers have had the most success with raising the test grades of their students.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data,  CBA Data, Tutoring rosters		Target teachers will be identified based on their success with raising tutoring students test grades.
4		Meet with targeted teachers, asking what they did with their tutoring groups. I.E. activities, computer programs, lessons, etc.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		April 2013-May 2013		Target Teachers		Minutes from the meetings.  A list of what successful tutoring teachers did during tutoring this year.
5		Look at tutoring attendance sheets for the targeted teachers and determine the average number of minutes, per week, students received tutoring services.	M. Vasquez		March 2013-May 2013		Tutoring attendance sheets		Determine an average number of minutes per week needed for successful tutoring.
6		Research after school programs that have been successful.  Focus on size of groups, activities presented, and duration of tutoring sessions.  Use this information, along with the results from the targeted teacher group, to create a tutoring model to be used during the 2013-2014 school year.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		June 2013-August 2013		Articles, journals, and interviews		Tutoring program to be used for the 2013-2014 school year.
7		Meet with principal to discuss the tutoring plan proposal.  Outline all aspects of the program and cite sources to support the decision made in the creation of the plan.	M. Vasquez		August 2013		Tutoring plan, principal		Receive approval from principal to go forth with implementation and training.
8		Inservice 5th grade math tutoring teachers on the after school tutoring model that will be utilized for the 2013-2014 school year.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		August 2013- September 2013		Tutoring Plan, principal, 5th grade teachers that will tutor		Teachers will be informed about the tutoring program. Agenda from the training.  Outline of program that is provided to teachers.
9		Looking at the fifth graders who fail the 2013 November district math benchmark, divide students into two groups based on whether or not they will be assigned to after school tutoring as an intervention.	M. Vasquez		October 2013- November 2013		Benchmark Scores		5th grade math tutoring groups to be seen in accordance with the developed after school tutoring plan.
10		Determine an average score the two groups, using the 2013 November math benchmark.  Then, using the same two groups, determine the average score for each of the groups, using the 2014 March math CBA.  Scores will be compared to determine the effectiveness of our newly created after school tutoring program.	M. Vasquez		February 2014- March 2014		Benchmark data,  CBA scores		Comparison of Fall scores to Spring scores, to rate overall effectiveness of after school tutoring to no tutoring at all.
11		Evaluate the effectiveness of the new after school tutoring model, as compared to the old, by looking at the change in test scores for the monitored groups between the Fall benchmark and the Spring CBA.	M. Vasquez		March 2014- April 2014		Testing Data, principal, 5th grade math teachers		Evaluate the effectiveness and begin making modifications to improve for the next year.
12		Present findings and recommendations for future changes and possible building-wide implementation to principal, administrative team and then the Campus Improvement Committee.	M. Vasquez		May 2014		Principal, Admin Team, CIC		Revised plan and minutes from CIC discussion.

Any thoughts?

I would love to get some feedback about my plan.  I am not at all sure about my EVALUATION entries.  I don't even know if I exactly understand the concept of what it should be!  Anyway, I would appreciate any comments before I post it to TK20 and submit the assignment.  Thank you, in advance, for input!

Here's the plan!

Action Research Planning Template
Question: What characteristics make for an effective after school tutoring program, with effectiveness determined by results of district math and reading testing?
	Action Step	Person Responsible		Time Line Start/End		Needed Resources		Evaluation
1	Looking at the third, fourth and fifth graders who failed the 2012 November district math benchmark, and the 2012 October reading benchmark, divide students into two groups based on whether or not they were assigned to and participated in after school tutoring.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data, Tutoring rosters		Creation of two study groups, one group that did receive after school tutoring as an intervention and one group that did not.
2	Determine an average score for each of the two groups, using the 2012 November math benchmark and then again, using the 2012 October reading benchmark.  Then, using these same groups, determine the average score for each of the groups, using the 2013 March math CBA and the 2013 February reading CBA.  Scores will be compared to determine the baseline effectiveness of our current after school tutoring program.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data,  CBA Data		Baseline scores will be  determined to calculate the effectiveness of the 2012-2013 after school tutoring program as compared to the effect of no tutoring, at each grade level.
3	Look at students who have participated in after school math and reading tutoring in grade 3, 4, and 5 this year.  Using the same benchmark and CBA data for each grade level, pinpoint which tutoring teachers have had the most success with raising the test grades of their students.	M. Vasquez		March 2013 - April 2013		Benchmark data,  CBA Data, Tutoring rosters		Target teachers will be identified based on their success with raising tutoring students test grades.
4	Interview targeted teachers, asking what they did with their tutoring groups. I.E. activities, computer programs, lessons, etc.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		April 2013-May 2013		Target Teachers		A list of what successful tutoring teachers did during tutoring this year.
5	Look at tutoring attendance sheets for the targeted teachers and determine the average number of minutes, per week, students received tutoring services.	M. Vasquez		March 2013-May 2013		Tutoring attendance sheets		Determine an average number of minutes per week needed for successful tutoring.
6	Research after school programs that have been successful.  Focus on size of groups, activities presented, and duration of tutoring sessions.  Use this information, along with the results from the targeted teacher group, to create a tutoring model to be used during the 2013-2014 school year.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		June 2013-August 2013		Articles, journals, and interviews		Tutoring program to be used for the 2013-2014 school year.
7	Inservice teachers on the after school tutoring model that will be utilized for the 2013-2014 school year.	M. Vasquez, B. Wickel		August 2013- September 2013		Tutoring Plan		Teachers will be informed about the tutoring program.
8	Looking at the third, fourth and fifth graders who fail the 2013 November district math benchmark and the 2013 October reading benchmark, divide students into groups based on whether or not they will be assigned to after school tutoring as an intervention.	M. Vasquez		October 2013- November 2013		Benchmark Scores		Tutoring groups to be seen in accordance with the developed after school tutoring plan.
9	Determine an average score for each of the  groups, using the 2013 November math benchmark and the 2013 October reading benchmark.  Then, using these same groups, determine the average score for each of the groups, using the 2014 March math CBA and the 2014 February reading CBA.  Scores will be compared to determine the effectiveness of our newly created after school tutoring program.	M. Vasquez		February 2014- March 2014		Benchmark data,  CBA scores		Comparison of Fall scores to Spring scores, to rate overall effectiveness of after school tutoring to no tutoring at all.
10	Evaluate the effectiveness of the new after school tutoring model, as compared to the old, by looking at the change in test scores for the monitored groups between the Fall benchmark and the Spring CBA.	M. Vasquez		March 2014- April 2014		Testing Data		Evaluate the effectiveness and begin making modifications to improve for the next year.