Phase II Template_Updated 11/3.docx
Phase II TemplatePHASE II COLLABORATIVE CULTURE ASSIGNMENT
TEMPLATETeam member names: Alicia Staton, Rachel Nachman, Nichole
SchumakerGoal of team: Our initiative is designed to improve
homework completion and accuracy, academic performance, and school
attendance. With regards to homework completion, our initiative
aims to improve the frequency and accuracy of completed homework
for students who originally earned less than a 60% homework
completion percentage. Furthermore, our initiative aims to improve
the academic performance of students who originally earned a
homework completion percentage between 80%-100%. Additionally, our
initiative addresses special education students who have not
demonstrated mastery of the three learning objectives aligned with
this initiative. Through various interventions, it is hoped that
these special education students will improve their understanding
of the mathematical content aligned with these objectives. Lastly,
our initiative aims to improve the attendance rate for students who
originally earned lower than an 85% attendance rate.
Overall, we want our fifth-grade students become productive,
contributing, active members of society and develop the skills
needed to have a solid foundation that promotes high expectations,
regular attendance, and collaboration. Furthermore, while engaging
in hands-on and real world simulations, our students will construct
deeper content and technological knowledge to help them succeed
both inside and outside of the classroom. Through our initiative,
students will become lifelong 21st century learners with the skills
and drive necessary to be successful in the workforce.
Curriculum level of students and field of study: Grade 5 - Math
(determining equivalent fractions, ordering fractions, and
representing proper fractions using visual models)Roles of team
members:Rachel: editor, organizer, schedule keeper, give
updates
Alicia: editor, collaborator, task manager, give updates
Nichole: editor, group meeting notes and summary, give
updates
Timeframe of team interactions and plans:
Course WeekAction PlansCompletionsComments
Week 4-Decide our roles-Setup a schedule of meetings-Roles were
defined-Schedule was set We got an early start and kept a 1-week
ahead pace. This was done with strong personal accountability and
steady stream of communication.
Week 5-Edit schedule-Invite Datta Kaur to next live session-Read
each others Phase I projects-Schedule updated-Invite sent -Template
and rubric posted in Google Docs-Held 2 successful Google
Hangouts-Read through Phase I projectsOur teamwork is really paying
off. We were able to make minor adjustments so the schedule
time/dates of our meetings and task completions can be done. Our
group meetings have been very productive and positive. We were able
to identify themes, trends and start to build foundation for the
three initiatives.
Week 6-Continued reading through Phase I projects-Take notes on
each others projects-Develop initiative-Group meeting with
professor-Further discussed Phase I projects -Met with professor on
October 20th and had a live group conference (2.5 hours in
total)-Began collaboratively working on Phase II projectWe are
working extremely well together. Everyone is following the
guidelines we set regarding due dates and we are in constant
communication. Additionally, we are all sharing ideas and
discussing the ideas of others. Our group conference on October
20th lasted 2.5 hours, during which we further discussed our
initiatives and decided next steps.
Week 7 -Rough draft of initiatives are due on Monday, October
28th -Continue completing Phase II template-We are planning on
having a live group conference on October 27th -Edit Phase II
template-Draft Phase II initiatives with data tables and graphs-Had
a live group conference on October 27th (2 hours)We had another
successful week! Our constant communication, feedback, and openness
with each other has really helped in the development of this
project. Our live group conference on October 27th was extremely
beneficial; more ideas were shared, questions were answered, and
improvements were suggested. We are looking forward to our next
group conference on October 30th and are also excited to meet in
person on November 3rd.
Week 8 -We are planning on having a live group conference on
October 30th-We are planning on having an in-person group meeting
on November 3rd-Held a live group conference on October 30th to
continue editing our project-Held an in-person group meeting on
November 3rd to finish working on this projectOur group worked
extremely well together! We met at Starbucks on November 3rd to
finish this project together. Overall, we collaborated successfully
and learned from each other throughout the duration of this phase
of the project.
Student learning considerations for team planning:There are 75
students in fifth grade. Out of these 75 students, 21 are special
education students, 18 are Limited English Proficient students, 60
receive Free and Reduced Meals, and 5 have been retained.
Due to the socio-economic status of a majority of our students,
many students do not have access to a wide variety of technology at
home. Therefore, the Department of Education has issued iPads to
all fifth grade students and teachers. The internet service for
these iPads has been provided for AT&T. These iPads will be
used inside of the classroom; however, all students and teachers
will be allowed to bring them home as well. Thus, all students will
have access to technology both inside and outside of the
classroom.
Furthermore, our school has a moderate level of family
involvement. While some family members are actively involved in
their students education, there are other family members that are
not. Thus, family collaboration is a component of all three
initiatives in our plan.
Based on our observational data, it is evident that a majority
of our students enjoy their time and school and are engaged
throughout the school day. A component of our school improvement
plan is mathematics, and while students enjoy learning mathematical
concepts, it is an area of academic weakness. Thus, the academic
component of our initiative plan relates to the fifth-grade
mathematics curriculum.Student data considered during team
planning: A wide variety of data were analyzed and considered
during our team planning. For the homework helpers initiative, we
identified two groups of students - students who earned less than a
60% homework completion percentage and students that earned between
an 80%-100% homework completion percentage yet did not achieve the
three learning objectives of this unit. We felt as though these two
groups were important because homework completion is both valuable
and necessary for instruction. Furthermore, we found it interesting
that students who completed their homework frequently and
accurately were still not performing well on the classroom
assessments.
For the special education initiative, we looked at all students
(both general education and special education students) that did
not meet each learning objective. While both general and special
education students are addressed in this initiative, there are
other components of the initiative that relate to just special
education students. We decided to use the learning objectives
Rachel created in her Phase I proposal because they are aligned to
5th grade mathematics standards. The percentages reflect the
maximum score on each assessment (and maximum average score) set at
10. The sub-group of students that did not meet each objective was
identified by determining the students that earned below a score of
8 for objectives #1 & #3 and below 7.5 for objective #2.
Lastly, we identified students that earned lower than an 85%
attendance rate. We felt that this was an important sub-group of
students to identify because poor attendance can affect academic
achievement, especially for low-income students unable to make up
for lost time, research shows. [It] can set a pattern of poor
attendance and academic failure for older students, fueling the
dropout rate. (Attendance Works, 2010).
As a result of all of the above, what three initiatives were
presented during your weeks of team discussions? Please place the
name, intent and description of each of three initiatives below.
Use as much space as you like to complete this template well.Our
initiative utilizes three different groups: the Leopard Learners (a
group for students who need re-teaching for a specific concept),
Wildcat Winners (a group for students to analyze personal and
grade-level attendance data to encourage patterns of regular
attendance), and the Jaguar Jumpers (for students who would benefit
from extension and acceleration activities).
The Leopard Learners will also meet Monday through Thursday for
the last thirty minutes of the school day. The Jaguar Jumpers will
meet on Monday through Thursday for the last thirty minutes of the
school day. The Wildcat Winners will meet on Fridays for the last
thirty minutes of the school day.
Homework:
Interactive homework website, with podcast and vodcast of
lessons, daily homework assignment
Skype along with Face Time, will be used for two and a half
hours an evening run by the university students doing their
internship
Big Marker will be used for students who need visual assistance
through the use of the whiteboard feature
Students can submit homework online through ipads or save
questions in the notes section
Flipped Classroom
Special Education: Those special education students (and general
education students) that need re-teaching of the learning
objectives will meet in the Leopard Learners group on Mondays
through Thursdays. This group will be co-taught by the Leopard
Learners teacher, the Wildcat Winners teacher, and a special
education paraprofessional due to the large class size. Because
this is a 3-week initiative, one week will be dedicated to each of
the three learning objectives aligned with this unit. At the end of
each Tuesday session, an assessment will be given on the concept
that was re-taught during the Monday and Tuesday of that week.
Based on those assessment results, it will be determined who still
needs re-teaching and who can move to the Jaguar Jumpers. Those
students who are still receiving re-teaching at the end of the week
(Thursday) will take an additional assessment to measure their
understanding of the content being re-taught.
Attendance: All students will look at their attendance data to
create visual representations to show their attendance rate for
each week. This initiative is aimed at encouraging patterns of
regular attendance for all students. The Wildcat Winners will meet
every Friday for thirty minutes to create multimedia presentations
to inspire others with positive peer influence to maintain high
rates of attendance. Teacher teams will meet to discuss grade level
attendance data, identify causes for poor rates of attendance and
put interventions into motion for students at risk for falling
behind their classmates academically. Fifth grade teachers will
assist the Wildcat Winners explore areas to improve their personal
accountability, sense of responsibility, time management, and pride
in oneself.
On-Grade Level and Acceleration (in addition to our
initiatives): The Jaguar Jumpers will be comprised of students who
benefit from acceleration and enrichment activities. They will meet
on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday
of each week, any student that does not need re-teaching on the
learning objective being covered that week (based on Phase I data)
will attend the Jaguar Jumpers. Furthermore, on Wednesday and
Thursday of each week, those students that were in the Leopard
Learners that no longer need re-teaching will join the Jaguar
Jumpers (based on the assessment data from Tuesday of each week). A
more detailed description of the assessment process for the Leopard
Learners is discussed below.
The three academic learning objectives aligned with this
initiative plan are:
Maryland Grade 5 Mathematics Standard 6.0: Knowledge of Number
Relationships and Computation/Arithmetic
Learning Objective #1 - Students will display their ability to
determine equivalent forms of proper fractions by presenting a
video of 5 examples of these fractions with at least 80% accuracy
according to the rubric provided.
Learning Objective #2 - Given a set of four fractions, students
will be able to order the fractions in ascending and descending
order by constructing visual models of these fractions with at
least 75% accuracy according to the rubric provided.
Learning Objective #3 - Students will demonstrate their ability
to represent proper fractions by constructing visual models of 5
examples of these fractions with at least 80% accuracy according to
the rubric provided.
Initiative I (Title): Homework HelpersInitiative I (Goal):
During a three-week period students in group A who have less than a
60% homework completion rate will show evidence of daily use of
online homework tutoring help and homework completion and accuracy
through online submission, with a 90% percentage rate.
During a three-week period students in group B who had a 80% -
100% homework completion rate, but below a 70% success rate on
objectives will show a success rate of 85% on objectives through
Study Island assessments.
Initiative I:Homework has always played a vital role in the
learning process. It is an extension of the learning environment
and a connector for home and the school. Through the years parents
have depended on homework coming home so that they are able to know
what is going on in the classroom and see how their child is
progressing. So the question becomes what happens when students
dont do homework? Does this affect their work in school? Our data
shows two very different trends. The data is based on the average
completion of homework based on 5 assignments a week. We decided to
set the homework completion goal at 4-5 (80-100%) assignments
completed as satisfactory while completion of 3 and below (0-60%)
was seen as unsatisfactory. With these parameters the first focus
was placed on 27 out of 75 students (36%). This is a significant
number since we are only around 10 students away from half of the
classes falling into the unsatisfactory range. On the other hand,
there is a group of students (15 out of 75, or 20%) who completed
4-5 homework assignments (80%-100%) with accuracy, however the
success they were experiencing with homework was not translated
into the classroom. Their objective averages ranged from 0.4/10
(4%) to 5.8/10 (58%). Once we added both of these groups together
the overall number of students who needed homework assistance was
42 out of 75 (56%). This encompasses more than half of all the
fifth grade classes. At this point we decided as a team that
something needed to be done and that is when we began developing
our homework initiative.
It was very important to us to get the parents involved in this
process therefore part of this initiative will be a communication
tool for parents. This tool will allow us to inform parents about
the daily homework assignments as well as give a way to communicate
with us as well. According to the Center for Public Education there
are six types of parent involvement:
1. Parenting, in which schools help families with their
parenting skills by providing information on childrens
developmental stages and offering advice on learning-friendly home
environments;2. Communicating, or working to educate families about
their childs progress and school services and providing
opportunities for parents to communicate with the school;3.
Volunteering, which ranges from offering opportunities for parents
to visit their childs school to finding ways to recruit and train
them to work in the school or classroom;4. Learning at home, in
which schools and educators share ideas to promote at-home learning
through high expectations and strategies so parents can monitor and
help with homework.5. Decision-making, in which schools include
families as partners in school organizations, advisory panels, and
similar committees.6. Community collaboration, a two-way outreach
strategy in which community or business groups are involved in
education and schools encourage family participation in the
community (2011).The one that our initiative will focus on is
number 4, Learning at home. According to The National Education
Association, The research is clear, consistent, and convincing,
parent, family, and community involvement in education correlates
with higher academic performance and school improvement. When
schools, parents, families, and communities work together to
support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend
school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enroll in higher
level programs (2008). It is our goal to enhance and build the home
school relationship by providing an open line of communication at
all times. This initiative encompasses the parent and family
(through open communication and interactions) and the community
(through interns, technology donations, and the purchase of
software programs for students).
GROUP A (Students that completed 60% or less of their
homework):Averages of Students With Low Homework Completion
Scores
StudentsObjective 1 AVGObjective 2 AVGObjective 3 AVGHomework
Completion
17.25.63.43
24.62.63.43
33.64.63.82
563.23.41
72.64.44.42
145.84.43.81
156.44.22.40
212.63.43.41
2245.42.40
GROUP B (Students that completed all of their homework yet still
earned low assessment scores):Averages of Students with High
Homework Completion Scores
StudentsObjective 1 AVGObjective 2 AVGObjective 3
AVGHomework
104.84.234
135.83.624
230.422.24
240.41.60.45
254.64.84.44
Data:For Group A you will notice that the students averages
highlighted in red declined over the three objectives. As for the
students who were not highlighted, they showed a pattern of
inconsistency and their averages never rose above a 5/10 (50%).
While the students highlighted in red declined, they at some point
managed to actually get averages between the 5-6.5 range (50-65%).
This leads us to believe that as their homework completion
declined, so did their scores on the objectives. This also says
that had they completed the homework more often and with accuracy,
their averages would have been better. Along with homework
assistance, these numbers also tell us that there is a lack of
communication between the home and school. A plan for informing
parents of assignments daily will also be a part of the homework
initiative.
For Group B you will notice that these students had a high
instance of homework completion with accuracy. However, what they
are capable of doing at home is not translating to school. This is
a concern because these students are going home completing the
homework frequently and accurately, but not retaining or mastering
the concepts. For example, the student highlighted in red completed
all homework assignments accurately, yet had the lowest scores on
the objectives. It makes you wonder just how much assistance they
are getting at home or are they actually completing the assignments
themselves. This is a situation that needs to be remedied
especially since homework is an extension of the school day meant
to promote practice and reinforcement. This group of students needs
a different approach to homework, one that forces them to engage
with the material in a way that they are forced to learn even if
someone is helping them along.
Summary: The need for a homework initiative was determined based
on these two groups of students and their data. By combining the
two groups we found that 42 out of 75 students (56%) have issues
with homework either completion or understanding. This is more than
half of the class which is a grave concern. The homework initiative
focuses on these two groups of students using, hands on modeling
and practice, long term projects with support, online
re-teaching/conferencing/tutoring, iPad applications, and practice
software. This initiative will run for 3 weeks (each week focusing
on one objective) under the umbrella of a long term all inclusive
project to demonstrate understanding.
Initiative: Evening Tutoring with College Interns (Group A):This
group of students had issues with homework completion. One way that
they will be supported is through an evening tutoring program 4
nights a week. This tutoring program will take place Monday through
Thursday from 4:00-6:30 PM. The students will be able to login to
one of three sites using their iPads, powered by AT&T (through
a business partner relationship). The sites will be manned by our
college interns who have volunteered 2 hours an evening on a
rotating weekly schedule. The interns will be able to address
student concerns in real time using Skype or Facetime. If a student
needs more assistance requiring examples, they will let the intern
know before the session so that they can log on to Big Marker (this
program was purchased for the 5th grade team by the PTA). Big
Marker is a site that supports online conferences. The nice thing
about this site is that it comes with access to a whiteboard. This
will allow the students and the interns to write or draw on the
board. Along with this feature, the student and intern can also
chat via webcam, text, or audio. With Big Marker you can also save
the files that you create so study sessions can be accessed later.
Along with the students, parents can also join in on the session in
order to learn how to provide help for their student during off
hours and weekends.
Monitoring Tool:Success on this initiative will be based on two
things:
First:
Students will receive a score for the number of login sessions
they complete each evening with the interns. A scale of 0-10 will
be used in 2.5 point intervals, so for each day that a student logs
in and spends at least 30 minutes working with the intern they will
receive 2.5 point. If the student completes daily logins of no less
than 30 minutes, they will earn 10 points for the week. Success for
this portion of the initiative will be set at 90%, thus making it
necessary for students to earn extra points by staying on for extra
time. This data will be tracked daily by the interns when the
students login. They will also track the amount of time each
student spends in the session. Extra points will be credited for
each half hour that a student stays online at the rate of .5
points. So an extra 2 points per day can be earned by the students
for spending extra time online completing homework, thus making it
a grand total of 18 points for the week.
Second:Students will have to submit homework assignments online
via the Glencoe mathematics website with 90% accuracy. Students
will use the online Glencoe textbook site in order to complete
homework assignments and submit them via email. The site allows the
students to complete the assignment, review their answers, score
final products, and email them directly to the teacher.
Tracking Student Success: An Excel spreadsheet will be created
in order to track both sets of data. This spreadsheet will be kept
in the students individual data portfolios as well as the classroom
data portfolio. Each weekend students will go to Kids Zone:
Learning with NCES at http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ in
order to graph their data and analyze their data. This graph and
summary will then be added to their data portfolio. Parents will be
required to sign off on their students data portfolio activities
weekly.
Web Based Research Projects with Assistance (a real world task)
- (Advanced Students):Even though this group of students is not
addressed through the data, we would be remiss to leave them out of
this plan. This group of students will complete online WebQuest
projects using programs such as Join.me (which is a free service
that allows students to share their screens with each other and
work together) or Rabble Browser which can be used in class or at
home on the students iPads. Homework Club (after school) (Group
B):This club is for the students who did well on homework but was
unable to translate that to their in school task. The club will
meet three times a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after
school from 3:30 - 5:00. For this hour and a half students will
work with the teacher in a small group setting on spiraled
assignments
Monday:Each week these students would revisit the original
homework assignments for the objective being reviewed. Based on the
Common Core Mathematical Practices found at
http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/mathematics/index.html
students will be asked to:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them3.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
(students will switch papers with other students to critique their
work in order to find errors in their justifications, process, or
product.)
4. Model with mathematics (through the use of fraction bars,
fraction strips, fraction models, etc.) Students would be asked to
show their work through models, which other students would then
have the ability to analyze and critique.
6. Attend to precision (Students will be required to show the
check for their work)
This would be a way to really interact with the students in a
smaller setting and help them to understand, internalize, visually
represent, and master the concepts that are being taught. This
group of students would work on assignments using manipulatives
such as fraction bars and fraction strips (2013).
Tuesday:Each week students will choose one of the various
methods used to create a presentation using software such as Jing,
Podcast, Vodcast, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc. in order to reinforce the
activities that were completed in homework club the day before.
This activity will be completed using their iPads, this way if the
assignment is not completed in school it can be finished or worked
on at home. This day is dedicated to the sole use of
technology.
Wednesday: On Wednesday, students will complete an activity on
their iPad for assessment purposes. The assessment will be
completed in one of two forms, Study Island or Socrative. Both of
these programs allow for management of student data.
Having these students complete their homework assignments at
school will ensure that the success that they are having on these
will translate into the classroom. Completion will be monitored,
assessed, and reviewed.
Monitoring Tool:Success on this initiative is based on one of
two weekly assessments. On Monday, students will take a
pre-assessment on the objective for that week. This score will be
saved to an Excel spreadsheet and tracked by the student in their
individual data binders (these were created in order to build the
students data literacy with giving them the ability to track and
analyze their own data). On Wednesday, students will take a five
question mid-week assessment using their iPads and Socrative. This
data will then be added to the excel spreadsheet and their
individual data binders. On Friday, students will take an online
assessment using Study Island. This data will then be added to the
spreadsheet and their individual binders.
Tracking Student Success:
Each weekend students will use the KidsZone: Learning with NCES
at http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ in order to graph
their data and analyze their data. This graph and summary will then
be added to their data portfolio. Parents will be required to sign
off on their data portfolio activities weekly.
Homework Club Recognition (Celebration of Success Ceremony):At
the end of the three weeks, a ceremony will be held for the
students. Students who achieved the percentage goal required for
success will receive a $15.00 iTunes gift card and a gift
certificate for a free ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. During
the ceremony each group, having created a presentation of their
experience, will have the opportunity to share it with their
parents, peers, and administrators. This will be a multimedia
presentation inclusive of audio, video, and written parts. A
reception will be held inclusive of relatives, students, and team
members. This will be our 5th Grade Celebration of Success
Ceremony.
Initiative II (Title): Special Education Learning
InitiativeInitiative II (Goal): During a 3-week period, special
education students will display an ability to determine equivalent
forms of proper fractions, order fractions, and represent proper
fractions using visual models by earning an average of at least an
80% on each weeks assessments. Initiative II: Quite often, there is
a considerable difference between the performance of general
education students and the performance of students with special
education needs. As seen on the table below, for all three
objectives, the average score for fifth grade students without IEPs
was more than double the average score for fifth grade students
with IEPs. More specifically, based on our accuracy statement
within each learning objective, none of the special education
students achieved any of the objectives. Students with special
needs make up 28% of each class, and thus, a great deal of
consideration must be given to how these students can better
succeed within the classroom. Because special education students
have a disability that adversely impacts their academic
performance, measures must be taken to help these students succeed
academically. These measures will encompass the special education
learning initiative.
Average Score For Learning ObjectivesLearning ObjectiveSpecial
Education StudentsNon-Special Education Students
Objective #13.4857142866.988888889
Objective #23.0285714296.4
Objective #32.7428571435.755555556
There are a wide variety of disabilities, all which impact
students in different ways and require different accommodations,
modifications, and instructional aids. This initiative does not aim
to group all special education students together; it is evident
that each student needs to be looked at differently and that
instruction must align to each students specific and individual
needs.
First, it should not be assumed that all students will
demonstrate mastery of an objective after only learning the content
for the first time. While some students may achieve a lessons
objective(s) after taking part in the lesson one time, this is not
true for all students especially those students with special
learning needs. Many special education students need to learn the
content multiple times and in smaller settings. As stated above,
even after practicing the skills aligned with this fraction unit on
multiple different assessments, it is evident that none of the
special education students demonstrated a mastery of the learning
objectives. Thus, a major component of this learning initiative is
the idea of re-teaching. As stated above, a specific group (the
Leopard Learners) will be dedicated to both special education and
general education students that need re-teaching for the three
objectives that this fraction unit aligns with.
Re-Teaching: Leopard LearnersThis group will meet Mondays
through Thursdays for the last thirty minutes of the school day.
Since this initiative will extend over the course of three weeks,
one week will be dedicated to each learning objective in this unit.
For example, on Monday and Tuesday of Week 1, all eighteen students
from each class that did not meet the first learning objective will
attend the Leopard Learners group. At the end of the following day
(Tuesday), an assessment will be given on determining equivalent
forms of proper fractions. On the Monday and Tuesday of Week 2, all
nineteen students from each class that did not meet the second
learning objective will attend the Leopard Learners group. An
assessment that focuses on ordering fractions will be given at the
end of the session on Tuesday. Additionally, on the Monday and
Tuesday of Week 3, all 23 students from each class that did not
meet the third learning objective will attend the Leopard Learners
group. At the end of the session the following day, an assessment
will be given that focuses on representing proper fractions will be
administered.
Each student in the Leopard Learners group will be assigned a
school iPad and all assessments will be given using the Socrative
iPad application. Through Socrative, assessments will be loaded on
to each students iPad. Once each student completes the assessment,
the scores will be sent directly to the teachers e-mail inbox. The
teacher will be notified of the percentage of students that
answered each question correctly (or incorrectly) and will also be
able to see each students answer to each question. Based on the
results of each assessment, it will be determined who still needs
re-teaching and who can move to the Jaguar Jumpers for the
remainder of that given week (a description of this group is
provided above). Those students who are still in the Leopard
Learners on Thursdays will receive another assessment to determine
their proficiency on the objective that was re-taught that week.
Throughout the week, students will use the Socrative software to
complete practice activities prior to taking the assessments. This
ensures that students are familiar with how to use the Socrative
software when taking the actual assessments.
The Leopard Learners group will be co-taught by the Leopard
Learners teacher, the Wildcat Winners teacher, and a special
education paraprofessional due to the large class size.
This re-teaching will incorporate a variety of instructional
strategies that align to the students specific needs and that may
have not been utilized when the lesson was taught the first time.
For example, students will be given opportunities to use
manipulatives (such as fraction strips) and visual organizers (such
as highlighters, foldables, post it notes, and vocabulary journals)
that may have not been offered during the whole-group instruction.
Additionally, the content will be modified or adapted to meet the
students instructional level. For example, the second learning
objective of our unit asks students to order four different
fractions in both ascending and descending order. If students cant
compare two fractions, then they will not be able to order four of
them. Thus, the re-teaching will focus on first developing students
understandings of the more basic skills needed in order to achieve
the learning objectives. Students will also complete authentic
problems that will allow them to apply their understandings to
real-world situations.
Furthermore, even though a large number of students did not meet
each learning objective, re-teaching will still be done in a
small-group setting. Although there will be a larger number of
students in the Leopard Learners on Mondays and Tuesdays, these
students will be divided into smaller groups. This allows for the
instruction to cater to each students specific needs and it also
allows for all students to receive a greater amount of support and
attention.
Technology will also be incorporated into the re-teaching. It
has been proven that technology integration has positive effects on
student engagement and achievement. When re-teaching a specific
concept, students will be given access to technology that aligns
with the material they are learning. Fractions may seem abstract to
some students. To solve this issue, virtual math manipulatives will
be used. These virtual math manipulatives not only allow for
mathematical concepts to become more concrete, but they have also
proven to have a greater effect on students academic performance
compared to physical manipulatives (Johnson, 2011). There are many
websites that offer free virtual math manipulatives, and thus,
utilizing these tools will not pose an extra cost to the school.
Additionally, tutorial software can also be used during
re-teaching. While it is similar to a teachers instruction, it is
completely done on the computer and no additional materials are
needed (Roblyer & Doering, 2013). Tutorial software provides
students with direct instruction as well as opportunities to
practice applying the skill or demonstrating an understanding of
the concept. Technology improves motivation and engagement for both
general education and special education students, which as a
result, can also lead to gains in achievement. Incorporating
tutorial software into re-teaching will allow students to receive
instruction from both a teacher and through the use of technology.
Additionally, as stated above, the Socrative software and iPads
will be used to assess students mastery of each learning objective.
Furthermore, students will also use their iPads to access
instructional support programs such as Study Island and the website
CoolMath, both of which allow students to practice applying the
skills embedded within the learning objective they are studying
that week. Students will be given the option to bring their iPads
home with them, thus allowing for them to use these instructional
support programs both inside and outside of the classroom. Overall,
there are various methods of technology integration that would be
valuable as part of the re-teaching component of this
initiative.
It should be noted that while this initiative focuses on special
education students, both general and special education students are
involved in re-teaching, peer tutoring (discussed below), and
familial collaboration (discussed below). There is an additional
component of this initiative that solely applies to special
education students. Additionally, the objective of this initiative
only applies to special education students.Peer TutoringAnother
core component of this learning initiative is the idea of peer
tutoring, which will take place on the Wednesday of each week.
According to Vygotsky, knowledge and learning are constructed
through humans interacting with one another (Pritchard, 2010, p.
88). Peer tutoring allows for students to work together one as the
tutor and one as the tutee and results in a deeper understanding of
the content for both students. When the tutor teaches a concept, he
or she needs to verbally explain the content, answer questions, and
provide examples. As a result, the tutor is developing a deeper
understanding of the material. Furthermore, the tutee is receiving
additional attention and support, and as a result, is developing a
deeper understanding of the material as well.
Both general education and special education students benefit
from peer tutoring. However, for special education students that
are accustomed to being pulled by a teacher (and may feel
segregated as a result), this strategy allows them to receive extra
support from their peers in a less-intimidating manner.
Additionally, it should not be assumed that the tutee is always
going to be a special education student. The tutor must be someone
who demonstrates mastery of a specific concept or objective, and
this can be either a general education or special education
student. When special education students find themselves in the
role of the tutor, their self-confidence may improve as well as
their feelings towards school and learning. Peer tutoring also
promotes the skill of collaboration, which is a valuable skill that
students need to develop in order to succeed both inside and
outside of the classroom.
Various students will be involved in peer tutoring. First, the
Jaguar Jumpers will play an integral role. Since these students
have demonstrated a proficient understanding of these three
learning objectives, they will be asked to then teach their peers
who need additional support. Furthermore, older students (such as
middle and high school students) will be allowed to volunteer in
the classroom during peer tutoring sessions. College interns will
be able to volunteer their time tutoring as well. These college
interns will be the same volunteers that are providing students
with extra homework support (as discussed above).
Furthermore, there are various opportunities for technology
integration within the peer tutoring sessions. First, students can
use Jing. This is a screen capture program that will allow students
to record themselves teaching their classmates (if a computer is
being used as part of the tutoring session). With Jing, students
can record their tutoring sessions and then post them online. When
a computer is not being used as part of the instruction during a
tutoring session, students can utilize other forms of audio or
video recording software (such as Apple iMovie) to record their
tutoring sessions and post them online. Regardless of whether
students use Jing or iMovie, the tutees can access the tutoring
from home via the computer or via their iPads. This will allow the
tutees to revisit the tutoring sessions from home (if needed).
Additionally, this will also allow another way for the teachers to
consistently monitor the students and ensure quality tutoring
sessions.
Furthermore, because there will be access to a Promethean Board
within the classroom, tutors can create their own flipcharts to
better assist in teaching the content to their peers. By creating a
flipchart, students are gaining experience in using technology to
create a multimedia presentation or final product that conveys
ideas.
Familial CollaborationThis learning initiative also includes a
component of familial collaboration. Effective teaching bridges the
gap between school and the students families. When students
families are aware of what students are learning in the classroom,
they can provide additional academic support outside of the
classroom. For special education students, this additional support
is extremely valuable. Furthermore, students family members should
feel as though they are partners with the teacher. By working
together, the teacher and students families can better help
students better succeed academically.
When looking at special education students, it is essential to
look at the whole child not just his or her disability or academic
performance. Family members can provide great insight into students
strengths, needs, or interventions that have been helpful outside
of the classroom. Additionally, family members can provide
information regarding related service care (therapists,
psychologists, doctors, etc.) or outside factors that may affect a
students performance inside of the classroom. Thus, a collaborative
partnership between the teacher(s) and students families is both
valuable and essential to better help the student succeed within
the classroom.
There are various ways that technology can be used to promote a
school and family partnership. First, a grade-level website will be
created that informs family members of what is taking place inside
of the classroom. As stated above, special education students can
greatly benefit from extra academic support. However, the only way
that family members can provide this support is if they know what
their student is learning. A grade-level website can include an
overview of the specific concepts and skills that students are
learning, as well as example problems or activities that students
can complete at home. Additionally, a grade-level website can also
include a separate section of links to websites (such as IXL or
StudyIsland) or other educational software and tutorials that would
allow students to receive additional support at home. Grade-level
newsletters can also be sent out electronically (and posted on the
grade-level website) to inform families of important news or
updates throughout the grade. Lastly, Promethean Board flipcharts
or video/audio-recorded tutorial sessions can also be provided to
students families. All websites, newsletters, flipcharts, and
tutorial sessions can be accessed either via a home computer or via
students iPads. This will allow family members to access
instructional resources at home, and as a result, provide students
with opportunities for extra support.
Accommodations & Supplementary Aids and
ServicesAdditionally, a component of this learning initiative is
the fact that data must be collected regarding special education
students accommodations, supplementary aids, and progress. Each
students Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be reviewed on
a frequent basis to ensure that they align with the students
performance and needs. In order for special education students to
have the greatest opportunity for academic success, they must
receive any necessary accommodations or supplementary aids and
services. It is up to the IEP team to determine what exactly these
accommodations or aids and services are. In order for these
determinations to be made, data must be collected. This data must
also show a discrepancy between when the student can do with the
accommodation or aid and what the student can do without the
accommodation or aid. Additionally, once these accommodations,
aids, and services have been implemented, data must be collected to
determine whether these additional supports are having a positive
effect on students academic performance.
Furthermore, accommodations, aids, and services can only truly
be beneficial if the student knows how to use these additional
supports. For example, if a student with needs in written
expression is given an electronic spelling and grammar device, yet
does not know how to use it, then it can be assumed that this
accommodation will not help the student learn. Students must be
given explicit and direct training on how to use their
accommodations or supplementary aids and services. This can be done
by modeling how to use the tool (such as a spelling and grammar
device or math manipulatives) and by giving students opportunities
to practice using their accommodations. It is hoped that as a
result of explicit accommodation training, students will be better
able to use their accommodations to help them succeed
academically.
EvaluationThis learning initiative will only be valuable if it
is assessed and evaluated in terms of student success. The effect
of re-teaching and peer tutoring will be assessed twice a week
(Tuesdays and Fridays) throughout the duration of the three weeks.
On both of these days, students will be given an assessment to
measure their proficiency of the concept and skill being discussed
that week. We will then grade these assessments to determine
students scores. According to this initiatives objective, we hope
that special education students will earn an average of at least an
80% on each weeks assessments. These assessments will help us
determine if re-teaching and peer tutoring are having a positive
effect on the academic performance of special education
students.
Furthermore, teachers will collect anecdotal data regarding
students frequency and accuracy of their accommodation use. It is
hoped that as a result of this learning initiative, students will
be more familiar with how to use their accommodations.
Additionally, we predict that with more direct and frequent data
collection, we will be able to ensure that all special education
students are receiving the accommodations and aids that they need.
With this increase in accommodation use, we hope that special
education students will be able to earn an average of at least an
80% on each weeks assessments.
Lastly, teachers will distribute a questionnaire to students
families regarding family involvement in their students academics.
The questionnaire will be distributed at the end of the three weeks
and will ask family members to describe how often they help their
students at home and how often they utilize the collaboration
resources discussed above (grade-level website, newsletter, etc.).
Furthermore, family members will also have the opportunity to
suggest additional techniques to promote a collaborative
partnership. While these questionnaires will not directly be linked
to the initiative objective, it will be used as a qualitative data
source to better improve the collaboration between the school and
students families.
Overall, the data clearly indicates that special education
students are suffering. This initiative, designed with the data and
pedagogical content knowledge in mind, hopes to improve the
academic success of this sub-group of students.
Initiative III (Title): Attendance Improvement PlanInitiative
III (Goal): During a 3-week period, students with lower than an 85%
attendance rate will create propaganda materials promoting the
benefits of regular attendance that will be published and posted in
school, on our grade level website, and in a newsletter to parents
and the community, thus resulting in those students improving their
attendance rates to 90% - 100%. Initiative III: There is a strong
correlation between student learning, longer term life outcomes and
attendance at school. It is crucial that children and students
develop habits of regular attendance at an early age, even from the
time they are enrolled in preschool classes. In 5th grade math,
attending school regularly while the basics of working with
fractions are being explained is directly related to the level of
understanding students will have when attempting more complex
operations using fractions.
Children and students who have poor patterns of attendance are
at risk of not achieving educational benchmarks, social or
psychological potential, and are disadvantaged when poised to make
quality choices later in life. These children may be socially
isolated and place themselves at risk of harm during times of
absence because they are likely to be unsupervised. When attendance
becomes sporadic enough to create a trend, gaps in their knowledge
are created and their understanding of basic concepts suffer. These
students are more likely to withdraw themselves or not finish grade
school. We will not stand idly by and allow this to occur. This
rationale is the backbone of our proposed Attendance Improvement
Plan, skillfully crafted to pinpoint the causes of chronic
absenteeism of our 5th grade math students, to serve as a template
for a school-wide initiative to eliminate learning gaps for all
students.
To create positive impact on changing what families and the
community perceive an attendance rate the school finds acceptable,
a new attendance improvement plan needs to take shape and be
implemented with purpose. A plan cycle that is effective is one
that includes these steps: Plan, Do, Study, Act, Evaluate - then
repeat.
Teacher teams in each grade have been formed to drive this
initiative and examine current and past data so that causes for
high absenteeism can be found, analyzed and prevented or
eliminated. Teams will develop a theory for improvement, draft a
plan and implement their attendance improvement plan, tailored to
data their students generated. Teams study the results and ask
probing questions of successes and failures: to what extent did our
actions lead to improvement?, is this plan a success?, what, if
anything, can be done differently in the next phase of the
plan?
[PLAN] To begin creating an attendance improvement plan, our
school support staff (guidance counselors, registrar, record
keeper) compiled annual report data and trends over the past few
years and a summary report at the end of the previous school year.
This data was aggregated and sorted by teacher and given to them.
Then, the current attendance situation is analyzed and the areas of
improvement will be pinpointed. Its important to note that a
consistent understanding of the attendance codes and how the codes
are used must be explained to all staff members in a building-wide
professional development meeting. If discrepancies with the codes
arise, a new code system and key will be designed and training
given during future professional development sessions and as
needed.
[DO] Cohort teams of teachers are formed by grade and subject
taught. After meeting with our cohort, we were able to crunch the
numbers and identify patterns. Each team set a schedule of meetings
and decided which tasks would be completed during each meeting. The
first team meeting occurs after three weeks of classes.
[STUDY] When analyzing our student data as the 5th grade
mathematics team during our data study, the first pattern to emerge
was the attendance rate of students who attended class every day or
had at least an 85% rate of attendance. These students met or
exceeded expectations set forth in each of the three learning
objectives over the previous three weeks. StudentsRate of
Attendance (%)
95 - 100% Excellent; 85 - 94% Good; 75 - 84 % Fair; 74% - below
Poor
Student A93
Student B80
Student C86
Student D90
Student E100
Student F78
Student G87
Student H78
Student J96
Student K92
Student L94
Student M82
Student N98
Student O81
Student P68
Student Q84
Student R100
Student S92
Student T94
Student U94
Student V65
Student W64
Student X98
Student Y99
Student Z100
Findings: 16 out of 25 met 85% attendance rate; 9 did not meet
expectations KEY: Green = Attendance Rate meets expectations Red =
Attendance Rate is below expectations
The second pattern we observed was that nine students out of
twenty-five in our gradebooks have high attendance rates (between
86% and 100%). A subset of these nine students reveals -- out of
twenty-five students earned low assignment scores (in a range from
2/10 through 7/10) performed below expectations set in our learning
objectives. The expectations were set at this level so that
students who had a regular rate of attendance could achieve content
mastery.
Students with Low Attendance RatesLO1 AvgLO2 AvgLO3 Avg
Student B4.62.63.4
Student F63.23.4
Student H7.26.87.4
Student M7.67.27.8
Student O5.84.43.8
Student P6.44.22.4
Student Q9.48.47
Student V2.63.43.4
Student W54.42.4
Findings: 6 out of 9 students had average scores below
expectations; 3 of 9 earned passing scores (except LO2 for Student
H)
Our data study proved extremely fruitful by revealing the impact
of missed instruction and learning opportunities. New information
was shared with the team when a member of the cohort, Alicia Curry,
shared a trend she identified. "Students who had a higher
attendance percentage would turn in accurate and complete homework
more often. Our prediction was correct students who had good and
excellent attendance (85% and above) turned in complete and
accurate homework more frequently than those students who had fair
and poor attendance".
[ACT] Our cohort agreed to meet regularly (every four days). In
our meetings scheduled throughout the remainder of the school year,
we will continue to analyze attendance data using several
criterion, in which two criterion are focused on at each meeting.
The first two sets of criterion include, and are not limited
to:
absence rate by year level
patterns of absenteeism (over the year, 3 weeks, and each day
for extreme situations)
at-risk factors (frequent lateness, leaving school early,
involved in bullying, learning difficulties, long stretch of
absences due to injury or sickness, social or emotional issues)
health issues experienced by student and/or family member
Intervention strategies will be discussed, evaluated and
selected to be rolled out, with customizations based on our
students' ages. The action element of the attendance improvement
plan is paired with our desired outcomes, performance indicators
(how outcomes will be measured), strategies to achieve those
outcomes and resources and professional development trainings as
needed. Our grade was gifted Apple iPad mobile devices by the
Maryland State Department of Education, with each teacher having
their own device in addition to 3 class sets (25-30 per teacher).
Our request includes specific applications be installed on the
students' devices: Google Drive by Google, Dropbox by Dropbox, and
eClicker Host by Big Nerd Ranch, Inc. Dropbox is a safe place for
students to create and share multimedia elements. Google Drive will
be used to create spreadsheets and use as a platform for real-time
student collaboration. eClicker Host will be used by students to
participate in polls teachers will create and present them for
their input as well as for voting on elements to include while
drafting propaganda and newsletter projects.
A separate set of applications need to be installed on the
teachers' devices: Edmodo by Edmodo, eClicker Host by Big Nerd
Ranch, Inc., and TeacherPal by ITWorx. Edmodo is a social learning
platform for teachers, students and parents. Teachers can share
content, record and access homework and class grades. Edmodo can be
incorporated easily into everyday classroom activities and share
information - teachers can send school notices and other important
information directly to parents and families. In addition, Edmodo
has user friendly collaborative functions so that teachers can
share documents and exchange critiques and feedback with each
other. eClicker Host will be used by students to participate in
polls teachers will create. TeacherPal is exclusively for teachers
to "take attendance, track grades and behavior" (App Advice, 2013).
Each student has a profile and email notifications can be sent
directly to parents or families. The data stored in this app can be
backed up and stored on the application discussed above - Dropbox.
These applications can be used to keep teacher cohort teams
organized and collaboratively communicating in real time and
provide tools so that students will actively track their own
attendance as well as attendance for their grade level and for the
school.
[EVALUATE] Monitoring must be done at different intervals
(weekly, every three weeks, each quarter, each semester and each
year) to identify students who are at risk to have major attendance
issues and learning gaps. At the beginning of the year, teachers in
grades kindergarten through five will meet and compile data to
identify students whose attendance had placed their academic
success in jeopardy last school year. This process will be repeated
in the last week of each three-week period. This data will be sent
to the school support team (guidance counselors, registrar, record
keeper) so they can prepare a list of at risk students for teachers
to follow up with every nine weeks.
At 3 weeks into the plan, cohorts of teachers have tracked the
at risk students with TeacherPal and catalogued relevant notes for
each student. This information includes reasons for excused
absences, teacher observations of attentiveness in class, health
concerns, and other student learning considerations. After this
step, profiles of these students have now been created and will be
shared during the next group meeting. At the group meeting,
concerns are discussed and perceptions shared to unearth reasons
for high absenteeism. Before the end of the semester, a series of
meetings will be held to plan celebration assemblies for our 5th
grade students to reward and recognize those who have improved
attendance.
At the end of each semester, students with the best attendance
rate will collaborate to design and create propaganda material to
promote the attendance improvement plan in school and to send out
as notices using the applications previously discussed in this
plan. There will three style of notices: one style for each group
of students, teachers and families.
To know if this initiative is truly successful, student
assessment data will need to be looked at over two or three 3-week
periods. Those with high attendance rates should have corresponding
high scores on assessments in the unit on fractions. The inverse
would also be true -low attendance rate corresponding with low
assessment scores. If these conditions do not occur, the Attendance
Improvement plan will need to be reevaluated, errors identified and
corrected and then new elements of technology or staff support will
be tested and again, evaluated for effectiveness.
Individual Summary:
Through this project, I saw the value firsthand of sharing ideas
and using data to support our decisions. Developing this initiative
plan was truly a team effort.
Using our data and analysis from Phase I, we identified
sub-groups of students that were greatly suffering. From there, we
determined our initiative ideas. Each team member contributed their
input and thoughts. We supported our ideas with rationale and
evidence, and we asked each other questions to enhance our
thinking.While developing our initiatives, we had a goal in mind
and tried to think outside of the box for ways to achieve each
goal. We used data as evidence to drive and support our initiatives
and reasoning. Again, through sharing ideas, each team member
suggested components to better improve each others initiative
plans.This was one of the most successful group projects that I
have completed throughout my graduate studies. Each team member had
a set role and put in full effort towards completing her assigned
responsibilities. Furthermore, a schedule was set (which each group
member abided to) and we were sure to effectively time manage to
allow for sufficient time to look deeply at the data and plan our
initiatives. Throughout the entire process, we shared ideas,
provided feedback to each other, and used our own knowledge and
experiences to develop comprehensive initiatives. Incorporating all
of the details and data could not have been successfully completed
alone.
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http://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-teachers .
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HYPERLINK "http://www.attendanceworks.org" \h
Center for Public Education. Retrieved on October 30, 2013
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http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/Parent-InvolvementDoering,
A. H. & Roblyer, M.D. (2013). Integrating educational
technology into teaching. (6 ed.). Pearson.
Johnson, K. R. (2011). Physica; and virtual math manipulatives
and their effectiveness in a fourth grade classroom. In T. E. Stone
(Ed.), Models of applied research in educational technology
(35-50). Adelphi, MD: UMUC Teachers Press.
National Education Association. Retrieved on October 30, 2013
from
(http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB11_ParentInvolvement08.pdfMaryland
State Department of Education. Retrieved on November 1, 2013
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http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/mathematics/index.html20