Action Research Progress Report

Week 3 Assignment, Part 3

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report

Title

Best Scheduling Practices:  What are the Benefits of Blocked Scheduling Versus Traditional Scheduling?

Needs Assessment

The need for research was determined while contemplating scheduling options that maximized time, allowed for in depth classroom instruction, increased rigor, and provided a push in of additional student support from academic coaches to ensure that students would meet the requirements of new state testing standards.  My campus, Lakeshore Elementary is a new school in its fourth year.  Faced with new testing standards, a rapid rate of growth, and changing demographics our state testing scores have begun to decline from five to ten percent in all subgroups.  In order to meet the new testing requirements we are looking in to different scheduling programs that may allow for improved student success.

Objectives and Vision of the Action Research Project

My vision is to create a scheduling program for our campus that provides the best use of the school day by reducing the amount of classroom transitions, allowing teachers the time to reach the needed level of rigor to effectively teach the curriculum, and decrease student discipline referrals.

During my action research project I will collect data from equally leveled classrooms in the 2^nd through 4^th grades, half using blocked scheduling and half using traditional scheduling.  These classes have children and teachers with equal abilities. Through the collection of data from district benchmark assessments, state testing scores, student and teacher surveys and discipline referrals we will assess the benefits of block scheduling versus traditional scheduling to best meet our student’s needs.

Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy

The question of best scheduling practices actually began after a visit to a Blue Ribbon School, Tice Elementary, in the neighboring Galena Park Independent School District.  Tice Elementary is a Title I school which has held an exemplary standing for numerous years.  After our administration team visited their campus, we reflected on our visit, the most noted observation was the campuses scheduling program.  All classes were on a block schedule.  As a team we decided that we should consider a pilot program to determine if block scheduling would be an effective practice for our school.  I immediately decided this would be a great action research project.  I am lacking in further research into the benefits of scheduling types and this will be a priority for me as I continue my action research project.  I am currently so involved with the actual collection of data, that I have not put a priority on additional review of literature on the subject.  This is something I feel I will have a better opportunity to research effectively after I have finished collecting my research data during the school year.

Articulate the Vision

The staff was introduced to the scheduling pilot program and action research project at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.  The ideas were first introduced to the team leaders in an informative meeting in order to solicit their ideas and answer questions about any concerns they might have.  Then a meeting was scheduled for all staff to introduce the need for the pilot program and action research project.  Although not all grade levels were participating in the program, if we adopted block scheduling in the future it would be important for all grade levels to be aware of the project.  As the school year came to a close and positions were determined for the next school year, I began creating the classes for the research and selected the teachers who would participate.

Parents were introduced to the new scheduling practices during parent orientation before the start of school.  Teachers shared with parents the need for scheduling changes and the goals for block scheduling.  Parents were receptive to the block scheduling idea, and were excited about the benefits it would afford their child.

Managing the Organization

The organization of the project began with identifying two similarly leveled classrooms with equally qualified teachers for the 2^nd – 4^th grades.  To do this I worked with my principal, Nancy Morrison, to determine who would be filling teaching positions in each grade level and the best teacher candidates to participate in the action research project.  I then worked with our school registrar, Ms. Miller, to verify student data and class placements for the next year when the data would be collected.  Finally, once teachers and classes had been determined I met with the teachers who would be participating in the project the next school year to be sure they had a firm understanding of the research question and the action research process. 

As the 2012-2013 school year began I was faced with several issues regarding my project.  The most difficult was that we registered over 150 new students the week before school started and an additional 50 the first week of school.  This did change the makeup of my original classes, and I had to work closely with our school registrar to be sure that as students were placed in classes, my original classes chosen for research were not negatively affected.

Manage Operations

Once all classes were intact I was able to begin the collection of data for my project.  I first met with the teachers involved in the project and gave them a timeline for my data collection.  This correlated with our benchmark scheduling and grading periods.  I also gave teachers a copy of the survey they would be completing at the end of each marking period and a reflection sheet where they could note ideas about their experience during the project.  I wanted to make their participation in the action research project as simple as possible as I did not want it to take away from their teaching and student learning.

As the project has progressed I have been able to collect much of the needed assessment and benchmark data through Eduphoria.  This system allows for easy access to student scores without the teachers having to do any extra work.  I currently have not experienced any difficulties in the research process.  I attribute this to the careful selection of teachers and students who are participating.

Respond to Community Interest and Needs

The idea of block scheduling is to meet the needs of all students.  This includes students with special and exceptional needs and students of diverse backgrounds.  My campus is currently home to a number of special needs programs and has a diverse population of students from many ethnicities as well as socioeconomic groups.  Students from these populations have been included in the classes participating in the research process.

Action Research September Update

My action research project had a rough start.  The first step of my plan was to verify student data and class placement with the school registrar and verify classroom schedules with grade level teachers.  The week before school started we had over 150 new students register, and now into the first month of school our number of new students has risen to over 200.  We also have a new registrar this year that has no previous experience.  As we were adding new teachers and classrooms the first two weeks of school, it was difficult to verify student data, classroom schedules and be sure that my originally created classes for the research were left intact.  I had to make sure that the classes I used for my action research were equally weighted in academic ability with equally qualified teachers to get valid data as to the advantage of block scheduling versus traditional scheduling.  At this point in my plan I have two classrooms at each grade level (2^nd-4^th) that are participating in the research project.  Beginning assessments show the classes to be equally leveled and I have highly effective teachers in each class.  These classroom teachers will be working closely together to provide equal instruction to both classes in each grade level.  The month of October brings our first District Benchmark testing and I will be gathering data from the Math and Reading assessments for my project.  I will also survey teachers as to the advantages and disadvantages they have noted with the different scheduling types.  Finally, I will document discipline infractions from office referrals and weekly discipline charts to track student behavior in each classroom.

I have heard both positive and negative feedback about the block scheduling versus the traditional scheduling. 

 

Block Scheduling:

ü  Ability to cover a great amount of material in depth

ü  Ability to get to know students on a more personal level

ü  More class time due to fewer transitions

ü  Works well with Guided Reading Centers

-          Students are restless

-          Discipline issues with students who are not strong in subject area

-          Teachers get bored with subject matter, tired

Traditional Scheduling:

ü  Students don’t get bored because subject matter is changing

ü  Teachers like the change of subject matter, energizing

ü  The students are used to it, do not have to change

-          Loss of time due to class or subject transitions

 

 

Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To assess the benefits of block scheduling versus traditional scheduling in the areas of student academic success and discipline.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Identify two similarly leveled classrooms with equally qualified teachers from the 2nd-4th grade levels to participate in the action research project.  One class from each grade level will use traditional scheduling and the other class block scheduling.	Mrs. Morrison Mrs. Pfeifer	August 2012	Class Matrices, Classroom Schedules	Mrs. Pfeifer will verify student data and class placement with registrar.  Mrs. Pfeifer will verify classroom schedules with grade level teachers.
I will keep records of students’ progress and achievements through campus and district based assessments and STAAR testing results.	Mrs. Pfeifer Mrs. Rodriguez Mrs. Vannett	August 2012 – June 2013	Class Matrices, Eduphoria Data	Mrs. Pfeifer will analyze classroom testing data in Eduphoria program.
I will keep records of student discipline infractions through office referrals and weekly discipline charts.	Mrs. Pfeifer Mr. Wiggins Classroom Teacher	August 2012-June 2013	Class Discipline Chart, Office Referral Data	Mrs. Pfeifer will analyze classroom discipline data through discipline charts and office referral data.
I will survey the six classroom teachers involved to assess their personal feelings as to the effectiveness of their scheduling type in relation to achieving in depth instruction to meet the rigor of the STAAR testing.	Mrs. Pfeifer	May 2013	Survey created by Mrs. Pfeifer	Teachers will complete a survey of their personal feelings in reference to scheduling and rigorous instruction.
I will survey the students to assess their feelings as to classroom activities, preparedness, learning capacity, and interest in subject matter in relation to class schedule.	Mrs. Pfeifer	May 2013	Survey created by Mrs. Pfeifer	Students will complete a survey of their personal feelings in reference to classroom activities, preparedness, learning capacity, and interest in subject matter in relation to class schedule.

Research Reflection

Through this week’s assignment I realize the importance of looking at what other campuses similar to mine are doing to deal with issues that are occurring at my campus.  I will consider information gathered from other teachers and campuses and use it as a tool when completing my own research.  I also want to be sure that I protect the identity of all students and complete my research in an ethical manner.

Blog Sharing for Leaders

There are a multitude of ways that blogging can be beneficial in the educational setting.  This is especially important because blogging is a form of reflection that is important to the action research process.  While administrators may use blogging as an open forum for communication between teachers and themselves, it is also becoming a useful tool in the classroom.

This year I had the opportunity to use the educational blogging site, Edmodo, as a classroom tool.  We used it weekly to answer questions and reflect on a novel we were reading in class.  I also used it at the end of the year as an open forum for students to discuss and reflect on their experience in my class.  I was able to get valuable student feedback that will be helpful in creating lessons for student-centered learning.

I will also be using Edmodo this summer as part of a book study at my campus.  We are reading chapters weekly and reflecting on our reading through the blog.  This is very beneficial as it is always difficult to get teachers together during the summer due to schedules.  With Edmodo we can blog to communicate at our leisure and it can be done from anywhere. 

I feel that blogging will continue to be a valuable resource for administrators, teachers and students.  It will be exciting to see new ways it will be used in the future as an educational resource.

Action Research Ideas

When reflecting on the idea of action research, it just makes good common sense. What better way to reflect and improve on your teaching than by examining student progress and comparing data. Why wouldn't a teacher want to evaluate student data and share their finding so that students will be more successful? Action research, as defined by Nancy Fichtman Dana (2009), is a step by step process of identifying a situation or need, reading literature reviews and researching the topic, collecting data in the school with real children and real problems, and identifying changes that can be implemented to help students and teachers.

Teachers who believe in a student-centered teaching philosophy use this process every day. It might be on a smaller scale, but when a teacher takes the time to develop a lesson and solicit ideas and insights from others, delivers the lesson and reflects on the students' learning accomplishments and identifies areas that can be improved, action research has taken place. If the teacher determines from the learning outcomes that the students did not master the lesson objectives, it is the teacher's responsibility to redesign the lesson to ensure success and mastery for all students.

As a classroom teacher and grade level team leader I would use action research to inquire about many topics. One that is a significant area for inquiry and action research are the benefits of traditional scheduling versus block scheduling. This topic has been researched and debated over by many, and it is a key component to student success. With the increasing standards of state testing and diminishing school budgets, we must work efficiently with our time and personnel resources.  Which type of scheduling would allow maximum benefits of these?  We also need to ask ourselves which type of scheduling allows us to build relationships with our students while at the same time gives us the ability to present lessons that increase the rigor of classroom content for student success. 

I would also like to begin an inquiry, using action research, into the benefits of having a special education co-teacher in a core curriculum classroom.  I think that all of the children in the classroom should be evaluated to address the success and failures of this type of special education programming. Is the classroom a true co-teaching environment with two teachers teaching, or is it one teacher teaching while the other is keeping students on task? This is important to understand before evaluating the results of any data collection.  This again is an important issue to address considering the increasing standards of state testing and the changes of special education testing requirements and eligibility.  Providing for the needs of all students, both mainstream and special education, is a top priority in education, but how to do this is an area of great debate.   

Both of these issues are of great importance to me because they affect not only my students, but students throughout classrooms every day.  My goal as a teacher and future administrator is to provide students and colleagues with the utmost opportunity for success.  I believe the use of action research is beneficial to achieve this goal.