Week 3 Action Research Plan

1. Goal of action research: The objective of my action research is to evaluate how benchmarks are used by the teachers and to learn if rigorous and relevant lessons are being taught in all grade levels as they prepare for the TAKS. Students will benefit from this action research because the goal is to ensure success for all of our students not just a few. The target population that we agreed upon is K-3. We are not including fourth and fifth grade because of the number of students that would be involved.


2. Activities: I will be using classroom observation, teacher surveys, looking at TAKS scores at the end of the school year and benchmark data through out the year. There will also be staff development provided for those teachers who need help in implementing rigorous and relevant lessons in their classroom. Teachers will work together in lesson planning.

3. Resources: Campus Benchmarks Results, Campus Administrator District Curriculum Coordinators, Surveys, Classroom observations, Professional Learning Community of teachers K-3

4. Timeline: September: present K-3 teachers with survey to get their feedback on their experiences and uses for District Benchmarks. October: First benchmark is administered to students; meet with teachers to learn how they plan to use the results. Develop small groups of PLCs for the teachers to work with.
November: Meet with PLCs to determine how the benchmark results have been used by the teachers.
December: Second, possibly third benchmark administered I will continue the same process as before looking for steady improvement in student performance. I will continue to look for factors that contribute to student success.
February – March: Continue work with teachers and benchmarks
April: TAKS for third grade

5. Persons Responsible: Leslie Stephens and grade level chairs of grades kindergarten through grade three

6. Monitoring Process: There will be weekly grade level meetings led by grade level chairs these will be used to monitor progress and help to ensure co-workers are on track for upcoming benchmark. There will also be monthly meeting with all grade level chairs and Leslie Stephens. E-mail communication will also be used. Teachers will reflect on lesson plans and planning time together to determine if there are indifferences in their activities or approaches to teaching a subject.

7. Assessment Instrument: District Benchmarks Results and Third Grade TAKS scores will be used to answer the initial wonderings of the action research project.