My Action Research Plan Template

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To find the best ways to use a 30 minute study session each day to improve Standards of Learning test scores as well as school wide SAT scores.  By implementing researched programs and ideas and by evaluating what is helping and what is not, I will gain insight into how to better organize such a program for future years at my school and maybe others.  This is the first year a 30 minute session will be used so teacher and student feedback will be obtained in making decisions and evaluating which programs are successful.  By raising SOL and SAT scores while enriching our school’s population, our students will become more intuitive, cognitive people and have greater chances of being admitted into college.  Higher SOL scores will also help my school meet AYP, something it did not last year for the first time.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
For two weeks at the end of September, all students (10th-12th) will complete selected Math and Reading/Verbal SAT questions and review the reasoning behind those questions/answers in this period.	SAT coordinator Sharon Lowe, Math Dept Chair Denis Zieters, English Dept Chair Brenda Gates, Cindy Waters, My focus team group, Myself.	September 19th-September 29th. Then PSAT to be reviewed by December, 2011.	SAT material. PSAT scores from 2010, 2009, 2008, and then 2011 once they occur.	Students PSAT scores from this year will be compared to previous years to see if there is any difference, if so, another two week period will be saved in February to complete this action again.
Four Math and four Reading/Verbal questions will be emailed to all faculty members at the beginning of each month to be given on Fridays.	SAT coordinator Sharon Lowe, Math Dept Chair Denis Zieters, English Dept Chair Brenda Gates, Cindy Waters, Myself.	October 3rd, 2011-May 1st, 2012	SAT material. Questions, answers, and explanations to each problem.	Teachers will log scores from their class on each problem then record the percentages of correct responses on a spreadsheet.  Weakest topics/areas of questions will be addressed by teachers through remediation of those topics/areas in class.
Teachers of a SOL subject (Math, Science, English, and History) will have an assigned day each week where they will receive class coverage and will be able to pull as many students as they wish to remediate in preparation for that course’s SOL.	School Improvement coordinator Beth Jaeckle, Myself.	October 3rd, 2011- June 10th, 2012	County AYP marks. SOL test scores and individual teacher passing rates.  Pool of 1st period “planning” teachers to assist in covering classrooms.  Holding areas or other classrooms.	SOL scores for 2012 will be compared to Sol scores from 2010-2011 for each teacher. Passing rates from those years will be compared to determine if passing rates improved and with witch teachers.  Teacher attendance logs documenting how many students and which students attended their “enrichment” class will be compared to individual teacher passing rates on the SOL to see if there is a correlation between “enrichment” study and passing rates and whether or not the session is improving real scores.  Achieving AYP is the goal for the year.
Benchmark test will be given at the end of each 9-week period.	All SOL teachers, Myself	November 1st, 2011-May 1st, 2012	Benchmark averages from 2009-2011, then scores from the 3 Benchmark tests our students will take this year	Scores will be evaluated against previous years scores, then the 2nd and 3rd BM’s given will be compared to the first to see if student comprehension and passing rates are improving.
A Pre-SAT test will be given to all 10th graders; those scores will be compared to previous year’s scores to get an idea where this class falls to make the comparison more realistic.	Guidance Department, Myself	October 3rd, 2011-June 1st, 2012	PSAT and SAT scores from 2009-2011, and then 2012 in May.	SAT scores given this year will be compared to SAT scores of other years.  Then the percentages of previous year’s PSAT scores to SAT scores average will be compared with this year’s PSAT to SAT score average.  The percentage increase from PSAT to SAT as well as overall SAT scores should be greatest this year if we are successful.
Other schools that have a similar program will be researched and successful programs will be implemented or modified to be able to be implemented.	My focus team group of 6 members.	October 3rd, 2011-December, 2011.	Information from other schools concerning how they organize and plan their study sessions.	Which schools have the highest passing rates among this group and which ones have shown the most improvement in test scores since implementing their programs.
Logs will be kept for each teacher and how many students they bring into their “enrichment” session each week.	All teachers, Myself, Administration.	October 3rd, 2011- June 1st, 2012.	AYP Goals. Spreadsheets documenting attendance.  Interview of teachers.	These logs will be cross referenced with teacher SOL passing rates to see if there is a correlation between the teachers bringing in the most students and passing rates.  We will also interview the teachers who are having the most overall success to see what they are doing.
Computer labs will be used during this session to enhance computer literacy and writing skills, students will be assigned to some labs by their English or Math teacher and can sign up for writing labs.  NHS (National Honors Society) members as well as AP Calculus students will assist teachers in helping students in these labs.	Math Dept., English Dept, Library, Lori Donovan, Sonya Mix, Heather Zoeller, Myself	October 3rd, 2011-June 1st, 2012, however interviews can begin in January to see if writing skills or computer literacy are improving.	Survey and interview of teachers.	A survey of English grades will be compared to previous year’s English passing rates and individual teachers will be interviewed to see if writing skills in their classes improved.
Meet with Principal’s to discuss this year’s findings, successes, and failures. Review guidelines for future study sessions and begin planning the enrichment session for 2012-13.  Review my successes and failures as well as receive guidance for the future.	Principal Pam Lumsden, AP Kimberly Ogden, AP Michelle Lewis, and Myself.  Head of the school’s improvement plan, Beth Jaeckle, may be involved as well.	June 1st-August 24th, 2012.	All data gained from logs, interviews, surveys, programs, and any pertinent information needed to review entire program for 201-2012 school year.	Principal’s feedback and opinions.  All data gained from course of the year will be reviewed and accessed to determine what should be done in the future and what I personally should do or work on as well as what I should correct or change about myself.
Give students anonymous surveys about the programs implemented during “Enrichment” time and if they feel they are benefitting from them as well as what they like, do not like, and would like to see or do more of.	My focus team group will design and give out as well as review surveys.	February 1st-June 1st, 2012	Created surveys, random students who will not be named at any point, only their grade level.	Student’s opinions will be used to examine overall usefulness of the study session.  Their ideas/opinions will be used as starting points at review sessions with teachers to decide how they want to continue working with their students during the “Enrichment” session.  Student feedback will help teachers see a different perspective and help me see what they need for the future and anything we as teachers did not think about.