Might we have hit a plateau?

This past six weeks the numbers do not look as well as the first six weeks. I am looking into the moral of the faculty with using the program-- they are stating that it is time consuming and the work that they are getting is not quality. This needs more attention-- more on this later.

The numbers at a glance-- more crunching later.

Ok so I was looking over the numbers in attendance in the ICU program and for the first 4 weeks of the program we had 161 incidences where sophomores attended (there were several that repeated multiple times) and 250 freshman incidences. The overall failure rate for the first semester was down by 50% with right at 20 to less than 20 students failing a class or classes for the first six weeks. At a meeting with the Teacher leadership team disciplinary measures were drafted for repeat offenders, parent contact issues and lack of teacher involvement were discussed. Final decisions will be made next week and the information will be passed on to teachers next week.

Changes are in the wind...

This is the post that came from the AP today... In the beginning stages of ICU, we've noticed that the list is continuing to grow. One problem that we are running into is that we are not always able to pull students from their elective classes, or they are not able to finish their late assignments in one class period. So, beginning today, we will add Band and Athletics to the list of classes that students will be pulled from if they are on the ICU list. Thank you for your help so far, and please remember to send ICU students down to the library after you check attendance.-- ICU is working on the campus... hopefully it is changing student behavior. I know my students are starting to stay after school to get help within the 48 hour window rather than get put on the ICU list. 

And they are off...

Today I started the following for the teacher blog about ICU. There are many hurt feelings about this program and I am hoping that through communication we can air the feelings and gain understanding. I am amazed how much I have learned in this 5 week course and can't believe that we coming to the end! This is the type of course that I could spend my whole life in... and yes I now understand that that is the point. The next time you see me, I will have data in hand... yay!

Implementation of the ICU Program
Goal: To effectively implement a new grading policy, analyze its effect on the drop out rate, student apathy, teacher apathy, and results on standardized testing.
Action Steps(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Administer pre-implementation program survey of teachers and students	Amanda Townley; advisory teachers of 9th and 10th grade students	Sept 2011	Survey Monkey (for teachers and students once students receive laptops);	Analyze surveys for teacher/student opinions and attitudes toward grading policy of GHS, toward grades and toward new grading policy
Create a blog for teachers to share their experiences in the classroom while using the ICU program	Amanda Townley; teachers	Sept. 2011 – May 2012 Teachers will be able to post as often as they like and will be encouraged to join in on discussions	Laptops and blog address.	Check blog for comments and actively participate in discussions.
Obtain dropout information report.	Amanda Townley; Nancy Dunlap & Maria Iltis.	September 2011	Spreadsheet; drop out report	Analyze the drop out history of GHS. Look at truancy cases, credit recovery efforts, etc.
Construct a parent letter/newspaper article explaining the new grading policy	Amanda Townley; Robert Loomis; Red Team	September 2011	Letter to be mailed out to 9th and 10th grade parents	Evaluate how parents perceive the program, answer questions that arise
Survey teachers and students each 6 weeks to gather data on motivation level of students	Amanda Townley; advisory teachers of 9th and 10th grade students	October 2011 – May 2012	Survey Monkey	Evaluate surveys, looking for increased trends in student motivation to complete assignments, affect that ICU program has had timeliness of completing assignments as well as overall student learning and performance.
Meet with core teachers regularly to evaluate progress of implementation and to support teachers during implementation	Amanda Townley; core teachers for 9th and 10th graders	October 2011-May 2012  (department meeting one core each month)	Field Notes,  student work products/ projects,	Discuss progress/concerns and develop ideas for improved implementation What is working? What is not? What changes need to be made?
Evaluate Benchmark Test Data from Eduphoria	Amanda Townley, Tracy Pippins, Robert Loomis, Ashley Stewart	January/ February 2012-May 2012	Eduphoria	Compare trends in student progress before and during implementation of grading policy
Evaluate TAKS/ EOC test scores in light of  previous TAKS scores	Amanda Townley; Red Team; Robert Loomis	May/June 2012	Eduphoria,	Compare TAKS (10th) and EOC (9th) data to previous TAKS data as well as to Benchmark data; look for improvement/mastery in SE gaps from previous years.
Evaluate student feeling opinions that are actively participating in the program—those having to go through ICU	Amanda Townley	Before school ICU or After School ICU Jan 2012-May 2012	Interview students	Evaluate the interviews for evidence of changes in student apathy, climate of the school and an understanding of ICU program. Evaluate the effects of the program on student performance in class.
Administer end of year survey to students/ teachers	Amanda Townley	May 2012	Survey Monkey;	Compare end of year surveys to the pre-implementation surveys.
Meet with stakeholders to discuss results, evaluate effectiveness of ICU, and determine strategies to improve the program	Amanda Townley, Red Team and 9th and 10th grade core teachers	June 2012	Data gathered throughout school year	Analyze results—looking at performance, credit recovery, SWAS, drop out rate/ graduation rate; construct plan to create a more effective program for next year.

Oh my my...

After taking a survey of the faculty, I am astonished to find out that the majority of the teachers on campus did not complete their summer reading. Only about 25% have completed the reading... and we go live next week. Good thing they have a three day weekend to get caught up.

Repeat after me "I will not re-invent the wheel"

The piece to knowledge gold that I took away this week was that I do not have to reinvent the wheel; meaning someone out there has more than likely completed some of, if not all, the research that I need for my action research assignment. My task them becomes customizing the research and actions to the needs of my campus. Dr. Briseno said to invest the time into reading others research and glean what you can. This is good time management-- and we all know how precious time is. Happy "google-ing" to you all!

An excerpt from the book that I am reading...

A Learner's Bill of Rights

Every learner has the right to know why they are learning something, why it is important now, or may be important to them someday.

Every learner has the right to engage in questioning or interrogating the idea of "importance" above.

Every learner has the right to be confused and to express this confusion openly, honestly, and without shame.

Every learner has the right to multiple paths to understanding a concept, an idea, a set of facts, or a series of constructs.

Every learner has the right to understand his or her own mind, brain wiring, and intellectual inclinations as completely as possible.

Every learner has the right to interrogate and question the means through which his or her learning is assessed.

Every learner is entitled to some privacy in their imagination and thoughts.

Every learner has the right to take their own imagination and thinking seriously.

-From Wounded By School

Kirsten Olson

Why blogs?

Blogs are a convenient and efficient way to share information with a large audience. Using a blog allows for reflection by the author as well as comments by readers. Blogs are an excellent way to track a project from beginning to end.

What is Action Research?

Action research is not your typical, college reseach paper. Action research is conducted by administration or teachers within a school focusing on what needs to  be changed so that the school can meet the needs of the student, staff and community better.The process of action research is a cyclical process that is never ending. It is important that the administrator make time for inquiry and reflection as this is part of being a head learner for his campus. An administrator or teacher needs to ask “what is best for the students, what are they doing, where are they now and where do they need to be” as guiding questions to start an inquiry (Dana, p15).  The first step of action research is setting the foundation through a shared vision and understanding the need for inquiry (Harris, p 5). This step is the most important for change to be successful; all faculty need to feel comfortable with the administration, school vision and the new idea in order for the change to be successful. Action research can be conducted solely by the principal, group of administration or with a group of teacher (Dana, p 21). Working collaboratively allows the individual (teacher or administrator) to experience the greatest growth professionally and personally. 

References

Dana, N. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge. California: Corwin.

Harris, S., Edmonson, E., & Combs, J. (2010) Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 Steps From Analysis to Action. New York: Eye on Education.

Things are moving fast now... better get my facts straight

I googled "no zero" grading and found a website that another school district set up to discuss the book amongst its teachers. I forwarded this information to my principal and tomorrow I will be meeting with him to set up a website for our campus. I am hoping that this website promotes communication about this policy as well as addresses the myths and truths associated with the policy. I hope this is just the first of many steps toward a more communicative campus.

Eureka!!! I have a topic! Now what...

After giving much thought to the many issues effecting my school I narrowed the list to two and submitted them to my principal. for conducting my action research assignment.  He replied quickly with another idea that had not even crossed my mind but should have.
We are looking at decreasing student apathy and increasing student learning on our campus, one option that we are looking into is a "no-zero policy". Over the summer Mr. Loomis purchased the book "Power of ICU" by Danny Hill and Dr. Jayson Nave for the entire staff to read. This is a program that is being met with strife on our campus and Mr. Loomis would like me to research the implementation process and take action on the information I find to help shape the campus.
There are two definite sides to the argument and I plan to look at the pros and cons of both sides. Please feel free to chime in with your experiences.

What to research....

Educators are good at complaining... good at seeing the negative in a situation rather than looking for the gold that might be just beneath the surface. I am hoping to change this about myself and hopefully others. I have a poster in my classroom-- homemade but still effective-- that states "Do not come to me with problems, come to me with solutions." I am hoping to instill this in myself, my campus, and my students as I conduct action research. Won't you join me on this journey?