Using Action Research To Empower North Carolina Educators A Race to the Top Initiative NC Department of Public Instruction Educator Effectiveness Division

Incorporating Student Choice Presenter: Katie Anderson, NBCT District: Wake County Pulic Schools School: Green Hope Elementary

What is Action Research? Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools. Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? Main Goals Include: Positively impact student outcomes Identify and promote effective instructional practices Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners Share research results with other educators Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? A systematic research process to: ● Identify an area of focus (critical, challenging issue) ● Develop an action research plan ● Implement action research plan in classroom/school ● Collect, analyze, and interpret data ● Share findings to inform practice Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

Problems of Practice What are some of the problems of practice you see within your school setting? If you are not currently teaching, what are some problems of practice that you anticipate encountering? Jot down a few key words or ideas on your notecard. Find one or two other people in the room whose issues or key words relate to yours. Discuss what you perceive the problem of practice to be and any ways (successful or otherwise) you’ve attempted to address it.

Incorporating Student Choice What is the problem of practice investigated? How can we positively impact our level 4, non AIG learners, who statistically and historically do not show growth on the NC EOGs? Why is this important? This is a typically underserved subgroup – they have higher level abilities, but do not receive AIG resource or pull-out services

Incorporating Student Choice Who would benefit from reviewing my research? Any teacher with level 4, non AIG students in his or her classroom. Research indicates that this strategy can be effective for other student groups as well. How will this innovation benefit students? Incorporating student choice can lead to increased motivation, engagement, interest, and achievement.

What Does Peer-Reviewed Research say about my focus area? Students do best when teachers hold high expectations (“demandingness”) but also exhibit a personal connection to their students (“responsiveness”). Teachers who exhibit an authoritative rather than an authoritarian style are more likely to have academically and socially competent students. (Walker 2008)

Research, continued Student engagement increased when students were given opportunities to design assignments or have choice in the way they demonstrated mastery of curriculum concepts. Positive outcomes included the engagement of previously disengaged students, increased ownership of learning and the learning process, and increased variability in assignment format. Challenges included finding ways to motivate learners who typically did the bare minimum and providing structure for students who froze in the face of too many choices. (Vokoun and Bigelow 2008)

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Focus Statement In my district, the “Level 4, Non-AIG” student subgroup has historically not met the expected growth as measured by NC End of Grade tests. Level 4, Non-AIG refers to a group of students that score at the highest level of achievement on the NC EOG, but are not formally identified as Academically or Intellectually Gifted. I plan to explore reasons behind this lack of growth, as well conduct action research on the effectiveness of student choice in increasing student engagement and achievement.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Purpose of the Study The purpose of my study is to examine the effect of incorporating student choice into assessment on student engagement, interest, motivation, and achievement for Level 4, Non-AIG students. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Study Participants Students from 2 fourth grade reading classes participated in this study. Class A had 30 students with 12 students in the target subgroup (level 4, non- AIG). Class B had 29 students with 17 students in the target subgroup. For this study, Level 4, non AIG students refer to students who scored a level 4 or level 5 on their reading EOG, but are not identified as AIG in ELA.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Study Variables Independent Variable: student choice as a method of assessment Dependent Variable: Student engagement, student motivation, and student achievement

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Research Questions What effect does the incorporation of student choice have on student engagement with Level 4 Non-AIG students? Can incorporating student choice lead to an increase in quantitatively measured student achievement for this subgroup? Is student choice an effective strategy for increasing student motivation in this subgroup? Will Level 4 Non-AIG students benefit from the inclusion of student choice as an assessment strategy?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Student choice is an assessment strategy in which “students are presented with assignment options and they decide which one they will complete, rather than complete a teacher mandated sequence of assignments.”(Weimer 2011)

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Benefits: Meets learning needs of different learning modalities, allows a feeling of student autonomy. Challenges: ensuring that all choices are offered are valid, varied, and clearly aligned to the desired curriculum objectives, preventing “choice paralysis.”

What does it look like in practice? Choice Options: Support Documents: Standard: RL Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

Discussion Think, Pair, Share: -How do the presented activities allow students to demonstrate their mastery in different ways? -Which option would you choose? -Can you think of at least one student in your classroom who would likely pick each rotation choice? -Why is it important to provide choices for our students?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom Share photos, anecdotal notes, video clips, studentwork samples

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom “ Choice 1 has more understanding of the articles and it gets you thinking about ‘why did the author do this’ and how history can be important.” -Student from Class B “I picked choice 2 because it’s easier for me to actually say the words instead of writing it. I sometimes get confused because of the spelling. With this, I actually get to think about what I’m going to say while Ii’m doing it.” –Student from Class A

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Qualitative Data from student surveys suggested that implementing student choice has a positive effect on student engagement, interest, and motivation. This finding is supported by field notes from students as well as exit interviews from the participating teachers.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Quantitative data on achievement was inconclusive for a variety of reasons, including sample groups that were too small to be valid, lack of complete data due to assignments not being turned in, and the change in the objectives being assessed from week to week.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Data showed a positive impact on student engagement, motivation, and interest in level 4, non- AIG learners. This indicates that incorporating choice into student assessment is a valid and reasonable strategy to employ with this subgroup.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations While student achievement data was inconclusive within the subgroup, both participating teachers mentioned that they had seen positive growth in lower- performing students during this study. Further study into the effect of the implementation of student choice for low-performing students, including ELL/ESL and CCR learners is advised.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations “I think the kids were a little bit more excited about being able to make a selection, particularly those who struggle more with needing more motivation anyway. So they were a little bit more interested to be able to pick, especially if it didn’t involve writing. Something where they could record on an iPad or do something on the computer if writing wasn’t their strong point.” -Teacher A, exit interview

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Both teachers mentioned concerns about the amount of time it would take to successfully implement this strategy. While both felt it was a valid, worthwhile strategy, they questioned whether it was reasonable within the current confines of a teacher’s day. Further study into what it would take to make this strategy more achievable for teachers is advised.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Q: “Is this strategy reasonable and possible?” A: “If a lot of people are involved and work together, then possibly. And if we’re given the time. It’d be better if we were given the time rather than having to stay until 8 o’clock at night to do it. But if we were given the time and maybe over the summer given the time to set it up, that would be great. Then that would feel realistic.” -Teacher B, exit interview

Activity Let’s put the idea of creating student choice in assessment to work. Choose a favorite curriculum objective that you typically assess at least once during the school year. Using the resources found at create at least 3 assignment choices that meet the following criteria: A.Are a valid assessment of the skills/knowledge you expect students to demonstrate mastery of B.Address multiple learning styles/modalities/intelligences. You may work with a partner if you like.

Discussion What were some of the challenges and triumphs for you as you worked on this activity? Were there any aspects of the acitivty for which you felt as though you needed or wanted more information? If so, which? What do you perceive could be the benefits of allowing students a choice in their assessments? What are some roadblocks to implementing this strategy in your classroom or school?

Questions What new questions do you have regarding incorporating student choice into assessments, its affect on student motivation, engagement, and interest, or on how to begin implementing it in your own class or school?

References Weimer, Maryellen (2011). A Role for Student Choice in Assessment? Faculty Focus. Retrieved from blog/a-role-for-student-choice-in-assessment/ blog/a-role-for-student-choice-in-assessment/ Walker, Joan M. T. (2008) Looking at Teacher Practices Through the Lens of Parenting Style. Journal of Experimental Education. 76(2,) Vokoun, Michael J.; Bigelow, Terry Patrick. (2008) Dude, What Choice Do I Have? Educational Leadership, 66(3), 70-74Educational Leadership Toshalis, Eric; Nakkula, Michael J. (2012) Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice. Education Digest. 78(1),

References Schwartz, Barry. (2009) Incentives, Choice, Education, and Well Being. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), Irwin, Brian; Hepplestone, Stuart. (2012) Examining Increased Flexibility in Assessment Formats. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 37(7),

Conclusion of Presentation Thank you for your participation. Contact Information: Name: Katie Anderson School/District: Wake County Public Schools Website: