Action Plan Created By Janice Edgar A Proposal for Change: Eliminating the Achievement Gap Action Plan Created By Janice Edgar 2007

“If educators take the position that a child is incapable of learning until (all) needs are met, we may doom the child never to learn because poverty will persist, divorce will persist, sickness and human tragedy will persist. Ideally, a child comes to our classrooms well fed, warmly clothed, and securely loved. But this is not an ideal world and these are not prerequisites to learning. To believe that they are contributes to the ‘lowered expectations syndrome’ that depresses student achievement. In actuality, academic achievement could be the only tangible success in an otherwise defeating existence, as well as the only way out of that existence. ~~Robert R. Spiland of Fairfax County, Virginia Public Schools Intro Slide… This is in my written introduction as I believe you must get the readers attention. I added it to this presentation as an introduction as well.

Objectives: build a classroom environment conducive to learning create a challenging environment, supportive of inquiry-based learning use parent and community resources as an academic resource in the classroom frequently I have set three objectives for myself through the implementation of this plan that I intend to accomplish. First, it is my intent to build a classroom environment conducive to learning. Second, it is my intent to create a challenging environment, supportive of inquiry-based learning. Finally, it is my intent to use parent and community resources as an academic resource in the classroom frequently. I feel confident that these objectives are manageable, attainable, and measurable within one academic school year.

Strategies, Implementation, and Evaluation Objective 1 Data Collection based on annual MAP assessments Pre-assessments and benchmark tests to monitor academic achievement and create ability-based math teams DIBELS and STAR tests quarterly AR quizzes frequently, including vocabulary and literacy skills quizzes Centers across the curriculum with adequate scheduled time to complete tasks To meet my first objective, I must first look at and compare data district wide at the fifth grade level (Appendix A). From here I can build upon needed skills and concepts that the students have scored below basic or basic in. This data will serve as a catalyst to setting up my classroom curriculum and learning centers. I will also use data associated with pre-assessment in math and the STAR and DIBELS for reading. After I have gathered the necessary data I will construct a classroom conducive to learning as a whole group and on an individual basis. I will do this through the implementation of centers across the curriculum in my daily schedule. Students will meet with their ability-based math teams and their book clubs on a daily basis. Students will monitor their own center activity and will complete center forms (appendix A and B) to illustrate accountability for their own learning. On a given day in my classroom, students will have a whole group math mini-lesson and activity. Then they will complete centers and meet with their math team for small group instruction with me based on their level of understanding. Individually, students will work on completing specific centers for the week. At the end of the week, they will write a reflection about their experiences and learning opportunities throughout the week. By providing this type of a learning environment, students are more engaged in the learning process and must take ownership for a good portion of their own learning. Also, the reflections the students create on a weekly basis make way for the students to create and work towards personal goals. This is one of the six strategies addressed in Close the Achievement Gap: Simple Strategies That Work (Pete, 2007).

Strategies, Implementation, and Evaluation Objective 2 Individual and group interest evaluations of students Personal Interest Projects (PIP) Library Media Specialist co-teaching in the area of communication arts and technology integration Textbook evaluation with grade level team to find inquiry-based strategy oriented textbooks. Rubrics for problem, project, and inquiry-based learning projects. Portfolio collections and evaluations To meet my second objective, and also consider the work of Judy Payne (A Framework for Understanding Poverty, 1996), I must first find out what interests my students the most. Therefore, I present the students with an Interest Inventory to complete that asks them to evaluate different project and activity types to find what kids of activities they are interested in doing in class. It also seeks personal information about favorite subjects, preferred fieldtrips, and items that the students would like to learn more about. This builds them up to learn through personal interest projects as they discover, ask questions, and seek new knowledge about concepts that interest them as individuals and as a group. Furthermore, I must seek news ways of teaching students inquiry skills that will enable them to become better learners in a global society. I can do this with the help of the Library Media Specialist in our school. We can teach basic computer and information gathering skills and build up to major class-wide inquiry based learning units. Also, I can work with my grade level team to evaluate new math and reading curriculums that are supportive of inquiry-based learning strategies.

Strategies, Implementation, and Evaluation Objective 3 Family Involvement survey PTO support for presentations Community involvement from local businesses and services “Real-Life” experiences Log book with guest speakers Attendance records from PTO meetings Student reflections about family oriented activities guest speakers, and fieldtrips. Finally, to meet my third objective I must first become familiar with my student’s family and how much they want to be involved in the class and school. One way to do this is to have parents complete a survey that discusses what they do for a career, if there are any skills they can share with the class, and how much they want to be involved in the classroom. Let’s face it, in a district where some family members work two jobs or an outside job and run a farm, it is sometimes a challenge to get families involved. Last year, I worked with the PTO officer and presented our Elemental Fashion Show during a PTO meeting so that the families who worked could be present. This worked out well. However, it doesn’t help bring the community into the classroom. This is something I feel is important. For example, the local conservation department could come in and discuss the effects of human populations on the environment. This would be something that would help our students get a more visual representation of this scientific concept. Students would be able to achieve much better results in learning if they are actively engaged and presented with the material in a more creative and “real life” atmosphere.

That sums up education when it comes to the achievement gap. Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.” That sums up education when it comes to the achievement gap. Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.” So how do we measure growth in achievement through the implementation of this plan? First and foremost, we compare the annual AYP and state MAP assessment results. According to NCLB this is the foremost evaluation tool to measure district wide achievement.