Thursday, January 24, 2013

Already Changing my Topic....

I met with my principal today to discuss my ideas for my action research project.  I was already convinced going in to the meeting that I would proceed with a project to determine whether or not our current intervention program produced long term positive results for our struggling students.  However, after meeting with my principal (although she like my idea above), she really wanted me to focus on a more pressing concern.  She (as well as myself) have had concerns about whether or not our progress monitoring tool accurately correlates and aligns to students' achievement on standardized tests.  This is a problem because we want to make sure we are capturing students in intervention programs who most need it.  We use our progress monitoring tool to determine which students are pulled for intervention (we have limited slots available) and so it is important that the data we receive is accurate and correctly aligns to standardized test requirements.  I am excited to begin this research as I feel it will provide information which will be very useful for our campus as a whole.  Everything I learned this week points to the fact that an action research plan must be aimed at what we are passionate about.  I am passionate about our struggling students and early intervention for those who need it so I think this will be a perfect fit for me!

7 comments:

  1. Good topic. It seems like an important topic to research. Your limited time slots definitely makes selecting the right students a top priority. So many times I see students who do not get the extra help who need it more than some who are getting it. I will look forward to seeing your plan and the progress that its making.

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  2. You know we all have pretty different topics. Isn't nodd how we all seem to be really excited to begin our specific research. I never dreamed researching would motivate me so. I am excited about mine too. I like your motivation and the subject is an important area needing addressed. Way to go!

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  3. I like your topic! It likely will be something I choose in the future. We, too, have limited spots and while we must serve the ones that are already being served, I do think our initial placement process needs some tweeks. We have kids WAY lower that are not being served. I don't know why. Did the teachers not want to put forth the effort to tutor and document and get the paperwork in? Did the teacher not realize they were so low, and if not, why? I will be interested to see what you find :)

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  4. Great topic. Dont worry, I went through so many possible topics in my mind that I didnt even know which to choose. In addition, I feel that all of you are so experienced and know much more lingo within the education system. Im a first year teacher and still adjusting to that on top of doing this program so you can imagine that Im not very familiar with many things yet. However, best of luck and definitely keep me informed how it goes.

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  5. What a great topic! I actually thought about doing the same thing because this is actually something that I have been asked to do. What assessment tool are you currently using? We use the Pearson Reading Level Indicator and Math Level Indicator for a quick assessment of reading and math skills. I used the STAR assessment last week for the first time and really liked it, although I don't know a whole lot about it yet.

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  6. I like your idea and the thing that sticks out to me as being a priority is getting the right kids. Teachers should "know" their students enough to give you good info on who should be in. There is no need in the whole class needing to be pulled out to get extra help if they have sufficient knowledge in the subject but we all know there are kids that must have one on one or in a small group with a lot of attention to grasp the concepts.

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  7. I am going to glad that you have made your choice in topics. This topic is an important one! It's vital that no children are left behind! My past school also had limited spots with the program that we were using for our intervention, so it was very important that they were referred as quickly as possible. I will follow as you research this topic! Would love for you to follow mine!

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