Action Research Update

My action research project is going a little slower than I had expected.  Not only am I quite busy with my classes in school and through this program, but football is keeping me very busy.  Gathering all of the data has been somewhat slow as I have to go through numerous people to obtain all of the data.  This has created a slow down as they are quite busy as well, especially since we are still early in the year, and they are tying to make sure their departments stay ahead of the curve and we stay a school that is highly ranked for academics.  Overall, some of the research I have been able to do show that the program is working.  The program is designed to bring students who either failed or were close to failing the 8^th grade STAAR Math test up to standard.  This is being done by enrolling them into an algebra 1 class that is double blocked for a class that is twice as long as our normal classes.  This is to help focus extra attention on these students and break a cycle of low performance.  In my research I still need to compare them to the general population who was placed into a regular algebra 1 class.  I am not comparing them to the advanced pre-ap algebra classes.  Overall, this action research project is showing me that there are different programs that can be set up to help any and all students reach high achievement.  I could see programs like this being set up for different subjects such as English and Science where students often have problems, especially for the classes that still have the STAAR tests as the school wants to keep as many students passing as possible.

Updated ARP

Action Planning Template
Goal: Determine the impact of enrolling at risk students into a double block Algebra 1 class.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Identify students in the five sections of the double blocked algebra 1 classes.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 12, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Section Numbers for 2012-2013 School Year	Do we have lists of all students who took part in program that include student ID#’s?
Obtain 8th grade data from selected students.  STAAR results.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 19, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Student Rosters(with ID#’s)	Do we have 8th grade STAAR data from the students in the program?
Obtain Algebra 1 STAAR data on selected students.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 19, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Student Rosters(with ID#’s)	Do we have data from the selected students Algebra 1 STAAR test?
Separate the students into groups based off of 8th grade scores.	Richard K Green	September 2, 2013 – September , 2013	8th grade Math STAAR results for selected students Microsoft Excel	Are the students grouped with other similar students?
Pair the selected student’s 8th grade results with their Algebra 1 results.	Richard K Green	September 9, 2013 – September 11, 2013	Microsoft Excel 8th and Algebra 1 Grade STAAR Results for selected students.	Do we have complete results for the selected students that include both their 8th grade and Algebra 1 results?
Sort students by result of Algebra 1 test.	Richard K Green	September 11, 2013 – September 13, 2013	Microsoft Excel Algebra 1 STAAR results for selected students.	Are we clearly able to see who passed and who did not along with their scores?
Compare passing rates of double blocked classes to single period classes.	Richard K Green	September 14, 2013 – September 28, 2013	Microsoft Excel	Can a comparison between the double block classes and traditional classes be made?
Analyze effectiveness of the double block program in improving overall student success.	Richard K Green Kirk Manley Lisa Donlan	September 30, 2013 – October 14, 2013	All reports showing change.	Is the double block program making a significant change in the achievement of at risk students?

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Action Research Project - Double Blocking Algebra 1 Classes

Action Planning Template
Goal: Determine the impact of enrolling at risk students into a double block Algebra 1 class.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Identify students in the five sections of the double blocked algebra 1 classes.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 12, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Section Numbers	Do we have lists of all students who took part in program that include student ID#’s?
Obtain 8th grade data from selected students.  STAAR results.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 19, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Student Rosters(with ID#’s)	Do we have 8th grade STAAR data from the students in the program?
Obtain Algebra 1 STAAR data on selected students.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	August 19, 2013 – August 30, 2013	Student Rosters(with ID#’s)	Do we have data from the selected students Algebra 1 STAAR test?
Separate the students into groups based off of 8th grade scores.	Richard K Green	September 2, 2013 – September , 2013	8th grade Math STAAR results for selected students Microsoft Excel	Are the students grouped with other similar students?
Pair the selected student’s 8th grade results with their Algebra 1 results.	Richard K Green	September 9, 2013 – September 11, 2013	Microsoft Excel 8th and Algebra 1 Grade STAAR Results for selected students.	Do we have complete results for the selected students that include both their 8th grade and Algebra 1 results?
Sort students by result of Algebra 1 test.	Richard K Green	September 11, 2013 – September 13, 2013	Microsoft Excel Algebra 1 STAAR results for selected students.	Are we clearly able to see who passed and who did not along with their scores?
Look at attendance data from tutorial sessions for Algebra 1 and sort by number of times attended.	Richard K Green Ron Smith	September 16, 2013 – September 27, 2013	Microsoft Excel Algebra 1 tutorial attendance records.	Can we see what students attended the tutorials regularly?
Combine test result data with attendance data and look for trends of pass or fail with tutorial attendance.	Richard K Green	September 30, 2013 – October 2, 2013	Microsoft Excel Algebra 1 STAAR results with 8th grade STAAR results Tutorial Attendance report	Is there a connection between students who attended more tutorials doing better on the Algebra 1 STAAR?
Obtain data on students who were enrolled in regular Algebra 1 classes.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	October 2, 2013 – October 4, 2013	Section number of regular Algebra 1 classes. Student rosters with ID#’s	Can we determine pass and fail rates of students enrolled in regular Algebra 1 classes?
Obtain 8th grade math data for students enrolled in regular Algebra 1 classes and link with Algebra 1 STAAR results.	Richard K Green Lisa Donlan	October 7, 2013 – October 11, 2013	Section number of regular Algebra 1 classes. Student rosters with ID#’s	Can we see how the students in regular Algebra 1 classes did on their STAAR tests?
Look at change in grades between 8th grade STAAR and Algebra 1 STAAR for both groups.	Richard K Green	October 14, 2013 – October 25, 2013	Microsoft Excel STAAR results for all students in 8th grade and Algebra 1.	What group had the greatest improvement in raw score from their 8th grade STAAR test to the Algebra 1 STAAR test?
Analyze effectiveness of the double block program in improving overall student success.	Richard K Green Kirk Manley	October 28, 2013 – November 8, 2013	All reports showing change.	Is the double block program making a significant change in the achievement of at risk students?
Perform a cost benefit analysis on teacher cost for double block program.	Richard K Green Kirk Manley	November 8, 2013 – November 22, 2013	All reports showing change Cost breakdown of extra teachers for scheduling needs	Is the cost of the double block program the most effective tool to improve achievement?