EDLD 5399 Week Three Parts 1 & 2

Week Three Assignment, Part 1 – CARE Model Analysis of District/Campus Improvement Initiatives or Action Research Plans

 

Please review your intern plan. In the first course, students were encouraged to engage in some action research, or participate in district or campus improvement initiatives. Each of you has had some experiences with such initiatives or action plans. Please review those experiences and complete the following analysis:

 

Concerns – Review your participation in improvement initiatives or efforts to engage in action research, and list at least three concerns that you have identified from these experiences – a concern may be any matter that engages your attention or interest.

 

1. Continuing of training teachers and reviewing current technology and how it can be incorporated into instruction

2. Review salaries to ensure they are competitive

3. Base academic planning on relevant assessment data, and adjust instruction accordingly

 

Affirmations - Review your participation in improvement initiatives or efforts to engage in action research, and affirm or identify at least 3 actions that must be sustained and supported to achieve the District/Campus improvement initiatives.

 

1.  School district and campus financial stability

2.  Community support as well as teacher and staff buy-in

3.  The plans are organized and easy to follow

 

Recommendations - Review your participation in improvement initiatives or efforts to engage in action research and describe at least 3 recommendations you would make regarding the District/Campus Improvement plans or action research plans.

 

1. Recommend that teachers actively monitor student gains and losses on CSCOPE Assessments by STAAR/EOC Reporting Categories

2. Simplify the campus and district improvement plans to focus on a few main goals or ideas

3. Ensure that all recommendations lead toward the vision and mission of the school district

 

Evaluate - Review your participation in improvement initiatives or efforts to engage in action research and identify at least 3 strategies for evaluating the improvement plans or recommendations.

 

1. Evaluate results with monthly campus meetings with teachers and other stakeholders

2. Create and complete a needs assessment at three points throughout the year

3. Analyze and disaggregate STAAR data

 

 

Week Three Assignment, Part 2 – Part C of the Comprehensive Final Report

Describing Recommendations and District/Campus Improvement Initiative/Action Research Lessons Learned

 

Review the above analysis, and write at least one page thoroughly describing recommendations and lessons learned from experiences with the improvement initiatives or action research plans.

Blog Follow-Up: Be sure to post your above reflection on your Recommendations and Lessons Learned to your blog, and read and comment on at least two other students’ assessment reflections.

 

Both the campus and district improvement plans are essential guides to help keep the campuses and the school district as a whole moving in the correct direction.  Getting input for stakeholders, including the community, is imperative to ensuring that the goals and objectives are being accomplished. 

 

Several areas of concern stood out amongst others from the plans.  For example, technology has become a hot topic issue in the school district.  The district spent a large sum of money to outfit all the campuses and the central office with wireless internet access.  Due to this, continuing the training of teachers and reviewing current technology and how it can be incorporated into instruction is a large task.  A second item of concern has been the hiring and retention of highly qualified teachers.  Reviewing annual salaries to ensure they are competitive around the area is a good way to promote the school district and monitor the brand and idea of the school district in the public eye.  Lastly, an area of concern is STAAR and testing data and how teachers are using data to base academic planning on relevant assessment data, and adjust instruction accordingly.

 

Three actions that must be sustained and supported to achieve the District/Campus improvement initiatives include school district and campus financial stability, community support as well as teacher and staff buy-in, and organized and easy to follow campus and district improvement plans.  Due to recent issues with public school funding in Texas, school districts and campuses must ensure financial stability in all areas including personnel and spending.  Having community support and teacher buy-in are imperative to reaching goals and expectations, not only for the campus and school district, but also in regards to student learning.  Lastly, creating and maintaining campus and district improvement plans will help keep stakeholders on the same page and moving in the same direction to complete goals.

 

Three strategies for evaluating the improvement plans or recommendations are to evaluate results with monthly campus meetings with teachers and other stakeholders, create and complete a needs assessment at three points throughout the year to ensure effectiveness and progress, and to analyze and disaggregate STAAR data to help ensure student success.  Evaluating and progress monitoring the campus and district improvement plans are essential to understanding when or where modifications need to be made in order to conquer the ideas and thoughts set forth in the original plans.