Research Plan

Here it is... and I am looking forward for ways to improve the plan!

Revised Action Plan

Goal:

o   Determine how non-academic factors impact student achievement.

Objectives/Outcomes:

o  Determine how non-academic measures impact student’s academic grades.

o  Examine classrooms and schools that separate “professional ethics grades” from academic grades to analyze how it impacts student achievement

o  Explore the relationship between formative assessments and a student’s overall knowledge in a course.

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline	Resources A.    Resources Available B.    Resources Needed	Evaluation
Step 1: Grading and Assessment Book Study	Assistant Principal: Dr. Marie Rossmann	Fall 2011	A. Teachers/staff B. Robert Marzano’s book Grading and Assessment that Works (2006.)	Are the ideas in this book something that could be incorporated into our current classrooms?
Step 2: Compare and contrast the ideas in Marzano’s book with other assessment books	Grading and Assessment Committee members	Spring 2011 through Spring 2012	A. The Teacher as Assessment Leader (Guskey, 2009.) B. Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessments techniques for your classroom (Fisher and Fray, 2007.)	Discussion at committee meeting. Do the techniques and practices in the books support or refute the ideas in the Marzano (2006) book?
Step 3: Survey of teachers, students and parents currently using alternative grading systems.	Parents, Teachers and students at: Heritage H.S., Liberty H.S. and Hunt M.S.	Spring 2011	A. Create survey B. Google Documents or Pink Monkey survey website	Aggregate data to find benefits and weaknesses to the current alternative grading systems. How can we improve?
Step 4: Develop and research multiple formative assessment documents to aide student’s learning	Committee members/ campus leadership	Fall 2011	A. Research formative assessment methods discussed in assessment books (Guskey, 2009, Fisher and Fray, 2007, and Marzano, 20006) B. Books	Teacher and committee developed formative assessment models to aide student academic learning.
Step 5: Create examples and non-examples of ways to assess student academics vs. non-academic grading	Committee members/ Campus leadership District campuses using non-academic grades	Fall 2011	A. Campuses that are currently using non-academic grades. Cite examples of non-academic grading that works B. Committee members	Use of examples and non-examples of academic grading. Students and teachers will work to modify the lists as needed.
Step 6: Professional development for teachers and staff	Committee members/ campus leadership	Spring 2012	A. Teachers and staff; time for professional development B. Background information; literature or research for basis of implementation; examples and handouts for staff	Teacher/staff/Student survey results. Ways to implement and use non-academic grading systems to improve academic success.
Step 7: Instruction of non-academic grading standards to the entire campus of teachers	Teachers/staff	Fall semester 2012	A. Committee created presentation and rubrics B. Instruction time; handouts for students; student buy-in	Student survey of initial thoughts
Step 8: Present non-academic grading information to students and parents	Teachers	Fall 2012	A. Present information to students at the start of the academic year, and inform parents during curriculum night activities. B. Presentation	Inform students and parents how the new grading system will impact overall academic success.
Step 9: Collection of data	Committee members/ teachers/staff	Ongoing	A. Compare failure rates for the years before non-academic grading and after implementing the program. B. Failure rates from the 09-10 year, plus 10-11 and 11-12 years.	Comparison of academic grades when non-academic measures are assessed differently.
Step 10: Analysis and reevaluation of plan	Committee members/ administration	June 2012	A. Data B. Comparison of data and teacher input on effectiveness	Discussion of committee members and campus leadership on effectiveness based on data analysis
Step 11: Additional professional development	Committee members/ campus leadership	August 2012	A. Teachers and staff; time for professional development B. Results of spring data collection	Teacher/staff survey of additional needs
Step 12: Implement revised action plan based on data and evaluation	Teachers/staff	August 2012	A. Committee revised plan and documents; previous year’s data B. Instruction time; handouts for students; student buy-in	Comparison of new data to old data