Saturday, December 8, 2012

The Blueprint...

Thought this was an appropriate title and picture for the week...






Action Planning Template
Goal: The primary objective of this study will be to determine whether or not there are significant differences with regards to block scheduling compared to a traditional schedule in a high school setting.  The study will compare differences in:
  1. Attendance rates
  2. Failure rates
  3. Perception of success as viewed by teachers in their respective scheduling models
The desired group of students to be compared are 10th grade students  that scored in the mid-range on the TAKS test (40th-60th percentile).
Action Steps(s):
Person(s) Responsible:
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
Initial Meeting: Meet with Dr. Peirson about perceived differences in block scheduling vs. traditional school scheduling.  Also discuss why our school chose to go with traditional settings.

Dr. Peirson- Associate Principal McKinney Boyd High School
January 31st



Copy of action research plan.
Notes from the meeting. 
Study Design: Identify participating schools and define groups that will be studied. Discuss time frames that will be observed for the different group.




James Ayres/ Dr. Pierson- Associate Principal MBHS
February 14th
Two schools similar in size (student population and staff population), that differ in scheduling models.  Copy of research plan for each principal.
Lists of the two schools, groups that will be compared within those schools and principal’s approval.
Data Collection: Attendance Rates

Registrar’s office/ Principals from participating schools
February 28th
Registrar’s office from each school.
Attendance rates will be compared and charted.
Data Analysis: Attendance Rates





James Ayres/ Dr. Peirson
March 31st
Data collected from each school on attendance rates.
Compare data and determine if there are any significant differences.
Data Collection:
Test Scores









Principals
April 30th
TAKS Scores,
Spreadsheet software
Collect Scores for groups that are defined.
Teacher Survey
Teachers that work at schools
May 31st
Survey monkey, email capabilities
Tabulate Results to determine the different perceptions amongst teachers. 
Test Score Analysis
James Ayres, Dr. Peirson
July 15th
TAKS Scores
Compare test scores to see differences in failure rates.
Initial compilation of data and results: 
James Ayres
August 31st
TAKS Score Analysis,
Teacher Survey Results,
Research from State,
Attendance Data Analysis
Compile all of these results into an initial report and initial suggested findings.  This will be used to discuss with the two respective principals of each school.
Discussion of Results
James Ayres,
Principals from each school
October 31st
Initial Compilation of Data.
Notes of thoughts from each principal
Final Results
James Ayres
December 31st
Initial compilation of data, notes from meeting with principals, research from state
Final results- this will be used to discuss with our own principal the findings of the study, and the validation of the study.  This could possibly lead to our school changing and implementing a different scheduling model.
Summary of Analysis
The purpose of this study is to determine if there are identifiable differences between the two different scheduling models of block scheduling and traditional scheduling.  If differences are present, then this might be validation for choosing one model over another, or simply be the means for further research.   

9 comments:

  1. James,

    How many schools are you comparing? Is it a traditional model vs a block model of two different high schools?

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  2. Ideally this would be something that we would want to look at a large data pool and compare a lot of schools in a lot of different areas. But for this study it will just compare two schools. I am considering adding more just to be able to get a better quality study.

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  3. James,
    I'm really interested in your results. I teach at the elementary school level, and was considering an inquiry into block scheduling in the third grade. I'm guessing that more progress would be show in block schedules than traditional schedules, simply because there is more time to spend on a given skill or subject. Is block scheduling a campus decision or district decision? I'll be following your blog for updates! Best of luck to you.
    Wendy

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  4. Oh, and I like your Jay-Z image. The title is very appropriate.
    Wendy

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  5. I enjoyed reading your plan. Your summary of analysis represents your plan well ~ truly a blueprint.
    I love the picture of Jay-Z!

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  6. This is very interesting to me, James. I have never taught in a school with block scheduling. I went to school with 7 periods, and I teach now with 8. I will be very interested in seeing your results. I know teaching with only 45 minutes is hard to get everything in that you want. My fear, with the block scheduling, is that it would be hard to keep the student's attention. I have mixed feelings; however, I would not be the right person to make judgement because I have never experienced the block scheduling. I will be following to see what you find. The only suggestion I might make...Maybe get a survey from the students. I know that their opinion will not sway decisions that administrations make; however, their perception of things can mean a lot when it comes to education. If they like a teacher, they will work for him/her, most likely. If they like a subject, they will work harder in that class. The opposite is also true. Just a thought. Good luck!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the advice Katie. I had not thought of asking students what they thought. Sometimes I think we overlook them even though we think we are looking out for their best interests!

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  7. This topic was just discussed at our recent school board meeting. The complaint is that with certain topics such as math, there is the possibility that you can go over a year between math classes. Then there is the struggle of review, reteaching, and struggling to get all the material taught in time. I am wondering if you will be comparing the amount of time in the classroom with block scheduling to traditional scheduling. There are many block schedule models. Will yours be all block schedule or a modified schedule? I'll be following.

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    Replies
    1. Hadn't thought about the different types of block scheduling. I will have to look into that. Thanks for the heads up Pam!

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