Action Research Project Results* First Report

Does Freshman Orientation have an effect on how successfully students transition from middle school to high school?

Needs Assessment: As a new high school campus we wanted to ensure that school traditions and pride were quickly established. One of the ways we set about doing that was through a series of Fish Camps. This was an opportunity for campus student leadership to instill the values and mission of the school in a fun and exciting way. After several successful years of Fish Camp the other high school’s in our district started asking for information regarding the types of activities we did, how our time was used, what funds were needed, etc. It was decided that a Freshman Day would be established throughout the district and our Fish Camp would be used as a primary model for activities.

While it was a specific situational need that first brought about the establishment of Fish Camps on our campus, the need for a smooth transition from middle school to high school is well documented. This includes an achievement loss that is associated with the middle school to high school transition, dropout and retention rates associated with the disparity between 8^th grade and 9^th grade performance, self-perception of academic abilities by 9^th graders and a number of other factors.

Disaggregated data from previous TAKS scores as well as the National Center for Education Statistics show that 8th grade students in Texas have made some gains, the achievement gap between White and non-White students and not economically disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged students has not closed substantially on either the NAEP or the TAKS since 2003. This achievement gap is also reflected in 9^th grade scores. While this is only one source of information it does give cause to further examine this achievement gap. Further data that is specific to my campus is needed in this area.

In 2007, my campus began collecting data from our feeder middle schools to determine what perceptions and concerns existed amongst our incoming freshman. Our results largely reflected the concerns expressed by students across the country. Students were concerned about liking their teachers, getting lost, being picked on by upper classman, who they would eat lunch with, more rigorous coursework, etc. (see figure below).

Degree of Concern as Identified by Incoming Freshman in 2007

At Guyer High School

Objectives and Vision: Freshman Day will be an event that not only orients incoming Freshman regarding the school rules and procedures but rather the beginning of a series of transition tools that will aide to alleviate the concerns of incoming Freshman as well as provide the needed support for success throughout their 9^th grade year. This success will establish a sound foundation for future high school achievement as well. Freshman Day will assist students in alleviating their major concerns in a non-threatening environment wherein only incoming 9^th graders will receive orientation information, locate all eight of their classes, meet all of their teachers, receive and locate books, lockers, lunch assignments, etc. without the distraction, crowding and feeling of intimidation that comes with a traditional first day of school. No upper-classman will be on campus for Freshman Day with the exception of student leaders who are trained to provide orientation information, assist in locating classrooms and give information regarding what to expect from a students perspective.

I predict that there will be gains made in the following areas:

-Concern regarding upper-classman bullying will decrease by at least 20%

-Concern regarding teacher assignment will decrease by at least 35%

-Concern regarding getting lost will decrease by at least 20%

-Concern regarding class difficulty will decrease by at least 10%

Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy:

As previously stated, this project arose organically out of a need at our campus. A number of people were involved in the planning process including student organization leaders, key freshman teachers, administrators and counselors.  We considered a gamut of information including surveys of incoming freshman as well as a variety of concerns held by administrators, counselors, staff members and upper-classmen. There was a vast number of concerns that were raised regarding topics that most Freshman seemed to not fully understand including how GPA’s are calculated, what credits were needed for graduation, our very specific cafeteria guidelines, the array of extra-curricular activities available as well as school traditions including the school song, fight song, wildcat symbol, etc.

These individuals comprised a committee that further explored which topics could be covered, the best ways to cover these topics, resources that would be needed and how effective they might be. For example, with such a vast array of topics there is a great possibility for overloading and further intimidating freshman, which is the opposite of what we were trying to achieve through our efforts. Scheduling was also a concern. Our district is on block scheduling and we wanted students to be able to locate all of their classes and meet all of their teachers.

Eventually we decided that finding classes and meeting teachers was a primary goal and that the schedule must reflect this need. After that was established it was easier to sort through which activities would be the most beneficial and feasible given the scheduling constraints.

Alspaugh, John W. (1998). Achievement loss associated with the transition in middle school to high school. The journal of educational research. Volume 92, Issue 1, p. 20-25.

Hertzog, Jay C. and Morgan, Lena P. (1998). Breaking barriers between middle school and high school: developing a transition team for student success. NASSP bulletin. Volume 82, number 587, p. 94-98.

Mizelle, Nancy B and Irvin, Judith L. (2000). Transition from middle school to high school. what research says. Middle school journal. Volume 31, number 5, p. 57-61.

Articulate the Vision: The current results of this action research plan have been shared with administrators, teachers and some school board members as well as the superintendent of our district although that was not the original intent. Initial results were shared with my campus administration in a fairly informal way. From there, a series of meetings developed involving more administrators, members of the counseling team and other student leadership sponsors. Eventually, more formal presentations were given to the entire teaching staff in order to prepare them for the events of Freshman Day and help them understand the need for this change and what role they would play in facilitating it. Results were also shared with parents via letter, e-alert and website postings as well as presentations at PTSA meetings.

Future dissemination will be done in a variety of ways including oral, written and electronically. As we seek to further improve our annual Freshman Day additional oral presentations will occur in the form of meetings with the administration and counseling staff as well as presentations to the staff. As in the past, written communication will be maintained with parents via letters, e-alerts and website postings. In addition to these communications I will also post my action research results on my academic blog to share with other administrators and teachers. My campus also maintains a Facebook page that I will use to post important segments of my action research results to request feedback from the student body and parents.

Manage the organization and operations: As previously noted, a team of student leaders, Freshman teachers, administrators and counselors formed the committee that made decisions to build consensus, communicate with stakeholders as well as manage funds and other resources. Myself along with my Student Council co-sponsor at the time, Lisa Hurst took on the responsibility of training student leadership, assembling needed materials to cover the chosen topics, test run all of the activities, manage the orientation assembly and generally provide guidance and continuity for the entire days efforts. Counseling staff took the responsibility of assembling and managing the assembly of information packets, folders and schedule pick-up as well as creating the necessary visual aides regarding GPA and course requirements. Amanda Goss, Freshman English Teacher, took on the task of creating the GPA game to be used in classes and Bridget Matamoros, Freshman Math teacher, took on the task of assembling the guided walk-through of cafeteria procedures. Barbara Fischer, school principal, assumed the responsibility of finding and allocating appropriate funds for the day. We operated as a team with both myself and Lisa Hurst overseeing the operation and ensuring that things were coordinated efficiently and appropriately.

Respond to Community Interest/Needs: This entire project is aimed at a specific group. The retention rate of 9^th graders is tied to achievement loss as well as low graduation rates. Freshman Day is aimed as a first step among a series of support mechanisms to help transition 8^th graders into the high school environment. Response to all stakeholders can be seen clearly through the data analysis and annual revision and improvement process pursued by our committee since the inception of Freshman Day in 2007.

March for Teachers

This Blogging Thing...What About a PLC???

As I've been asked to begin blogging for academic purposes it has occurred to me how useful the idea of blogging could be to develop PLCs. I'm sure that I'm not the first person to think of this but I can't believe that this isn't something that we already do at our school.

We could easily set up some sort of "closed" blogging community that could only be accessible to Guyer staff members and explore a number of topics informally to gather initial feedback in a non-threatening way. It would also probably organically produce committees to address a number of issues as different staff members expressed concerns, ideas and passion for different subject matter. 

Essentially, we are talking about creating a suggestion box on steroids. Think of all the time we spend on facebook developing a sense of connection and belonging. This same concept could increase morale and togetherness if directed appropriately. As long as the administrators controlling the blog made sure to steer things in proactive, positive directions the idea of a closed blogging community could easily develop into a Professional Learning Community. 

Just a thought...

Student Perception of Classroom Ethics at Guyer High School: Action Research Plan

Student Perception of Classroom Ethics at Guyer High School: Action Research Plan
Action Research Questions: What do students at Guyer High School consider classroom ethics to be? What is the difference in the perception of classroom ethics amongst lower-classmen and upper-classmen at Guyer High School? What is the difference between the perception of classroom ethics amongst the highest academic achievers and the lowest academic achievers at Guyer High School? In what ways does a lack of understanding classroom ethics affect a student’s academic performance at Guyer High School? What can I, as a teacher and administrative intern, do to increase student understanding of classroom ethics at Guyer High School? Goal: Determine the perception of classroom ethics amongst students and Guyer High School and develop a plan to increase that understanding. Objectives: Determine the current perception of what constitutes academic dishonesty amongst the following groups: Lower-classman at Guyer High School Upper-classman at Guyer High School Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Determine the current perception of what constitutes plagiarism amongst the following groups: Lower-classman at Guyer High School Upper-classman at Guyer High School Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Determine the frequency of academically dishonest incidents amongst the following groups: Lower-classman at Guyer High School Upper-classman at Guyer High School Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School Quantify any correlation between the understanding of academic dishonesty and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School. Quantify any correlation between the understanding of plagiarism and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School. Develop a course of action to increase student understanding of both academic dishonesty and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School. Implement the determined course of action and evaluate the plan’s effectiveness.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.Setting the Foundation: I have had previous experiences in my classroom that have grown increasingly more frequent in recent years in which students do not seem to understand what constitutes plagiarism. The trend seemed to be occurring in co-workers classrooms as well. The topic also presented itself when meeting with my site supervisor and we discussed the idea of covering the topic in a new Freshmen Course Survey Course that is currently being developed in our district.	Misty Chesnut Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor	February 2011	Field Notes from interactions with colleagues, curriculum development notes from Freshmen Survey Course.	Informal evaluation with colleagues and site supervisor.
2. Gathering Basic Information: Facilitate a casual discussion amongst a cross-section of students at Guyer High School to establish a general understanding of what their perceptions of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are. This will act as guidance in developing the surveys that will be used later on in the project.	Misty Chesnut, Facilitator Alyscia Clark, Facilitator Brian Valenzuela, Facilitator Ashley Helms, Facilitator Amanda Goss, Facilitator Greg Coleman, Facilitator	May 1, 2011 – June 1, 2011	Discussion facilitators that have a reputation for having a good rapport with students in order to encourage candidness. A diverse sampling of students willing to speak candidly.	Informal peer evaluation and collaboration session where all facilitators share the findings from their group discussions. Input will be taken from facilitators to help guide the survey development process.
3. Research: Read a number of current articles focusing on classroom ethics with particular focus on the decreased understanding of what constitutes plagiarism.	Misty Chesnut	March 21, 2011- May 15, 2012	A variety of literature including formal educational research, articles from professional teaching organizations, blogs, etc.	I will share my findings and write responsive editorial style blogs to begin the process of critically evaluating the research that I am reading. I will solicit input from colleagues and superiors regarding their opinions of that research.
4. Developing a Data Collection Tool: Develop a survey that solicits student perception regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism as well as the frequency of academic dishonesty and/or plagiarism.	Misty Chesnut *With advisement from site supervisor, other administrative team members and the previously used facilitators.	May 15, 2011- Aug. 30, 2011	Meeting minutes from the initial facilitators peer evaluation and collaboration meeting and survey enhancement texts such as “Designing Surveys” by Czaja and Blair.	I will have a group of peers and supervisors view and critique the survey after it is completed and make any necessary revisions.
5. Gathering Data: Administer survey to students in targeted groups: lower-classman in both the top and bottom performing quartile and upper-classman in both the top and bottom performing quartile. Surveys will be administered during ZONE (a home-room type class that Guyer High School students attend once every three weeks in order to receive progress reports, report cards and state/federal mandated PSA’s on such topics as bullying, bus safety and evacuation, child abuse, etc.) so that it will be part of the already occurring activities at Guyer High School. I will work with my Associate Principal and Principal to determine the best time to administer these surveys.	Misty Chesnut, Freshmen Survey Course Instructors (*instructors TBD), Greg Coleman and Kim Carver (Teachers for Junior and Senior level AP English) as well as Alyscia Clark and Ashley Helms (Inclusion teachers for English 3 and 4), Stephanie Carbonaro, Registrar, Gene Terronez, Associate Principal and Barbara Fischer, Principal.	Aug. 30, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2011	Surveys set up online or physical paper surveys for all students in selected groups, class rank for all students enrolled in the Freshman Survey Course as well as Coleman, Carver, Clark and Helms English classes. Access to Zone class time and computer access for students. *Every effort will be made to gather this survey information electronically for ease of processing.	I will do a self-assessment regarding the effectiveness of administering surveys in this way. I will also set up an electronic survey through Schoolwires to solicit the feedback of all instructors that administered surveys. I will gather qualitative information from those instructors regarding how the student responded to the surveys (seriously, honestly, etc.) to help determine if the results are valid.
6. Analyzing Data: Quantifiable scores from the surveys will be used along with information regarding students grade level and class rank to determine if there are any correlations between a students understanding of academic dishonesty and plagiarism and their class rank. Of course, any correlation will not indicate cause but may lead to future wonderings in this area.	Misty Chesnut, Scott Dean, AP Statistics Teacher	Sept. 15, 2011 – October 15, 2011	Survey responses from selected groups, previously gathered information regarding class rank and grade level of surveyed individuals and an understanding of statistical analysis.	Scott Dean, AP Statistics Teacher will assist and critique me during the process of statistical analysis to ensure that my data analysis is mathematically sound.
7. Developing a Plan of Action/ Developing Deeper Understanding/Self-Reflection**: There is no doubt that at least some of the student population will not have an accurate grasp on what constitutes academic dishonesty and plagiarism. A plan must be developed to relay that information to our students. The depth and breadth of that plan will need to be determined by the results of the survey. There may be certain populations that are in greater need of explanation regarding classroom ethics than others. My plan must reflect the need assessed according to the qualitative (information gathered from administering teachers) and quantitative (statistical analysis of survey results) data. I will meet with a focus group of administrators as well as other stake-holders (as determined from survey results) in order to develop the most appropriate plan of action to relay the understanding of classroom ethics. This could be anything from a PSA-style presentation to developing curriculum to include in the Freshman Survey Course and/or English classes that will further the current curriculum standards and teach to the topic of classroom ethics.	Misty Chesnut, Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor, Barbara Fischer, Principal, Freshmen Survey Course Instructors *Additional teachers as determined by data analysis.	Oct. 15, 2011- Nov.15, 2011	Previously gathered qualitative and quantitative data, class schedule and school calendar.	I will take this opportunity to share our findings with other Guyer High School teachers at our October staff meeting. **Prior to presenting I will review my own blogs and any field data and/or notes taken in order to reflect critically on my research projects progress thus far.
8. Implementing a Plan of Action/ Taking Action for School Improvement: This is very difficult to detail at this time because it depends entirely on the results of the collected data. This portion of my plan will have to be updated after steps 5 and 6 are completed.	Misty Chesnut Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor, Barbara Fischer, Principal, Freshmen Survey Course Instructors *Additional teachers as determined by data analysis.	Nov. 15, 2011 – March 15, 2012	Previously established Plan of Action, school calendar, *other items as determined by Step 6.	Evaluating the plan of action will be done through both informal input given by stakeholders involved in this process (*determined by Step 5 and 6) as well as anonymous surveys given via Schoolwires upon completion of the Plan of Action Implementation.
9. Evaluating the Plan of Actions Effectiveness/ Exploring Pragmatic Patterns: The same developed survey will be given to the same sample group of students and the resulting scores will be compared with that of the first survey completion in order to determine if students gained a better understanding of what constitutes academic dishonesty and plagiarism.	Misty Chesnut, Freshmen Survey Course Instructors (*instructors TBD), Greg Coleman and Kim Carver (Teachers for Junior and Senior level AP English) as well as Alyscia Clark and Ashley Helms (Inclusion teachers for English 3 and 4), Scott Dean, AP Physics Teacher.	April 15, 2012- May 15, 2012	Previously developed survey, access to Zone class time and computers for students, understanding of statistical analysis.	Comparison of second completed survey results with those of the first completed survey results in order to find any meaningful increase in understanding.
10. Disseminating Information/ Determining Direction**: I will post my findings on my BlogSpot as well as via the Denton ISD newsletter if approved by our Superintendent. I would also like to publish my findings more formally if my findings and work are determined to be of high quality.	Misty Chesnut, Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor, Barbara Fischer, Principal, Dr. Ray Braswell, Superintendent	May 15, 2012- June 1, 2012	Blog, Denton ISD Newsletter, *Education-based Professional Journal if available	**Input via blog from peers, superiors and other stake-holders, professional criticism from Professional Journal editors.
11. Evaluating Action Research/ Plan Sustaining Improvement: I will review my previous blogs and other evaluations from throughout the course of my action research plan and then reflect on the planning, execution and dissemination of my action research project. I will then develop new action research inquiry questions based on my findings.	Misty Chesnut Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor, Barbara Fischer, Principal	June 1, 2012	All elements of my action research plan including field notes, informal data, blogs and responses, surveys, survey results from both the first and second administrations, evaluation surveys and results, any newsletters and/or other published results.	This particular step is explicitly an evaluation so no further evaluation is necessary.