Action Planning and Evaluation

Action Plan

A comprehensive professional development plan, centered on technology, must be developed for this campus’ faculty and staff. As observed in week 3, students are reporting that they are seeing integrated technology only once or twice during the week. Students are also seeing a limited number of technological implements being used in class (desktop computers and calculators were reported being used more often. Changes need to occur. This training, as Jennifer Dermody pointed out, must be relevant and up-to-date and focus on the Teaching and Learning aspect, our weakest area of the STaR chart (Jennifer Dermody, personal communication, November 30, 2009). According to our Campus Improvement Plan (which is identical to our District Improvement Plan), our counselors, teachers, technology facilitators and our administration, are ultimately responsible for implementing the bulk of the technology action plan points. In turn most the professional development must focus on these groups.

Since, from experience, most of the administrators and counselors on this campus do not have the knowledge and skills needed to successfully implement a comprehensive professional development plan, training will need to be provided on Eduphoria (data analysis and gathering tool for the district). Collaboration with Instructional Service, our Technology department and our very own technology facilitator will be integral in ensuring that the comprehensive plan is successful.

When leading into any professional development, it is important to share data with the faculty. The initial professional development would center on having the faculty look at data from the STaR chart and information from the Campus and District Improvement Plans. The importance of looking at data helps to solidify the purpose of the succeeding professional development. The session would allow for collaboration amongst the staff. Groups of individuals would present their findings in a general session after having time to meet in smaller groups.

The overall vision of the proposed decision making will be to increase knowledge and skills utilizing and integrating technology in the classroom. In addition, his training will be in line with what the campus and district expectations are in accordance with the respective improvement plans. Although some direct instruction will be necessary, the hope is to have as much differentiated and learner-centered professional development as possible. As Dr. Abernathy said we must have less “sit and get” (K. Abernathy, interview, November 30, 2009). Three main areas of focus for professional development will be addressed during before school in-service and throughout the school year. A fourth area will provide information to the district’s decision makers on the benefits of allowing our students to use their technology devices in the classroom.

The first area of training will focus on having the staff trained on the use of Aware and Forethought, two data gathering sources on our district’s Eduphoria software. This training, which will be mandatory, will be differentiated. For those who are truly beginners, an administrator and the technology facilitator will lead this faculty in a step-by-step training on the ends and outs of the Eduphoria. During this time, these faculty members will be utilizing the program to access and gather data for multiple, fictional students. Additionally during this training, they will be shown how to access Response to Intervention data by using the Aware function of Eduphoria. Those that have background information on how to use the software will be asked to mentor and teach those that are struggling with accessing and gathering data. This portion will be more open-ended, for those that already know but need a refresher or for those that just want to sharpen their skills. Engaging in this type of professional development satisfies a portion of the District and Campus Improvement Plans, where the campus and district will “begin to train teachers on the usage of the Eduphoria program.”

The second area of training will be a continuation of practices already in place. Throughout the year and scheduled by our technology facilitator, teachers will have the opportunity to learn new skills or sharpen skills they have. Teacher will have the opportunity to learn about blogging and podcasting. In addition, trainings will be offered to learn a variety of software applications such as I-Movie and Inspiration. Trainings will be offered, with collaboration with academic departments, for department-specific implements such as the science department’s probe ware. Broader implements such as the “clicker” system will also be included in these trainings. This training will be come-and-go, but will be recommended that teachers attend at least two during the course of the year. To encourage participation, trainings will be offered during planning times throughout the year. Like the first professional development, there will be beginning, intermediate and advanced trainings offered.

The third area of training will occur throughout the year as well. This area will provide for opportunities for teachers to “collaborate and mentor each other in using technology as a tool for high level student learning. Throughout the year, it will be required that teachers are utilizing at least part of their departmental time to be developing technology embedded lessons. Instructional Technology facilitators and Instructional Technology facilitators will be asked to be available during this time to help in the modeling and planning of technology embedded lessons. In doing this type of training, the campus will be addressing the CIP goal of “providing opportunities for teachers to collaborate and mentor each other in using technology as a tool for high level student learning.”

Times have changed. Students have changed. The fourth area will focus on current practices within the district. Students, through interviews in week three, reported to having a variety of technological devices with them that would help engage them in their learning that they are not allowed to use due to district policy not allowing them to do so. They feel that they are being “handcuffed” to their digital world by current usage policies. Providing a session to the board and the superintendant, and sharing the findings from student surveys and current research, could go a long way in helping the district schools reach the “Target Tech” area. This session would have current administrators, students and teacher presenting. By allowing students to utilize their own technology, the district could potentially find “smarter ways to use the money that we have” (S. Jenkins, interview, November 30, 2009).

Evaluation

The evaluation process of the action plan is just as important as the actual plan itself. It provides the necessary data to show whether or not progress has been made during the implementation phase of the action plan. The proposed evaluation plan will call for reflection (on the part of administrators and faculty), competency matrices, surveys, analysis of STaR chart data and analysis of snapshot data.

One of the primary sources of data that will be used to evaluate progress made on the action plan will be reflection. This district uses a portfolio as a means of evaluation (PDAS is not used). One of the most important pieces of the portfolios is the reflective practice that occurs in conjunction with it. For the purposes of this action plan, teachers and administrators will be expected to reflect on the methods used for implementation of the action plan. This qualitative data will provide feedback on what went well with the implementation of the action plan and what did not go so well. Reflective questions will also be asked for suggestions for improvement to the action plan.

The second source of evaluation will come from analysis of a technology competency matrix given to teachers. This matrix will ask that teachers, at the beginning of the year, decide the level of knowledge they have on a variety of technology areas. These areas will range from implementation of technology-embedded lessons to the usage of a variety of technological implements to knowledge of the Technology TEKS. In addition, there will be items about the use of Eduphoria for gathering and analysis of student data. These areas are some of the primary areas that need to be addressed, according to week three’s report, for the Teaching and Learning domain of the Long-Range Technology Plan. Periodically during the year, preferably during district-mandated portfolio conferences, teachers will be asked to revisit their competency matrices to determine if growth has occurred. At the end of the year the competency matrix will be collected. The data that this will produce will provide information on how the teachers view their progress in meeting the goals of the action plan and progress in becoming so called “digital citizens” (C. Cummins, interview, November 30, 2009).

The third source of data will be a survey that will be given to a random sampling of student and teachers. The survey will focus on asking students and teachers the extent to which they see technology being implemented in their classrooms. They will be asked what types of technological implements they see being used, how often they use technology in the classroom, and how they are using technology in the classroom. These types of questions, using a Likert scale, will provide valuable quantitative data for the administrators to look at when evaluating progress towards the action plan. Additional qualitative questions will be asked to determine if students and teachers thought that the technology actually enhanced and enriched educational experiences. These questions will also provide feedback on how well that the students liked (or did not like) the technology integration. Analysis of the data will hopefully show that technology within the school has the “mobility” factor that Cummins referred to in the roundtable interview (C. Cummins, interview, November 30, 2009). Additional surveys will be given to teachers to evaluate the sessions offered to them regarding the trainings made available throughout the year. These evaluations will provide data that will allow for the improvement of these trainings.

Analysis of STaR chart will be another source of evaluation for the progression of the action plan. For this campus, focusing on the Teaching and Learning quadrant will be integral. This area, as noted in weeks two and three, has been consistently the lowest for this campus. Analyzing this data will show whether or not we have moved from the “Developing Tech” area to the “Advanced Tech” area.
The data produced from district “Snapshots” will also be used as a monitoring tool for the progression of the action plan. “Snapshots,” are an informal observation method, utilized by administrators, to determine whether or not research based strategies (use of High Yield Strategies, Levels of Questioning, etc.) and effective use of technology are happening in classrooms. Analysis of this data will provide more quantitative data to determine the extent to which technology is being integrated into the classroom. It is possible to manipulate this data to show which grade levels or departments are using technology and which are not. This information will prove valuable as the campus develops collaboration and mentoring (geared towards technology) opportunities for teachers to engage in. Much like the portfolio process, teachers will be given reflective questions about trends they see within their “snapshot” data.

Integrating technology into the classrooms and ensuring that our students are 21st century thinkers has to be a priority. Implementing the proposed action plan is only a portion of what needs to be done. Evaluating and adjusting the plan to ensure future learning opportunities is just as critical. As noted by Dr. Abernathy “the world has changed and our students have changed” (K. Abernathy, interview, November 30, 2009). As administrators, we have to ensure that we are constantly evaluating where we are and what needs to be done to stay ahead of the game and reach the “Target Tech” area in all areas.