Action Plan: Part I

Lacey Gooch
Student-Learning Goal: By June 2016, the overall school proficiency (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) in Science will
improve and the achievement gaps between ELL, Non-ELL, SPED, and Non-SPED students will narrow as evidenced
by:
An overall increase of 5 percentage points in students meeting or exceeding standards on the Science
Georgia Milestones exam
A narrowing of the achievement gap between ELL and Non-ELL students by 8 percentage points in the
percentage of students who are proficient or advanced on the Georgia Milestones exam.
A narrowing of the achievement gap between SPED and Non-SPED students by 10 percentage points in the
percentage of students who are proficient or advanced on the Georgia Milestones exam.
An increase in the percentage of ELL students meeting or exceeding standards by 5 percentage points on the
Georgia Milestones exam.
An increase in the percentage of SPED students meeting or exceeding standards by 8 percentage points on
the Georgia Milestones exam.
Monitoring
Person(s)
Tools/
Research-based
Person
Resources/
Expected
Responsible for
Assessments:
Strategies
Actions
Responsible/By
Budget
Outcomes
Monitoring/
Short-Term
Medium-Term
When
By When
Long-Term

Strategy 1:
Students will be a
part of
cooperative
learning groups in
Science, where
they will discover
their own learning
through
exploration,
experimentation,
collaboration,
analyzing, etc.

a) Professional
development for
teachers about
strategies and
effectively
implementing
cooperative
learning groups
b) Teachers
collaborate and
create lessons that
promote

Instructional Lead
Teacher to train
during preplanning (August)

Teachers plan
during common
planning time on
Wednesdays

$50 for printed

materials
(schools
professional
learning budget)

Classroom
resources for use
during lessons
(manipulatives,
workbooks, etc.)

Teachers will be
able to
incorporate
cooperative
learning groups in
their lessons
frequently and
seamlessly.
Teachers will be
able to create
meaningful
lessons that

Short Term
Teachers will
Daily assignments evaluate daily
assignments,
Common
homework,
assessments
common
assessments,
Classroom
ongoing
observations of
throughout the
implementing
year
cooperative
learning groups.
Teachers will
work with
Teacher feedback students to

cooperative
learning groups.
c) Teachers assign
student roles within
the cooperative
learning groups,
ensuring everyone
plays and important
part.
d) Teachers design
online lessons,
through
ItsLearning, that
promote
cooperative
learning.
e) Teachers
differentiate within
cooperative
learning groups
by interests,
learning needs,
ability, method
choices, etc.
f) Students fulfill
their roles within
their cooperative
learning groups and
strive to discover
their own learning.

weekly

promote higherorder thinking

skills, while using
Teachers to assign
cooperative
roles (daily,
$3,000 for another learning groups.
weekly, whenever class set of iPads
cooperative
to incorporate
Teachers will be
learning groups
more technology
able to design
take place)
(Schools
meaningful
technology funds lessons through
and Title I funds) ItsLearning that
promote
Teachers to design Printing for
cooperative
lessons, project,
common
learning groups.
etc. (weekly)
assessment--$150
(content area
Teachers will be
funds per grade
able to design
level)
differentiated
assignments to
help students
Weekly
increase their
understanding of
science concepts

Weekly

$500 (content
area funds per
grade level)

Students will play

an active role
within their
cooperative
learning groups
and take
responsibility for
their own
learning.
Student
performance on

(survey)
Medium Term
Student progress
on PENDA
Learning program
Review of teacher
lesson plans
Review of student
exemplars
Long Term
Georgia
Milestones
science exam
(overall and
compared by
subgroups)

collaborate and
provide feedback
to one another
ongoing
throughout the
year
Teachers will
monitor student
progress on
PENDA Learning
monthly
Administrators
will conduct
classroom
observations,
administer
surveys, and
review lesson
plansquarterly

Science class final

exam
Teachers will
review student
Student feedback exemplars and
(survey)
gather feedback
from students
each semester
quarterly
Teachers will
administer the
Georgia
Milestones and
will review the
results, knowing

g) Common
assessments are
given to students.
h) Teachers
collaboratively
score common
assessment, analyze
student
performance, and
assign different
cooperative
learning groups to
students according
to needing
additional
instruction,
enrichment, or
acceleration
Strategy 2:
Implement the
data team process
at each grade level
to modify
instruction to
meet student
needs in science,
particularly for
ELL and SPED
students.

a)Train teachers in
the data team
process
b) Establish the
roles,
responsibilities, and
decision making
authority of the
team
c)Determine
meeting schedule
for the year
d)Develop protocol

common
assessments (as
well as other
assignments) will
increase.

Monthly

what to address
with what
students the
following school
yearannually

Monthly

Administrators
and ITS will train
during the
summer break
Team to
determine
meeting schedule
(during summer
leadership retreat
and pre-planning)
Principal and
instructional lead
teacher to develop

Teachers will
administer the
science final,
analyze results,
and share with
next grade level
teachers so they
will know on what
to focus and with
what students the
following school
yearannually
Stipends for
teacher training
($150/day per
teacher) from
schools
professional
development
funds.
Printed materials
for training ($50)
from schools
professional
development
funds.

Teachers will be
able to implement
data teams with
fidelity to the
process
Teachers will be
able to design pre
and post common
assessments in a
variety of formats
Teachers will
identify student
learning problems
from the data

Short term
Data team logs
and protocols
Pre and post tests
results for
students
Observation of
team meetings
Observation of
best practices
implemented in
science
classrooms

Administrators
will review team
logs and protocols
monthly
Teachers and
administrators
will review results
of post-tests to
determine growth
ongoing
throughout the
year.
Administrators

for data team to use

data team protocol

(ready for summer
e)Create technology training)
structures to
support electronic
ITS and assistant
data collection for
principals
common
establish
assessments
workspace for
data collection
f) Teachers design
(ready for preand administer
planning)
common pre-test to
students
Teachers
implement and
g)Team scores
evaluate on a
pretest, analyzes
unit by unit basis
results, and groups throughout the
students into 3
year (steps g-n)
categories not
proficient,
proficient, and
advanced
Teachers identify
causes for any
Team
specifically achievement gaps
compares
ESOL and
SPED
subgroups
scores to
Non-ESOL
and NonSPED
student
scores.

Teachers will be
able to identify
and implement
best practices for
science concepts
IT work for
electronic
collection of data
included in
district budget

Teachers will
increase
collaboration and
will become more
aligned with
instruction in
science
Students will
receive
instruction
targeted to their
specific
instructional need

ESOL
students
will
receive
instruction
targeted to
their
cultural
needs
SPED
students
will
receive
instruction

Medium term
Observation of
team meetings
focused on
effectiveness
indicators

will sit in on
content area
meetings and
discuss results of
common
assessments and
strategies for
reteaching
monthly.

Individual teacher
assessments about
data team work
and
implementation of Teachers complete
instructional
self-evaluation
practices
and meet with
evaluating
Review of lesson administrator
plans for tiered
quarterly
assignments
Long Term
Results of
Georgia
Milestones
science exam
Teacher and
student feedback
about
instructional
practices
(surveys)

Administrators
will review lesson
plans and provide
feedback to
teachers about
differentiation and
reteaching
strategies for
students
quarterly
Team will review
common
assessments for
students

h)Team plans
instructional
modifications to
address identified
needs and
determines
effectiveness
indicators
i)Teachers
implement agreed
upon actions in
their classrooms
and instruct
students
j)Post test
administered by
teachers
k)Team evaluates
post test results and
determines growth
of students using
simple calculations,
evaluates
effectiveness of the
instructional
modifications, and
determines
remedial
interventions for
students still not
meeting standards

targeted to
their IEP
goals
Students will
increase their
proficiency in
science concepts
Students needing
Teachers create
additional support
modifications and
will be identified
reteaching
early and
strategies
Purchase of
provided with
immediately
resource materials additional
following
to support
interventions in a
evaluation process students who need timely manner
remedial
assistance ($500
for all 3 grades)
ESOL and SPED
from content area students will be
Teachers will
per grade level
provided with the
have one week to funds and Title I
necessary extra
implement these
funds
services identified
strategies and
in their IEPs,
modifications to
data, etc.
instruct students
in a timely
manner.

participating in
extended
instruction
opportunities to
determine
effectiveness of
interventions
Teachers and
administrators
will review results
of Milestones
annually

l) Team works with

ESOL and SPED
department head
teachers to address
these students
learning problems.
m)Team shares
results with
administration
along with plan to
remediate students
n) Team
implements
remedial plan for
underperforming
students
o)Team repeats the
cycle (steps g-n)
p)Team evaluates
the effectiveness of
the data team
process for meeting
student needs and
makes
recommendations
for continued
implementation

ESOL and SPED

teachers
collaborate with
science teachers
to create
modifications and
instructional
strategies at the
end of each unit.

Data team and

administrators
twice per semester

Parent &
Community
Involvement:
Describe how you
will communicate the
action plan to parents
and the larger
community. Include
how you might
involve them in its
implementation.

Parents will be involved in the creation of the action plan through a survey administered online, as well as a mailed
hardcopy to be returned to the school by the end of August. Additionally, parent input will be gathered at Open House
(August) and Curriculum Night (September). The finalized plan will be shared via the schools electronic newsletter, as
well as posted on the schools website. Parents can get involved with the plan by attending Science Night (February),
where students will take the lead as teacher and demonstrate their knowledge of a variety of science concepts they have
learned about thus far by leading their parents in different experiments and activities. Furthermore, the action plan will be
presented to community leaders and business partners to receive any input they may have as well as gain their financial
support for resources and their time for mentoring, assisting with real-world projects, and presenting content area material
to classes.