Project Title:
Student Reading Development through Accelerated Reader Gap Analysis: At my school site, there is a need to increase reading levels for many students are behind the reading levels that they are supposed to be at (grade level). My project’s intention is to use the software Accelerated Reader to encourage more reading time in the classroom while students continue to be motivated to do better, regardless of what level they are at. My target is primarily the student body, but I think the implementation of Accelerated Reader will also be beneficial to the families for they have access to viewing their student’s progress. Teachers can easily monitor their growth and how much reading they are actually doing. Motivation: The inspiration for this project was my current school site as well as my mom. I am familiar with Accelerated Reader through my mom and she has told me how useful the software is for her class, the student’s parents, and the administration. I have heard that students have gone up a couple of grade levels in one school year. The positive feedback that I have heard about Accelerated Reader and the mostly positive results are what led me to choose a project that tackles what we desperately need at our school site. Reading is something that we constantly do throughout our lives and it is an important skill that we need to guarantee that all students know how to do. Objective: My goal is for all students to go up at least one grade level within a span of one school year. Supporting Research: Accelerated Reader The What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report provides us with a brief description of what Accelerated Reader is as well as some early research done on the software. The U.S. Department of Education reports on the effectiveness of Accelerated Reader in terms of its impact on learning the alphabet, reading fluency, comprehension, and overall reading achievement. They have found that AR has anywhere from no effect to a positive effect to the aforementioned categories. Chart: Review of Progress Monitoring Tools LD OnLine did a review on progress monitoring tools, such as Accelerated Reader, and evaluated the standards that each of these tools provides students. These standards include, but are not limited to: reliability, validity, alternate forms, students improvement, and benchmarks. Out of the seven categories, LD OnLine marked Accelerated Reader as supplying six out of the seven standards. A Randomized Experiment on the Effects of Accelerated Reader/Reading Renaissance in an Urban School District: Final Evaluation Report Steven M. Ross, John Nunnery, and Elizabeth Goldfeder evaluated the effectiveness of Accelerated Reader on student’s reading comprehension, teacher’s perceptions, and the impact on different subgroups. Studies included K-6th grade teachers and their classrooms and was truly randomized. The methodology included administering the STAR Reading Test and a brief survey for the teacher’s reactions. They found that K-3rd grade classes reached statistically significant higher post-test scores, whereas 4th-6th graders only saw a minor positive trend. The teacher surveys showed that almost all teachers (~95%) were supportive of Accelerated Reader and most (~90%) would use it again. The Effects of Immediate Feedback on Reading Achievement Samuels and Wu evaluated immediate versus delayed effects on reading performance measures. This six month study involved sixty-seven 3rd-6th graders and showed that the students that got the immediate feedback through Accelerated Reader showed more significant gains in reading comprehension. How the Amount of Time Spent on Independent Reading Affects Reading Achievement: A Response to the National Reading Panel Although not directly linked to Accelerated Reader, Wu and Samuels found that spending more time reading does in fact produce higher achievement. Participants included 3rd-5th graders who would read books at their reading level and take quizzes once finished. The control group read 15 minutes per day while the experimental group read 45 minutes per day. After the six month study, Wu and Samuels found that more time spent reading led to greater achievement, poor readers showed greater gain in vocabulary than good readers, and third graders showed greater gain than fifth graders. Evaluation: My overall goal will not be satisfied until the end of the school year. Success will vary from student to student depending on how many reading levels they increased by the end of the year. My data sources consist of the responses from the teacher survey and student AR levels at different points of the school year. I plan on using the teacher surveys to get a better sense as to where teachers stand on the issue with Accelerated Reader. The surveys will also provide me with any data that I am missing or do not have access to. In the classroom where I am doing the study, the AR levels throughout the school year will be another source of data. The teacher survey will consist of approximately 20 questions. The questions cover a wide range of topics, from teacher background to student progress to personal opinions on the effectiveness of Accelerated Reader. Action Plan: I will do a one year trial with my class by having them read books at their respective grade level and have them quiz themselves through Accelerated Reader. This project is expected to last an entire school year to see if the software can guarantee upward mobility in reading. I would like to begin using the software as early as next school year. I would prefer if my entire school district or at least school site would get on board with the use of Accelerated Reader. But if not, then I am willing to at least test with my own students. Accelerated Reader charges $4 per student or $1,599 for a one-time school fee. However, the full implementation of Accelerated Reader can range anywhere from $2,000-$10,000 depending on the school size and other components. In terms of the AR levels, I will take all of the student’s reading levels in the beginning of the school year and compare them to where they are now. I will measure each student’s progression throughout the year and then find the class average to see where the class stands as a whole. If the class is moving at a steady pace to where I can confidently predict the class is moving up then I know that I am making successful progress. In the teacher survey, short response questions will be carefully reviewed and answers will be placed into categories after evaluation. After analyzing the survey responses, I will calculate the percentage of respondents that answered a certain way to find any trends. Implementation: Beginning of 1st Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) End of 1st Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) Beginning of 2nd Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) End of 2nd Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) Beginning of 3rd Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) End of 3rd Trimester ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): Check Student Progress ( Pending ) End of School Year ( 2019 - 2020 Academic School Year ): End-of-Year Teacher Survey ( Pending ) Bibliography: I. (2008, October). Accelerated Reader. Retrieved May 13, 2019, from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_accelreader_101408.pdf N. (2006, December). Chart: Review of Progress Monitoring Tools. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/30680/ Ross, S. M., Nunnery, J., & Goldfeder, E. (2004, April). A Randomized Experiment on the Effects of Accelerated ... Retrieved March 4, 2019, from http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004076723GH55D8.pdf Samuels, S. J., & Wu, Y. (2006, April 23). The Effects of Immediate Feedback on Reading Achievement. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from http://www.epsteineducation.com/home/articles/file/research/immediate_feedback.pdf Wu, Y., & Samuels, S. J. (2007, March 15). How the Amount of Time Spent on Independent Reading Affects Reading Achievement: A Response to the National Reading Panel. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from http://www.epsteineducation.com/home/articles/file/research/immediate_feedback.pdf
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2. Collaboration with Others: Being able to work with peers by exchanging ideas and information with one another to develop a mutual understanding. This skill helps us better communicate in oral and written form. Collaboration allows us to create a more comfortable learning environment where people can work together with ease and become more efficient in finishing tasks. It also helps people bond with one another and strengthens relationships at work. 3. Organization: Always being prepared and managing your time appropriately so that you are working efficiently. Students and workers alike are constantly getting tasks and deadlines thrown at them that require us to keep order. This skill should be more emphasized in schools at an early age so that students figure out that procrastination is not a good habit to carry with you. In the 21st Century, it is very easy to get submersed in the internet and lose yourself in entertainment. Organization can help us challenge our urges to do this by prioritizing our time to what is important. 4. Adaptation: Being able to change along with your surroundings / environment. Progressively evolving and adjusting to what is required in the work place. We are living in a time where there are constant technological advancements occurring. Future generations need to get accustomed to shifting tools so that they don’t fall behind to things from the past. Learning today is not taught the same as it was in the past. It is in everyone’s best interest to do their part in keeping up with what’s new. 5. Self-Reflection: Reflecting on what one has done and identifying how we can improve / do better. We look back at what we have completed and see where growth can be made. Self-reflection can help in future generations develop growth mindsets and prevent quitting. We learn through trial and error. 6. Responsibility / Commitment: Being able to stay focused on your task(s). This survival skill ties into organization for they both are very essential to learn early in life. If done properly, being able to retain information in the classroom will be easier and increase efficiency. 7. Tech-Savvy: Having knowledge of using technology with little to no struggle. In the 21st Century, being tech-savvy is more important now than ever before, especially in school. We can use these tools as learning resources and enhance means of communication. Students need to be exposed to technology early in life so that they don’t fall behind everyone else’s comprehension level. Most jobs / careers today require some type of tech understanding. 1. Discuss your previous experience with Instructional Rounds/Learning walks, could be your own experience of what you've heard about this strategy for improving instruction.
Because I currently do not have any years of experience as an educator, I have yet to experience instructional rounds / learning walks. But because I will be a new teacher next school year, I believe they will be essential in helping me acclimate to my school's learning environment and give me useful ideas for my own classroom. Not only will I be able to better understand what the school expects of me from more experienced teachers, but I can also witness how students respond to other teachers teaching practices and determine if I want to implement those same teaching practices. The overall purpose of this strategy is to observe whether new learning methods are actually working. I hope that these instructional rounds also include evaluations of the use of technology in the classroom. 2. Discuss how these videos connect to the ideas Wagner puts forth about improving instruction. Both Wagner and the videos address the importance of consistency for the students while at school. It would greatly benefit students if classroom expectations and learning objectives lined up with each of their classes. Inconsistency would just lead to classroom chaos and confusion. Like students, we take the opportunity of professional development to learn and feed off ideas of one another. While doing project-based instruction, much of the learning that is going on is students teaching each other. Teachers can improve their own instructional techniques by doing the exact same thing. 3. Thinking about your own leadership, how would you bring this strategy to a school you lead? Think about being a new leader and how you would roll out this new plan, keeping in mind the differences in learners/teachers, and the structure of this school's professional development strategies already in place. Dream big, however, keep yourself grounded in the reality of today's schools. If I were to become a school leader, I would definitely introduce learning walks to my site if not already done so. The global achievement gap would have to be addressed and the need for better student / staff support so that my faculty understands the need for professional development. Each group of teachers doing rounds would be scheduled appropriately so as to maintain consistency in our daily schedule. I would make sure that each observer is given adequate time to fully evaluate the teachers. After about a week or so, all teachers would provide their input and feedback to the ones they observed during our weekly meetings. We would go over what works best for teachers, what didn't, when were students most engaged, when weren't they, and then give me feedback on if the professional development strategies are working. If they are, then I would find ways to improve on it and meet the needs of all teachers and students. As an educational leader, it is my responsibility to find outcomes that we are all content with.
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