Continuous Improvement Model I teach 1st grade This assignment must be uploaded in Canvas. Failure to do so will result in an incomplete grade for the course. It will be important to begin this assi

Continuous Improvement Model

R. Hayes

April 1, 2016

Continuous Improvement Model I teach 1st grade This assignment must be uploaded in Canvas. Failure to do so will result in an incomplete grade for the course. It will be important to begin this assi 1

Description

For this Continuous Improvement Model, I used the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade Language Arts teachers at Anonymous Elementary. These teachers are part of the Language Arts PLC. Anonymous Elementary has a small student population with only one Language Arts teacher in each grade, 3-6. I met with the teachers and we discussed the four components necessary for the Continuous Improvement Model. Together we utilized the MS Language Arts Curriculum Framework and determined areas needed for improvement. The chart below represents the learning goals, activities and assessment time frame with specific measurable goals.

Action Plan

In order for students to achieve the goals set, the PLC group created a common assessment for each of their perspective ELA students. Pre-test were created by utilizing the computer lab program based test generator. Each teacher, within their perspective grades, administered the pre-test containing the particular objectives displayed in the chart below. The test was a multiple choice based assessment. The PLC groups met and collaboratively created activities that would address the areas of need represented in the pre-test data analysis. Each teacher implemented the activities over a five-week period. The teachers met weekly in collaborative groups to discuss the success of the activities or concerns pertaining to areas of need being addressed. Collaborative reinforcement was offered to those teachers with specific students struggling with mastery of skills.

SMART Goals

Student Learning Objective	Instructional Activities	Measureable Goal Time Frame
3rd Grade ELA
L.3.1e Form and use the simple verb tense. (I walked, I walk, I will walk) L.3.4c Use known root word as a clue to meaning of a word or phrase. L.3.4d Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine and clarify the precise meaning of key words.	Word Walls Student Centered Learning Stations Peer Tutoring Vocabulary Enriched Flash Cards Curriculum Thinking Maps Dictionary activities in co-operative learning groups One-on-one teacher tutoring Word scavenger hunts Computer based activities designed specifically for students to complete in the computer lab.	3.1e Students will increase and expound on their knowledge of simple verb tense with 80% mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 3.4c Students will master the use of a root word as a clue to a meaning of a word or phrase with at least 80 % mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 3.4d Students will increase and expound on mastery of precise meaning of key words with at least 80% accuracy by the end of the five-week period.
4th Grade ELA
L.4.1b Form and use the progressive verb tenses. L. 4.4a Use context as a clue to the meaning of a root word or phrase. (definitions, examples or reinstatements in text) L.4.4c Consult reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.	Word Walls Student Centered Learning Stations Peer Tutoring Vocabulary Enriched Flash Cards Curriculum Thinking Maps Dictionary activities in co-operative learning groups One-on-one teacher tutoring Word scavenger hunts Computer based activities designed specifically for students to complete in the computer lab.	4.1b Students will increase and expound on their knowledge of progressive verb tenses with 80% mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 4.4a Students will master the use of a root word as a clue to a meaning of a word or phrase with at least 80 % mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 4.4c Students will increase and expound on mastery of precise meaning of key words with at least 80% accuracy on standard assessment by the end of the five-week period.
5th Grade ELA
L.5.1c Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states and conditions. L.5.4a Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. L.5.5c Use the relationship between particular words (e.g. synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.	Word Walls Student Centered Learning Stations (synonyms, antonyms, homographs) Peer Tutoring Vocabulary Enriched Flash Cards Curriculum Thinking Maps Dictionary activities in co-operative learning groups One-on-one teacher tutoring Word scavenger hunts Computer based activities designed specifically for students to complete in the computer lab.	5.1c Students will increase their use of verb tense and their ability to convey various times, sequences, states and conditions with 80% mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 5.4a Students will master the use of context as a clue to a meaning of a word or phrase with at least 80 % mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 5.5c Students will be able to master the relationship between particular words with 80% mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period.
6th Grade ELA
L.6.4a Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g. the overall meaning of sentence or paragraph a word’s position or function in a sentence) L.6.4c Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) both print and digital to find pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or it’s part of speech. L.6.4d Verify preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary)	Word Walls Student Centered Learning Stations Peer Tutoring Text Structure Activities Vocabulary Enriched Flash Cards Curriculum Thinking Maps Dictionary activities in co-operative learning groups One-on-one teacher tutoring Word scavenger hunts Computer based activities designed specifically for students to complete in the computer lab.	6.4a Students will master the use of context as a clue to a meaning of a word or phrase with at least 80 % mastery on standard assessment at the end of the five-week period. 6.4c Students will increase and expound on mastery of precise meaning of key words with at least 80% accuracy on standard assessment by the end of the five-week period. Students will master inferencing skills through word phrases in context with 80% accuracy on standard assessment by the end of the five-week period.

Assessment Data

At the end of the five-week period, each teacher administered a post test created in the computer lab by test generator. The PLC group met and analyzed the data. Pre-test scores were compared to post test scores to determine if students had improved in the specific areas stated in the objectives for mastery. The tables below display the findings from the data analysis.

Third Grade Data

Objective	Pre-test	Post Test
L.3.1e	85.3	93.6
L.3.4c	82.4	94.2
L.3.4d	87.1	93.4

Fourth Grade Data

Objective	Pre-test	Post Test
L.4.1b	84.6	93.4
L.4.4a	80.4	86.8
L.4.4c	85.2	90.5

Fifth Grade Data

Objective	Pre-test	Post Test
L.5.1c	85.7	90.5
L.5.4a	83.2	89.4
L.5.5c	86.1	90.3

Sixth Grade Data

Objective	Pre-test	Post Test
L.6.4a	87.8	94.5
L.6.4c	88.3	95.2
L.6.4d	85.4	93.2

Narrative of Findings

The results from the pre-test and post- test indicate that students did improve in each of the objectives listed. The findings show that the activities implemented within the five-week frame time were successful and provided reinforcement for areas of improvement. Overall, the teachers were pleased with the results and felt that the collaborative effort and support for the activities implemented contributed to the rate of improvement that the data displays. The PLC team plan to use the results of the data to continue to build on vertical alignment for improvement in their ELA classes. Overall they felt that assessing student work is effective and plays a huge role in student learning. By analyzing data as a PLC team and allowing the data to drive instruction, the team has an advantage for continued development of effective teaching practices. Student performance is evident when test scores improve and the data driven curriculum enhances the success of not only the students, but the school as a whole.

Corrective Feedback

For the final PLC meeting, I met with the 3-6 grade teachers to discuss their thoughts on the progress that the group made with communicating how their students were responding to the activities implemented during the five-week time frame. Several teachers gave examples of how they had shared results from students work with each other throughout the weeks. They were able to give each other advice and suggestions on how they implemented an activity in the classroom setting. They also stated that their students enjoyed several of the activities so they plan to continue utilizing these activities over the next few weeks. This group of teachers have been positive and supportive during this five-week implementation period. I am so thankful for each of them and their willingness to work with me on this project.

During the final stage of this meeting, we reflected on Dufour’s four guiding practices. The teachers definitely felt that the student’s learned what they expected them to as indicated in the data and improvement of test scores. They know that the students were successful in mastery of the skills because they desegregated the data showing weakest areas did gain strength. For those students that showed a small improvement from pre-test to post test, the teachers will continue to work with them in a one-on-one tutorial station, offer peer tutoring, extra time to complete work and special assignments in the computer lab for the areas that need to be improved. For the students who excelled in all of the areas tested, teachers agreed that creating an AP learning station in their classrooms would benefit those who were more advanced in these areas. Writing journals, opportunities for creating power point presentations on a variety of topics and selected choice of writing topics would challenge the more advanced learner. These students would be allowed to collect research from utilization of the classroom computer.