EDU 696 Capstone 2 Culminating Project
Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages To Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Discussion 4
Introduction
Karen Zantop is a sixth-grade language arts teacher in Pasco County schools in Florida who is also involved in dropout prevention in the schooldistrict. Zantop, who has over 20 years’ experience as a teacher, is particularly focused on students at risk for academic failure. In describing aschoolwide effort to improve middle-school students’ writing skills, Zantop gives voice to a classroom teacher’s experience of action research. Inthe following excerpt, Zantop describes how she and other teachers worked collaboratively to identify and address students’ writing challenges. She explains that their action-research–based approach differed from more conventional strategies for improving instructional practice andstudent learning. Rather than assessing students’ needs through a “routine of committees and meetings” (p. 84), school staff set about gatheringand evaluating information about students’ writing abilities, from multiple sources. As a result, they were able to devise interventions that weresuccessful in meeting the particular needs of their students. Subsequently, their students’ scores on the statewide writing assessment improved.
Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from Zantop, K. (2010). Using research data to improve student achievement. In R. Brindley and C. Crocco (Eds.), Empowering the voice of the teacher researcher (pp. 84–89). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Facing a decline in students’ state assessed writing performance, Karen Zantop leads a team that uses standardized test dataas a starting point for overall improvement in student writing. The results of their action research informed the practices ofthe entire faculty.
Most school years begin with a routine of committees and meetings to assess what is best for our students and our school as a whole. Not this year! While the goals were the same, this year the talk was all action research. Having been introduced to this new approach, the question on most of our minds was “What now?” Was this just another gimmick thought up by some company to make a lot ofmoney and a name for themselves? Let’s face it, teachers have seen fads come and go. Does action research work? Has it been effectivein helping students excel?
We didn’t know but ventured as requested further into this unknown territory. Managing a school from a model using teacherresearch to promote student success was an interesting idea. After a visit from two colleagues at the University of South Florida (USF), we were off and running.
Planning Our Work Together
During the first year we created a scope and sequence for our middle school that teachers could use vertically across the grade levelsso that there was a systematic development of writing skill. This was a new direction for us and led to some earnest conversationsamong the eight language arts teachers, each of whom had strong opinions. Fortunately, we received invaluable support as the schooldistrict implemented curriculum mapping for all subject areas.
Armed with these materials, the group created posters to foster good writing. The sixth-grade teachers took responsibility anddesigned “Topic, Audience, Purpose, Plan” (TAPP) posters. These were created to focus the students on important aspects of thewriting process and were made available to each classroom in the school.
To assist our action research, our group believed a visit to another school would help us research successful techniques for the writingprocess. Our neighboring middle school’s students had scored the highest in the county for several years, and we wanted to see if anyof their strategies could be used to improve our students’ writing abilities. After the visit, we decided to adopt some new strategies.
Firstly, it seemed imperative that we have a schoolwide writing practice day so that students in every grade would get some earlyfeedback on their own achievement level. The practice writing day went well, so we proceeded to add a practice writing for all sixthand seventh grades while the eighth grades sat for the FCAT writing test. We hoped that this experience would serve the youngerstudents well, and within three years our school writing score was an average 4.3.
Several factors could have influenced these scores, but we continue to use and build on the practices we discovered through ouraction research. Dividing up this work was easy as every teacher volunteered to do their share. One teacher was responsible forcreating the practice test for the sixth and seventh graders. This was a complex job, but the teacher was willing to take it on. Allteachers were given the test and answer key so they could work with their assigned students.
We did confront some problems with this type of planning and these types of activities. There was some irregularity in the grading asteachers responded to the writing in different ways, and some students did not get a final score. Sadly, those students felt left out. Wewondered whether for some teachers grading represented too much extra work, so we knew that the next time we would need to planto enlist the help of other colleagues such as assistant principals and the reading specialist.
Reaching Individual Students through Conferencing
The action research committee also recommended the school obtain substitutes for the eighth-grade teachers prior to the FCATWriting test. This allowed the teachers to work one-on-one with each student, who now received personalized tutoring on his or herwriting. I had the opportunity to observe and conference with students, and they greatly appreciated the effort and were motivated intheir writing endeavors. They listened intently and appreciated each suggestion and saw how their scores were improving.
We relied upon ourselves to make this task manageable for all students. We came up with a list of “must dos” to augment thescheduled writing classes. We required each student to write a minimum of 350 words so that their stories had sufficient interest anddetail. Using the state scoring rubric to guide students, they were then coached to go back and use more descriptive vocabulary. Techniques such as projecting into the future to create the best conclusion proved extremely effective.
Of all the strategies we tried, the action research committee found the days given to individual conferencing to be a powerful strategy. We believe there is nothing better than giving students personal positive and corrective feedback on their writing samples. As a resultof our observations of the process, a best practices list was compiled and distributed to all our colleagues, and the entire staff haveresponded by including these ideas in their lessons.
We were pleased at how many teachers stepped into grade practice essays. Our principal, assistant principals, reading specialist, andothers took on this job with enthusiasm! Attention to writing had reached an all-time high, and all that was left was to wait “impatiently” for the results.
The Results of the Writing Emphasis
At long last and after a school year of action research, the scores were in, and we met our goal of improving student writing. Originally, we had planned that the principal would shadow anyone who earned a top score of six on the test. To our delight, SSMS studentsreceived so many perfect scores that this was impossible. Instead our principal agreed to sit on the roof all day to celebrate thesuccess of our eighth graders, to the delight of all our students.
After the students received their scores, the committee agreed to survey them on how they were able to improve the overall quality oftheir writing. We realized that our students had made great strides in their ability to write, and we would only have this short windowof opportunity at the end of the year to pick their brains about how they perceived the writing process and instruction. We askedthem three simple questions:
- What writing technique did you use while taking the FCAT Writing test that you feel helped your score?
- Had you ever used this technique before?
- What did you learn in your class this year that helped you to become a better writer?
Students responded that the individual conferences, the “No Dead Verbs” lesson, the formal essay training, and Caught ‘ya! Grammarwith a Giggle (by Jane Keister, 2003) were their favorites. They also noted critical techniques such as planning tools, enhancingvocabulary, and focusing on topic. They reported that they felt intelligent, capable, and empowered to become better writers and feltprepared to respond on the state’s formal writing assessment. We summarized the results and sent them to the faculty. The statewriting scores that followed our research and implementation were indeed impressive, and we felt our time spent on research wasbeneficial. The writing scores are shown in Table 4.5.
Table 4.5: Student writing scores
Our writing action research group continued to serve as a resource during the next school year (2006–2007). We didn’t want to losethe gains from the teachers’ and students’ hard work. Staff members continued to be aware of and use our strategies. The school scorecontinued to increase as we continued to implement the great practices that resulted from our action research. We understand thatany one action research initiative doesn’t last forever, and as we respond to student needs, there may come a time for a commonsenseconclusion, but for now we continue to research and implement effective practices.
The reader can be left with two important thoughts. With focused preparation and instruction students have the ability to write in anorganized and creative manner. Action research helped us to create some basic guidelines and lesson plans to achieve the desiredresults of boosting the writing skills and scores of our eighth-grade student body. Our research on writing strategies is ongoing. Wehave moved from our original research to include new techniques. In the end we had a dedicated group of motivated educators whobelieved in our students and their ability to rise to our writing expectations.
References
Keister, J. B. (2003). Caught ‘ya! Grammar with a giggle for middle school. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House.
Source: Zantop, K. (2010). Write-On: Using research data to improve student achievement. R. Brindley and C. Crocco (Eds.), Empowering the Voice of the Teacher Researcher. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Summary
In the article, Zantop describes how a team of middle-school language arts teachers engaged in a collaborative, action research project toimprove students’ writing skills, schoolwide. Their efforts were prompted by a decline in scores on a statewide writing assessment. By gatheringand analyzing information about the students’ writing challenges, the team was able to identify their students’ particular learning needs and todesign specific interventions aimed at those needs.
Several key factors led to the success of the project. The first factor was cooperation between the teachers. In collaboration with all thelanguage arts teachers in the building, the team identified the needed content and sequencing of learning goals, which applied across classrooms. As Zantop describes, multiple teachers volunteered to participate in this work with the support of the school district. Teachers also agreed toengage in “conferences” with each student to give them individualized feedback on writing samples, which Zantop describes as one of the mosteffective aspects of the intervention. Second, the research team visited a school whose students were more successful in the state writingassessment to understand the strategies that fostered that success. Finally, after students completed the state assessment, the research teamsought feedback about their experiences. Specifically, they asked what the students had learned in class and which techniques were used toimprove writing skills. This information helped the school further improve its intervention strategies.
Few books or articles on school-based action research are written by current classroom teachers. Further, the emphasis on standardized testing isoften framed as a deterrent to action research as a means for enhancing teaching and learning. Thus, this excerpt provides an importantperspective. It shows how action research can be used to improve standardized test scores from the viewpoint of a practicing classroom teacher. In Zantop’s experience, action research can be a powerful tool for understanding and successfully addressing students’ learning needs.
Part 1: Share the process and results of the action research study you peer reviewed in EDU 694
- Describe the purpose of the study by writing a statement that completes the following sentence, “The purpose of this study was to…” (two to three sentences).
- Post the research question(s) – Include definitions of key technical terms, if necessary (one to three sentences).
- Outcomes/Results or the “so what?” of the study – Answers to the research questions. (three to four sentences)
- Assuming you would conduct another cycle of this study, what specific modifications or adjustments would you make, and why? (three to four sentences)
- Explain why this study is important for teachers and other educational practitioners to read about. (two to three sentences)
Part 2:
- In one paragraph, reflect on your experience with the redesign of the Week Three Assignment in terms of challenges you encountered and how you overcame those challenges. Also include how your assessment promotes learning and innovation skills and how it could be used as a tool for ongoing evaluation of student progress.
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. 50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors 10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. The can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. GET THIS PROJECT NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO PLACE THE ORDER
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