Analysis and Action Plan for Student Learning free essay sample

Part A: The candidate with the approval of the school leadership will establish a professional learning community with a minimum of three peers to research areas of need in student learning and development in school. On January 17, 2012 a request was made for permission via email from principal, Roger Edwards to complete my internship at HCHS. He responded the same day and granted me the approval by email. See email 1A. On February 1, 2012 a request was made to one of our Assistant Principals, Mr. Heriberto Corral and requested permission to establish a PLC. Mr. Corral approved it and also agreed to serve on the committee. See email attached below; The Career Management teachers already had a PLC established and we would meet periodically. However, it did not include a parent, assistant principal or a noncareer tech teacher. Therefore, it seemed most appropriate to gain permission before moving forward with a modified PLC. The new PLC will have to meet consistently and record our meetings officially. Our PLC will have a minimum of three peers to research an area of need in student learning and development in the course work of VoCATS scores. In addition to permission to complete my internship, I have also included the email granting me permission to establish a new PLC. See email 1B. The PLC team will consist of the other two Career Management teachers; Mrs. Rouse and Mr. Covington. Mrs. Diane Mitchell was selected based on her 31+ years of experience. Mrs. Mitchell will be articulate her experiences. Mr. Heriberto Corral is one of our four assist principals that will participate on this PLC. The team would benefit a great deal by having an administrator on board. Our PLC will specifically look at the Career Management scores at Hoke County High School. Our PLC will focus mainly on our Career Management scores in Career Technical Education. The main goal is to improve the test scores in this specific area and hopefully through out the school in state testing classes. This school is above the state average for Career Management. See chart 1C below with comparisons. The current and previous data shows students at this school perform above the state level. The data shows that this school has average scores compared to other schools compatible in the surrounding area. The results also reveal that the students at this school are performing above the state average. However, these students experience difficulty with vocabulary and comprehension skills. As a team, our focus will be to address these areas of weakness. A meeting was arranged with the new PLC members: Antonio Covington, Marquitta Rouse (Dept. Chair), Diane Mitchell (30+ years experience teacher), Heriberto Corral (Assistant Principal), Cynthia Dial (parent) and myself (PLC Leader). Prior to our meeting, members were contacted on February 3, 2012 to solicit topics of concern. The agenda was created based on their responses. See agenda 1D. As a team we discussed the role of the student. We articulated that the role of the student is that of a learner, a collaborator, and a team member. We have a number of theories about learning which help us understand the role of a student or learner. One of the theories that we are fond of was developed by Abraham Maslow and it is called the theory of basic human needs. Maslow (1954) contended that human beings are motivated by several basic needs. These needs are basic and are in a hierarchical order based on human priority and necessity. Maslow found that individuals whose basic needs are satisfied are more effective learners. Maslow believed it is the responsibility of the teacher to insure the basic needs are met before an individual can become an effective learner; survival, safety, belonging, and esteem. We also articulated the vision the group held for each other as individuals, team members, and most importantly, our common vision for student achievement. While the individual teaching styles of the team were very different, it became apparent that commonality existed in terms of supporting the growth of our students. After team collaboration, we adopted the following vision statement: â€Å"We will provide a classroom climate that fosters thoughtful and respectful consideration of alternative viewpoints and ideas, personal ownership of learning, and individual construction of personally meaningful knowledge. † Once the team’s vision had been established, we became very honest about our personal and professional strengths and our target areas of growth. From this conversation, the team was able to clearly define the focus and responsibilities of the PLC Leader and individual team members. The meeting was successful and everyone is excited about working together. Our vision will remain in the forefront of our meetings, reminding us to always provide a climate in our classrooms that fosters thoughtful and respectful consideration of all viewpoints. The information from our meeting was provided to our leadership team via email. This was the responsibility of the team, along with the minutes (chart minutes 1F) from the meeting. See email 1E. PLC Leader/Dept. Chair and Team Members Responsibilities PLC Leader (Chavis): 1. Lead team with a â€Å"big picture† mindset focused on the Hoke County Career Management essential questions: How will you know they have learned what you have taught? What will you do for those who have and those who have not learned what you have taught? 2. Lead team planning focused on discussions of what’s working and what is not working 3. Lead team in the organization and use of data 4. Coordinate team professional development based on team needs and input 5. Exhibit strong knowledge of standards, objectives, pacing, and instructional best practices 6. Utilize team strengths and knowledge to lead team in differentiation of instruction Dept. Chair (Rouse): 1. Work in tandem with PLC leader 2. Keep organized minutes of all meetings and share with team Team Norms: 1. Remember that each member has unique strengths and skills 2. Each member must contribute skills, talents, time, etc. to promote a high level of interdependence among team members 3. Everyone utilizes the plans and resources worked on by the team 4. Accept that conflict will occur and exhibit a willingness to listen 5. All communication outside the team must be positive in order to establish team trust and respect 6. Stay positive Chart 1C Career Management 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 Results State 71. 1 71. 2 73. 1 Hoke County High School 74. 4 74. 2 76. 6 Red Springs High School 83. 5 73. 9 78. 7 Saint Pauls High School 77. 6 72. 1 83. 5 Lumberton Senior High School 76. 9 69 69. 2 Seventy First High School 57. 6 64. 8 64. 7 South View High School 75. 6 69. 7 75. 3 Richmond Senior High 66. 7 75. 8 75. 8 Pinecrest Senior High 66. 1 71. 7 74. 7 Agenda 1D Minutes 1F Email 1A, permission to complete internship DANA CHAVIS Request 2 messages DANA CHAVIS Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 12:49 PM To: ROGER EDWARDS I am enrolled at Gardner-Webb University studying Masters of Arts in Executive Leadership. I will need to complete an internship of 400 hours to gain practical experience at a school. May I do this at Hoke High? Perhaps during my planning period? I can ask if Mr. Corral would be willing to work with me. I have 3rd period planning. Dana B. Chavis, GCDF Business Educator [emailprotected] k12. nc. us Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 12:54 PM Reply-To: [emailprotected] k12. nc. us To: DANA CHAVIS Yes Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry From: DANA CHAVIS Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:49:32 -0500 To: ROGER EDWARDS Subject: Request [Quoted text hidden] Email 1B, permission to establish PLC DANA CHAVIS Request 2 messages DANA CHAVIS Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 12:39 PM To: HERIBERTO CORRAL , ANTONIO COVINGTON , DIANE MITCHELL , MARQUITTA ROUSE , ANDRENA SCOTT , Cynthia Dial As you may know I am enrolled at Gardner-Webb University studying Masters of Arts in Executive Leadership. Mr. Edwards has given me permission to complete my internship here at HCHS to gain some practical experience at a school. Mr. Corral I truly appreciate you stepping in to work with me while Mr. Baldwin is out with his son. I would like your approval in establishing a professional learning community (PLC) and I would like you to be a part of it as well. Our PLC will have a minimum of 3 peers to research an area of need in student learning and development in our school. Our PLC will articulate and prioritize the most pressing need and address those identified needs. Our PLC will utilize research data and school performance as the primary base of reward and recognition. PLC Team Members will include; Antonio Covington (CM teacher), Diane Mitchell (30+ years teacher), Heriberto Corral (Asst. Principal SIT member), Marquitta Rouse (CM teacher), Cynthia Dial (parent) and myself (CM teacher, SIT member). Dana B. Chavis, GCDF Business Educator [emailprotected] k12. nc. us Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 4:57 PM Reply-To: [emailprotected] k12. nc. us To: DANA CHAVIS I’ll be more than glad to be a part of it, and help you with anything I can. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry From: DANA CHAVIS Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 12:39:32 -0500 To: HERIBERTO CORRAL Subject: Request [Quoted text hidden] Email 1E, Career Management PLC for leadership team DANA CHAVIS Career Management PLC 1 message DANA CHAVIS Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 10:15 PM To: HERIBERTO CORRAL , ANTONIO COVINGTON , DIANE MITCHELL , MARQUITTA ROUSE , ANDRENA SCOTT , Cynthia Dial