The
title of my action research project is: Reading Classes into an Alternative High School Curriculum: Improving
Reading Comprehension and Student Success.
I chose this topic because a large majority
of students that attend an alternative high school are considered at-risk. The
purposes of high schools in the State of Texas are to prepare students to
attend colleges. If the majority of students were better readers the
opportunity for success would be greater. Will adding a reading class into an
alternative high school curriculum improve reading comprehension which in turn
improves student success?
The purpose of the needs assessment
is to measure whether a reading class would better prepare the students for
college. The information gathered in this action research will be presented to
the campus and district administration with hopes of implementing a required
reading class in alternative high schools. The primary data collect came from
two surveys: one the teachers filled out on students reading abilities and one
the students filled out on their own reading comprehension. Secondary data
sources include benchmark results and TAKS data. The audience of the action
research is students, teachers, administrators, parents, and stakeholders.
The vision of my action research
project could just about fall under any campus or district vision because it is
all about the students’ success.
Vision: I believe reading is essential for individual
success and creates a love of lifelong learning. Reading can improve
socioeconomic status of individuals, families, and communities. It has the
ability to open doors and stimulates communication that is critical to a
child’s education. I believe a balanced approach to literacy is required for
all curriculum areas. A balanced approach to literacy instruction is
characterized by:
a) Providing
opportunities that promote discussion on common text.
b) Clearly
modeling reading strategies.
c) Using
varied assessment tools to differentiate instruction.
The implementation of this program
was based on the fact that students are not prepared for college level work as
stated by Richard Ferguson (2006). The implementation of this program is a
campus wide affair. It mostly consists of the campus administration and ELA
department. The only true aspect that was considered was if it would be
beneficial to the students. There has been an outline created for the program
but, like all other things on my campus, nothing is set in stone. The program
will be changed and modified as problems are recognized.
To communicate the vision you must
inform all stakeholder of the vision. It good vision is shared by all. I would
inform staff members through a staff meeting. For the other stakeholders, I would
use the school website, an open meeting forum, and one on one parent contact. I
feel it is important to let the parents know about the vision before it is
introduced to the students. This gives the parents an opportunity to be on
board and help inform the students of the vision as well. I would then inform
students through a general assembly.
The strategy used for the implementation
of this project, would by normal standards seem odd. This is due to the makeup
and nature of my campus. As a self-paced campus we do not live or think inside
a box, to be honest, there is no box at all on my campus. This allows a
tremendous amount of flexibility when dealing with the students. To implement
the program the campus consists of 5 highly qualified teachers that are certified
and capable of teaching reading. With so many reading teachers available there
will be a change in the master schedule. Each of the five teachers will take on
a reading class. Each of the teachers will teach at a varying level, so teacher
A will teach the reading class on grade levels 5 -6, teacher B will teach on
grade levels 7 -8, and so on. There will be no added expenditures to implement
the program; all need materials are readily available within the district.
There will be a slight modification to the master schedule, by modifying the
master schedule it will increase some class sizes but this will be by a maximum
of 3 students per class. Once students have been identified and placed in the
correct class setting.
The strategies used to set priorities
will consist of planning meeting that includes all campus teachers. This allows
for all the teachers to provide input on the students reading abilities and
identifies students with major and minor deficiencies. Once the students have
been identified, testing data (TAKS, Benchmark results) will be used to
determine the student’s placement in the program. Curriculum for the program
will be written using the TEKS that are available for the lower grade levels.
The process will include all ELA teachers, campus administrators, and the
district curriculum director. Once the program is operational, surveys will be
sent all teachers that have a student in the program asking for information on
the students’ reading progress in their class. This information will be used to
tailor the program for the individual students’ success.
The program will be very similar to
the way special education works in the each student will have an IEP for the
reading class. This does not mean that the student is in special education just
that the program can be modified to fit the individual student. With that said,
the program will serve the needs of all students. The reading program will be
tailored to the student not to a set of standards.
