EDLD+5333+Reflection

 __Self Reflection/Learn as a Learner__  This course was all about the evaluation and analyzing the data. The first order of business was learning to navigate through all of the AYP information and what the numbers actually mean for your district and most importantly, the school at which I teach.  Coming from a school that has been struggling the last several years with 3rd - 5th grade math scores, this testing period was critical, as it meant the job of the principal and his staff if the results did not fare well. Our principal told the entire staff at the teacher in-service prior to school starting this year that he had been informed that if scores did not improve significantly then there would be a change at the top. I think when our backs are up against the wall, we do our best work. I am happy to say that not only did we exceed our expectations; we kicked butt with outstanding results that will be released in July.  This was the first time that I actually studied the AYP Campus Data Table and from my observations, I determined that we had much work to do with our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, especially our sub-populations of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Economically Disadvantaged students. What were the factors that were causing these groups to be so low in their math scores? One of the interesting pieces of text that were required to read was Douglas Reeves’ How Do You Change School Culture? Reeves said that “Leaders speak most clearly with their actions” (Reeves, 2007). Our principal had his head on the chopping block, what were we going to do to help him get out from under it? “Leaders must choose the appropriate change tools on the basis of a combination of factors, including the extent to which staff members agree on what they want and how to get there” (Reeves, 2007). According to Kathy Jost, Principal of Brandon Elementary School, she challenged every person that worked at Brandon, “we must come together with a plan to change the direction and culture of testing at Brandon” (personal interview, December 15, 2010).  Reading through the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), which is essentially the school’s report card, was quite daunting. This is an amazing document which statistical data that can take many weeks to analyze. “There are four steps for using data to make effective decisions: collecting and organizing, analyzing data, interpreting data, and taking action” (Parsley, Dean, & Miller, 2006). I found it to be interesting but did not have much time to effectively study the patterns. The 2009 Accountability Manual was useful several times in determining how information was evaluated.  After studying and analyzing the data, meeting with teachers and administrators, my task was to develop a one-day professional development based upon what the needs for our campus and the students to be successful. I also evaluated our Campus Improvement Plan before coming to a decision for the 1 day program. I chose to build a math in-service. There is no time for extras here. There is an enormous amount of pressure on the principal to utilize budget funds and also provide the best training that money can buy and give the teachers the best possible information that they can take back to their classrooms. This was the eye-opener as to what the principal and his/her staff must go through with creating staff development.

  **__Lifelong Learning Skills__**  Creating the action plan for the campus was an undertaking. Since the core areas are the main focus of most campuses, we must learn to incorporate technology more heavily in them. Currently though, teachers and administrators are “concerned that training students to use technology will drastically reduce the amount of time dedicated to achieving mandated content standards” (Williamson & Redish, 2009). However, technology is a tool that can help students to achieve and learn core content standards. This was the focus of my professional development, partnering CTE teachers with core teachers so that both could benefit and help to increase student scores. Our dependence on technology will only continue to grow, so it will be interesting to see if technology will become more important, just as science, math, social studies, and language arts. Just as there are standards-based testing for these areas, technology literacy standards “hold the promise of fulfilling” the need for technology literacy for all citizens (Bybee, 2003).      References <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bybee, R. W. (2003). Fulfilling a promise: standards for technological literacy//. The Technology Teacher//.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Parsley, D., Dean, C., & Miller. (2006). Selecting the right data. //Principal Leadership//, 7(2), 38-42. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Reeves, D., (2007). How do you change school culture? //Educational Leadership//, 64(4), 92-94.