Action Research Begins

Acronyms used: SLO for Student Learning Objective(s) CLL for Collaborative Learning Leader CLF for Collaborative Learning Facilitator CLC for Collaborative Learning Community At this point the Introduction/Background information has been completed and the Literature Review is complete, with only the final written draft to be reviewed and edited. Implementation of SLOs is a 5 step process: 1) Identify the Area of Student Need, 2) Create the SLO, 3) Review and Approval of the SLO, 4) Teach! Teach! Teach! Or Monitor Progress and 5) Review and Score the SLO. During a CLC meeting on September 9, all faculty members were given the Student Learning Objectives Guidebook. An introduction to SLOs was given and questions and concerns were addressed. Each faculty member was given STAAR and EOC data for their subject/content area and current students. The data was reviewed to determine alignment to the standards and whether it provided enough detailed information to create a focused learning objective. The data was then analyzed to determine specific learning needs, such as gaps in student skills. From information gathered during the session, it was determined that a pre-assessment needed to be given in all subject/content areas to effectively identify student competency levels. A pre-assessment will enable teachers to use a realistic and current starting point at which to monitor progress. Step 2, creating the SLO, was addressed during a staff development day on September 27. Using the information gathered after analyzing the data, teachers were instructed to complete an SLO template. The six steps required in order to complete the template are: • Write the student learning objective using activities from levels 3 and 4 on the Depth of Knowledge Web Alignment Tool. • Determine the rationale for selecting the SLO. • Identify the applicable standards (TEKS) for the SLO. • Specify the interval instruction for the SLO. • Identify the targeted student population for the SLO. • Identify the post-instruction assessment to be used to measure student growth. Once the template was completed it was reviewed by the CLL. Comments, and suggestions were made and the final draft was turned in to be reviewed and approved, Step 3. SLOs from all faculty members were turned in by the end of the day and will submitted to the review committee. There are a few concerns I have regarding the process so far. The first deals with the timing of the pre-assessment. According to the guidelines, a pre-assessment needs to be given before the SLOs are written. However, COHS has yet to administer a pre-assessment, even though draft SLOs have been completed. My second concern is in regards to the attitude of some faculty members. Even though all district employees approved the implementation of the mandates of the TIF grant, they are starting to complain about the amount of work involved in the actual development and implementation process.