Action Research Sample 2 – Grade 5

Participants:

Name Role Site/District

K Born 5th Grade Teacher XX Elementary
I Chavez 5th Grade Teacher XX Elementary
C Gaston 5th Grade Teacher XX Elementary
J Langhorne 5th Grade Teacher XX Elementary
R Morrison 5th Grade Teacher XX Elementary
H Carrico Principal XX Elementary
L Antionne Asst. Principal XX Elementary

Context: Where, when, with whom, and why (your purpose) will the action research be
conducted? Please provide a one-paragraph description of the research study’s purpose,
subjects/participants, methods and procedures, and desired results/ findings.

In 2013-14, the 5th grade team in XX Elementary in the Dallas TX area conducted action
research in each of their classrooms to see if they could engage 5th grade learners in tracking
their own learning goals and improving their achievement gains. They wanted to use data
notebooks to increase student investment. The study took the full year and the entire team
participated. The 5th grade team has the following demographics:

Ethnicity Targeted Needs Classrooms

52% White 24% ELL Classrooms are diversified
33% Hispanic 11% Special education with all targeted needs
7% Black 4% Gifted/Talented represented in each room.
4% Pacific Islander 32% FRL
4% two or more races 2 classrooms are taught in
Spanish

The school is engaged in the International Baccalaureate program and the teachers are
functioning in professional learning community structures.

Action Research Question to answer (what is it you hope to accomplish or learn as a result of
this effort?):

What structures or supports can we put in place for our students so

that they reflect on where they are and can set appropriate goals to
reach their learning targets?

Action Research Samples, page 2

Answering the Action Research Question with data, artifacts and evidence:

Classroom Indicators of Success Monitoring Impact What tools (e.g. surveys, rubrics, achievement data, etc.) will you
Strategies/Actions What will be your need to use to monitor your progress along the way, support your decision making and
What strategies will you indications of success report your final conclusions? What will the data look like?
need to employ or what for each strategy or tool
tools will you need to that you decide to use?
design in order to answer
your question?
1. Employ SMART Learners can write Teacher and learner assessments to determine current status (assessment scores)
goal setting meaningful and
accurate goals to Learner goals match targeted needs from assessment results. (Data: number of goals that
address needs match needs)
Goals are written in Goals meet criteria for SMART.
SMART language
2. Create Data Students post goals and Student tracking forms show mastery of content by end of a unit
Notebooks for meet goals
students to use Tracking forms are Student growth charts (run charts, pie graphs, etc.) show growth.
used to monitor
progress
3. Use Student Classroom rubrics Alignment of rubrics
generated rubrics to match from room to
monitor quality room
Students self score and Student self and peer and teacher scores all match up on rubrics used.
peer score with
accuracy
4. Use Student Students share insights Qualitative data – students report understanding of learning needs
reflection forms into their learning
needs

Resources (What’s needed to do this work?) Audience with whom to share your findings:
Notebooks XX Elementary Staff at a staff meeting in May
Data pages Video conference with Cassie Erkens
SMART goal rubric

Action Research Samples, page 3