SURN ACTION RESEARCH

WENONAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REBECCA J. WALTERS, PRINCIPAL RJARVIS@WAYNESBORO.K12.VA.US

ABOUT WENONAH ELEMENTARY Student population: 230 Grades K-5 Instructional staff: 37 Support

Staff: 9 Title 1 school; 90% free & reduced lunch;

very transient student population Waynesboro City Public Schools

1 PreK center; 4 elementary schools; 1 middle school; 1 high school; Adult Basic Education program; 1 alternative education program

Fall observation data

Frequency of observational look-fors and low-yield practices in first round of student engagement observations (December 2014)

Indicators for high, active student engagement most frequently noted: 3. Engages in reading 11/12 5. Engages in discussing text or other input 10/12 9. Applies metacognition strategies 10/12

Indicators for lower-yield practices for students most frequently noted:

L1. Completes worksheet and homework 10/12 L3. Responds orally 9/12

Indicators for high, active student engagement least frequently noted:

6. Engages in problem solving 4/12 7. Creates products 3/12

Staff Development Plan

Book study for K-5 teachers: Visible Learning for Teachers Focusing on concepts tied to current School Improvement Plan indicators for

Wenonah Elementary School Staff was divided into 3 learning teams looking at before, during, and after of

visible teaching/learning – 3 sessions – January-April 2015

Grade level and individual professional learning focused on planning for higher levels of student engagement

Staff development ½ day – February 2015 Whole staff session on Engaging Students in Learning Focus on “What does student engagement look like?” and the use of total participation

techniques to increase engagement

Staff share opportunity – focused on visual tools that support student engagement Anchor charts, student-friendly learning objectives, question stems,

word walls

Highlights of post-assessment data Based on observational data and feedback provided to teachers, we

noticed significant increases in the following indicators: 1. Engages in setting learning goals

Most teachers are now posting student-friendly learning objectives and expecting students to be able to communicate their learning goals.

4. Engages in writing We have observed increased evidence of students engaging in note-taking and sustained

writing

6. Engages in problem-solving Students working together to problem solve in math; word study sorting

8. Peer tutoring, cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, cooperative groups

We noticed positive changes in the evidence of lower-yield strategies: L1. Completes worksheets and homework

Worksheets are more engaging with authentic writing tasks and note-taking

L3. Responds orally Teachers are using more TPTs to seek feedback or student input (movement, dry erase

boards)

Fall to Spring data comparisons -Most significant changes observed

Next Steps for Data: to be completed by the end of May

Share data with School Improvement Team and Division Improvement Team During April SIT and DIT meetings

Share data with instructional staff During May staff meeting

Complete professional book study Continue to provide individualized

teacher feedback through the evaluation process

Recommendations for Professional Development for 2015-16 Embed principal-conducted student

engagement observations into the School Improvement Plan for 2015-16 to keep a focus on increasing engagement

Consider offering opportunities for peer observations focused on student engagement – using the Indicators of Student Engagement Observation Protocol form

Plan professional development and follow-through centered on summer Copenhaver Institute - Engaging Students in Poverty