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Running Head: AIMONE_SIP_II_SCHC_7992 1

School Improvement Plan: Part 2

Sallas Mahone Elementary School

SCHC 7992

Valdosta State University

Emily Aimone

AIMONE_SIP_II_SCHC_7992 2

INTRODUCTION

A School Improvement Plan (SIP) is a strategic tool that is developed as a means of

fostering high academic achievement in all students and providing the highest quality education

for all students. The most important component of a SIP is the data that drives it. Through a

close examination of data, school professionals can determine what specific areas need attention

in the school. After assessing the needs, an action plan should be created that would effectively

meet those needs over a specified period of time.

RATIONALE

A SIP provides faculty, administrators, parents, and stakeholders with a means for

monitoring a school’s progress. Stating specific goals and objectives clearly identifies where

change needs to occur and the action plan outlines how the change will occur. The SIP is a

means of accountability which is becoming an increasingly popular topic in education today. It is

important to also address the more obvious effects of effectively implementing a SIP such as a

unified school community a higher quality educational experience for every student.

In the first part of my SIP, I determined that my focus for Sallas Mahone Elementary

needs to be improving students’ behavior, more specifically self-control. After conducting

interviews and reviewing data, I learned that one of the school-wide goals was to decrease

discipline referrals by 25%. The administrators and teachers expressed to me that, in the higher

grades, the same students are getting continuously written up and teachers do not know how to

intervene. Overall, the students at Sallas Mahone do not behave poorly, but there are certain

students who are regular behavior problems. This information led me to research different, fresh

interventions that could work with students who are struggle with controlling their behavior on a

regular basis.


DESCRIPTION OF INTERVENTION

For my School Improvement Plan, I chose to implement three small groups, two in fourth

grade and one in third grade. My desire was to design a group that would not blatantly focus on

modifying bad behavior. As I mentioned before, I sought out something fresh that would be new

and different for the students. I discovered at book title “Hunter and His Amazing Remote

Control” by Lori Copeland which was originally written to help ADHD students control their

impulses in the classroom and at home. The main concept is that their brains are like a

television, constantly switching to different channels and they need a remote control to control

their brains. Every group session focuses on a different button on the remote control. I modified

the lessons to fit the students in my groups. In seven different sessions, I covered topics such as

paying attention in class, decision making, learning from their mistakes, and stress management.

Every student received their own remote control. The main concept that I wanted to

communicate to the students was that they have control of their own brains and they are

responsible for their choices.

I chose to implement these lessons in third and fourth grade because I felt that the lessons

would be the most developmentally appropriate for this age group. The participants were chosen

based on referral data and teacher recommendation. Of the 15 students that were in my groups,

10 of them had received more than one discipline referral from the month of August to

December.


INTERVENTION

1. Name of Activity – Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control Group

2. Goal/Purpose of the Activity

a. PS 1 - Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal

skills to help them understand and respect self and others.

3. Competencies

a. PS:A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior

b. PS:A1.8 Understand the need for self-control and how to practice it

c. PS:B1.2 Understand consequences of decisions and choices

4. Measurable Learning Objectives

a. Cognitive

1. The student will write one goal for himself/herself.

a. Pre/Post 10

2. The student will list 2 ways to filter out distractions.

a. Pre/Post 6

3. The student will write an example of negative “self-talk”.

a. Pre/Post 9

4. The student will write one tip for preparing for the CRCT.

a. Pre/Post 8

b. Affective Domain

1. The student will rate his/her feelings on how he/she manages stress.

a. Pre/Post 6

2. The student will rate his/her feelings on how he/she behaves in the classroom.


a. Pre/Post 1

3. The student will rate his/her feelings on how well he/she listens in class.

a. Pre/Post 2

4. The student will rate his/her feelings on how well he/she solves problems.

a. Pre/Post 4

c. Skills Domain

1. The student will apply problem-solving skills to a real-life situation.

a. Pre/Post 7

2. The student will create their own “Remote Control”

a. observed during group

5. QCCs

Strand: A. Self Knowledge

1 Topic: Knowledge of the importance of self-concept.

Standard: Describe positive characteristics about self as seen by self and others. Identify

how behaviors affect school and family situations. Describe how behavior influences the

feelings and actions of others. Demonstrate a positive attitude about self. Identify

personal interests, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Describe ways to meet personal

needs through work.

6. Developmental Level – 3rd - 5th grade

7. Developmental Learning Activity

SESSION 1 – Introduction to the Remote

a. Introduction

1. Distribute pretest to students.


2. Begin with a brief ice-breaker that will allow the students to introduce

themselves to each other.

2. Go over the group rules and give the parent letter to the students.

3. Discuss the details of the group such as when we will meet, how long we will

meet for and why they are in the group.

4. Answer any questions that the group members might have.

b. Activity

1. Read the first 8 pages of the Hunter storybook to the group.

2. Hand each student a “remote control” that will be theirs for the remainder of

the group meeting. Allow them to decorate the remote, but not color in any of the

buttons yet.

3. Explain to the how we are going to use the remotes during the groups sessions.

Every week we will discuss a different button.

4. To continue with the theme, give each student a handout of a television that is

blank inside.

5. Ask each student to draw a picture of themselves completing a goal that they

have for themselves inside the television.

6. Each student will share what they drew inside their tv.

c. Conclusion

1. Remind each student of the details of the group. Encourage them to give the

letter to their parents that gives them information about the group. Inform them

that next week we will learn about the Channel Changer button.

d. Process Questions


1. What is a goal that you want to set for yourself this semester?

2. How did Hunter use his Remote Control?

3. Why did Hunter make his Remote Control?

4. How do you think this remote control will help you control your behavior in the

classroom?

8. Resources Needed

1. Remote Control for every student

2. get to know you ice breaker

3. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control by Lori Copeland

4. markers/crayons

5. T.V. handout for every student

9. Pre/Post – attached in Appendix

10. Time Allotment

a. Introduction – 20 minutes

b. Activity – 15 minutes

c. Conclusion – 10 minutesSESSION 2 - “Channel Changer”


a. Introduction

1. Begin with a brief ice-breaker. Play the “highs and lows” game.

2. Review the group rules and last week’s lesson.

3. Introduce the topic of Listening Skills to the students.

4. Give each student a remote control.


5. Review the purpose of the remote control and introduce this week’s button, The

Channel Changer.

6. Read the section of the book that has to do with this button. Emphasize the

“what channel are you on” phrase.

b. Activity

1. Begin a conversation about the things that distract them. What are specific

things that distract them in class? What can they do to get away from those

distractions? What are the negative effects? Ask someone to give an example of a

time when they got in trouble because they couldn’t stay focused.

2. Introduce the “Listening Game” and explain the rules to the students.

3. Pass the cards out to the students and play the listening game.

4. After the game is complete, debrief by asking them questions related to the

game. How did you feel while playing the game? Was it easy or difficult? What

was the most difficult part of the game? What caused you to mess up? How did it

feel when you messed up? Did you ever feel distracted or find it difficult to

focus? (If necessary, point out specific things that students did when playing that

caused them to lose focus)

5. Now that we have seen how difficult it can be to focus, lets talk about what we

can do to regain focus.

6. Give each student a dry erase board and a marker. Ask them to write down a

“tip” for helping them focus and pay attention in class. Ask each student to share

their tips with the class.

c. Conclusion


1. Give students a remote to take with them if they would like to. Encourage them

to use their remote in their classrooms. Review some of the techniques for

maintaining focus in the classroom. Introduce next week’s topic.


1. What does the Channel Changer stand for?

2. How can this button help you this week?

3. What are some specific ways that you can work on ignoring distractions this

week?

8. Resources Needed

1. mini-dry erase boards for every student

2. dry erase markers

3. the “listening game” cards

9. Pre/Post – distributed in first session

10. Time Allotment



c. Conclusion – 10 minutes

SESSION 3 – Pause and Fast Forward Button


a. Introduction

1. Play the Highs and Lows game with the students

2. Review the Channel Changer button. How have they used the Channel Changer

button in the last week?


3. Pass out the Remote Controls to each student.

4. Introduce the Pause and Fast Forward buttons. Let the students have an

opportunity to guess what these button may stand for.

5. Read the section in the story book that dealt with the Pause and Fast Forward

button. Ask the students to explain how Hunter used these buttons.

b. Activity

1. Ask the students to think of a time when they wish they could have used the

Pause button.

2. Explain to them that we are oing to play a game that tests their pause skills.

3. Give each student a “Name the Colors” handout. Each student will take turns

reading the COLOR of the word written, not the actually that is written on the

sheet. The point is to make them pause and think before they yell out a color. The

activity teaches them the differences between reacting out of habit and responding

appropriately.

4. Review the activity with them. What is difficult? Why?

5. Ask each group member to share a time when not using the pause button had a

bad outcome.

6. Switch gears to the fast forward button. Explain the connection to the Pause

button. How does thinking about your consequences help you make a better

decision?

7. Ask the students to think of a famous person who should have used the Fast

Forward button.

c. Consequences


1. Review the buttons with them. Encourage them to think about the Channel

Changer button, the Pause button, and the Fast Forward button throughout the

week. Ask if any of the student need an extra remote to tape to their desks. Inform

them that we will discuss the rewind button later in the week.


1. How did Hunter use the Pause and Fast Forward buttons?

2. When is a time in your life when you could use the Pause/Fast Forward

buttons?

3. How has the Channel Changer button helped you this week?

8. Resources Needed

a. Remote for every students

b. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control by Lori Copeland

c. Naming the Colors handout for every student

9. Pre/Post – administered in session 1

10. Time Allotment


c. Activity – 35 minutes

d. Conclusion – 5 minutes

SESSION 4 – Rewind button


a. Introduction

1. Play the “Highs and Lows” game with every student


2. Review the previous buttons with the students. How have they used the Remote

in the last week?

3. Read the Rewind section of the book. How did Hunter use the Rewind button?

How could you use the Rewind button?

b. Activity

1. Begin the activity by asking students to think back to a time when they have

made a mistake and wish that they could have done something differently.

2. Ask each student to sit in a circle around a bowl of water. Show the students a

small clay ball and assign a personality to the clay ball. For instance, this ball’s

name is Johnny. Explain to the students that Johnny is in a bad situation (bad

grades, bad home life, bad behaviors, etc) and he is ready to give up (give a much

more specific example). Put the ball in the water and watch it sink to the bottom.

Ask the students to brainstorm ways that Johnny could learn from his mistakes

and fix his situation instead of giving up. When they come to a solution together,

ask them to mold the clay into a shape that will make the clay float. The clay will

probably not float the first time, but encourage them to reflect back on their

mistakes and form the clay different this time (REWIND). When it floats, show

them how rewinding and analyzing their mistakes resulted in positive outcomes

for Johnny.

3. Have the students ever felt the same way that Johnny does? Can they name a

situation when they have wanted to give up? How could you have used the

Rewind button?

c. Conclusion


1. Review the Rewind button with them. Encourage them to use the buttons in

their classrooms. Next week, we will discuss the Slow Motion button.


1. How did Hunter use the Rewind button?

2. Have you ever made a mistake and felt like you can never come back from it?

3. What is one way that you can apply the Rewind button to your life?

8. Materials Needed

a. Enough clay to make one small clay ball

b. bowl of water

c. Remote for every students

d. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control by Lori Copeland

9. Pre/Post – administered in Session 1

10. Time Allotment




SESSION 5 - The Slow Motion button


a. Introduction


2. Ask the students how they have used the Remote Control in the past week?

3. Introduce the students to the Slow Motion button.

4. Read the Slow Motion section of the story book.


5. Ask the students about different things that they do to calm themselves down.

What are some of the negative effects of stress?

b. Activity

1. Give each student a personal whiteboard and dry erase markers. Ask them to

draw something that stresses them out at home, at school, or with friends. Each

student will share and we will discuss.

2. Ask the students to sit in a circle. As a group, practice techniques such as

breathing deeply, relaxing your muscles, and counting to ten.

3. Ask student to share one special thing that they like to do to destress such as

listen to music or take a bath.

c. Conclusions

1. Encourage students to use their distress techniques as much as they can in the

next week. Remind them of their breathing teachniques and muscle relaxing.

Relate it to CRCT and how it will help them in the coming weeks.


1. How could you see yourself using this button this week?

2. How does stress affect us?

3. What are some techniques you can sue to calm down if you are stressed out?

8. Materials Needed

1. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control by Lori Copeland

2. remote control for every student

3. white board and dry erase markers for every students

9. Pre/Post – administered in session 1


10. Time Allotment

1. Introduction – 15 minutes

2. Activity – 20 minutes

3 Conclusion – 10 minutes

SESSION 5 – Coach


a. Introduction


2. Ask the students how they found their remote control to be helpful in the past

week. Which button did they use the most?

3. Introduce the Coach button.

4. Read the Coach section of the story book.

5. Ask the students who they think is a “coach” in their life? Explain to the

students the importance of having supportive “coaches” in their life, but also the

importance of being their own coach.

b. Activity

1. Transition into a discussion of the CRCT. TO prepare for the CRCT, they must

be their own coaches.

2. Play the CRCT bingo game. Each student gets a bingo board and I will call out

different CRCT preparation tips. Every game space will coincide with a CRCT

tip.

c. Conclusion


1. Review the Coach button with them as well as the CRCT tips. Ask each student

to name a helpful CRCT tip. Ask them to name one way that they will use their

remote in the coming week.


1. What kind of person is a coach?

2. How can you be a coach to another person?

3. How can you coach yourself through the CRCT?

4. How will using the Remote Control help prepare you for CRCT?

8. Materials Needed

a. A remote control for every student

b. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control

c. CRCT bingo game

9. Pre/Post – administered in Session 1

10. Time allotment




SESSION 7- Zapper button and Conclusion


a. Introduction

1. Distribute cookies, candy, chips to students.

2. Play the Highs and Lows game except ask them their highs and lows of the last

seven weeks since we started the group.


3. Remind students that this is the last week of group.

4. Introduce the Zapper button to the students and explain the significance.

5. Finish the Hunter story book.

b. Activity

1. Ask the students to write down on a piece of paper a negative though that they

have had about themselves before. Ensure that they do not write their name on it

or make it obvious that the paper belongs to them. Everyone folds their paper four

times and puts it into a hat. I will ask each student to go around and choose a

random piece of paper from the hat. Every student will read what is on the sheet

and “zap” that thought by turning it into something positive.

2. Ask the students to tell how it felt to hear their negative thought turned into

something positive. Encourage them to be aware of their attitude and how they

look at things.

3. Administer Posttest

c. Conclusion

1. Review every button with the students. Ask them to decide which button they

need to focus on the most over the last two months of school. What was the most

important thing that they learned from this group?


1. What is one thing that you will take from this group?

2. What is negative self talk?

3. How does negative self talk hurt us?

8. Materials Needed


a. Hunter and the Amazing Remote Control by Lori Copeland

b. pens and paper for every student

c. a hat or bag

d. posttest for every students

e. remote controls for every students

9. Pre/Post – attached in Appendix

10. Time Allotment

a. introduction – 10 minutes




DATA ANALYSIS

In this section of my School Improvement Plan, I will analyze the data that I collected

using pretests and posttests. The pretest was administered in the first session and the posttest was

administered in the final session. Overall, I was pleased with the results of all three of my

groups. Each group made significant increases in the scores which tells me that they retained the

information that they learned in the group sessions. However, I do not think that the evaluations

accurately portray the gains that we made by these groups, particularly my fourth graders. My

fourth grade group seems to truly grasp the concept of the Remote Control and genuinely tried to

apply it in their lives. Their posttests do show that they improved, but it does not show how they

improved. In hindsight, I would have added more questions to the pretest and posttest about how

to apply the Remote Control directly in their everyday lives. I believe that would have results in

more accurate data.

If I could change anything about my evaluation process, I would have made separate

pretests and posttests for third and fourth grade. The third graders have a difficult time

understanding the Lykert Scale. They do not put much thought into circling the numbers, many

of them just circle the first number they see without thinking through the questions. I do not

think that all of my third graders were developmentally ready for a Lykert scale.

One of the most important things that the data shows me was that the students did fully

grasp the concept of “negative self talk” which was pre/post question number 9. This data

affirmed me because it was a difficult topic to communicate to them, yet I believe it is incredibly

crucial for them to understand. After reviewing this data, I discovered that almost all of the

group participants could give a correct example of what negative self-talk is. However, do they

understand how it hurts them? I do not know the answer to that question.


Of the 15 students in my groups, 10 of them had received at least 2 discipline referrals

from August to December. I can proudly say that, as of March 23rd, only 3 of these students

received discipline referrals since January. It is encouraging to see this data, even though there is

still 2 ½ months of school left. Personally, I can say that I am proud of the data collected by

these groups and I know that they have made significant gains.

Discipline Referrals (at least 2)

Aug 2011 – Dec 2011 Jan 2012 – Mar 2012

10/15 students 3/15 students

3rd Grade Pre/Post Raw Data

Pretest

I = incorrect response; C = correct response

W = White; B = Black; O = Other Ethnicity; F= Female; M = Male; L = Low SES

Q1 = Question 1

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Total

BF I C C C I I C C I I 50%

BML I I I I C I I I I I 10%

BF C C I C C I I I I I 40%

BFL I C C C I I C I I I 40%

BML C C I C I I C I I I 40%

BML I I I I I I I I I I 0%

Average Score on 3rd grade pretest – 30%


Posttest

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q Q8 Q9 Q10 Total

BF C I I I C C C C C C 70%

BML C I C C C C C C C C 90%

BF C C I C C C C C C C 90%

BFL C C C C C C C C C C 100%

BML C C C C C C C C C C 100%

BML I I I I C C I I C C 40%

Average Score on 3rd Grade Posttest = 81.6%

Average Percent Change = 172% increase, a increase of 51.6 points


4th Grade Pre/Post Raw Data

I = incorrect response; C = correct response

W = White; B = Black; O = Other Ethnicity; F= Female; M = Male; L = Low SES

Q1 = Question 1

Pretest


BF I I I I I C C I I I 20%

OF I I I I I I C I I I 10%

BML I I I I I I I I I I 0%

BML I I C C I C I I C I 40%

WF I I I I C I I I I I 10%

OM I I I I C C C I I I 30%

WML C C C I C I I I I I 40%

WFL C I I I C I I I I I 20%

BML I I I I I I I C I I 10%

Average 4th Grade Pretest Score : 20%

Posttest


BF C C C I I C C C C C 80%

OF C C C C I C C C I C 80%

BML C I I I I C C C C C 60%

BML C C C C C C C C C C 100%

WF C I I C C C C C C C 80%


OM C C C C C C C C C C 100%

WML C C C C C C C C C C 100%

WFL C C C C C C C C C C 100%

BML C I I I C C C C I C 60%

Average 4th Grade Posttest Score = 84.4%

Average Percent Change = 322% increase, increase of 64.4 points

Comparison of Data – Average 3rd grade Pre/Post results vs. Average 4th grade Pre/Post results

REFLECTION


Overall, I am incredibly pleased with the outcome of these groups. I would not change

anything about my intervention because I think that the students truly enjoyed the idea of using a

remote control. Many of their teachers even allowed them to tape a copy of the remote on their

desks and began to use “Hunter lingo” such as “get on my channel” and “what channel are you

on right now”. Approaching the problem from a “self control lense” contributed to the success

of this group, I believe. I did not reprimand students and constantly remind them of school rules

because at this age, they know the rules. They need help in controlling their behavior, not

learning right from wrong. The remote control was a great way to do this and I would

recommend it to anyone.

If I could change anything, I would have changed my method of evaluation and also had

closer contact with the students’ parents. I think that if parents used the remote control at home

and used the “hunter lingo” then the students would have grasped the concept better. As I

mentioned in the data analysis, I think that I should have included more questions in the pretest

and posttest specifically about the remote. I believe that would have results in more accurate

data.

APPENDIX A


Pretest/Posttest

Always Most of the time

Sometimes Never

I behave well in class. 4 3 2 1

I stay focused and listen carefully in class. 4 3 2 1

I can ignore distractions in the classroom. 4 3 2 1

I solve problems in a positive way. 4 3 2 1

I feel stressed out before a big test. 4 3 2 1

List 2 tips to help you stay focused in your classroom.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you heard that a friend was spreading mean rumors about you, how would you solve the problem?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

List 1 tip that will help you prepare for the CRCT.

___________________________________________________________________

Give 1 example of negative “self-talk”.

___________________________________________________________________

What is 1 goal that you have set for yourself?

APPENDIX B

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