The Orchard Avenue Elementary

Transcription

1 Clipart courtesy FCIT The Orchard Avenue Elementary Parent Teacher Association (OAE PTA) : Learners Drive With Instant Feedback. Project Narrative January 2011

2 Table of Contents Abstract 3 Our Organization: Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA 3 Mission 3 History 4 Orchard Avenue Elementary: National Blue Ribbon Award Winner Membership 5 Budget 5 Needs Assessment 5 Requirements 5 Need 6 Meeting Technology Equipment Standards: Two Phases 6 Research and Experience 7 Program Goals and Objectives 10 Target Population 10 Project Implementation 12 Budget 12 Hardware Acquisition and Deployment 13 Teacher Training and Adoption 13 Project Evaluation 14 Hardware Deployment 14 Teacher Training and Adoption 14 Student Learning Assessment 15 Information Sharing 16 References 17 Appendix A Teacher Survey 18 2

3 Abstract Orchard Avenue Elementary started the ActivLearning project in 2008, when five (5) Promethean ActivBoards were purchased for the school through hard-funds and teacher-lead funding initiatives. This year, the PTA wishes to help the school get into the Next Gear in ActivLearning and not only give all classrooms and students the benefit of having an interactive board, but also let the learners drive with instant feedback through the use of the board with "clickers," which will allow students to get the full benefit of participating in their learning process while the teachers get instant feedback on the children's learning (eschool News, 2010). To achieve this goal PTA has set four (4) major objectives: 1. Procure and install a Promethean ActivBoard in each of the fifteen (15) classrooms of Orchard Avenue Elementary that do not yet have one. 2. Procure and install five (5) sets of ActivExpressions and five (5) sets of ActiVote clickers to be shared among all 20 classrooms. 3. Provide advanced training to teachers who will use the technology and encourage implementation in the classroom. 4. Assess the effectiveness of the technology in student learning. Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA is hoping that the American Honda Foundation will be able to help fund the purchase of the hardware and the expenses related to advanced teacher training by a school district approved professional trainer. Mesa County Valley School District 51 school district for Orchard Avenue Elementary will conduct basic teacher training and installation of the equipment, the teachers will conduct student assessment, and Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA volunteers will compile the results. Our Organization: Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA Mission The mission of Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA is to improve the welfare of children. To accomplish this mission Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA will (1) support the staff by enhancing their ability to teach, (2) strengthen the tie between family and the child s school life, 3

4 and (3) enhance the facilities of the school as they directly impact the experience of children attending our school. To support the staff s ability to teach, our PTA will purchase equipment and materials. To strengthen the tie between family and the child s school life, our PTA will promote adult volunteerism in the school community as a whole and organize family events. To enhance the facilities of the school, our PTA will make purchases as needed and as the budget allows. History Documented minutes for the Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA meetings go as far back as The minutes, taken as a whole, reflect a sincere desire for increasing parent involvement, concern for students well-being, and a desire to provide needed materials to the school. The history of Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA, however, is inextricably linked to the history of Orchard Avenue Elementary itself. Orchard Avenue Elementary, opened in 1949, has a long and proud history of service in our community. The school s focus has always been on preparing students to achieve academically so that they may grow and be successful citizens in society. The dedication of the school community was recognized this year with a prestigious award by the U.S. Department of Education. Orchard Avenue Elementary: National Blue Ribbon Award Winner 2010 The U.S. Department of Education awarded Orchard Avenue Elementary with the National Blue Ribbon Award. The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress and helped close gaps in achievement, especially among disadvantaged and minority students. Only 304 schools received this award out of over 100,000 schools nationwide. This video clip show the enthusiasm generated in our community by this distinguishing award: 4

5 Other recognition that Orchard Avenue Elementary has received include the Baldridge Foothills Award and the first Commissioner s Cup Award in Colorado. All of these awards are a testament to the school s strong leadership, dedicated staff, hard-working students, involved parents, and the partnership between the school and Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA. Membership Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA is strictly a volunteer organization. This volunteerism ties directly into our mission to promote adult volunteerism in the school community. No member, whether they are on the board, organizing an event, or helping staff an event, are compensated for their work. It is worth noting separately, the grant writer is not being compensated either. Our volunteer organization amasses an enormous amount of volunteer hours. This school year, Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA has 45 registered members. In the school year, Orchard Avenue Elementary staff documented over 2,000 hours of volunteer time. These PTA members, in conjunction with 65 additional volunteers, donated this time. This year Orchard Avenue Elementary is on track to exceed 2,000 hours of volunteer time. Budget Each year the PTA establishes a projected budget based on the prior year s fundraising activities and current balances. Funding is achieved strictly through PTA fundraising activities, community donations, and when possible, grant writing. Needs Assessment Requirements Mesa County School District 51 has adopted a School Technology Model outlining the equipment the district believes is essential in classrooms at each level. At the elementary school level this includes: two (2) networked computers, one (1) networked laser printer, one (1) document camera, one (1) LCD projector, one (1) Promethean interactive white board, and an audio enhancement system (optional). Mesa County School District 51 has provided both the networked computers and the networked laser printer for each classroom. Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA and community volunteers have provided the document camera and LCD 5

6 projector for each classroom. School and teacher efforts have gotten Promethean ActivBoards for five (5) classrooms. Fifteen classrooms do not have Promethean ActivBoards. Orchard Avenue Elementary has a need for interactive boards. Need Since the adoption of the School Technology Model, all schools being built or renovated in the school district are set up with the equipment identified, including Promethean boards. Orchard Avenue Elementary had an addition to the building in 1998, before the School Technology Model was adopted by the district. The reality is that Orchard Avenue Elementary is not scheduled for renovations and cuts in state budgets mean money will not be available to upgrade classrooms to standards set by the district. Orchard Avenue Elementary is left with fifteen (15) classrooms that do not have Promethean boards. The Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA, with the financial help of your Foundation, wishes to grant all children the learning opportunities that the boards have brought to those students lucky enough to be in one of the five (5) classrooms that already have one. This will be the final phase of PTA s efforts to meet the equipment standards for each classroom set by our school district. Meeting Technology Equipment Standards: Two Phases The first phase the ActivLearning project begun in 2008 involved the PTA purchasing projectors and document cameras for all twenty (20) classrooms and the purchase of Promethean boards for five (5) classrooms through teacher and administration initiatives. This phase was completed in 2009 at a cost of $5,350 to PTA. In addition, parents and local companies donated 45 man-hours and $1,550 in electrical upgrades necessary for the installation of the equipment. The second phase the is the project outlined in this narrative. The PTA wants to bring all classrooms up to the technology equipment standards of the school district by funding the purchase and installation of Promethean ActivBoards in the remaining fifteen (15) classrooms and providing ten (10) clicker sets, five (5) 6

7 ActivExpressions and five (5) ActiVote, to be shared by all twenty (20) classrooms. This equipment will give all children at Orchard Avenue Elementary access to interactive technology that encourages participation in class and helps teachers ensure that the students have grasped the concepts before moving on to the next topic (eschool News, 2010). Mesa County School District 51 s School Technology Model and outside research support the need and value of this technology. Research and Experience The value of Promethean boards and clickers in the classroom has been the subject of much research in the relatively recent field of Educational Technology. These studies show that Interaction of Moderator Variables these tools help both formative and summative assessment (Porter, 2010). Further, the Final The discussions above addressed two of the seven moderator variables considered in this study: school levels (i.e., elementary school, middle school, and high school) and grade levels. This section addresses the remaining five moderator variables: Report: Evaluation Study of the Effects of Promethean ActivClassroom on Student Achievement by the Marzano Research Group (Marzano & Haystead, 2009) summarizes the! academic content area! length of teaching experience! how long teachers have used the technology! percentage of time the technology was used in the classroom! teachers confidence in their use of the technology results of a pre-test post-test evaluation of the use of Promethean boards in K-12 classrooms. The evaluation shows significant percentile gains in student achievement in four areas: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies (Marzano & Haystead, 2009). We begin with academic content areas. Figure 21 depicts expected percentile gains for four subject areas. Figure 21. Percentile Gain for Random Effects for Academic Content Area (Corrected) % Gain Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies The All Marzano four academic Research Group. content July areas 2009, exhibited p.36 (Marzano a percentile & Haystead, gain greater 2009) than 10 percent. Additionally, three of the four areas exhibited a percentile gain greater than 15. These findings are relatively uniform across the four subject areas and were not examined further. The findings for the remaining four moderator variables are reported in Figures 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. The data for each figure were taken from survey responses incorporated in the directions to teachers for the study (see Appendix A). As mentioned previously, 14 studies were excluded due to missing survey responses. 7

8 The percentage gain reported by the Marzano Research Group (Marzano & Haystead, 2009) is particularly significant in the early years of academic development, first through third grade. Figure 20. Percentile Gain for Random Effects for Grade Level (Corrected) % Gain K The Marzano Research Group, July 2009, p.35 (Marzano & Haystead, 2009) Of the 11 grades depicted in Figure 20, 5 grades exhibited a percentile gain less than 10 (recall from the discussion regarding Figure 3 that data were not available for grades 10 and 11). This Marzano attributes the disparity in results in the 4th grade to a disparity in the studies may be attributed to a lack of independent treatment/control studies. For example, kindergarten methodology and twelfth whereby grade involved 4 th grade a single students study were and fourth subject grade to two, involved not one, two studies. (Marzano Consequently, & the stability of the findings in kindergarten, fourth grade, and twelfth grade is an issue. If more Haystead, 2009). studies are done at these grade levels, the findings reported here would most likely change. Mentioned earlier, in her research Porter (2010) confirms the findings of Rochelle et al The remaining grades involved five or more studies (with the exception of tenth and eleventh (2004) that technology in the classroom improves student performance. In particular, Porter grades for reasons discussed previously). Taken at face value, this graph indicates that four of the (2010) six grades found at that the children elementary who school used the level clickers (K-5), one in the grade classroom at the middle and obtained school level positive (6-8), and one grade at the high school level (9-12) exhibited percentile gains around 20. This is consistent feedback from their responses were encouraged to achieve on homework assignments, thus with the percentile gain associated with the overall random effects for all 85 independent initiating treatment/control a learning studies. cycle that reaches beyond the classroom. Looking specifically at the middle school level, seventh grade exhibited no gain. Figure 8 shows that the percentile gain for five of the ten studies analyzed for seventh grade was negative. An examination of Figure 8 indicates that there were 19 studies in the entire set of 85 studies that demonstrated negative gains. Thus 26 percent of the studies that demonstrated negative gains 8 were from grade 7. Clearly, the disproportionate number of studies with negative gains at the seventh grade level requires further scrutiny.

9 The Orchard Avenue Elementary teachers who currently have the interactive boards in their classroom confirm that the children s attention span is increased and that student active participation is increased. Not having clickers available at this time, students have to go to the board to actively engage, this causes a disparity for those students who are more timid and less inclined to stand up, and those who fear embarrassment should they answer wrongly. Having clickers will allow all students to participate regardless of their social inclinations and will encourage engagement, which in turn leads to increased interest, enjoyment, and understanding of the subject (Fies & Marhall, 2006). Students find taking tests with a clicker more fun. A fifth grade student cited by Weinberg (2010) states: you can see how much percent you got right and then you could see what your classmates thought. 9

10 Program Goals and Objectives The project has one goal: to ensure that all children at Orchard Avenue Elementary have access to modern technology to enhance their learning experience and improve their academic achievement. To achieve this goal the Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA set four major objectives: 1. procure and install a Promethean ActivBoard in each of the fifteen (15) classrooms of Orchard Avenue Elementary that do not yet have one; 2. procure and install five (5) sets of ActivExpressions and five (5) sets of ActiVote clickers to be shared among all twenty (20) classrooms; 3. provide advanced training to teachers who will use the technology and encourage implementation in the classroom; and 4. assess the effectiveness of the technology in student learning. Target Population The target population for this project is the Orchard Avenue Elementary student body. There are currently 491 (four hundred ninety one) students at the elementary school ranging from preschool to 5 th grade. This includes 40 (forty) students with a range of learning disabilities and many children on the Autism Spectrum. Our school also has learners with Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy. These learners struggle with severe motor delays and require a multisensory approach to learning. The special education community knows that these boards and clickers will allow them the use of a multisensory approach, which provides more stimulation to the brain, thus increasing connections for long-term storage and understanding. Much research is also under way on the use of technology-enabled assessment of students with disabilities (Bechard et al., 2010), which will benefit, among others, Orchard Avenue Elementary students. 10

11 The table below illustrates ethnic distribution at the school: AMERICAN ASIAN OR PACIFIC BLACK (NOT HISPANIC WHITE (NOT INDIAN OR ISLANDER HISPANIC) HISPANIC) ALASKAN NATIVE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE TOTAL Nearly half the student population (45.01percent) qualifies for free and reduced lunches. SCHOOL CODE SCHOOL NAME K- 5 FREE REDUCED NOT ELIGIBLE FREE AND REDUCED % FREE % REDUCED % FREE AND REDUC ED 6554 ORCHARD AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL % 5.50% 45.01% 11

12 Project Implementation The project goal is to complete the deployment of Promethean ActivBoards in all classrooms at Orchard Avenue Elementary have and have clickers available for use by any teacher by the end of the school year To achieve this goal we have three major deployment areas: 1. procure and install a Promethean ActivBoard in each of the fifteen (15) classrooms of the Orchard Avenue Elementary that do not yet have one; 2. procure and install five (5) sets of ActivExpressions and five (5) sets of ActiVote clickers to be shared among all twenty (20) classrooms; and 3. provide advanced training to teachers who will use the technology and encourage implementation in the classroom. Budget Qty. Item Unit Cost Extended Cost 15 78" Professional Model AB378PUS ActivBoard 378PRO 78 inch diagonal interactive whiteboard - includes ActivStudio Professional or ActivInspire Professional lesson development software. ActivArena 50 included. ActivInspire Professional Edition available FOC via download. Enhanced amplified side speaker system. Standard 3 year warranty and 5 years with TIG Professional Certified Installation. Three additional years with a Purchase from TIG. This will extend the Promethean "Return to Base" warranty to 8 years on the ActivBoard. Pens and other equipment have their own return to base warranty. $1, $17, USB Cable(*) $30.00 $ VGA Cable(*) $26.00 $ Power Extension Cord(*) $10.00 $ ACTIV EXPRESSIONS AE1KIT32AMEU The most recent voting system includes 32 student handhelds that boast the entire alphabet of letters for entering words and numbers 1-10 for entering number answers as well. 5 ActiVote Ghz AV3-KIT32AMER NEW 2.4Ghz model. Includes 32 student response devices, 2.4Ghz hub, USB dongle connector, and ActivStudio SW in metal storage case with foamed padded compartments. $2, $10, $1, $6, Technology/ Administrative procurement Man Hours (School District) $- $- hrs 100 Volunteer time including grant writing, grant reporting, community information $- $- hrs sharing and administrative coordination by the Principal and her staff 320 Teacher stipend hours (20 teachers, 16 hrs each) $28.00 $8, Trainer hours (includes expenses: travel, lodging, time) $ $4, TOTAL $48, (*)Note: Based on a review by the technology staff of the school district, additional cables are needed for a single classroom because the cables that are provided as standard with the Promethean ActivBoards would be too short to reach the needed inputs. 12

13 Hardware Acquisition and Deployment Mesa County School District 51 has adopted Promethean ActivBoard as the standard for the school district classrooms, as specified in the district s School Technology Model. The Information Technology Department at School District 51 will coordinate hardware acquisitions Figure 22a. Percentile Gain for Length of Teaching Experience (Corrected) and deployment in accordance with established procurement policies and procedures. The PTA President, Mrs. Sheila Winnefeld, % Gain and the Principal of Orchard Avenue Elementary and PTA 25 board member, Mrs. Denise Hoctor, will have oversight of the project to ensure timely 20 deployment and help with any coordination needed between the school district and the school. 15 Teacher 10 Training and Adoption Common sense and research studies (see figure below) tell us the more the teachers use 5 the technology the greater their comfort with the technology and the greater the impact on the 0 children to 5 years 6 to 9 years 10 to 15 years 16 to 32 years Figure 22b. Percentile Gain for Length of Promethean Technology Use (Corrected) 25 % Gain to 5 months 5 to 18 months 24 to 27 months 30 to 60 months The Marzano Research Group, July 2009, p.37 (Marzano & Haystead, 2009) The greatest obstacle to teachers using the Promethean ActivBoards at Orchard Avenue Elementary is access. If this grant request is funded, each teacher will have a Promethean Final Report 37 Marzano Research Laboratory 2008/2009 Promethean Evaluation Study July 2009 ActivBoard in their respective classrooms. The next obstacle to teacher using the Promethean ActivBoards is training. Mesa County School District 51 provides and requires basic training on 13

14 Promethean ActivBoard operations for those teachers who have them in their classroom. The training is conducted by district IT personnel. However, the PTA feels it is appropriate to include further training with the equipment. PTA would like to have a professional Promethean ActivBoard trainer provide further training to the teachers at Orchard Avenue Elementary. The investment in further training will allow the full potential of benefits to be realized by the teachers because greater comfort with the technology will lead to greater use of the technology. Project Evaluation The evaluation of The project is three-fold: 1. Hardware deployment: evaluating the effectiveness of the planning and implementation of the Promethean ActivBoards and clicker deployment into the classroom. 2. Teacher training and adoption: evaluating the effectiveness of the training provided to the teachers in the use of the boards and teacher adoption of the boards in the classroom. 3. Student learning assessment: evaluating the effectiveness of the use of the boards in the learning environment and the effect of the use of the boards on student learning. Hardware Deployment Evaluating the planning and implementation of the hardware deployment is relatively straightforward. The target for this phase is simple: complete the installation on time and on budget. To evaluate whether the target was met, the PTA board will review the school district s procurement process timelines and final costs for the physical deployment of the boards in the classroom. Teacher Training and Adoption To evaluate teacher training and adoption, formative and summative evaluation methods will be used. Each year, the school district administers a state required Technology Personnel Proficiency Assessment to ensure that the state s teachers understand and implement the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) standards. This will be ongoing. A second component to the evaluation of teacher training and adoption will be administered by the PTA. 14

15 The PTA has the support of the Orchard Avenue Elementary principal and teachers for the project. Specifically, the principal and teachers have committed themselves to these items: 1. All teachers who receive a Promethean board in their classroom shall attend the training provided by the school district before the start of school year and the additional professional training during school year At the first meeting of the PTA board for school year , the principal of Orchard Avenue Elementary will present to the PTA board a list of all teachers who attended the training and date of attendance. If there are any teachers who have not satisfied the attendance requirement, the principal shall present justification for the delay and report on plans to complete training. 3. All teachers who receive a Promethean board in their classroom shall provide the principal with a written report evaluating their experience with the boards by end of the school year The report will include: a. a completed copy of the Teacher Survey (see Appendix A); b. an evaluation of the effectiveness of the training received and requests for further training if needed; c. a description of how the boards were used in the classroom which includes, but not limited to, what subjects were taught using the boards and what supporting software was used; and d. the teacher s plans for the use of the boards for school year Student Learning Assessment To evaluate student learning, teachers shall include in their end-of-year report the following information. 1. Provide a subjective and objective evaluation of the student learning when the boards were used to teach material. 2. Report observations on the student interest in the technology as the year progressed including factors such as: 15

16 a. Did the students lose interest in the technology/subject as the year progressed or was interest retained? b. Was there more/less participation by the students than experienced by the teacher for that subject in prior years? c. What effect did clickers have on student participation? 3. Report observations on student learning effectiveness a. Did the teacher observe an increased proficiency by students? b. A subjective evaluation of the difference in class participation and student proficiency for classes when the board is used as opposed to classes where it is not. 4. Provide an optional collection of anonymous comments by the students themselves on the use of the technology. In addition to requiring teachers to submit an evaluation of student learning, the PTA will also look to standardized test scores. Each year, Colorado administers standardized tests to 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th graders. The areas tested are reading, writing, math, and science (5 th grade only). Higher or lower scores cannot be solely attributed to the presence and use of Promethean ActivBoards in the classrooms. However, the Promethean ActivBoards in the classrooms are a factor. If scores improve in testing done during the school year, Orchard Avenue Elementary PTA will conclude that the presence and use of Promethean boards in the classroom has had a positive impact on student learning. Information Sharing The PTA board members see information sharing as supporting a strong child-school relationship. As such, the PTA plans to share information gathered in conjunction with this project with the school community. After the teacher reports are completed, the PTA president will share the information with the PTA board. The reports will then be compiled in aggregate by a PTA volunteer and shared with our school community at the beginning of the school year. 16

17 References Bechard, S., Sheinker, J., Abell, R., Barton, K., Burling, K., Camacho, C., Cameto, R., Haertel, G., Hansen, E., Johnstone, C., Kingston, N., Murray, E., Parker, C., Redfield, D., and Tucker, B. (2010). Measuring Cognition of Students with Disabilities Using Technology-Enabled Assessments: Recommendations for a Research Agenda. Dover, NH: Measured Progress, and Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. eschool News, (August, 2010). Technology takes formative assessment to a whole new level (2010, August 4). E-School News. Fies, C., & Marshall, J. (2006). Classroom response systems: A review of the literature. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 15(1), Marzano R.J., Haystead, M.W, (July 2009). Final Report Evaluation Study of the Effects of Promethean ActivClassroom on Student Achievement. Centennial CO: Marzano Research Laboratory Porter S.H. (June 2010). Using an Interactive Response Collection System to Increase Classroom Formative Assessment in an Effort to Improve Student Self-Efficacy in Mathematics in Limited Resource Environments. (Masters Research Project) Obtained from: Roschelle, J., Penuel, W. R., & Abrahamson, L. (2004). The Networked Classroom. Educational Leadership, 61(5), Weinberg, A. (Spring Semester, 2010). Elementary Students Perceptions of Classroom Technology. (Doctor of Philosophy dissertation) George Mason University, College of Education and Human Development. Obtained from 17

18 Appendix A Teacher Survey 1. Promethean ActivBoard and Flipcharts 1. How much do you use the Promethean board during the week? Once every 1 or 2 times a 3 or 4 times a Never other week week week Frequency How much do you use the Promethean board during the week? Frequency Never Once every other week 1 or 2 times a week 3 or 4 times a week Daily Daily 2. How many flipcharts have you...? None More than 6 Created? Downloaded from Promethean Planet? Used from the Moodle sight? How many flipcharts have you...? Created? None Downloaded from Promethean Planet? None Used from the Moodle sight? None More than More than More than 6 25% 2. ActiVotes 1. How often do you use your ActiVotes? A couple times a Never month Weekly Daily Frequency How often do A couple Weekly Daily 18

19 Never you use your ActiVotes? Frequency Never A couple times a month times a month 2. Have you created your own ActiVote quiz? Have you created your own ActiVote quiz? Yes No 3. What do you like about the ActiVotes? Weekly Daily What do you like about the ActiVotes? 4. What is your frustration about the ActiVotes? What is your frustration about the ActiVotes? 50% 3. Document Camera 1. How often do you use the document camera each week? How often do you use the document camera each week? Never 1 or 2 times 3 or 4 times Constantly 2. What are some of the features you have used on the document camera? What are some of the features you have used on the document camera? 75% 19

20 4. 21st Century Teaching The following questions pertain to the impact this technology has had on your teaching. 1. Do you feel your teaching is better because of the new technology? Why or why not? Do you feel your teaching is better because of the new technology? Why or why not? 2. What do you still need to feel more comfortable with this new technology? What do you still need to feel more comfortable with this new technology? 100% 20