Action Research Plan

• Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation
The goal of this action research is to determine if an afterschool mentoring program will help 5th grade at-risk boys be successful with high-stakes tests.

• Activities designed to achieve the objectives
In conjunction with the PTO president, I will develop and implement an after school program to give 5th grade boys a meaningful relationship with a mentor.
Recruit local community members, preferably men, as mentors for the 5th grade at-risk students.
I will set up a schedule of activities, including science experiments, working in the school garden, snacks, and a discussion/journaling/illustration activity.
Schedule an administrator to be on campus for each session.
Review TAKS and at-risk data to determine eligibility of students.
Send permission slips home asking for parental permission.

• Resources and research tools needed for data gathering
TAKS data from the previous year testing.
A 5th grade boys at-risk list will be created at the beginning of the school year and monitored throughout the year.

• Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities
Beginning of school:
Research will begin as soon as school has started. The at-risk list will be compiled. Previous TAKS scores will be reviewed.
Recruit mentors and complete district training.
Send permission slips home.
Set up groups and schedule.
Prepare activities.

Throughout the school year:
Purchase snacks and any supplies needed for the science experiments, garden, or journaling activities.
Mentors will begin meeting with students after they have completed the district mentoring class. A schedule will be set up so that mentors and students can meet every other week of the school year, excluding holidays and breaks.

• Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan
I will be responsible for implementation of the action research. I will work in conjunction with the PTO president for the 2010-2011 school year, Tami Lorch. My research will be periodically reviewed by my site-supervisor, Ms. Susan Blowey, Assistant Principal of Farney Elementary. An administrator will also have to be on campus during the mentoring sessions.

• Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives
Benchmarks and unit tests will be monitored throughout the year. The data will be recorded on a spreadsheet so that it can be reviewed after each testing situation.

• Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
The effectiveness of the research will be evaluated after TAKS data is available for the current school year. If students are not successful after the first administration, TAKS data for the second administration will be used. If students are required to participate in the third administration, that data will be used to determine the effectiveness of the research. The action research results will be presented to the principal, the administrative team, and the PTO. If successful, I will present to the faculty at a staff meeting using both charts and data.