Evaluation+Plan



Running Head: Evaluation Plan  Evaluation Plan Shadra Tomei Sparling University of West Georgia Introduction  Chapel Hill Elementary School was built in 1976. Due to growth, Chapel Hill Elementary School was moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in 2007. This facility provides LCD projectors and four laptops in each classroom. Teachers have a plethora of technology tools at their disposal for use in the classroom. One program, //Classworks,// was purchased in 2009 for Chapel Hill Elementary School. This program was bought with special education money and was intended for use by special education students only. Chapel Hill Elementary School piloted the program for use of all students. According to the Best Evidence Encyclopedia, “//Classworks// has moderate evidence of effectiveness for elementary school mathematics (Slavin & Lake, 2007) . All teachers have been trained and encouraged to use this program to enhance reading and math instruction. The evaluator for this project is Shadra Sparling, a fourth grade teacher and team leader. This is her fifth year teaching fourth grade, and her fourth year working at Chapel Hill Elementary. She teaches math and science and her job is to provide a safe and quality instruction, customized to fit individual learning needs. She also integrates technology into her lessons frequently to enhance instruction. She is well qualified to complete this research project because she cares deeply about her students and their math education. She also uses //Classworks// on a regular basis. The client for this project is Yvonne Kidney, principal of Chapel Hill Elementary School. She has been involved in education for 24 years. She has served as principal of Chapel Hill Elementary School for 18 years. The client understands the importance of using technology and encourages and provides training for teachers in order to achieve this goal. Mrs. Kidney requires technology implementation to be written in weekly lesson plans to ensure a quality, well-rounded instruction. Her need is to improve math Criterion Referenced Competency Test (C.R.C.T.) scores in mathematics in order to improve our School Improvement Plan (S.I.P.). The stakeholders for this project are the students, teachers, and parents of Chapel Hill Elementary School. Students should proficient in math by the time they leave fifth grade. Parents at Chapel Hill Elementary are very involved. They work with their students at home with math homework and learning basic math facts. This coupled with the teachers differentiating math instruction and using research based-strategies to improve math instruction will help meet the goals of this project. Math has been a focus of our school improvement plan since I began teaching at Chapel Hill Elementary School, four years ago. Teachers have worked diligently to improve math scores by using technology. //Classworks// was the solution to the math problem of differentiated instruction for all the diverse math learners. “Dynamic, interactive lessons engage students and offer new ways to address difficult concepts,” (Curriculum Advantage, 2011). If teachers utilize the customizable lessons and assessments, students can have higher success with mathematics. Students enjoy the games and interactive lessons of the program. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of //Classworks// to determine how teachers use it during mathematics instruction. Purpose  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of //Classworks//. The study will also look at how the program is currently used by the faculty as well as any problems or issues. The evaluation will be summative as it is designed to address the efficacy of //Classworks.//  The potential decisions that may be made based on this evaluation would include (but are not limited to): Evaluation Questions <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> One of the objectives of the school improvement plan for Chapel Hill Elementary school is to raise achievement scores in the area of mathematics. In fifth grade students must pass the mathematics portion of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Therefore, all teachers work towards mastery of mathematics standards and of basic math facts. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Evaluation questions that will be addressed are: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Methods <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Participants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The participants include 3rd, 4th, 5th, and special education students. There will be 21 K-2 and special education teachers surveyed also. All teachers have passed the INTECH technology training requirements and all teachers have attended two training sessions for //Classworks.// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Design and Procedures <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> This evaluation plan will implement the following strategies designed to address each of the objectives: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Instruments <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Instruments used in this evaluation are developed by the evaluator. Various instruments include: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Table of Evaluation Instruments
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">More teacher training is needed to utilize the program effectively because they do not feel properly trained and equipped to use the program.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher differentiation strategies for student use of the program in mathematics would help them use the program more effectively.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Issues with //Classworks// are discovered and resolutions are made to ensure that the program can be used without any problems.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Can 3rd, 4th, 5th, and special education teachers improve mathematics instruction by incorporating //Classworks?//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Is //Classworks// an effective program for improving student achievement in the area of mathematics?
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Strategies to evaluate objective 1: Teachers have had two different training sessions on //Classworks// including how to use it, and how to differentiate instruction and create individualized student learning maps. Most teachers use //Classworks//, however, some teachers have had some technological issues with using the program. The strategy used to meet this objective is a teacher survey.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Strategies to evaluate objective 2: Teachers have used //Classworks// for two years now. Some teachers have enjoyed the program and use it regularly, while others do not. The strategy used to meet this objective is a teacher survey.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher survey to obtain data concerning how they use //Classworks// in mathematics the classroom, any problems they have had with the program, and how they plan to use it in the future.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Interviews to obtain data concerning how they use //Classworks// in their math class,
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Project: //Classworks// || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Survey || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Interview ||
 * # <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Use
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Effectiveness of //Classworks// ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">X   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">X   ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Data Analysis <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The goal of this project is twofold. One is to determine if //Classworks// is an appropriate tool to use to meet math goals. The data collected by the surveys will be reviewed to determine how effective //Classworks// is for the teachers in enhancing their math instruction. The evaluator will review the surveys and compile the data to determine the effectiveness of the program from a teacher’s perspective. The second goal is to determine if the consistent use of the program increases student achievement scores in mathematics. The interviews will be analyzed to determine this. The analysis of the data will be shared with the client. The client will then be able to make an informed decision as to the effectiveness of //Classworks// enhancing math instruction. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Conclusion <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The goal of this project is to determine if //Classworks// is an effective tool for improving math instruction to increase student achievement scores in mathematics. //Classworks// is considered effective if there is an increase in student achievement in mathematics based on frequent and thoughtful use of the program. Our SIP also supports the goals of implementing more technology use as well as increasing student achievement in mathematics in order to work toward the goal of all students passing the math CRCT by 2012. The results of this project will provide the principal with valuable information for the use of this program in math. The data will show the best ways to utilize this program in math. The data could provide teachers with ways to differentiate the instruction for students in math with //Classworks.// The data could also provide information about problems with the program and how to resolve them. The data could also be shared at the county level with the superintendent as well as the technology department. They could use the data to determine whether to purchase //Classworks// for all schools in the county to assist with increasing math achievement scores. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Curriculum Advantage, Inc. (2011). //Classworks//. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> http://www.curriculumadvantage.com

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Davis,& Roblyer (2005). Preparing teachers for the “Schools that Technology Built”: evaluation for a program to train teachers for virtual schooling. //Journal of Research on Technology in Education.// 37, 399-409. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kauffman, R., & Platt, W. (2006). //Practical evaluation for educators.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Slavin & Lake (2007). Effective programs in elementary mathematics: a best-evidence synthesis. //Best Evidence Encyclopedia.// Retrieved from http://www.bestevidence.org

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Appendix A    Teacher Survey Please answer the following questions pertaining to the //Classworks// computer program and how you use it to enhance mathematics instruction. SA = strongly agree A = agree N = neither agree or disagree D = disagree SD = strongly disagree 1. I found the program //Classworks// easy to use to set up my classes and assign work. SA A N D SD 2. I use //Classworks// on a weekly basis to enhance math instruction by supplementing my lessons and differentiating student tasks. SA A N D SD 3. I use //Classworks// regularly to differentiate math instruction. SA A N D SD 4. I have not experienced computer problems when using //Classworks.// SA A N D SD //5.// The students enjoy using //Classworks// because they express excitement about using it. SA A N D SD //6.// I have created summative math tests and given them to students in //Classworks.// SA A N D SD 7. I feel that the program //Classworks// increased student achievement scores in math because my math post test scores have improved. SA A N D SD 8. How do you use //Classworks// specifically during your math instruction time?

9. What problems or issues have you had with //Classworks// that have prohibited or discouraged you from using it?

10. Will you continue using //Classworks// in the future regularly to differentiate instruction and enhance your math lessons? How? If you won’t use it, why not? Appendix B   <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview Questions <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. How much time each week do you use //Classworks?// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. How much time specifically do you use //Classworks// during math instruction? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3. How many students have different learning paths in your class? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4. Do you feel //Classworks// has helped your students in math? In what ways? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">5. How do your students feel about using //Classworks;// how do you know? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">6. Describe how you think //Classworks// could be improved so that you would use it more.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Data Collection Organization Matrix <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Measureable Results  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Data Source   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Data Collection Tools <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">/Procedures  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Data Collected By:   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Primary Responsibility   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Interviews: Teachers will respond to interview questions about their experiences using the program. || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">May 27th, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2011  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Evaluator   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Questions  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Related Results   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Level   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Required Data/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Can teachers improve mathematics instruction by incorporating //Classworks?//  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">All teachers would show that they use //Classworks// in math as an effective tool to improve their instruction.   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Micro   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Survey Responses & Teacher Interview Responses   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teachers   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teacher Survey: Teachers will respond to a survey about their experiences using the program.