· Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation
1. Understand how assessment design increases academic rigor in order to better prepare students for post-secondary success and challenging careers.
2. Understand assessment design and what kinds of assessments increase academic rigor.
3. Determine the level of rigor in both on-level and advanced classes via assessments and various sources of data.

· Activities designed to achieve the objectives.
1. Principal recruits committee members who participated in previous year’s book study of Rigor Is Not a Four Letter Word. Committee developed.
2. Committee meets to discuss plan of action.
3. Staff surveys distributed (website). Ask questions in regard to rigor, perceptions of current level of rigor on campus, and obstacles to ensuring and maintaining a rigorous environment.
4. Student surveys distributed (website). Ask questions in regard to rigor, current level of rigor in their classes, whether or not they welcome a challenging classroom environment, any obstacles to enrolling in rigorous classes, and level of motivation.
5. Disaggregate data: advanced classes enrollment and completion; AP test scores; percentage of students taking AP tests; standardized test scores; college enrollment; percentage of VRHS students who complete freshmen year of college; percentage of students enrolled in AP classes; PSAT/SAT results.
6. Each collaborative team studies two common assessments during common planning periods. Collaborative teams answer questions about assessments: goals, objectives, and student mastery of skills. Dean of Instruction selects answers of a collaborative team from each core subject area and summarizes findings.
7. Book study committee made up of head principal, one AP, Dean of Instruction and a team leader from each of the core subject areas and one extra-curricular subject area: Rigor Is Not a Four Letter Word. Members meet to discuss book.
8. Dean of Instruction presents findings from step 4 to team leaders who are part of the book study group. Discuss findings.
9. Team leaders meet with collaborative teams. Four collaborative teams are the sample size. These collaborative teams agree to design three assessments that align with the findings in the book.
10. The principal meets with each of the collaborative teams three times a six weeks to discuss progress of implementing research findings. These meetings are meant to offer support to the sample size and address any problems along the way.
11. The principal visits the classroom of one member of each of the four collaborative teams at least three times a six weeks.
12. Collaborative teams give assessments. Analyze assessment data.
13. Original book study group meets to discuss assessment data—how they increased rigor in the classroom, student success stories, research findings, etc. Committee also looks at TAKS data, AP test data, PSAT/SAT results, attendance records, assessment grades, Committee then determines to discuss findings with staff during staff development the following year. The committee carves out a block of time to discuss findings with the staff and to inform staff members of professional development opportunities that address assessments and rigor—both summer and beginning of the year sessions. Staff is invited to participate in these sessions and also invited to read the main research source—Rigor Is Not a Four Letter Word.
· Resources and research tools needed for data gathering
1. Standardized test scores of the last four years.
2. AP enrollment and completion rates of the last four years.
3. AP test scores of the last four years.
4. Both student and teacher rigor survey results.
5. Current assessment analysis
6. Rigor Is Not a Four Letter Word
7. Statistical evidence that shows how non-rigorous environments are affecting student absence, completing, and enrollment rates across the country.
8. VRHS drop-out data.
9. VRHS absence data.
10. VRHS college enrollment data.
**All of the above can be accessed from district website, school registrar, Dean of Instruction, and a computer with internet access. The book used in the book study will be bought by principal via the admin fund and distributed to each team leader.
· Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities
The entire action research process will take place over one school year. The principal will recruit members during beginning of the year staff development. Committee will be formed by the end of this week. Data analyses and plan of action will be complete by third week of school. Committee members will meet at the end of every six weeks to design assessments for the following six weeks. Assessments will be given by collaborative team members throughout the second, third, fourth, and fifth six weeks, and the first three weeks of the last six weeks (allot time at end of the year to bring research project to a close. All data—assessment results, absence rates, completion rates, AP test data, TAKS data, college enrollment data—and a plan of action as a result of research will be complete by the last required teacher work day of the year.
· Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan
All committee members (principal, AP, lead counselor, DOI, and five collaborative team leaders) and the collaborative teams will be responsible for implementation of action research plan. As my district is big on collaboration and gives us many opportunities to collaborate, participants in the research project will have the opportunity to meet as collaborative teams every week to discuss assessments.
· Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives
The process for monitoring achievement includes data analysis the week after each assessment is given, weekly collaborative team meetings to discuss data, bi-monthly meeting of committee members to discuss their team’s assessment data, monitoring absence rates throughout the year, analyzing standardized test data, AP test data, college enrollment data, and discussions throughout the process.
· Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study
Assessment design; results of assessments, end-of-year student rigor surveys (those students who were subjects of action research study), completion rates of students, grade averages of students, absence rates, various testing results, PSAT/SAT results, college enrollment rates (specifically of four-year universities) and data retrieved at the end of the next school year—how many of those students who enrolled in college completed their freshman year.

Week 2

Like any research project, it's important to "skinny down" my idea. As I started this journey, I couldn't decide on what I wanted to focus. However, after being patient and conducting research, I found that I continually came back to rigor, and often the lack of a rigorous environment in our school system. I want to research something I can apply directly and immediately to my classroom, so my focus is rigor and assessments--how to design and apply rigorous assessments to increase student learning and motivation.

Action Research

Action research is different from traditional education research in that it takes an inside-out approach to the inquiry process. Its strength lies in the fact schools do not rely on outside experts but rather rely on those individuals who are true experts--individuals in the trenches every single day. Action research allows us to improve our craft, our teaching and learning system. Administrators are active participants in this process and become models of learning. The action research journey involves diagnosing problems and/or weaknesses, gathering and analyzing data that addresses these weaknesses, developing a plan of action, making changes according to what one's learned, and sharing this information with the learning community at large. As a teacher, I use action research to improve learning in my classroom. I diagnose potential weaknesses and engage in research and professional development to target those weaknesses and improve upon them to increase student learning. Stagnancy, then, is not an option. Administrators, too, must engage in action research rather than separate themselves from it. Simply put, action research engages us, it allows us to continue learning, to trust our ability and desire to improve ourselves and our craft, and gives us a template by which to travel this road of discovery. It allows us to collaborate and understand the importance of riding this wave together. We use action research to prevent the status quo from reigning supreme. If change is needed, we must first recognize that it is needed and then develop a plan to best address and improve/solve the issues at hand.

Educational leaders can use blogs to communicate, to write about their experiences and provide others the opportunities to understand their point of view. Blogs give us the opportunity to communicate, as they allow for dialogue. We can learn from someone else in this format, as we share our experiences. Leaders can communicate with various stakeholders that they might not otherwise see on a regular basis. Blogs allows us to keep open those lines of communication and provide a format for feedback and/or commentary.