STUDENT GROWTH & Professional GOAL SETTING

Teacher / Anna Tate
School / Liberty Middle School
Administrator / Donald Espinosa
Content
  • The goal is being written around which grade/subject/level?
/ I have a total of 98 students in four heterogeneously grouped classes of 8th grade English.
Context
  • What are the characteristics or special learning circumstances of my class(es)?
  • What are the demographics of my classroom?
/ Twenty percent of my students have IEP’s in reading and writing. A collaborating teacher works with me daily. Seventy-three percent of the students at HVMS passed the on-demand writing assessment which has been identified as a school improvement area. Each teacher is expected to incorporate writing into the curriculum.
Baseline Data
  • What are the learning needs of my students?
  • What are the assessments or evidence sources I will use?
  • Attach supporting data.
/ I worked with the other LA teachers in the district to create a common assessment using criteria from the writing rubric. The data from the pre-assessment shows that 4 students scored very low, 3 scored very high and all areas of writing are low. I then grouped the students according to their scores to see that the low performers averaged .75 in all three areas of the rubric which is significantly lower that the mid performing group. The high performing group avg. 4.0 on Organization and Structure, but the other two groups avg. below 2.
Student Growth Goal Statement
SMART goal criteria is used to formulate the goal. / For the 2012 – 13 school year, 100% of students will make measurable progress in writing. Each student will improve by one performance level in two or more areas of the rubric (audience/purpose, idea development, organization & structure). Furthermore, 80% of the students will score a “3” or better overall.
Professional Growth Goal:
  • What professional development will help me accomplish my SLG? (D:4)
  • How will achieving my professional growth goal improve student learning and engagement? (D:3)
  • How has my self-reflection and assessment on Domains 1-4 informed this goal? (D:4)
How might I team with colleagues to successfully achieve my goal? (D:4) / For the 2012 – 13 school year, I will improve my ELA instruction to increase student engagement and achievement by attending and implementing Rigor and Relevance training, refining implementation of the standards, researching and implementing engaging and rigorous teaching strategies, and refining my use of formative assessment to impact daily instruction. These will be measured through pre/post assessments, student work samples, interim assessments, peer and principal observations and conferences, and self-reflection.
Strategies for Improvement
  • What strategies will I incorporate into my methodology/professional practice?
/ Students will use a writer’s notebook for writing practice, specifically developing ideas and focusing on specific audiences for specific purposes.
Students will analyze organizational structure of narrative, informational/explanatory, and argumentative writing and apply to their own writing.
Students will participate in peer response groups to give/receive feedback on audience awareness, purpose, and idea development.
I will implement strategies learned during Rigor and Relevance training and develop writing prompts for students to use in their writer’s notebooks.
I will refine my implementation of the standards, researching and implementing engaging and rigorous teaching strategies that deepen student understanding of organizational structures and uses in their own writing.
I will refine my use of ongoing formative assessment to impact daily instruction by teaching students to lead classroom discussions and peer reviews. I will incorporate these in practice.
Resources and Support:
  • What resources and support do I need to meet my Professional Growth Goal?
/ I would like to observe in other LA classrooms and likewise have my peers observe my classroom during direct instruction and 1:1 conferencing time with students. I would also like support in developing a feedback protocol for such observations. It would also be helpful if time could be given to all of the LA teachers in the district to cross-score our assessments to ensure that understanding and instruction towards the standards is occurring with fidelity across the district.
Teacher Signature: / Date: / Administrator Signature: / Date:
Mid-Year Review / Collaborative Mid-Year Goal Review
  • What progress has been made?
  • Attach supporting data
/ 50% of the students are now scoring at a 3 or higher, as compared to 30% at the beginning of the year. The percentage of students who have an Avg. score of 1 has decreased from 30% to 20%.
Students are writing almost daily in their writer’s notebook using prompts and free writes. Students have been introduced to peer response groups and have had several opportunities to give and receive feedback. With guidance, students understand characteristics of narrative, informational/explanatory, and argumentative writing, but when provided a task for writing, have trouble applying this understanding.
Review of students’ writing notebooks and analysis of on-going assessments indicate many students are effectively developing their ideas when prompts are provided. Several students are still not developing their ideas thoroughly in free writes. Some students demonstrate critical thinking and inquiry by generating open ended questions during class discussions. Students are effectively using graphics organizer to make their thinking visible when explaining comparison/contrast and chronological sequence, but many still struggle with their analysis of cause and effect, which results in weak arguments and explanations.
Strategy Modification
  • What adjustments need to be made to my strategies?
/ I will incorporate opportunities for peer response groups to write collaboratively using writer’s notebook activities, assessing specifically for idea development using rubric criteria.
I will model decision-making about suggested revisions as students provide feedback on my writing samples. I will provide students more intentional practice making revisions to their writing and allow them to share those revisions in peer response groups.
I will model thinking aloud, and ask students to do the same, to think through characteristics expected for narrative, informational/explanatory, and argumentative writing.
I will incorporate opportunities to students to write for specific audiences and purposes using digital technologies. Students will collaborate to write, share ideas and will provide and receive feedback using digital tools.
Teacher Signature: / Date: / Administrator Signature: / Date:
Summative Conference / End-of-Year Data
  • What does the end of the year data show?
  • Attach data
/ 78% of the students scored at 3 and 4 levels on the rubric. No students have an average score of 1.
Reflection on Results
  • Overall, what worked or what should be refined?
/ Students started moving when I focused my instruction on modeling the critical thinking elements and decision-making process a writer goes through. I realized that I needed to differentiate writing tasks based on needs earlier. Due to my ability to observe in another teacher’s classroom I learned some initial approaches for incorporating a writer’s workshop structure to allow for increased differentiation.
Professional Growth Plan Implications
  • How can I use these results to support my professional growth?
/ I want to further my understanding of how to differentiate instruction in my classrooms through a writer’s workshop as a method for increasing student engagement. I will attend a summer conference and continue collaboration with my peers on the topic.
Teacher Signature: / Date: / Administrator Signature: / Date: