Recent Changes

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DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Context
Include: Key characteristics of the school, Nature of student population/community.
St Rita’s Primary School
St Rita's is located at Victoria Point, in the South East Region of Brisbane. St Rita's is a coeducational Catholic primary school, offering classes from Prep to Year 7. Most students are Australian born and most parents have reasonable expectations for their children progress. The staff is a mixture of experienced and recently graduated teachers and some staff members are studying at Universities or through BCE offered courses.
Distinctive curriculum offerings are Information Communication & Learning Technology (ICLT), LOTE (Japanese), Arts Program, Health & Physical Education Program (including Outdoor and Camp activities) and Instrumental Music Program.
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What open ended question/s do you want to answer by doing action research?

1 x yr 1 teacher, 1 x yr 2 teacher leading the project
2 x yr 1 teachers, 2 x year 2 teachers part of the project team to implement the project
Target group(s)Group(s) / year
Small group of Year 1 and Year 2 students
Why have you chosen this focus? Is it about teachers’ critical reflection on classroom practice?

Context
Include: Key characteristics of the school, Nature of student population/community.
Can Principals and APs add to this area please?
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What open ended question/s do you want to answer by doing action research?

2 x yr 1 teachers, 2 x year 2 teachers part of the project team to implement the project
Target group(s) / year levels?
YearSmall group of Year 1 and 2 students (all or some???)
Why have you chosen this focus? Is it about teachers’ critical reflection on classroom practice?
Reading data shows that comprehension age of students islower than their chronological age at higher grades in the school.
Devise a planning cycle to test
Identify data collection method/s to test
Semester 21 2011
Teachers complete checklists of effectiveness as they implement
Edit and revise planning cycle and data collections methods throughout for constant renewal

Embraces the use of ICLT / multiliteracies.
In order to complete your application, consider the following guiding questions:
· WhatWhat is your the page
Reading comprehension (sight words, sounding out, etc) to become better at understanding the text and developing good reading comprehension.
· Why is it of concern?
early years at present
Poor reading comprehension and understanding of text
quantitative, research?
· What open ended question/s do you want to answer by doing action research?
better teach reading comprehension and what kind ofreading. What experiences make better reading comprehender
·comprehender? How do I provide these in my classroom
· How is Numeracy position?
·
· How will to your focus?
Studentsfocus?Through assessing and monitoring reading through PROBEDoes my planning improve students readingStudents show reading comprehension their reading level.
·level and continues to devlop alongside their reading decoding skills.
· Is your teacher practice? YES
Through better skills and practicespracticesProviding better learning opportunities for students

In order to complete your application, consider the following guiding questions:
· What is your area of concern?
How reading is taught and why it is more than reading the right words on the page
Reading comprehension
· Why is it of concern?
Focussing highly on sightwords in early years
Poor reading comprehension and understanding of text
· What data do you have to justify this focus – qualitative, quantitative, research?
· What open ended question/s do you want to answer by doing action research?
How do I better teach reading comprehension and what kind of experiences make a better reading comprehender
· How is your project consistent with the theoretical basis of the Archdiocesan Literacy and Numeracy position?
· How will you measure improvement or change related to your focus?
Students reading comprehension that aligns with their reading level.
· Is your project focused on improving classroom teacher practice?
Through better planning and implementing of reading skills and practices

Planning documents
'Literacy Practices Guide - Prep to year 1" checklist
times, communication, identify experts who help us, professional development needs
Step 2 : ACT
Analyse current reading data that is collected - identify pros and cons
Ongoing reflection and revision on teaching planning and practice
What worked for us? How can we use what we have learned at a whole school level?
How doWhat will we put in place to sustain the practices?practices - individually and as a group?
Project goals and targets
Include: Key milestones / outcomes intended.
Increased teacher awareness of what reading comprehension is and how it can be developed
Increased teacher awareness of data collection methods for reading
Teachers will follow a planning cycle from evidence they have collected about student reading
Timeline for the project
Semseter 2 2010
Teacher questionnaires
Planning documents
'Literacy Practices Guide - Prep to year 1" checklist
Meet as a professional learning group and plan - roles, meeting dates, times, communication, experts who can help us, professional development needs
Professional Reading and discussions with experts
Analyse current reading data that is collected - identify pros and cons
Analyse current reading data that is collected - identify pros and cons
Investigate planning cycles that link data --> planning --> practice --> assessment
Investigate a range of reading data collection methods (e.g. First Steps, PROBE, other commercial reading assessments)
Devise a planning cycle to test
Identify data collection method/s to test
Semester 2 2011
Teachers complete checklists of effectiveness as they implement
Edit and revise planning cycle and data collections methods throughout for constant renewal
Meet to reflect as a group on the planning cycle & data collection methods
Ongoing reflection and revision on teaching planning and practice
What worked for us? How can we use what we have learned at a whole school level?
What will we put in place to sustain the practices - individually and as a group?
Itemised budget for the project
Also consider the requirement that you present your project at a seminar day eg: preparation time and teacher release for this event.
Teacher release to meet with expert - 2 teachers x 1 day release = $880
First Steps Reading Course - 2 teachers x 2 day release = $1760
Project planning for implementation and reflection - 2 teachers x 1 day release = $880
Project Presentation and Planning - 2 teachers x 2 days release = $1760

Investigate planning cycles that link data --> planning --> practice --> assessment
Investigate a range of reading data collection methods (e.g. First Steps, PROBE, other commercial reading assessments)
Devise a planning cycle to test
Identify data collection method/s to test
Professional development - reading & discussions with experts
Step 4 : OBSERVE (ongoing through implementation)
Teachers complete checklists of effectiveness as they implement
Edit and revise planning cycle and data collections methods throughout for constant renewal
Meet to reflect as a group on the planning cycle & data collection methods
Step 5 : REFLECT
Ongoing reflection and revision on teaching planning and practice
What worked for us? How can we use what we have learned at a whole school level?
How do we sustain the practices?
Project goals and targets
Include: Key milestones / outcomes intended.

Context
Include: Key characteristics of the school, Nature of student population/community.
this area pleaseplease?
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What open ended question/s do you want to answer by doing action research?
Why have you chosen this focus? Is it about teachers’ critical reflection on classroom practice?
Reading data shows that comprehension age of students islower than their chronological age at higher grades in the school.
ReflectionData from teachers suggests that the major teaching focus is on decoding and accuracy in reading in the early years not developing comprehension skills & strategies
Reflection on what into how the comprehension age of studentsteachers can be improved.improve their use of data to inform teaching direction.
What data do you have to justify your focus – qualitative, quantitative, research?
PROBE reading assessments
Teacher observation
Planning data
Methodology – how will you make it work?
· Follow an action learning sequence to describe what you will do (ie: plan, act, observe, reflect and then plan, act, observe, reflect etc).
· Include: a clear staged plan for monitoring and evaluating improvement/progress;
strategies to be implemented, data and evidence that will be collected to document, analyse and report on improvement. It may include implications for future sustainability.
Step 1 : PLAN
Collect baseline data about current practices
What reading data is collected in the early years? How is it used to inform teaching and learning in the early years?
Teacher questionnaires
Planning documents
'Literacy Practices Guide - Prep to year 1" checklist
Meet as a professional learning group and plan - roles, meeting dates, times, communication, identify experts who can help us,
Step 2 : ACT
Analyse current reading data that is collected - identify pros and cons
Investigate planning cycles that link data --> planning --> practice --> assessment
Investigate a range of reading data collection methods (e.g. First Steps, PROBE, other commercial reading assessments)
Project goals and targets
Include: Key milestones / outcomes intended.

Year 1 and Year 2 students (all or some???)
Why have you chosen this focus? Is it about teachers’ critical reflection on classroom practice?
Reading data shows that comprehension age of students islower than their chronological age at higher grades in the school.
Reflection on what reading data is collected and then used to inform teaching and learning practices will give insight into how the comprehension age of students can be improved.
What data do you have to justify your focus – qualitative, quantitative, research?
Methodology – how will you make it work?