Killeen, we have a problem!

My school is Title I and did not meet AYP last year because of Math sub-groups. The district is providing an intervention for special education students in an effort to improve this sub-group. As the special education math teacher at my school, I’m responsible for implementing the intervention, a computer-based program that I supplement with small group instruction focused on areas of difficulty.

 

I’m excited about implementing the program because it seems promising, and it’s the first time special education has been given anything to use with our students. I would really like to see if the program provides the results that the company promises, so I decided to explore this topic. For my action research project, I would like to determine if this intervention increases students’ math levels. Our district requires us to give the Scholastic Math Inventory (SMI), a computer-based assessment, to all third, fourth, and fifth graders at the beginning of the year, middle of the year, and end of the year. I’m going to compare Fall 2012’s growth on the SMI, without the intervention, to Fall 2013’s growth on the SMI, when the students will have the intervention. I plan to include in my research only those students who have had at least 5 hours of intervention time, as 10 hours is the expected goal for the year.

 

  Not making AYP is clearly of critical importance. If we don’t make AYP again this year, our school will have sanctions. I don’t want my sub-group, Math Special Education, to be the reason we have those sanctions. In the fall of 2012, most of my inclusion math students’ SMI scores went down, while the resource students, with whom I work in a small group every day, went up. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to meet with all 47 students every day, but this program would give students the opportunity to get targeted help in their areas of difficulty. I can then provide small group support two or three days a week based on areas students still have difficulty. I believe that an action research study would be beneficial because it will determine if this intervention helps my students make more growth in math.