Action Research

All teachers strive to affect student learning. Each teacher candidate will conduct Action Research to
document candidates impact on student learning. The project provides an opportunity to measure
students cumulative growth and progress during the implementation of a unit of study. The attached
rubric represents the scoring guidelines and provides criteria for specific elements. The assignment
should include the following components:
Title of Action Research Project
Abstract: Provide a brief summary of your action research report. Topics may include student
sample, instructional focus, and data collection and analysis.
Introduction: Provide a description of students, school, district or important features that
ensure understanding. The purposed is included and clearly stated.
Learning Goals and Objectives: The teacher candidate will set significant, challenging, varied
and appropriate learning goals and objectives based on the state math standards. Describe the
students who will be affected. What were the goals for improvement?
Assessment Plan: design an assessment plan to monitor student progress toward the learning
objectives. Plan appropriate assessment measures for assessing student learning before instruction
(pre-assessments), during instruction (interim or formative assessment), and after instruction (post
or summative assessments). Instructional sequence should include a variety of assessment methods
and strategies suited for the developmental level of the students and your learning objectives. Align
learning objectives and assessment methods and strategies. Construct a table that lists learning
objectives, the assessments used to assess student performance relative to each learning objective,
and a rationale for each assessment that explains why the assessment was selected or developed.
Expand table as needed. Include copies of assessments, student directions, and criteria for scoring.
Student Objective (do)
1.

Math specific assessments

Pre-Assessment
Formative
Post-Assessment

Rationale of Assessments

Design for Instruction/Teaching Unit Plans: Designs instruction for the specific learning goal and
objectives that address characteristics and needs of students, and the learning context. Design the
lessons for the unit based on the learning goal and objectives, students characteristics and learning
context. Pre-assessment data must be used to guide development or modification of your unit.
Include all lesson plans and resources used in unit plan. After administering the pre-assessment,
analyze student performance relative to the objectives. Provide a narrative description of the
results and how the results shaped your instruction.
Use of Technology: Candidate integrates appropriate technology that makes a significant
contribution to teaching and learning.
Instructional Decision-Making: Use on-going analysis of student learning to makes instructional
decisions. Based upon the experiences gained from teaching the unit, describe a daily instructional
strategy/activity and its assessment. Explain how the assessment caused modification to the next days
Action Research|Fall 2016

plan. Include an example for each day of the unit.

Impact on Student Learning (Results): Use assessment data to profile student learning and
communicate information about student progress and achievement. Report the results of your
assessments, including pre/post assessments and formative assessments to determine students
progress related to the learning goal and objectives. Use charts, graphs and narrative to identify
the performance of the whole class and two individual students.
Reflection and Self-Evaluation: Analyzes the relationship between candidates instruction and
student learning in order to improve teaching practice. Candidate will evaluate performance as a
teacher and link performance to student learning results. Reflect on performance and identify
future action that could improve teaching and professional growth. Identify the learning activity
where students were most successful and the learning activity where students were least successful.
Organization and Presentation: Is your paper error free? Does your presentation flow and
include all requirements? Do you include technology for your presentation? Did you include
student work samples?

Action Research|Fall 2016

Action Research Rubric

Name: ___________________Action Research Title:______________________
Points 9-12
Introduction
Score:_

Learning Goals and

Objectives
Score:_

Assessment Plan
Score:_

Design for
Instruction/Teaching Unit
Plans
Score:_

Score:______

Instructional Decision
Making
Score:_

Points 0-4

Adequate description of students,

school, district, and/or important
features that ensure contextual
understanding. Purpose is addressed.

Limited description of students,

school, district, and/or important
features necessary for contextual
understanding. Purpose is missing.

State standards are clearly stated with

reference numbers, objectives reinforce
learning outcomes (what the students will
be able to know, understand, and do), and
align with standards. Objectives reflect
multiple levels of learning and are
appropriate for the development of the
student(s).

State standards are stated but not with

reference numbers. Some objectives
support the learning outcomes what the
students will be able to know,
understand, and do) and align with
standards. Objectives reflect few levels
of learning and lack
significance/challenge. Some objectives
are appropriate for the development of
the students(s).

State standards are not clearly stated or

not stated at all; reference numbers are
not used. Objectives do not support the
learning outcomes and do not align
with standards. Objectives reflect only
one level of learning and are not
appropriate for the development of the
student(s).

The plan is designed with multiple

assessments carefully chosen to fit the
content and the student skill level in
their complexity. Rationale for
assessments is clearly thought out to
reflect mastery of the content students
will learn.

The plan includes some assessments with

a variety of modes that fit the content and
the student skill level in their complexity.
Rationale for assessments doesnt align
with the content that students will learn.

Few to no assessments represent a

variety of modes that fit the
content and the student skill level
in their complexity. Rationale for
assessments chosen is not
included.

Points 27-40

Points 13-26

Points 0-12

Pre-assessment data are charted, analyzed,

and consistently used to design and deliver
instruction. Learning activities are chosen to
consistently reflect best practices in the
teaching math and are suited to the
instructional setting. Lessons are specific and
relevant; unit/lesson plans and all other
resources are included.

Pre-assessment data are charted, analyzed

and some evidence is provided that the
data influenced instructional design.
Some learning activities reflect best
practices in teaching mathematics.
Lessons are somewhat logically
sequenced; student engagement is low.
Unit/lesson plans are included, but other
resources are not included.

Pre-assessment data have not been

charted and analyzed or there is no
evidence that the information has been
used in instructional design. Few
learning activities reflect best practices
in teaching mathematics. Lessons are
disorganized. Student engagement is
low. Lesson plans and other resources
are not included, missing, or
incomplete.

Points 5-8

Points 0-4

Points 9-12
Use of Technology

Points 5-8

Vivid and detailed description of students,

school, district, and/or important features
that ensure contextual understanding.
Purpose is clearly stated.

Candidate integrates appropriate technology

that makes a significant contribution to
teaching and learning.

Candidate integrates technology into the Candidate does not use appropriate
unit that makes a contribution to teaching technology or does not use technology.
and learning.

Instructional strategies/activities were

chosen for each day of the unit, assessments
were included for all strategies/activities,
and candidate provides thoughtful insights
for the next action based on the assessment
data.

Instructional strategies/activities were

chosen for about half of the unit.
Assessment were included for about half
of the instructional strategies/activities
listed. Candidate provides some insights
for the next action based on the
assessment data.

Instructional strategies/activities were

chosen for less than half of the days of
the unit. Assessment were included for
less than half of the instructional
strategies/activities listed. Candidate
does not provide a plan based on the
assessment data.

Action Research|Fall 2016

Points 27-40
Impact on Student Learning
(Results)
Score:_

Reflection and SelfEvaluation

Score:_

For Whole class and two individual

students: provides an in-depth profile of
student learning supported by data.
Summary is meaningful and high-level
conclusions are drawn from the data.
Extensive evidence is provided on
achievement and progress toward learning
goal and/or each objective.

For Whole class and individual

students: provides some parts of
the profile of student learning
supported by data. Summary
includes some meaningful and
appropriate conclusions drawn
from the data. Little evidence is
provided on achievement and
progress toward learning goal/
each objective.
Provides thorough reasons for why students Provides few reasons for why students
met or did not meet the learning goals and
met or did not meet the learning goals
objectives; identifies the most and the least and objectives; identifies few
successful activities and assessments and
activities and provides little rationale
explores plausible, and in-depth reasons for for why some activities or assessments
their success or failure; provides specific
were more successful than others;
and relevant ideas for redesigning and
provides few ideas for redesigning
instruction and assessment an explains in
instruction, and assessment or offers
detail way these changes would improve
an inadequate explanation of why
student learning; identifies more than two
these changes would improve student
areas for improvement and lists and
learning; identifies areas for
describes a comprehensive plan to improve improvement and describes general
these areas.
activities to improve these areas.

Points 14-20
Organization &
Presentation (includes:
PowerPoint, resources, use
of grammar/mechanics,
student work samples)
Score:_

Points 13-26

The paper and PowerPoint reads well, is

polished and grammatically error free. The
presentation flowed well and included all
requirements. Project reflects mastery in
professional thought and effort expected in a
culminating teaching assignment.

Points 7-13
The paper and PowerPoint reads
adequately and problems with
mechanics and grammar exist. Some
presentation requirements were met
and/or presentation was not polished.
Project has sections that should be
revised and improved before serving as
a culminating assignment.

Points 0-12
For whole class and individual
students: profile is unclear. Summary
is inaccurate or conclusions are
missing or not supported by data. No
evidence is provided on learner
achievement.

Little or no evidence or reasons

provided to explain student
performance; provides little or no
rationale for why some activities or
assessments were more successful than
others; provides inappropriate or no
ideas for redesigning instruction, and
assessment; does not clearly identify
areas for improvement or provides a
poor plan or no plan to improve in these
areas.

Points 0-6
Surface errors disrupt the meaning
of the paper and make the paper
difficult to read. The presentation
was poor, and there were several
errors. Does not reflect the typical
professional thought and effort
expected in a culminating teacher
education assignment.

Action Research|Fall 2016