My action research question:

How will incorporating differentiated instructional strategies improve student achievement in 7^th grade Math?  What differentiate instructional strategies are most beneficial in improving achievement?

I chose this particular action research questions because differentiated instruction is one of our campus’s initiatives for student achievement.  Our school has been working with Carol O’Connor of ASCD for the last three years to train the teachers on differentiated instruction and I have been asked to join the team.  This year, I will work closely with Ms. O’Connor – first being observed, then trained and finally a plan to implement the DI strategies.  As the only member on the team from my Math team, I am eager to learn new strategies regarding differentiated instruction and track the results based on a variety of data – test scores, behavior, etc.  These new strategies I will learn and implement will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the key math concepts and a deeper student understanding of the math, which in turn will lead to high student achievement and student performance. 

My target population is the 7th grade math students at Watkins Middle School in both upper and on level math classes.  This study will include general education and special education with an emphasis on our lower scoring student demographics of African American and Hispanic and those who are economically disadvantaged.  Traditionally, the students that fall within this population have not met AYP so I will pay close attention to these areas during my action research.  My sample size will include 457 students in 7th grade math. 

My initial summary would include background information on my school.  My focus is to improve student achievement and differentiated instruction is one our campus’s best practices; therefore, our Principal teamed up with ASCD to train the teachers. 

In addition to background information, it is necessary to share how we set up the inquiry.  Data will be collected from the analysis of test and benchmark results.  Additional forms of data collection will include surveys, classroom observation and core team discussion.

The analysis of data will occur every three weeks.  My team will use this data to identify areas of improvement and areas that still need work.  The frequent occurrence of data analysis will allow us to make necessary adjustments quickly. 

At the conclusion of the research project, I will share my findings with my Principal, administrative team and faculty.  This action research project will help us determine if implementing differentiated instruction has a positive impact on student achievement. 
I will conduct my research throughout the 2012-2013 school year.  I my timeline of events will include  the following actions:

Gaining approval from my principal, analyzing SFA data, analyzing behavior within in the classroom, creating a plan to implement DI strategies in my classroom with Carol O'Connor, being trained on DI strategies by Carol O'Connor, implementing DI strategies, analyzing test scores of students and analyze teacher contact logs.