1. Creating a Rationale/Action Plan By Big Dog Springer

2. What is an action plan? • An action plan is a specific series of steps taken to accomplish a specified goal. An action plan generally includes steps, milestones, measures of progress, responsibilities, assignments and a time line. • Details the corrective measures taken. • Answers the question what.

3. What is a rationale? • A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a particular belief. • Why are you implementing the action plan. • Answers the question why.

4. Rationale • Explains the why action is being taken. • In looking at the 2008-2009 Academic Excellence Indicator System report for Taylor High School, it was observed that only forty one percent of eleventh grade ELA TAKS students taking the retest passed. When making a comparison to the campus group, it was found that there was a thirteen percent deficiency. The state passing rate for students passing the retest for ELA TAKS was forty nine percent, which is eight percent higher than Taylor HS. Furthermore, the forty one percent passing is a drop of three percent from the previous year.

5. Action Plan • Parts • Sustainable Solution/Concept • Timeline/Procedures • Discuss the impact upon people, and note responsible parties • Budget/Cost Analysis • Evaluation/Monitoring • Goals/Projected Growth • Justification/Supporting Evidence • Shows why your solution will work (citing prior evidence/precedence) • Cite Sources

6. Sustainable Solution/Concept • Each student will receive no less than two additional hours of training outside of the school day. Taylor High School will create an accelerated ELA TAKS class for all twelfth grade students who failed to meet the minimum standards on the exit level ELA TAKS in eleventh grade.

7. Procedures for Accelerated ELA TAKS Tutoring and Study Island • Three sections of accelerated ELA TAKS will meet two days each week per section. • This will keep the student to teacher ratio at one to ten. • This is based off of an average of thirty students failing exit ELA TAKS each year. • Classes will begin the third week of school and run until the last week of February for a total of 21 weeks. • The students will meet for zero hour, 7:30 – 8:20A.M. • Each parent will be notified by a letter and a phone call using our district all call system about their child’s required participation in the Zero Hour Accelerated Academy. • The assistant principal for instruction will recruit two highly qualified ELA certified instructors and one highly qualified ESL certified instructor.

8. Budget/Cost Analysis • Teacher pay will be $45 per hour. • Each teacher will be paid for 2 hours per week of instruction plus 1 hour of preparation. • Total cost will be $9315 • Letters home to parents and mail outs. • $40 • MAKE SURE TO INDICATE WHAT IS YOUR BOTTOM LINE • Total cost is $1350.

9. Evaluation/Monitoring • Curriculum based assessments will be given to monitor the impact on student learning. • These assessments will be given every three weeks. • They will be developed by both the teachers and curriculum principal to assess the impact of the accelerated instruction that is provided to students.

10. Supporting Evidence • Overall passing rate of students placed in Accelerated Science tutoring during 2009-2010 was 86%. • Math Retester passing rate is 34% which is on par with the campus group. • Passing rate of African American subgroup is 42% which was the targeted group during 2008-2009. This is a gain of 26% from the previous year.

11. Cite Sources • Use MLA Format • http://www.easybib.com/