Running head: JNT2 NEEDS ANALYSIS[Type text][Type text][Type text]

JNT2 NEEDS ANALYSIS

JNT2 Task 1Needs AnalysisAnita FranklinWestern Governors UniversityStudent ID: 000493143Mentor: Paul MossJune 16, 2015

Table of Contents

Discussion of Instructional Problem3Differences between Current and Desired State..3Current State....3Desired State....4Data Collection Process...4Data Collection Instruments....4Sources of Data....5Other Sources of Data..5Summary of Results.6Data Analysis Technique.6Data Results.6TABLE 1.7TABLE 2.9Findings of Analysis..10Need for Instruction.. 10Goal Statement..11Appendix A: Special Education Teacher Interviews12Appendix B: Special Education Supervisor Surveys13Appendix C: Sample Exit Survey for Summer Professional Development.14

JNT2 Needs AnalysisDiscussion of Instructional ProblemDuring the summer of 2014, the special education teachers were given specialized professional development training on various best practice strategies in reading and math. Less than 50% of these trained teachers implemented any of the new best practice strategies in their classrooms. During follow-up interviews at the end of the year, the majority of teachers admitted that they did not know how to create an action plan to embed new instructional strategies into their current teaching practices. This lack of knowledge prevents teachers from strengthening their instruction and from making the most of training opportunities.Exit surveys from the professional developments show that more than 90% of participants (special educators) rated the content of the professional developments as extremely relevant to instruction. In addition, over 90% of participants listed at least one strategy they had plans to implement the following school year. At the end of the school year, observations and evaluations showed little to no change in most teachers instruction.

Differences Between Current and Desired StateCurrent StateDuring the 2014-2015 school year, less than 50% of targeted teachers were implementing best practices they had learned in the previous summers professional development. Year-end interviews with these teachers clearly show that regardless of the training, mentoring, and additional materials, and their earlier intentions to embrace the new strategies, they simply did not know how to embed these new teaching methods into their current teaching practices. Desired StateBecause of the time and money spent on training, materials, equipment, and personnel, it is desired that special education teachers would have the knowledge and skills to consistently implement research-based best practices into their classroom instruction. Additional positive effects of having this knowledge and skillset would include: having the ability to utilize the growth mindset to adjust and improve instruction as needed, improving teacher evaluation scores by refining specific areas of weakness, and maintaining and/or improving student achievement (for students with disabilities) on the state assessment.

Data Collection ProcessesData Collection InstrumentsInterviews consisting of five questions (see Appendix A) were conducted with 25 special education teachers from eight targeted elementary schools. Questions compared teachers intentions to implement strategies vs. actual implementation in their classrooms. The interview also addressed each teachers ability to rate himself/herself on the knowledge and skillset of the implementation process. Educators were also asked what hindered or prevented them from implementing strategies into their instruction. In addition to the interviews, surveys (See Appendix B) were given to seven special education school supervisors who monitor, observe, and evaluate special education teachers in the classroom. The survey questions closely mirrored those given to the teachers in the interviews. Surveys were chosen to give to supervisors as a method of collecting data on the number of teachers they supervise and as an opportunity to share whether they had seen any of the best practices being utilized in the classroom consistently. The supervisors were asked a similar final question regarding possible reasons for lack of implementation.Sources of DataSpecial Education teachers at targeted elementary schools were interviewed at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. These teachers have a wide range of experience, with three teachers being first-year educators and at least four teachers with more than 30 years of classroom experience. These teachers are all certified and/or endorsed in special education (grades K-12), as well as being highly qualified to teach grades K-6. The Director of Special Education appoints special education supervisors for each school. These supervisors have a wide range of experience. Of the seven supervisors surveyed, one is a former speech-language pathologist with no prior teaching experience. Another is a certified occupational therapist with private and public school experience. An additional supervisor is an educational psychologist with no teaching experience. The remaining four are former special education teachers with varying experience. The supervisors primary duty with regard to teachers is to participate in the planning and implementation of in-service and professional growth, as well as observe and assess teaching strategies to improve classroom instruction. Special education supervisors are the primary evaluators for teachers.Data from Other SourcesExit surveys (See Appendix C) compiled at the end of professional development trainings can also be used to show educators opinions on both the value and relevance of the new strategies and the overall effectiveness of the training.

Summary of ResultsThe results of both the interviews with teachers and the surveys emailed to supervisors indicate that the most significant factors regarding the lack of implementation of best practices following training are: a lack of expertise in the implementation process and a lack of skillset to produce an action plan which provides a pathway from training to execution. Data Analysis TechniquesThe answers to the questions asked during the teacher interviews were analyzed multiple times and compared to the answers given on the survey emailed to supervisors. They were organized by patterns and by differences. The questions were mirrored purposefully, to determine if educators and supervisors agreed on the reasons why implementation was not occurring. Questions for the educators were also sequenced to show original intention vs. actual implementation, signifying that the problem is not a motivational one.Data ResultsThe following table (Table 1) shows the findings of the teacher interviews. There were five questions asked, with one question being open-ended. One question addressed the intention to implement before school started and another addressed the actual implementation at the end of the school year. Teachers were also asked to rate themselves on their knowledge/ability to utilize new instructional strategies.

Table 1Interviews with Special Education Teachers, May 2014 n=25Questions asked of teachers: Oral & Emailed Responses:

What summer professional developments did you attend prior to last school year?iCARE, Wilson/Fundations, SRA,Envision Math, My Sidewalks

Immediately after summer training, how many strategies did you want to incorporate into your instruction for the following school year?0 strategies - 0 teachers1 strategy - 0 teachers2 strategies - 4 teachers 3 strategies - 7 teachers 4 strategies - 5 teachers 5 strategies or more- 7 teachers unsure/declined to answer- 2 teachers

How many strategies did you successfully incorporate into your instruction consistently last school year?*0 strategies 5 teachers**1 strategy - 13 teachers2 strategies - 2 teachers 3 strategies - 0 teachers 4 strategies 0 teachers 5 or more strategies 1 teacher unsure/declined to answer 4 teachers

Rate your knowledge/ability to turn new training into instructional practice in your classroom?Expert - 1Proficient - 3Basic - 9 Lacking - 8 Unsure 4

Which of the following (if any) hindered or prevented you from implementing strategies?Please mark all that apply:(3) Strategies were not relevant/effective (1) Lack of Motivation (14) Lack of Action Plan(16) Lack of knowledge of implementation process (6) Other (see explanations below)

Explanations varied but included lack of time, problematic students, not having an assistant, and forgetting what the teacher had learned about the strategies by the time school started.

*It should be noted that consistently was clarified as meaning the strategy was used repeatedly throughout the school year, rather than used once or twice.**Some teachers attempted strategies they had intended but did not use them more than once.

100% of teachers interviewed intended to embed at least two new strategies into his/her instruction consistently during the next school year. 83% anticipated utilizing at least three new strategies. By the end of the year, 86% of teachers interviewed had implemented one or fewer strategies. Only one teacher successfully implemented two or more strategies consistently. This data is not surprising after learning that only 16% of teachers interviewed rated themselves as proficient or an expert in the art of turning training into classroom instructional practice. 17 teachers, or 68% of those interviewed identified themselves as Basic or Lacking in this knowledge and ability. Four teachers were unable to rate their abilities at all. Teachers were then asked which, if anything, hindered or prevented them from doing as they had intended before school started. While some teachers chose Other and wrote in lack of time, lack of assistant, and problematic students, overwhelmingly, teachers marked Lack of action plan and Lack of knowledge of implementation process as reasons they did not implement new strategies.Table 2 shows the questions emailed to supervisors of the special education teachers. They were asked for the numbers of teachers supervised, as well as numbers of attendees for summer professional development. Supervisors were also asked how many teachers were implementing newly learned best practices based on observations that came from walk-throughs, formal evaluations, and conversations with teachers and building principals. Its important to note that one supervisor did not directly observe these behaviors, but rather relied on teachers to tell her whether or not they consistently implemented new strategies.

Table 2Survey of Special Education Supervisorsn=7Questions asked of Supervisors:Emailed responses:

How many special education teachers do you supervise?

Supervisor A 13 teachersSupervisor B 24 teachersSupervisor C 16 teachersSupervisor D 22 teachersSupervisor E 21 teachersSupervisor F 16 teachersSupervisor G 19 teachersTotal teachers: 131

Of that number, how many teachers attended summer professional developments presented by the special education department prior to the 2014-2015 school year?

Supervisor A 7 teachers Supervisor B 17 teachers Supervisor C 9 teachers Supervisor D 14 teachers Supervisor E 13 teachers Supervisor F 10 teachers Supervisor G 12 teachersTotal attended professional development:82

Based on your observations, how many teachers who received professional development training actually implemented new strategies consistently during the school year?

Supervisor A 2 teachers Supervisor B 8 teachers Supervisor C 1 teacher Supervisor D 13 teachers* Supervisor E 4 teachers Supervisor F 4 teachers Supervisor G 7 teachersTotal teachers who implemented new strategies: 39

In monthly special education meetings, PLCs, and/or one-on-one meetings with teachers, did you or the teachers ever address implementation or lack of implementation of newly adopted best practices?

All respondents addressed implementing new strategies during each monthly session as well as during pre/post conferences for evaluation. Supervisor D mentioned that lack of implementation was often an issue for teachers who had problems in other areas (attendance, compliance).

Consider those educators who did not implement newly learned best practice strategies. In your opinion, why did they not implement them? Mark all that apply:

All supervisors marked lack of knowledge of implementation process and lack of action plan for implementation. Supervisor A also marked other and responded that lack of time was a factor for her teachers.

*Supervisor D marked that 13 of 14 teachers implemented strategies consistently, however, Supervisor D stated that this information came from end-of-the-year questionnaires with teachers; behaviors were not observed directly by the supervisor.The surveys emailed to supervisors found that 63% of teachers attended professional developments during the summer. Of that 63%, less than half consistently implemented newly learned instructional strategies according to observations, despite addressing the issue each month during PLC and during pre and post conferences. Most significant, is that all seven supervisors marked that lack of knowledge of the implementation process and a lack of action plan were the two main reasons why teachers did not consistently implement new strategies into their instruction. It was noted that one supervisor mentioned time as being a factor regarding lack of implementation. This was noted by at least three teachers during the interviews.

Findings of Needs AnalysisThe teacher interviews and supervisor surveys identified a significant lack of understanding of how to embed newly learned strategies into current instructional practice. In addition of not knowing how to do this, many teachers recognize that they dont have an action plan to prepare for the pathway between training and execution. Motivation is not a factor, as evidenced by the desire and intention of teachers to embed new learning practices. Ineffective/irrelevant training is not a factor as evidenced by over 90% of teachers rating professional development as a 5 out of possible 5 on the rating scale (sample in Appendix C). Need for InstructionThe data supports that educators should be taught how to create effective action plans to incorporate newly learned strategies into their instruction. In addition, they should be taught how to apply these new best practices within their classrooms. To continue to grow and be effective, teachers must be able to utilize new knowledge of strategies and practices that research supports. No longer can they rely solely on the pedagogical approaches learned in teacher programs. Teachers should receive instruction, modeling, and considerable follow-up support to be successful in these endeavors.Goal StatementFollowing a summer professional development opportunity, special educators will choose an instructional strategy that is relevant to their current instruction. Given training, modeling, and support, special educators will create an action plan to implement the newly learned strategy into his/her classroom instruction on a consistent basis as observed by the special education supervisor.

Appendix A: Special Education Teacher Interviews

1. What summer professional developments did you attend prior to last school year?

2. Immediately after training, approximately how many strategies did you intend to incorporate into your instruction? Circle:012345 or more

3. Looking at your school year, how many strategies did you successfully incorporate into your instruction consistently (used repeatedly as a strategy throughout the year)? Circle:012345 or more

4. Rate your knowledge/ability to turn new training knowledge into instructional practice in your classroom:____ Expert____ Proficient____ Basic____ Lacking____ Unsure

5. Which of the following hindered or prevented you from implementing strategies? Mark all that apply: ____ Strategies were not relevant/effective____ Lack of motivation____ Lack of action plan for implementation____ Lack of knowledge of implementation process____ Other (explanation below)Explain: ______________________________________________________________________________

Appendix B: Special Education Supervisor Survey

1. How many special education teachers do you currently supervise?

2. Of that number, how many teachers attended summer professional developments presented by the special education department prior to the 2014-2015 school year?

3. Based on your observations, how many teachers who received professional development training actually implemented new strategies consistently during the school year?

4. In monthly special education meetings, PLCs, and/or one-on-one meetings with teachers, did you or the teachers ever address implementation or lack of implementation of newly adopted best practices?

5. Consider those educators who did not implement newly learned best practice strategies. In your opinion, why did they not implement them? Mark all that apply.

____ a) Strategies were not relevant/effective____ b) Lack of motivation____ c) Lack of action plan for implementation____ d) Lack of knowledge of implementation process____ e) Other, explanation belowExplain: __________________________________________________________________

Appendix C: Exit Survey Sample from Summer Professional Development

The Root of the Problem with Vocabulary PD, June 9, 2014Presenters: Libba Green and Anita Franklin

1. Please rate quality of information you received today:1(not effective) 2 3 4 5 (highly effective)

2. The content of this lesson was relevant to my instruction:1(not at all relevant) 2 3 4 5 (highly relevant)

3. The most useful thing I learned about this method of vocabulary instruction was:_________________________________________________________________

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4. The strategy Im most excited about using in my classroom is:

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Comments:

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