JNT2-Needs Analysis (Passed) PDF

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You have identified a potential instructional problem in your setting. (This could be a problem with the training of your coworkers or a problem with learner understanding in a classroom.) You would like to analyze the problem further to see if more instruction would solve the problem...

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Running head: MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK 1

MyNGConnect at Oakbrook Elementary Adriana Belleci Student ID: 001023877 Program Mentor: Kristen Kennedy Assessment Code: JNT2 October 17, 2020

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK2 Discussion of Instructional Problem For this school year, we are faced with the daunting task of teaching remotely. Curriculum we have had for years becomes foreign to us as we investigate the portions that are online, mostly unused. As pressures build to maintain academic rigor, teachers in the district are exploring the reading curriculum's (National Geographic's Reach for Reading) online program, MyNGConnect. Lacking familiarity with the online program's teaching and learning materials, testing, and data tracking capabilities, educators are failing to see the relevance of the online curriculum and take full advantage of its academic capabilities for themselves and students. Contributing Factors to the Instructional Problem Before being required to teach virtually, lack of training opportunities, technological resources, and necessity were the cause of the instructional problem. Though National Geographic’s Reach for Reading was implemented in the district in the 2016-17 school year, there have been few mandatory trainings on the curriculum. Those that were offered focused on the consumable program materials and spent little instructional time on MyNGConnect, the online curriculum. Multiple classes sharing computers makes it difficult to use the online learning features consistently. Less access to technology forces staff to limit what they have students do online. Not having to use MyNGConnect because of the physical/consumable option is the cause for lack of necessity. Now that COVID-19 has separated students and teachers, the contributing factors have somewhat changed. Lack of training has become the umbrella in which the newer contributing factors fall under. Students all received a computer this year, so lack of technological resources has been solved. This problem has been replaced by incorrect use of MyNGConnect; mistakenly using it as the primary learning source when it should be used alongside direct instruction. Lack

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK3 of necessity for using MyNGConnect is no longer a reality. This factor has been changed to unfamiliarity with the program’s digital tools. Virtual learning has changed the factors to the instructional problems as it has changed what education looks like today.

Comparison of Conditions Current Conditions. Though a combined 75%, or nine of the 12 certificated teaching staff at Oakbrook Elementary who took the survey, are using MyNGConnect for themselves weekly, biweekly, and/or multiple times a week, only a combined

≈

41.6% (five of the 12

survey takers) are using it in their classrooms with their students at the same levels of frequency. Most teacher use is for the resource directory, or teaching materials, and most student use is for independent learning. Desired Condition. 83. ´3 % of certificated teaching staff (11 of the 12 survey takers) and their classrooms using MyNGConnect weekly, biweekly, and/or multiple times a week to complement direct instruction and enhance learning opportunities using digital tools and program features. Data Collection Process Discussion of Data Collection Instruments Used One of the data collection instruments used was a survey. Certificated teaching staff at Oakbrook Elementary school were sent questions about MyNGConnect (see Appendix A). They received a link to take the survey online using Google Forms. The survey received 12 responses: 10 from General Education classroom teachers, one from a Highly Capable classroom teacher, and one from the ELA Interventionist.

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK4 A one-on-one interview was the second instrument used. I met with Clover Park School District’s Supervisor of English Language Arts and English Language Learners, Charity Horton. To reduce risk of possible exposure to COVID-19, this interview was completed over Microsoft Teams using a video call. Horton was asked questions about MyNGConnect (see Appendix B) as I took shorthand notes on her responses. The interview was recorded. Discussion of Sources of Data The sources for the survey instrument are the certificated teaching staff at Oakbrook Elementary in the Clover Park School District. Of the 12 who took the survey, 10 teach in a General Education setting. Of those 10, six teach primary grades (kinder through second grade) and four teach intermediate (third through fifth grade). The participants of the survey are two kindergarten, two first grade, two second grade, two third grade, one fourth grade, and one fourth/fifth split teacher. The remaining two certificated teaching staff members who took the survey are a second/third Highly Capable Program teacher and an English Language Arts interventionist. Clover Park School District’s Supervisor of English Language Arts and English Language Learners, Charity Horton, is the second source of data. Though this current title is recent, she has worked for Clover Park School District since 2018 as the Program Supervisor for Teaching and Learning. She has a combined seven years of experience in multiple districts directing English Language Arts departments and being an instructional coach to teachers in this subject area.

Data Gathered Through Other Sources No other data sources were used.

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK5 Process of Data Analysis Data Analysis Techniques Used The survey (see Appendix A) of certificated teaching staff members had only 12 respondents and was focused on gaining insights and opinions on MyNGConnect, making the information collected qualitative data. The survey contained a mix of multiple choice, Likert Scale, and short answer written response items. Using Google Forms provided the ability to have the multiple choice and Likert Scale responses analyzed instantaneously. Focus was on the items that asked respondents about identify their frequency of use with MyNGConnect for themselves and their students. This information was put into Table 1. The short answer questions from the survey were analyzed next. Focus was put on the items that had respondents provide a written justification for their frequency of use of the program as teachers and for their students. I reread the responses and created two separate answer groups, one for teacher MyNGConnect program feature access and the other for student MyNGConnect program feature access. These two groups later became the categories. To code the data, I looked for high-frequency words in each group and highlighted them. These highlighted words became the two themes. After creating the categories and themes, direct quotes from multiple respondents were used as evidence to support each category and connected theme. This data is represented in Table 2. The interview with Horton also produced qualitative data; the questions asked gave produced information that was in-depth and provided the impression of teacher effectiveness of utilizing MyNGConnect from the district’s perspective. The data being qualitative required me to go through these steps. I re-watched the recording several times while simultaneously reading the transcript and re-examining the original notes, making necessary changes and elaborations.

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK6 Coding the data came next, which was done with three different color highlighters for the three problems with using MyNGConnect identified and explained by Horton. Green was used for responses that included direct instruction, blue for training, and yellow for digital tools. Next came creating categories and themes. The three highlighted main problems were converted into categories and themes created based on Horton’s explanations. Direct quotes from the interview were taken that support each category and connected theme. The data was transferred to Table 3.

Results of Analysis The survey provided many data points but the information that was focused on had to do with frequency of use, justification for the use, and which of MyNGConnect’s program features were used. For frequency of use by teachers and students, see Table 1. 75% of teachers use MyNGConnect often, with six of the 12 respondents using it multiple times a week and three of the 12 using it weekly or biweekly. 2 of the 12 respondents, the English Language Arts Interventionist and the Highly Capable certificated teaching staff member, stated they did not use the digital platform last year for lack of relevance to their programs. When looking at program features that were accessed (Appendix C Figure C1), the “Resource Directory” was the chosen reason from 10 of the 10 certificated teaching staff who used MyNGConnect last year. The next highest reasons from seven of the 10 staff members were the “Teacher Edition” and “Digital Library”. Teaching materials and resources were the most accessed features. For the 41. ´6 % of students who used MyNGConnect last year, the biggest program feature accessed were the games the program offers (Appendix C Figure C2). The “Student Edition” and the “National Geographic Kids Resources” were the following most

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK7 accessed features. The certificated teaching staff explained in Table 2 that they had students use MyNGConnect for independent learning purposes. The interview with Charity Horton gives the district administration’s perspective on the current problems in using MyNGConnect throughout Clover Park School District. Horton speaks on the misuse of the program as a primary learning source when it should be used to complement direct instruction. Another problem brought up was the lack of knowledge when it came to the digital tools offered by the program. Teachers throughout the district are unaware of the tools the digital platform has to offer, but that could be due to how the curriculum was implemented and issues at the start, according to Horton. In the interview, Horton explains, “When we onboarded the first year, it was just a mad dash to understand the curriculum… The digital tools, that wasn’t something we really looked at until the second year of adoption.” Horton goes on to say that in the beginning of implementation the tools were having technical issues so “the digital tools took kind of a back seat”. Trainings for MyNGConnect were more prevalent during its second year of adoption, 2018, but have come to a halt. Horton spoke about hoping to have quick trainings that focused on the digital tools specifically but there are none scheduled for the current school year at this time.

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK8 Table 1 Frequency of use of MyNGConnect by Students and Teachers Nev

Rarely

er

(once or twice)

Somet imes (a few times a

Teach

16.

Stude

´6 % 33.

ers

nts

´3 %

0%

month) 8.

8. ´3

´3 % 16.

%

´6 %

Frequ ently

Alwa ys

(week

(multi

ly/ biweekly)

ple times a

25%

week) 50%

8. ´3 %

33. ´3 %

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK9

Table 2 Use of MyNGConnect by Teachers and Students Category Themes Certificated Teaching Staff using MyNGConnect

Teaching materials and resources

Excerpts from Survey Response Respondent 1: “I printed the workbook resources as well as played the alphachant of the week and projected/sent PDF of the Read-On-Your-Own books.” Respondent 2: “Used background videos.” Respondent 4: “Prior to remote learning, I used the website mostly for gathering print work.”

Students using MyNGConnect

Independent work and reading centers

Respondent 6: “I used MyNGConnect as a reading center daily for my students during independent work time. My students would use it weekly during free time as well.” Respondent 9: “They had a collection of their vocab words and the definitions in the online notebook. Also, they were able to use the games that helped their knowledge of words and concepts. Respondent 10: “I assigned independent work, games, vocabulary practice and readings for my students.”

Table 3 Problems with MyNGConnect in Clover Park School District Category Themes Excerpts from Interview Response

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK10 Misconception of How to Use Instructional Tools

Should be

Charity Horton: “I think the

complementary to

biggest misconception, or the

direct instruction

biggest misuse that can happen is using those tools as the primary.

within MyNGConnect

So, for example, you know you can use the student tool. You can use the student reader in your direct instruction. That should be a tool that you use with your direct instruction, not absent of direct instruction.”

Lack of Understanding of Digital Tools

Unfamiliar with tools

Charity Horton: “I think it goes back to that misunderstanding of what the digital tools actually are. It’s just that we don’t know there capabilities and how to use them appropriately.”

Training

Few

Charity Horton: “It’s

offerings and low

twofold. As a district, you need to

attendance

provide training and opportunities for teachers to become proficient in these digital platforms but then the

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK11 responsibility needs to be on the teacher to take advantage of those training opportunities. That’s a big problem. We off a lot of teacher academies for teachers [in general] and a lot of times they stand half full.”

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK12 Needs Analysis Evaluation and Need for Instruction The survey data brings a couple of things to light. The first is that majority of classroom at Oakbrook Elementary are not utilizing MyNGConnect frequently or consistently. About 41.6% of students get on biweekly, weekly, and/or multiple times a week. The rest are using the program a few times a month or less. The other information gathered from this survey is that teachers who are having their students use MyNGConnect are having them use it more independently. Table 2 shows multiple respondents stating they utilize the program for when students are working independently and/or in reading centers. Using MyNGConnect more as a program for independent practice as opposed to alongside direct instruction was a district wide problem Charity Horton pointed out during the interview. Horton is quoted saying, “I think the biggest misconception, or the biggest misuse that can happen is using those tools as the primary,” something the staff at Oakbrook are doing with the program based on their survey results. The data from this second survey instrument pointed out lack of familiarity with digital tools and lack of/poorly attended trainings as other problems with use of MyNGConnect in Clover Park School District. Teachers are unaware of what the digital tools are and how to use them. There are no trainings being offered this year for the digital platform. Instructional Goal Statement Certificated teaching staff at Oakbrook Elementary will be able to create lessons plans that utilize MyNGConnect as a supplementary program to their direct instruction by integrating its digital tools and program features into their lessons.

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK13 References Carey, W.D.L.C. J. (2014). Systematic Design of Instruction, The, Loose-Leaf Version. [Western Governors University]. Retrieved from https://wgu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323022566/ Belleci, A (2020, August 10). Reach for Reading Online Curriculum Survey (Unpublished survey). Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17wEkap6LhHFACLtQq_H6ojkYN1KCyZWRfa4Cma Y_bxk/edit Horton, C. (2020, August 14). Personal interview [Personal Interview].

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK14 Appendix A Reach for Reading Online Curriculum Survey

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK15

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK16

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK17 Appendix B A List of Interview Questions Asked 1. What are some of the areas that cause the most confusion with MyNGConnect? 2. What are some of the most common questions you get about MyNGConnect? 3. What are the common mistakes that people make when using MyNGConnect? 4. What are the most dangerous mistakes people can make using MyNGConnect? What is the impact? 5. What are the biggest gaps between what people should be doing and what they are actually doing when using MyNGConnect? 6. What about using MyNGConnect might cause some resistance or pushback? 7. Is there anything here that you would consider “nice-to-know” when using MyNGConnect? Meaning, it won’t necessarily affect what they work on from day to day?

MYNGCONNECT AT OAKBROOK18 Appendix C Additional Charts from Summary of Survey Results

Figure C1. MyNGConnect Program Features Accessed by Teachers. From Belleci, A, 2020

Figure C2. MyNGConnect Program Features Accessed by Students. From Belleci, A, 2020...