Do

Plan Implementation

• Due to school closures because of COVID-19 I was not able to get the folders created or completed this year. Many of the components are ready for review but, because of our remote environment we were not able to get this project off the ground. I am looking forward to presenting the project in the fall and refining the folder to create something that will be useful next year. In addition, we were unable to look at our Move Up day process because we have not yet set class lists and only introduced teachers in virtual meetings. I am hoping to start the discussion on Open House at the beginning of the year, but we are still waiting on information as to how the school year will start. I am excited however, that because of COVID-19 we have been forced to think outside of the box with some of these events and will continue to reform how we do these. I am confident that next year we can create some transition activities that really prepare students to transition.

How successful was your plan of action at addressing the challenge?

• I think this is a great start. I have the folder contents ready to present to the staff and some great ideas when we begin planning Open House, and Move Up Day.

Which stakeholders and practice or program were impacted?

• No stakeholders or programs have been affected yet, but teachers seem willing to try these out next year. My building principal is also excited to show this to other building principals and district administrators as it is a conversation that they have been having for awhile.

How were your four chosen competencies used in the implementation of your project?

5. • Reflective Practices: As a school we had to reflect on our current practices as well as our responsibilities as teachers and evaluate what we could do to ease transitions. In addition we looked at data of achievement lost over summer months and discussed what we could do to make the slip less. Some ideas surfaced as to how we could change Open House and the transfer of student information from year to year and my project surfaced. Diverse stakeholders were assembled and the folders started to take shape.

   • Interpersonal Effectiveness: I believe that as a building we had the shared vision that we wanted to make the transition from grade to grade easier, but needed to start the conversation of what practices we were going to put in place to make this happen. This competency helped me to lead this conversation and begin building a project that addresses the concerns of most stakeholders.

   • Explore and Challenge Inequities: There is a lot more to a student than academic progress but documenting and sharing that information is sometimes difficult. Having the ability to track social/emotional behaviors and changes in a student's family life. Noting that diversity affects a student's learning and collaborating with other teachers on how to best help a student will lead to greater successes for the student.

   • Facilitating Collaborative Relationships: Teachers have a lot on their plates. We are always asked to do more with less time. Preliminary conversations about changing our current practices surrounding transitions received anxious comments about how much time would be asked of teachers and how they could manage to fit in one more task in the spring when we are already asked to do so much. Through collaborative conversations, examining our shared vision, and looking at the data of time that is lost in the fall due to summer break and transitions, we were able to design and prepare to implement new practices.

What obstacles, if any, did you encounter?

• The largest obstacle that I encountered in this project was the school closure due to COVID-19. Because of this, my entire plan has been postponed until next year. In addition, I was not able to connect with all of the school personnel that I had hoped to involve in this process. Teaching and working remotely was difficult for many, and because of this many emails went unanswered. (See below) Using my own reflective practices and what I have learned about fostering relationships I did not continue to press those stakeholders because I knew that they were already overwhelmed.

How did you address them?

5. • I have done all of the pieces of this project that can be done remotely. I ave received some feedback from my administrator and I look forward to showing my work to colleagues at school. I used the information and feedback that I received to move forward with the project while understanding that I would still like to get this idea in front of many more sets of eyes for ideas.

Given the outcomes, describe any changes you might make to the Capstone project plan of action.

• I want to involve more diverse stakeholders in the creation of the folders as well as re-examine our Open House and Move Up Day current practices and examine aspects that may promote inequities.

• My Assistant Superintendent was most apprehensive about this project as he noted that every teacher-student relationship is different and that we do not want to create bias about a student before they meet a new teacher. I am looking forward to presenting my work to him in hopes that he can see the value in the sharing of this information and gain his feedback as to what should be included or left out.