Solved: CASE STUDY 2 INSTRUCTIONS

Analyze the information provided. Address the question posed in essay format. Your case study should be between 2-3 pages. Use at least 2 references in APA format.

ESSAY QUESTION:

 Based on the analysis of the data provided, what would you recommend that the principal decide about the renewal of contract or award of tenure for the teacher involved? Provide a data-based, research supported rationale for your recommendation.

Parties: Principal and Third year, Sixth grade teacher (tenure review year)

Demographics:

  • Traditional school organization
  • Sixth grade is in the middle school group
  • Sixth grade is self-contained
  • Sixth grade is comprised of four sections of 20-25 students, heterogeneous groupings
  • September through April

Pre-Observation Conference tenets (September)

  • Informal observations twice weekly (grade level chairman)
  • Formal observations monthly (principal)
  • Skills focus: Time on task
  • Questioning level
  • Modality stimuli
  • Proximity
  • Verbal Zone
  • Instructional Flow (formal observation)
  • Pedagogical Interaction

Precipitating Events:

In year one and year two, the teacher averaged two discipline referrals per day. Year two recommendations indicated that the teacher needed to be placed on a systematic intervention plan that included shadowing effective teachers, participation in clinical observation cycles, and professional development to address effective instructional strategies.

Using the data that follows and the results of the conferences following each observation, the principal must make a recommendation to the superintendent concerning the termination of employment, or the awarding of tenure for the teacher for the coming school year. There is no option of retaining the teacher if tenure is not awarded.

In a self-evaluation summary, the teacher states:

 “In the last three years, I have really improved my teaching strategies and classroom management skills. I have learned to keep my lessons organized and to keep track of where my materials are. I learned to turn in my lesson plans on time and have begun to provide specific activities for each type of intelligence. I have attended the professional development sessions about intelligences and social studies. As a result, I believe that I should be awarded tenure and allowed to choose the level of my assignment from the vacancies that occur such that I can avoid further personality conflicts with the grade chairman.” 

Based on the outcomes of the intervention plan established by the principal and the grade-level chair, the clinical obsrevations made by the principal, and the recommendation of the grade-level chair based on his informal observations, termination has been recommended to the principal.

Your task is to evaluate all of the data provided and to either agree with the termination recommendation or to provide support for tenure.

Data Set 1:      Student Achievement Growth Profile for Year One and Year Two of the Teacher’s Employment (Each student should achieve a minimum of +10 months during each year to stay on grade level. The Classifications are simply different groups of students within the class.)

Area Year 1 – Group 1 Growth Profile Year 2 - Group 2 Growth Profile
Mathematics Classification 1:   +9 months Classification 2:   +6 months Classification 3:   +6 months Classification 1:       +6 months Classification 2:       +7 months Classification 3:       +5 months
Language Classification 1:   +9 months Classification 2:   +6 months Classification 3:   +4 months Classification 1:       +10 months Classification 2:       +6 months Classification 3:       +5 months
Social Sciences Classification 1:   +9 months Classification 2:   +7 months Classification 3:   +4 months Classification 1:       +8 months Classification 2:       +7 months Classification 3:       +2 months
Natural Sciences Classification 1:   +11 months Classification 2:   +7 months Classification 3:   +4 months Classification 1:       +10 months Classification 2:       +6 months Classification 3:       +3 months

Growth reported in the average gain as reported by months of growth        

Time on Task Results – September 15 (A “+” indicates that the student was on task at that moment and a “-“ indicates they were off task at that moment. S1 indicates Student 1, etc.)

S1 +---+----- S2 ++--+----- S3  ++++++++++ S4 – ++------ S5 +---------
S1  20% S2  30% S3 100% S4  20% S5  10%
S6 ---------- S7+--------- S8 ++--+----- S9 ---------- S10 +++---++--
S6  0% S7  10% S8   30% S9  0% S10    50%
S11 ---++----- S12 ++--+----- S13 +---+----- S14 +--------- S15+++++--++-
S11  20% S12   30% S13   20% S14  10% S15  70%
S16 ---------- S17 ---++----- S18 +---+----- S19 ---------- S20 +---+-----
S16  0% S17  20% S18  20% S19  0% S20  20%
S21 +--------- S22 ++----++-- S23 ++--+----- S24 ---++----- S25 ++--+-----
S21 10% S22  40% S23  30% S24  20% S25  30%
         
         

Pedagogical Interaction Results – October 21

Lesson Format:  Review of unit prior to an assessment

Interaction Format Percent (Total of 214 interaction episodes)
Teacher to group 43%
Teacher to individual student 42%
Student to Student 15%
Student to Teacher 5%

Only interactions related to the planned lesson were included. There were multiple student-to-student interactions that appeared to be non-instructional conversation.

Questioning Level Results – November 12

Social Science Lesson, 30 minutes of third period

Question level Frequency Percent
Knowledge/recall |||||  |||||  ||||| | 48%
Comprehension/translation  |||| 12%
Application/problem solving ||||| ||||| || 36%
Analysis | 3%
Synthesis    
Evaluation    

Modality Stimuli – December 9

Time 30 minutes

Stimuli Frequency Percent
Auditory/ Name Calling/ Listen Signal Words ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| |||||| ||||| |||||| ||||| ||| 92%
Kinesthetic/ Directed Student Movement |||||  || 7%
Visual/ Visual references or directions to objects No objects included in the lesson.  Students read from the text when called upon.  

Auditory Reinforcement of Students – December 9

20 minutes following Stimuli Assessment and 30 minutes of fourth period

S1 ||||| S2  ||| S3 S4 S5 |
S6 ||||| |||| || S7 || S8 | S9 |||||  ||| S10
S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 ||
S16 ||| S17 S18 || S19 ||||| ||| S20
S21 ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| |||| S22 S23 S24 S25

Proximity – January 19

Movement within 2 feet of student during the lesson

30 minutes fifth period

S1 ||||| || S2  ||| S3 | S4 ||| S5 ||
S6 S7 S8 | S9 | S10
S11 S12 S13 S14 S15
S16 S17 S18 S19 S20
S21 S22 S23 S24 S25