Context and Condition

Working under the supervision of Dr. Murdock, I designed and developed an Implementation Plan for the New Hanover County School Districts Summer School Process for Middle Grades Students during the fall 0f 2004. The purpose of the plan is to regulate the process for collecting student data from each of the seven Middle Schools in the New Hanover County School System for summer school placement.

Scope

The New Hanover County School System requires students who are failing at the end of the 6 th, 7 th and 8 th grade academic year to attend summer school. The End of Grade (EOG) test, which is administered by all Middle Schools within New Hanover County and required by the State, is the determining factor for student promotion. Students must score a level 3 or 4 on the Math and Language Arts sections of the test in order to be promoted. Students who score a level 1 or 2 on the End of Grade test in either the Math or Language Arts section must attend summer school.

The requirements for promotion from the 8th grade changed in May 2004. This change was as a result of the Federal “No Child Left Behind Act,” as well as the newly adopted State “Gateway Requirements.” One of the seven Middle Schools in the county serves as the “Host School” for students who are required to attend summer school. An intense 2 week instruction is held for Math and Language Arts. Students were tested again at the end of summer school to see if they made academic gains required, therefore meeting the Gateway requirements of the county, state, and federal “No Child Left Behind Act for promotion.

Development of a process to be used by all Middle Schools will be streamlined and uniform. Identification of the personnel responsible for collecting the correct data and important student information regarding previous test scores, social security number, etc will be determined. Training will take place for Administrators at the Middle School Level as well as the designated individual responsible for student data and records. An informational booklet will be created clearly stating the standards and requirements for promotion in the middle grades based on the Federal “No Child Left Behind Act”, North Carolina State Gateways, as well as New Hanover County School System standards. A procedural booklet will be designed as an aid and guide for collecting student data. Design and implement a uniform county form/worksheet along with a checklist to be used by all the middle schools. The development of a database template for all middle schools to utilize for student information gathering. The Curriculum Specialist for New Hanover County Schools will be responsible for the summative evaluation.

Role

I developed the plan taking on the role of a project manager. Acting as a project manager I completed the following tasks based on project management guide identified by Jeffery K. Pinto in the the Project Management Handbook. The plan was broken down into product specifications and objectives, constraints placed upon the system both internal and external, resource estimates cost of job /materials, development teams and position descriptions, evaluation procedures both formative and summative, alternative analysis, and risk management.

The project work is where I described the deliverables, identified major milestones, produced a work breakdown structure for the plan, and identified the network planning and scheduling. I developed a network diagram showing durations and earliest start and finish times as well as the latest start and finish times. Using microsoft project I built in slack time to the plan, identified the critical path for project completion, and shared a revised schedule.

Reflection

Planning for an organizational change was a stretch for me. I seemed to fall back into the instructional designer mode and constantly had to change my thinking to the overseer of the project. I learned a great deal about the project management process and now understand the importance of systematically identifying the scope as well as plan for risks that may occur in the process. I firmly believe that a work breakdown structure guides the plan and is the important element for the completion of the project in a timely manner.

Competencies

Artifacts

Rationale

Domain of Utilization

Apply leadership techniques with individuals and groups (interpersonal skills, group dynamics, team building and diffusion of innovations).

MIT 520 – Project Management Plan for the Implementation of Middle Grades Summer School Process for New Hanover County School District
~ Project Management Plan

~As a project manager effective leadership skills are required in the planning phase, communicaiton phase and implementation phase of the project.

Competencies

Artifacts

Rationale

Plan, create, monitor, and facilitate instructional design projects

MIT 520 –Project Management Plan for the Implementation of Middle Grades Summer School Process for New Hanover County School District
~ Project Management Plan

~The project plan provides documentation that the project is organized and valid to address the probelm.

Organize the instructional project or service unit to operate effectively and efficiently.

MIT 520 – Project Management Plan for the Implementation of Middle Grades Summer School Process for New Hanover County School District
~ Work breakdown structure

~Work breakdown structure chart

~The work breakdown structure organizes the project and provides guidance for the project manager and the team.

Plan and implement organizational change.

MIT 520 – Project Management Plan for the Implementation of Middle Grades Summer School Process for New Hanover County School District
~ Project Management Plan

~As a project manager I was responsible for the design and layout of the project. The project management plan, along with the work breakdown structure, were the guiding force behind the proposed implementation.