Check-In #3: interventions, Roles and Supports

My target group for this data collection and intervention process is a small group of seven 6th graders who are performing below grade level in math. These students all score one or more grade levels below where they should be on the STAR and Acellus assessments.

Goal:  Sixth grade students will improve their STAR assessment math scores.
Objectives:

• Students will increase their math math skills, achieving one grade level of improvement by December, 2015, as measured by the STAR math assessments.
• Students will demonstrate improvement with every monthly STAR math assessment taken, beginning in September, 2015.
  
• Students will reach grade level proficiency in math by June 2015, as measured by the STAR math assessments.
  

1. Describe how leadership, teachers, families and students will be involved in this process.  What role will each play?

The people involved in this intervention process will be:

Administration:  Ideally I’d like to see site leadership lead the charge with data analysis and intervention implementation. This would help to create a school culture of conscious and targeted improvement in student achievement.  At the very least site leadership will need to provide support, resources and possible funding for this intervention process.

Teachers: monitor, observe, work with students in small group or one-on-one capacity twice per week during class, communicate with parents in an ongoing way to maintain support at home.

Parents: communicate with teacher to understand what they can do to offer support at home, and support students at home in those capacities

Students: complete their math assignments and assessments, ask for help when they need it, study, practice

Counselor: meet with students and communicate with parents as needed to support any social-emotional issues students have that may or may not be factors in the below grade level issue in math.

2.  What are the interventions that you plan to implement based on your goals and objectives? Indicate interventions for students, faculty/staff, and families/communities and indicate whether they are focused on individual students, groups, grade levels, or whole school.

Whole School:

• Site leadership can set aside a small amount of funding to be able to host a quarterly family math night at which the teaching staff can share helpful and fun activities and websites or other resources with students and families that will help students struggling in math and help to create a positive mindset regarding math ability.
  
  
• School-wide math problem of the week that makes math a school-constant and also puts math in a fun light for students.

Groups and Individual Students:

• Teachers will pull out small groups of students or even individuals to work on specific math skills that students are struggling with. Hands-on activities with manipulatives whenever possible will help students with big-picture foundational concepts.
  
  
• Teachers can provide instructional videos to offer students extra ways to think about math.
  
  
• Whenever possible teachers should try to make the connection between math and real life through math exercises, videos, or simulations so that students who struggle with foundational math skills can begin to see its relevance, and move away from seeing math as a foreign language.
  
  

3.  What type of support will be needed to carry this out? For example, time, professional development, materials, etc.

At this point I think that the teachers could use some training on what kinds of specific math tutorials, activities, exercises, etc., to implement when students are having difficulty mastering particular math skills.  Site administration should provide some funding for any needed manipulatives, software, etc. that will aid in the success of the intervention.  Determining which materials need to be purchased may require a teacher meeting to brainstorm and discuss, so time for that type of planning meeting will need to be granted.  Teachers will also need the buy-in and support of the parents to support on the home end.

Parents will need information, support, and possibly materials to use with their children as they support the intervention from home.  

Counselors will need the support of teachers and parents in the form of communication and follow-through.