Q & A
What is an intervention?
Teachers collect assessment data throughout the school year. Sometimes, after reviewing that assessment data, we decide that a child is in need of some additional learning support or as we call it, an intervention. We want that child to make progress and meet grade level expectations. An intervention is designed to do just that. The goal is to bring the child up to grade level expectations.
This targeted support is provided in a smaller group either within the regular classroom or in another setting. This additional support may be provided by a staff member other than your child’s classroom teacher and may require a change in the your child’s instructional schedule.
When will this intervention happen?
At almost every grade level there is an intervention block built into the schedule. At this time, all students are meant to be engaging in some extra learning support whether it is with the general education teacher or an interventionist. This is the time (typically 30 minutes 4-5 days per week) where a student would have intervention. They will not be missing any core subject areas like reading, math and language arts. Sometimes, if a student needs multiple interventions, we do look at providing these additional interventions during other content areas like social studies, science, and Spanish. Again, we only look at pulling from these subjects if a student needs intervention time in addition to the intervention block.
Where will this intervention happen?
An intervention can occur within the general education classroom or outside the classroom. Often times, an interventionist may take a small group of students to another classroom or work area. This may provide for less distraction and or a quieter work space than the general education classroom. An interventionist may also work with a group of students within the classroom if the entire class is engaged is small group work as well.
Who will provide the intervention?
You will receive a letter notifying you that your child has been placed in an intervention group. This letter will identify the teacher providing the intervention and his or her email address.
How long will my child receive intervention support?
The progress of interventions should be evaluated every 6-8 weeks. Most students are not ready to exit an intervention group after this amount of time, however, we should see growth towards the target. If a student is not making growth towards the target, a teacher re-evaluates the intervention and may make changes to accelerate growth. This could mean adding more time, changing the group size, or changing the actual intervention. Some students receive intervention support for a few months and others receive support for the whole school year. It all depends on the child's growth and specific needs.
What data is used to determine progress and growth?
Depending on your child's grade level we use different assessment tools to gather information.
Kindergarten/First Grade
If your student is in Kindergarten or first grade your child will participate in Aimsweb testing at the beginning of the school year. These assessments are short 1-minute tasks that look at your child's early literacy and numeracy abilities. A kindergartner will be asked to identify letter names, sounds, and numbers. A first grader will be asked to read short passages and also identify numbers. The results of these assessments are used to determine whether a student is meeting expectations. If not, an intervention may be considered. Teachers will collect additional information and may administer additional assessments to corroborate their results. These short assessments, often referred to as Aimsweb, are also used to monitor progress on an intervention. Your child's interventionist should be able to provide you with a graph detailing your students growth towards the target.
Aimsweb reading passages may also be used at the upper grade levels. Aimsweb reading fluency and other math tools can be used to monitor growth at these grade levels as well.
Running Records
Another tool teachers use to monitor growth are running records. A running record is when your child reads a book and the teacher evaluates the student's accuracy, fluency, and comprehension of that text. Teachers are able to determine a book level that is instructional for the student. These levels are labeled from A-Z. A being the simplest level and Z being the most challenging. In District 64, we use Fountas & Pinnell Running Records. Here is a chart depicting the level progression and what is considered appropriate for each grade level.
Text gradient (1).pdf2nd - 5th
If your child is in 2nd through 5th grade, MAP assessment data is also used when considering a need for intervention. MAP cannot be used to monitor progress on a monthly basis, however, we do use an assessment called STAR that is closely linked to MAP. STAR can be used as a progress monitoring tool for both math and reading and is a computer-based assessment. This test takes at least 30 minutes to complete and is administered typically 1-2 times per month.