This mixed-method action research project was conducted in a small midwestern suburban public school district that utilized a Reggio-inspired and inquiry-based approach. In the second grade classroom that I was student teaching in, I identified two students struggling to meet academic grade level expectations, particularly in math. To support these students, I decided to implement Tier 2 intervention support in the classroom setting. I identified a target strategy to focus on with these students and worked in small group to provide more direct instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate student progress in math skills when given Tier 2 intervention in the classroom. Data was collected weekly for 8 data points in the form of a rubric, anecdotal notes, and think aloud notes. Trendlines in the quantitative data showed student improvement in implementation of a target math strategy, with think aloud data supporting this result. Due to difficulty in writing expression, think aloud proved to be a valuable form of data collection to recognize and assess student understanding. Keeping the students in the room with Tier 2 instruction was useful to ensure their roles as members of the learning community, and for them to engage with their peers about the math concepts. It is crucial for an educator to understand how to assess and implement instruction based on goals for the students, and implementing Tier 2 in the classroom can be one way to do that.

Sumaya would like to thank their faculty sponsor, Karissa Sywulka, for their support of this project.