Intervention Workshop Day

October 7, 2016
How do we cultivate hope in all learners?
Academic Intervention:

Addressing gaps in knowledge and skills so that students can be

lifelong learners and productive citizens.
**5 Whys for Inquiry:
Question: How do we do effective academic intervention?
-Need foundational skills and knowledge
-Work smarter, not harder
-Content knowledge & skills for level curriculum
-Mini seminars for specific kids (ex: research skills, test taking)
-Academic intervention vs. motivational intervention (proactive vs.
reactive, sometimes emergencies [important goal])
Decisions/Discussions:
-What does intervention actually mean before we can implement it
-Foundational habits outside of content or ways to do it together (Habits of
Mind)?
-Pacing: student who needs more time to complete or achieve
understanding. Think about why student needs the extra time. Horizontal or vertical: more time
and effort spent on subject, instead of more time (weeks) to complete.
Why Questioning:
1. Why do we need effective intervention for our students?
a. Because our students are struggling to get through our content. Struggle to get
kids across the finish line. Sometimes teachers work harder than students are to
get across finish line. Painful for teachers because work too hard, and students
do not get skills need to be successful outside of high school. Students lacking
intrinsic motivation to be successful.
2. Why do you think our students are struggling so hard to get there?
a. Structural problems with some of our standards. Never settled on habits of mind
or work that we expect from students as district or school to help students tackle
our content. Teachers are varying in grading. Students missing skills that we
need, looking at home and community translates to getting here and hitting brick
wall and really struggle.
3. Why is our current intervention system not doing what it should do, if it is supposed to
bring kids to where we want them to be?
a. We never really settled on what intervention means.
b. Not why they are behind on so many subjects, just need to get all the papers and
work done now.

c. Lack of habits of mind- soft skills, hard to objectively assess in proficiency based
education.
d. We need to think about as staff what academic intervention means to us.
4. If intervention structure isnt working to what we want, why are we leaving it up to the
student at this time (intervention) to get done what they need to get done. Students are
not taking ownership of their learning.
a. Teachers tell students where to go and what to do. Students lacking executive
functioning skills needed. Not all learners are able to do all of this on their own.
b. Students need structure. Ideal student we aspire to have, and base expectations
on this versus real students that we have.
5. Academic intervention leaves each teacher responsible for doing the same thing, we are
so short on time and resources, why are we not honoring the skills each of us naturally
have (ex: organizational skills). Students in my advisory because roster says so, instead
of separating on weakness (student struggle) and put based on teacher skills
(strengths).
a. Time resources/mental space to process this.
b. Potential solution? Way we think about problem, is how we should approach this.
Intervention is based on assumptions that are not necessarily true. Find time to
challenge assumptions, that will lead to solutions.
Discussion:
1. Major underlying cause was doing things because that is the way it has always been
done Just homeroom.
2. Afraid of trying something new, canned plans/intervention. Students lose hope/desire for
intervention. Plan it in way that is effective and organized.
3. We quickly put things together, defeats purpose of us being role model. Students see
this. Are we allowing students to do the best they can everyday? We are not doing this.
4. Have not determined what intervention is or is not (causes issues).
5. Providing students opportunities for being role models.
6. Teachers are working harder not smarter. We spend significant amount of time outside
of school working on school work. Consumes us. Finding balance between school and
home places into this as a factor. Play off strengths, helps students and us work smarter,
we will no longer be mentally drained. Benefits kids and teachers (everyone feels happy
:) )
7. EVERYONE needs to find balance and head space. Mimic in ourselves what we want
our kids to feel when we do our best thing everyday. Content restrictions prevents us
from doing what we love/joy/hope/good feelings everyday (doesnt have to be content
related).
8. What structures can we put in place to make it proactive (ex: freshman seminar on
organization), intervention needed to recover. However, start at foundation and try to
build up. [Problems in past include time, schedule during day, taking more time]

a. Willing to give up time/content for dealing with these issues. Compromise but still
offer what we need.
Response:
1. Playing to our strengths, what are all of our strengths and how can we build off that.
2. Thinking about things as proactive is important. Do not wait to identify that a student
does not have skills (notes, research, study, etc.). Advisory offers rich data about what a
typical Level 9 Richmond student looks like. Common skill gaps. We can see this, and
say we know that our Level 9 students come in as they are with skills and skills gaps.
3. Definition for academic intervention is needed to baseline our work for today.
Debrief:
-Rich discussion created.
-Laid foundation to get there.
-Why questions were helpful for further discussion.
-Create some sort of solution by end. Worry that it will end here.
-Dont jump too quickly to solution- do not throw it together. If we dont get there today,
that is okay but we are moving towards structure and things to improve in the future.
-Why questions allow us to lay out all problems, no longer focusing on just one problem.
Bigger picture. Why questions are helpful for laying out all issues.
**Ping Pong Protocol
Identify the challenges we face with intervention.
Pose the Problem:
How do we do effective academic intervention?
Writing:
Work on own.
Share the Reflections:
Important for me (teacher) on how to address gaps, conferencing with my
advisees.
Having conversations with advisees transitioning to classroom setting (gap in
knowledge).
How do I spend time with the kids (besides after school) to deal with
knowledge/skills gaps?
How much flexibility do I have in my MTs? Just to teach content to students
without gaps takes entire year.
How much judgement do I have in saying what proficiency looks like for all
students? Fill in gaps that are necessary, spending time in reactive mode to
damage control students (lists from what is missing, etc.)

Trigger for intervention is deeply flawed, kids think they are just off-pace.
Handing in work time that needs help, when kids do not turn in any work but do
not need help.
How to teach skills? Struggle with teaching skills, only teach content. (Struggle
for us as teachers)
Timing during advisory period or classroom setting (various issues). Identify
which is which. Where do we go once we have identified the problems?
Mixing grade level advisory so older can help younger.
Confident in doing within own classroom, built in at end of unit. Struggle with
students who come to class but ready to work, but are underprepared with
materials and remember what to do. How to reinforce outside of room (habits of
mind).
Gap exists among students because do not have simple skills to help them
understand content. Takes up a lot of time in class, could work better by taking 5
minutes in advisory. If they do not show up, then creates issues-what we do?
Structure is a problem. Kids who need intervention the most do not seek it out,
and fall further behind.
Students who are motivated or unmotivated, kids rewarded for having beneficial
skills.
Get your shit together (motivation), planning and organizing, reward, reading
and math skills, grade level tasks.
How to assess for missing MTs, deficient in habits of mind, time work structures
most effective identified problems (habits of mind or work structure gaps).
Change culture for intervention- branding issue.
Middle and high school students together, scheduling difficult. Difficult to access
for help at all times (Saturday School is missing Arts).
Students choose where want to go, students on own prioritize what is most
important for them to fix/get help with.
Place where to see where students are struggling.
Provide time to work with content teachers, not just adviser.
Enrichment courses, teachers would do something they like and teach students.
Reaches skills students do not have. Incorporate into the day or intervention,
does not always have to be academic. life long skills.
Are we moving toward applied learning? We get something awesome, and they
we lose the awesome? What we are doing is right, whatever model that may look
like.
Student buy-in and participation. We know what they need, but getting them
involved and understanding this is important to improve their lives.

Probing Questions:
1.) Are you envisioning proactive approach where freshman get organizational seminar, or
reactive approach where teachers identify problems and send?

a.) If we only plan proactively for next year, there will be red flags. Need to be
reactive with freshman and sophomore for future grades. MWF teachers sign
kids up for ex: organizational skills with Ms. Antonson.
b.) Kids that are doing fantastic go to longue, then target from there. Build bigger
structures for next year.
2.) What does academic conferencing in advisory look like?
a.) Goal is looking at the whole student (emotional, academic, family, mental, friends,
etc.)
b.) Know your advisees better than anyone else in the building. Each kid has a person to
go to.
c.) Sometimes conferences are not academic, sometimes just crap in life and share out.
Building relationships and gaining trust among teacher and student.
d.) Other days, academic growth. What youve done, where are you going.
e.) Immediate: homework due today? What need to do to be back on pace? Where want
to go out of there in future outside of high school, and next four years for high school?
f.) Possible to identify gaps here?
3.) How many of us feel like we connect with our advisees? Teachers have better relationship
with other students?
a.) Move students around in advisory (reshuffle). Better advisory experience for each
kids. Work with what teachers work better with each student.
b.) Interest survey in 8th grade (goals) to match with what teachers are great with (ex:
kids want to get organized, set up with organized teacher).
c.) Personality of teachers of how they work together and collaboration as advisory team.
Figure out dynamics of group structure.
i.) How do you do this without blowing up current structures?
ii.) Advisory handbook, with clear best practices to guide this issue.
iii.) Bank of information for what was helpful for each grade level advisory to pass
along.
4.) Habits of mind may change focus/view of academics? What does the future look like?
a.) Motivate them to seek out skills
Writing to synthesize what weve heard:
Next steps conversation:
How can we leave here today with modest ideas or structural changes to improve this
situation?
Potential Solutions/Thoughts:
Playing to strengths instead of weakness (ex: Instead of going to Charlie
for organization, they go to Kelli)
Instead of going to physical space, shared document or typed paper of
binder organization and work with advisers with that.

Issue with scheduling/ all kids needing everything at once Be wary of

not moving towards seminars, dont put more work on our plates.
Friday: they sign up for what they would do next week. Example: kid
worked hard, they sign up to visit longue. Advisers have convo with
students about what they need to sign up for. What is your biggest
weakness and where do you belong? Cap it at certain amount of students
so not overwhelmed.
Seminar at scheduled rotating time or as needed basis? [Problem: We
know what kids needed, but let them have that choice means not always
getting help they need].
Reading group, writing group (workshop style) using their assignments for
what students need.
Longue poses potential problems. Intervention could be seen as
punishment because have gaps in knowledge.
Do not want to add work, do not want to necessarily change existing
structures.

Ideas:
NOW= RED
LATER= BLUE
Tutoring Programs (within own class or upper or lower) (utilizing upperclassmen)
Staffings: advisory pacing calendar on steroids. Teachers and student together to have
conversation to help, and figure out what is going on, and make plan. Include parental
involvement.
Grade level student flagging.
Focus on seniors first, then immediately move down to juniors, then sophomores,
then freshman.
Saturday Schools: disorganized in a sense, hard to deal with. Instead of saying Youre
behind, come to Saturday School say, You are behind but have skills to do this, so just
get to work or You have gaps in research skills, go to Mr. U for 30 minutes.
Used as work-time and skill building.
Know ahead of time to plan ahead for advisers to notify parents and explain plan.
Make non optional for students who really need it. Strict restrictions on coming
right at 9am and cant leave until 12pm.
Identifying there is a real problem, showing all teachers care about you as a student.
Seniors trying to graduate- how to help them.
Preventing problems starting with freshman and sophomores now, instead of waiting till
senior year to deal with. Sitting down and having conversations with grade level advisers
with other teachers to see what problems are and focus in on to help.
Documenting the positives and what is working and share with other teachers.
(Intervention Best Practices) (Charlie)

8th grade interest testing, for new 9th grade advisers (advisory pairing)

Each student pairs with mentor (brother, secretary, teacher, upperclassmen, etc.). Big
buddy type of system.
Transportation: something to think about?
Providing 2 week notices to parents.
PM school intervention
Mandatory time if you are behind to help. Example 3-6pm and teachers stay and
work. Done during school year.
Utilizing community members or see what other schools are doing to find solutions.
Rotating advisory time where each class get extra time (Idea)
Professional development for us as teachers.
Kelli Proposal
Mixed grouping to plan for fewer students.
Level of disconnect at advisory level- know what they need to do, but do not know how
to start or go about it.

How do we create a structure for grade level advisers to communicate about the
need for student intervention and determine the specific interventions needed?
Format:
In person conversation.
Talk about concerned students, and pushing students further (flag for
later).
Organize by content area, you only come for your area and then can
leave.
Concerns should not only be based around the fact of not turning in an
assignment late. Anything that is concerning (outside of academics too)

Time/Space:
Combine groups of advisers to have discussions during advisory.
Rotation schedule.
During Academic fitness time have one-two teachers take kids
outside, and all other teachers meet together and discuss students.
Do it once a week (ex: every Friday), start with seniors, juniors,
sophomores, freshman. One room will be a work room.
Aware that Patrick, Joe, Laurie-Beth will not be able to be
present.
Lists of concerns before meeting so stay productive.

Structure (How do we intervene after we realize we have a problem):

Staffing
Concrete plan for advisor to review with student

Modified pacing calendar: more specific to help teachers target kids. One
specific document where this document is reviewed frequently.

Behind Pace SOP:

Library (not allowed to go if off pace)
Study hall & Advisers need to be aware (aware to push kids)

Outcome we want from today:

1.) Staffing with concrete plan for advisers
2.) Friday academic fitness, work room, teachers meet (DO NOW)
3.) Have in person conversations

Tasks:
Charlie and Jeff: Schedule
Paige: Intervention Sheet/Template (PIP Form)
Staffing: Each teacher/adviser identify and email Nick, Mel, and Jen
Summary: Rachel
Intervention Best Practice: Charlie