Chapter 8
INTERVENTIONS
The interventions used at Tiers 2-4 should supplement the learning that is occurring in the Tier 1 classroom, address identified weaknesses in basic skills, and accelerate learning toward individual expectations. Continuous monitoring of the implementation of the intervention (fidelity) and progress monitoring data is critical to determining the impact on student achievement.
Schools have the responsibility to use scientifically validated (research and evidence-based) intervention methods to prevent wasting time and effort and to give students the best chance to be successful (Wright, 2007).
Specialized interventions may include research or evidence-based interventions which are specialized in being specific to identifying certain individual students or groups of students with specific types of academic and behavioral problems. The two programs requiring research based and evidence-based practices are the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) reauthorization of 2004 (Brown-Chidsey & Steege, 2005). Research based and evidence-based interventions are evaluated with sound experimental designs that result in providing evidence of socially significant behavior changes.
There are three elements that integrate research and evidence-based interventions:
1. Requirement for the use of scientifically based instructional/intervention practices
2. Evaluation and documentation of how a student responds to intervention
3. Emphasis on the use of data for decision making at each step (Brown-Chidsey &
Steege, 2005)
Interventions can be categorized into three groups: scientifically proven, research based, and evidence-based.
Scientifically proven interventions mean that scientific results have already been published in peer-reviewed journals using the scientific rigor described in the definition from NCLB (see chapter 3).
Research based interventions mean the methods, content, materials, etc. were developed in guidance from the collective research and scientific community.
Evidence-based interventions indicate that specific data is available that shows the intervention improves student outcomes.
Interventions at Tier 1 include the instructional practices in use in the general education classroom. See standards-based classroom rubric. Teachers routinely address student needs and environmental factors to create the optimal learning environment. Tier 1 interventions include seating arrangements, fluid and flexible grouping, lesson pacing, collaborative work, demonstrations of learning, differentiation of instruction, and student feedback. Responding to
student performance is a critical element of all classroom learning environments. The teacher’s ability to identify areas of focus, scaffold the learning for the individual to reach the expectation, and support the solidification of new learning behaviors is vital to student success.
Interventions at Tier 2 are typically standard protocols employed by the school to address the learning and/or behavioral needs of identified students. These protocols are typically implemented in a specific sequence, based on the resources available in the school. For example, at Georgia Middle School, students who are identified as needing additional reading support will go to a reading intervention during Connections. During the intervention, the teacher uses specific research based practices to address the group’s reading needs while keeping a clear focus on the GPS, grade level expectations in the content areas, and transfer of learning to the general classroom. Collaboration between the intervention teacher and the student’s teacher team is required when the student’s teacher is not performing the intervention. During the intervention, progress monitoring is used to determine the student’s response to the intervention on a weekly basis. The progress monitoring tool and frequency of implementation are collaboratively determined by the teaching team and the intervention teacher. Based on the progress monitoring data, the school standard protocol process may require individual students to continue in the intervention, move to another Tier 2 intervention, or move to Tier 1 interventions. For a few students, the data team may consider the need for Tier 3 interventions based on individual responses to Tier 2 interventions.
Interventions at Tier 3 are tailored to the individual, and in some cases small group. The SST should choose interventions based on evidence-based protocols and aggressively monitor the student’s response to the intervention and the transfer of learning to the general classroom.
Interventions at Tier 4 are specially designed to meet the learning needs of the individual. These specially designed interventions are based on the GPS and the individual learning and/or behavioral needs of the individual.
Georgia Department of Education Resources available to support teachers and students:
· Keys to Quality
o Research based instructional strategies
o Professional learning resources
o Implementation Resource Guide
· GeorgiaStandards.Org
o Frameworks
o Tasks
o Videos
· The Learning Village
o K-12 Math teacher supports
o Destination Math
o K-12 English Language Arts teacher supports
o Destination Reading
· Online Assessment System
o Assessment items for progress monitoring
· Georgia Virtual School (GAVS)
· FCRR.org
