Building A Title I Intervention Strategy

Improving achievement through research-based approaches

Holistic intervention strategies for Title I schools that coordinate efforts between all educators and stakeholders are crucial to improving achievement. Through focused professional development, incorporating research-based approaches and utilizing technology, intervention efforts at Title I schools can be the most effective.

This web seminar explored how to build an effective intervention strategy for Title I schools. The Title I team from the Hoover City School District in Alabama—which has become one of the highest-ranked districts in the state—discussed how they supported school leaders, teachers, students and parents to introduce new and effective intervention practices that have improved student achievement.

Speakers

Debra Walker Smith and the Hoover City Title I Team

Director of Federal Programs and Testing

Hoover City Schools (Ala.)

Mitchelle Kelley

National Consultant

Istation

Debra W. Smith: As we began exploring approaches, we identified several goals and objectives that are unique to the Title I targeted assistance program. We needed to find a research-based program that would be above and beyond the resources students were already being provided in their general education classroom.

The program and strategies needed to be deliberate and specific in this academic delivery. Our district has many students who are also very transient, so it was important for us to find a resource where, if students moved from one school to another, the data would follow so that the quality and continuity of the services would continue seamlessly.

Margaret Watts: While attending a professional development conference, we visited the Istation exhibit. Unhappy with our previous program, we were looking for a replacement. We were impressed with the brief snapshot of what we saw with Istation.

There were many aspects and components that caught our attention. These included the monthly progress monitoring, called the ISIP, and the different reports that were generated from it, especially the priority report, which allows for flexible grouping. This fit perfectly into our intervention model.

In addition, Istation has teacher lessons, on-demand assessments, and online assignments to support the classroom instruction and intervention lessons. It’s accessible from home and allows parents to see their child’s growth from the parent portal and provides parents resources to support their child from home.

Parental involvement and engagement is a large part of our Title I program, so this aspect has proven to be a great benefit. Lastly, Istation isn’t just a game for kids to get on and play. It provides instruction, guided practice, individual practice and ongoing assessment in a fun gaming format.

Interventionists received Istation training in December 2014. We began slowly implementing Istation into our small groups that following January. We met as a team monthly and compared our observations as students used Istation in small groups. We continued with the program for the remainder of the school year. Whenever a question arose, we quickly called Istation to obtain the answer.

Our first observation when we implemented Istation was how engaged our students were when using the program. We also noticed how the monthly assessments aligned with other progress monitoring tools we were using. The lessons taught on Istation were corresponding to the lessons being taught in the intervention and in the students’ classrooms.

Aleshia Wheeler: Before your students begin to use Istation, it is best to sift through the resources. Knowing about the abundance of materials is a key to success. Keeping in mind what your true purpose is will help you to not become overwhelmed with the depth of the site. As a new user of Istation, I took the time to sift through the pages and it helped me understand how many opportunities were embedded in this instructional tool.

Debra W. Smith: One of the greatest features of Istation is being able to retrieve the data with just a few clicks. The data addresses the student engagement, identifies their ability and provides a prescriptive way to address deficiencies while supporting areas of growth, and allows the teacher to chart academic achievement.

The data from Istation has also been a predictor of performance on our state mandated assessments. What worked? Most teachers loved the way the priority reports had already grouped students according to the skill areas of weakness. It was always fun to watch their faces when I said, “Look, your skill groups are already done for you.” Intervention notes were easy to input.

Setting up classrooms as well as adding or deleting students within Istation was a simple process. Classroom teachers can set up their own classrooms, and specialists such as ELL and Title I can also have classrooms with some of the same students without any problems.

Students report that they feel like Istation is helping them. They are motivated to improve their ISIP scores from the previous month, and they enjoy seeing their progress on the student summary report.

Being able to access Istation from home was a huge benefit for students and parents. Students truly enjoy using Istation. Therefore, we have experienced an increase in student engagement and the students began to take ownership of their own learning by creating personal goals for their academic achievement.

Isation’s Super 7 Essentials for Blended Learning helps schools differentiate their instruction. This includes formative assessment, adaptive curriculum, personalized data profiles, teacher resources, school-to-home connections, professional development and proven results.

To watch this web seminar in its entirety, visit districtadministration.com/ws052318

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