Meeting Students Needs

Vivian Hussey Primary School; Meeting the Needs of All Students Tracy Ro erts !niversity of Ne" #ngland

#$! %&& $r' $ouglas (ynch )une 1*+ ,&11

Meeting Students Needs

As a district+ "e strive to meet our mission statement; -To foster a life.long love of learning+ develo/ res/onsi le decision.ma0ers+ teach essential s0ills necessary to meet the demands of a changing "orld+ and develo/ caring and contri uting mem ers of a multi.cultural "orld'1 2n order to do this+ "e must ensure that "e are educating all of the students that enter our uilding+ including those "ho may e -at ris01' 3e follo" a systematic and data. ased method to identify+ define+ and address students4 academic difficulties in the general education setting' $u5our+ $u5our+ and #a0er 6,&&78 e9/lain that -schools need oth s0illful teachers and a system of interventions1 6/' ,*%8' The initiative that "e currently have in /lace for students "ho are -at ris01 of failure is RT2' The RT2 team+ consisting of our /rinci/al+ Title 1 coordinator+ (iteracy interventionist+ and a re/resentative from each grade level+ holds meetings monthly for classroom teachers to share any academic concerns that they might have' At this meeting+ assessments are re:uired 6N3#A scores+ current $RA level+ #very$ay Mathematics assessment+ Sitton sight "ord assessments+ $2;#(S+ informal o servation8 and analy<ed' The RT2 team deli erates and intervention strategies are /ut forth' After the identification /rocess+ -at ris01 students are moved from Tier 1 6=eneral #ducation; all students+ core instruction+ everyday curriculum8 to Tier , or Tier > intervention' The latter levels of RT2 may loo0 different to each student+ de/endent on their learning needs' Tier , can include Title 1 su//ort "ith an #d' Tech in the classroom for oth (iteracy?Math or Targeted Math?(iteracy in small grou/ "ith the Title 1 coordinator or (iteracy interventionist' Tier > in 1st =rade+ "ill e in the form of Reading Recovery+ "hich is taught y s/ecially.trained Reading Recovery teachers on an individual asis'

Meeting Students Needs

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The 0ey to the RT2 initiative in our school is continued assessment' @lassroom teachers ma0e informal o servations of the /rogress of the students+ the initial set of assessments are done again+ and the team reconvenes' 2f a student has met the goals of their s/ecific /rogram+ "hether it e RT2 or Targeted Math?(iteracy+ they are /laced in Tier , 6Title 1 su//ort8' This method is to /revent students from falling ac0 and to ma0e certain that they continue "ith their accelerated /rogress+ even after they have een dismissed' An the contrary+ students "ho are still e9/eriencing difficulty in an academic area "ill e moved to Tier >+ for more intensive su//ort' Aur school is currently in our >rd year of im/lementing RT2 and "e have seen /ositive results through our students test scores' 3e also have demonstrated im/rovements y meeting all of our ABP Reading and Math targets for ,&1&.,&11+ "hich "as unfortunately not the case in ,&&C.,&1&' Students are successfully eing dismissed from intervention /rograms and referrals

to S/ecial #ducation have een fe"er' $u5our et al' 6,&&78 suggest that a school should not rely solely on S/ecial #ducation as a means of res/onding to struggling students' 2 thin0 "hile Vivian Hussey Primary School has ta0en one ste/ in the right direction+ as far as intervention and meeting the demands of -at ris01 students+ one /ro lem still lingers'''colla orating P(@s' $u5our et al' 6,&&78 e9/lains that -the com/le9ity of su//orting

student learning is multi/lied e9/onentially if the system of interventions is attem/ting to res/ond to isolated classrooms "here teachers /ursue their individual curricula+ according to their o"n /acing+ "hile using their o"n /ersonal assessments1 6/' ,*%8' The 0ey to continued success in our school "ill e a etter understanding of P(@s and stronger colla oration+ "hich can e achieved through Professional $evelo/ment' 3ith these s0ills+ "e ho/e to continue to strive for the Mission Statement that inds us to educating all students in our district'

Meeting Students Needs

D References

$u5our+ R'+ $u5our+ R'+ E #a0er+ R' 6,&&78' Revisiting /rofessional learning communities at "or0F Ne" insights for im/roving schools' ;loomington+ 2NF Solution Tree Press'