I receive calls from many frantic parents who are upset because they have received letters stating that their child is failing or is in jeopardy of being retained. In the old days, they called it being “held back”. I ask all the parents who call me with this situation the same question, what interventions were put in place to help the child? Many people associate academic interventions with students who have learning disabilities or Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Targeted classroom interventions can benefit all kids and should be put in place before considering retaining any student.
The definition of an intervention describes in a nutshell, what should be
happening in the classroom for struggling students. By definition,
intervention means to intervene or hinder a course of action. In this case,
the course of action is the student failing. Interventions should be put
in place to prevent the student from failing. Only after targeted
interventions have been put in place and effectively implemented, should
parents consider retaining a child in their current grade. There is a vast
amount of research on the pros and cons of retention. I strongly advise
parents to research this topic so that they can make informed decisions.
10 Things Every Parent Should Demand
Before Deciding to Retain Your Child
1.
Communication
Every
parent should expect that their teacher communicate with them whether the
student is making good grades or failing grades. If your child is failing
then you should be aware of it. Most school districts require that
teachers document parent communication before failing a child. If you
notice that your child has failing grades on their report card, immediately
contact the teacher to set up a meeting. Ideally, teachers should make
parents aware that their child is failing before the end of the quarter. Many
school districts have online database systems that allow parents to access
their child’s grades and information about classroom assignments. All
teachers should have email addresses. Communicating via email allows you
to keep documentation of conversations. You can also send notes to
school or leave messages with the secretary. It is never acceptable
to fail a child without attempting to contact the parent.
2.
Intervention Plan
An
intervention team should be assembled to figure out what strategies can be put
in place to help the child achieve. This team should include the parents,
the child’s teachers, the appropriate specialists (school psychologists, speech
pathologists, nurses) and any tutors or mentors who work with the child.
The intervention team should identify areas of concern and then create targeted
interventions that will help the student achieve in the classroom. It is
important to identify the cause of the student’s failure. Students who
are failing due to lack of participation or behavior require different
interventions than those students who are failing because of lack of
ability. The intervention plan should include short term and long-term
goals, an action plan to implement and monitor these goals as well as a method
to monitor the effectiveness of the plan. If you realize that the plan is
not working then a new intervention plan should be created.
3.
Targeted Interventions
Interventions
are not effective if they are not targeted to meet the needs of the individual
learners. Studies have shown that no two learners are the same so
therefore there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” intervention.
Interventions should be research-based and targeted to meet the needs of the
child. Targeted interventions include things such as having the student pulled
aside for small group instruction or individual instruction, providing students
with audio versions of assignments and texts, peer tutoring, differentiated
instruction. There are many different interventions that when coupled
with effective instruction can help the child succeed in the classroom.
4.
Documentation of Intervention
Before
retaining a student, a teacher should have documentation of all of the
strategies that have been put in place to prevent the student from
failing. The documentation should include work samples, phone logs,
report cards and data on the interventions.
5.
Data
In order
to assess the effectiveness of the plan, a teacher must collect data.
This data can include teacher observation notes, grades on class assignments
and assessment scores. Parents should not rely solely on state
standardized test scores. Proficiency cut scores vary by state. In
some states, students only need to get 30% of the test correct to be considered
proficient meaning proficient really equals failing. State test are
summative tests which means students take the test at a certain point of the
year to determine what they do or do not know. Often times state tests
result are received too late to implement interventions. Data collection
should include formative testing which occurs while instruction is taking place
and is ongoing. There are companies who publish short curriculum based
assessments that can be done on a regular basis as well as give the teacher
standardized results.
6.
Implementation of the Plan
Every
plan is only as effective as the implementation of that plan. Once a plan
has been created, it has to be effectively implemented. During the
initial meeting, the details of how the plan will be implemented should be put
in place. Parents should schedule conferences periodically to discuss the
implementation of the plan and the data that has been collected.
7.
Small Group Instruction and/or Individual Instruction
Every
student can benefit from small group instruction and/or individualized
instruction. Parents can request that their child be pulled
out for small amounts of time during the school day for small group
instruction. Small group instruction includes no more than five students.
During this time, concepts that the student did not master can be
re-taught or practiced. Teachers can also build small group instruction
into their daily lessons. Effective schools will have this type of
specialized instruction in place for struggling students. This small
group instruction can be done by instructor assistants, other school staff and
volunteer tutors that work in the building. Parents can also
request additional instruction to take place before or after
school.
8.
Progress Reports
I often
tell parents documentation is the key. Parents can request that their
child’s teacher complete daily or weekly progress reports. Parents and teachers
can communicate by writing notes on the progress report. These progress
reports can provide a snapshot of the student’s performance on a daily or
weekly basis. Progress reports allow parents to receive feedback
about effort, behavior and progress on daily assignments. As well, it
allows parents to have record of progress to make decisions pertaining to
retention of the child. Parents should also require that their child keep
all graded papers in an organized binder or folder. Parents should keep a
binder organized by date with all communication, student assignments and test
scores. This allows parents to see progression as well as tell the story
of what is being taught in the classroom. Students can also track their
own progress in addition to the tracking that is being done by the
teacher. This helps the student be an active participant in their
learning experience.
9.
Monitoring of Intervention Plan
As I
said above a plan is only as successful as the implementation of that
plan. Parents should expect that there is a procedure put in place to
monitor the effectiveness of the plan. The plan should include specific
timeframes to regroup to determine if the plan is producing the necessary
results. The meeting should contain the same persons who developed the
intervention plan. During this meeting, the group should analyze the data
that has been collected. This data should include teacher observation
notes, grades on class assignments, assessment scores and work samples.
The group should assess whether the student is achieving based on classroom
grades and curriculum based measurements. If the intervention plan is not
producing results then the team needs to evaluate if a new plan needs to be put
in place.
10.
Cooperation
Parents
should expect full cooperation from the staff at their child’s school. In
order for struggling students to receive the necessary support, there must be
collaborative planning between the parent, teachers and school
administration. As the old adage says, “it takes a village to raise a
child”. The village has to move past the point of blame and focus on
helping the child. Teachers and other school staff should be willing to
fill out necessary paperwork in a timely manner, attend meetings and work with
parents to implement the intervention plan. Parents should expect to feel
involved in the process and should feel as though their voice is being
heard. All parents should understand their rights as a
parent. Most school districts post this information on their district
websites as well as other pertinent information. An informed parent is a
powerful parent so be sure to read the information posted on the district’s
website so that you understand what to expect from your child’s school.
Parents must also provide the support to teachers so that the plan can be
implemented. If you feel that, you are not getting the support you
need begin by contacting the principal. If the issue is not resolved,
contact the appropriate district personnel using the complaint procedure
established by your school district.
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