Investing in a Targeted Tier II Intervention

Robyn R. Jackson, founder of the Buildership University, inspires educational leaders to “challenge one another to 100 percent success.” In the same spirit, what if every K–8 educator’s goal was to have every student pass all core classes? What prevents us from subscribing to 100 percent success when discussing student achievement?

Perhaps setting safe, predictable goals is what gets in our way. If we act with a high moral standard and place students at the center of every conversation, why not take the risk and set a goal that might get a bit messy—one that will require us to pivot, recalibrate, communicate, collaborate, and rely on one another with a commitment and teamwork? If any students failed a core class in the previous year, our current method of goal-setting must be ripe for revision.

When striving for 100 percent success, a multitiered system of support is non-negotiable. Implementing interventions that are sustainable, effective, and fit within existing programming, is the challenge. Interventions must ensure that the approximately 15 percent of students who need support—the underdogs—get what they need.

In education, the “underdogs” are the students who aren’t supported by special education services and don’t qualify for language support. It’s a group of students who earn failing grades in two or more core classes, including mathematics, English, science, and social studies—and they are the students we have to figure out how to help.

What Is an SLL?

A structured learning lab (SLL) is a Tier II intervention that uses quantitative data and daily student performance to help the underdogs. It usually takes the form of a designated room on campus with a different look from the typical classroom.

The environment and SLL teaching staff are the driving forces in creating a climate of trust, safety, and acceptance; it’s an environment where no shame is associated with wrong answers, incomplete homework, or unfinished projects. In the SLL, scheduled breaks are common, bathroom trips are closely monitored, well-being is a priority, and there is never a shortage of encouragement. The goal is self-efficacy.

Creating an SLL begins with careful thought on how students will feel once there. Not all students have the ability or the support to complete work, study, or keep up with educational demands outside school. Left unsupported, many students will likely continue to be trapped in a cycle free of support, making failure the norm. The structured learning lab can break this cycle by affording the students the opportunity to succeed by helping them hone academic skills and complete required assignments while in school.

Equity and accessibility should be at the forefront of decision-making when creating an SLL. Academic leaders will need to get into the weeds to understand the problem in their school setting and get feedback from the students and staff who live it every day.

To design a system that provides Tier II interventions effectively, schools need to identify eligible students’ entrance and exit criteria. The goal is to support all struggling students, but each student’s degree of need and the resources available will determine how many can be helped effectively at any given time.

Again, an SLL aims to support students who don’t have additional supports in place and have failed two or more core classes in the prior school year. In the absence of a letter grade, teacher input might be a benchmark for entry. Exit criteria can be based on sustained academic improvement evidenced by grades and consistency.

The most robust SLL programs extend collaboration to other school leaders, including district and school administrators, content area supervisors, and school counselors. Ongoing communication with the students and families served is also critical; they should know how the students were selected, what will take place in the course, SLL expectations, and exit criteria.

Staffing the SLL

The staff selected to work in the SLL must be caring, committed, organized, patient, and purposeful student advocates. To identify these individuals, create a clear interview and selection process, starting with a survey to assess interest. Next, a prescreening questionnaire allows interested parties to reflect on their vision for the program. Ask:

• What do you see as your role in the structured learning lab, day-to-day and long-term?
• What is an instructional risk you took this year that supported learning in your classroom?
• Have you experienced any “blind spots” in the curriculum, and how did you pivot to ensure student growth?
• What activities have you implemented that fostered positive relationships in your classroom?
• Rate your ability to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, and explain the rating and its relevance to the role for which you are applying.
• What other thoughts, ideas, or questions do you have related to the SLL?

After narrowing down the applicants, select individuals for interviews. Ask them questions that afford an opportunity to reflect on their potential role in an SLL and share their philosophies and pedagogy as to how to best support students, such as:

• What energizes and inspires you to come to school?
• What elements do you believe need to be uniform across all of the SLL?
• In order for staff to be successful, what do you think we will need to collaborate on?
• Once we identify students at risk of failure, will you take ownership to remedy this problem?

Ask successful candidates to participate in a full-day professional development or professional collaboration to establish the processes and procedures of the SLL.

The Student’s SLL Time

Knowing exactly what each student needs is the superpower of the SLL teacher. Actively listening to students and seeing when their frustration peaks offers invaluable insights into what will make SLL time most impactful.

In 2001, economist James Hekman popularized the idea that there are skills beyond cognitive ability that are essential for students to succeed in school and life, including tenacity and self-control. By design, the SLL responds to student needs by building the noncognitive skills that contribute to overall success and well-being. While it will always be a struggle to support students when they are not in the building, an effective SLL can provide enough support so that students can replicate these behaviors outside the learning environment.

“Every system is perfectly designed to get the result it gets,” W. Edwards Deming, American composer and economist, is quoted as saying. In education, data collection and progress monitoring are real-time barometers for gauging program effectiveness. To make sure interventions and support are meeting the needs of the students, a progress monitoring system must be in place.

Because grades can fluctuate based on a single assessment, project, or assignment, the most telling snapshot of student performance will occur at midterm and the end of the academic marking period. Use the midterm data to guide meetings with students, parents, and teachers to adjust goals and incorporate additional interventions. Teachers and counselors will play an integral role.

Even with the best-laid plans, some students might continue to fail and require Tier III interventions. But an SLL can provide students with the structure, consistency, coaching, attention, encouragement, and positive reinforcement they need to set and achieve academic goals well beyond their participation.

Kristia Greenberg is principal of Branchburg Central Middle School in Branchburg, New Jersey.

Michael Godown is an assistant principal at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School in Bridgewater, New Jersey.