Heidi T. Miller

Rum River Elementary School
Andover, Minnesota
heidi.miller@ahschools.us

Best Practices

1) I lead the Intervention Team (I-Team) at Rum River Elementary. This team is comprised of our School Social Worker, Child Psychologist, SPED Lead, Literacy Specialist, Math Specialist, and classroom teachers. We meet weekly to analyze student data, interventions, and their responses to interventions in the areas of academics and behaviors. The team then writes specific and targeting interventions. After the interventions have been implemented for 6-8 weeks, we reconvene to collaborate about the results and to make decisions moving forward. Throughout the entire process, both the classroom teacher and I meet with the student’s family to share information and to strengthen our partnership. Through the I-Team process we have experienced significant gains in student academic growth and desired student behaviors.

2) Collaboration is the key ingredient to Rum River’s success in the areas of student academic achievement, significant downtrends in the undesirable behaviors, and a strong and supportive staff morale. Weekly, each grade level team, along with Special Education case managers, supplemental support teachers, our English Language teacher, and an administrator meet for an hour to analyze student data at all levels (interventions, small groups, classrooms, and grade level), to have honest and transparent conversations about what is working and what we need to change or adapt, and then create a plan of action. Our collaboration time is highly protected and focuses on the the 4 PLC questions. Establishing vulnerable and supportive teams throughout our school sets the tone of our school’s positive culture and happy staff morale.