The Biology PLC at my school created a Strategic Intervention Plan for the material covered in the first "Benchmark", a district-wide assessment for every six-weeks of material. The three teachers examined student data and organized their students into three groups. Those groups, created from their common assessment data, were: "successful (level III,IV)", "low performing (level II)", and "lowest performing (level I). Biology in an End of Course exam provided by the state of North Carolina. Here was the summary of the three-day intervention, followed by the resulting data:
| November 16, 2011 | November 17, 2011 | November 18, 2011 |
| Teacher A | Teacher B | Teacher C | Teacher A | Teacher B | Teacher C | Teacher A | Teacher B | Teacher C |
Period 1 | Lowest performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio Info | Low performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio info | ½ successful students do lab with Teacher C | Lowest performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info | Low performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info | ½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio | Students retake Benchmark I | Students retake benchmark I | Students view GATTACA w/ Enrichment activity |
½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio | ½ successful students do lab with Teacher C |
Period 2 | Lowest performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio Info | Low performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio info | ½ successful students do lab with Teacher C | Lowest performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info | Low performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info | ½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio | Students retake Benchmark I | Students retake Benchmark I | Students view GATTACA w/ Enrichment activity |
½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio | ½ successful students do lab with Teacher C |
Period 4 | Team teach all low performing students 1st 4 weeks of Bio info | Successful students do lab with Teacher C | Team teach all low performing students wks 5 & 6 of Bio info | Successful students review 1st 6 weeks with Teacher C | Students retake Benchmark I | Students view GATTACA w/ enrichment activity |
Biology Intervention Results
Overall Growth | +425 points |
Average Growth per student | +6.54 points |
Level I à Level II | 6 students |
Level II à Level III | 22 students |
Positive Growth | 50 students |
Negative Growth | 13 students |
No change in growth | 2 students |
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67 students took both benchmark 1 and the retest. Numbers in table above will be based on these 67 students. (waiting on bubble sheets from 2 students – finished in academic support class, therefore based on 65 students as of 11/18/11)
2 students took the benchmark for the first time and made a level III.
1 student took the benchmark for the first time and made a level II.
2 students took the benchmark for the first time and made a level I. Note: 1 student missed 1 of the two remediation days before the retest. 1 student missed both of the remediation days before the retest.
I just wanted to share an example of a very effective intervention initiated by my staff (which I am extremely proud of).
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The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.