Going above and beyond resources available in the classroom, a Title I team consisting of passionate and dedicated educators with varying classroom and coaching experience led the way to transform a district’s approach to intervention and instruction.
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, director of federal programs and testing at Hoover City Schools, worked with a team of 12 master teachers in Alabama to find a research-based reading and math initiative for their Targeted Assistance Program that supported four Title I schools.
Besides being research based, the program also needed to provide methods and strategies that were deliberate and specific in their delivery. Data had to be presented in a user-friendly format and help chart students’ academic progress. Plus, it was important to find a resource that allowed data to follow students seamlessly from one campus to another since there was a high number of transient students.
Searching for a program that goes above and beyond current efforts, Dr. Debra Walker Smith explains how her Title I team found additional support for students. Watch the video to learn how they did it.
The team of interventionists determined Istation’s intervention and instruction met their selection criteria and provided even more. They chose Istation’s formative assessments, adaptive curriculum, personalized data profiles, and flexible teacher resources to help Hoover City Schools measure growth and introduce new skills in reading and math.
“One of the greatest features of Istation is being able to retrieve the data with just a few clicks,” Smith said. “The data addresses student engagement, identifies their abilities, and provides a prescriptive way to address deficiencies while supporting areas of growth. The data from Istation also has been a predictor of performance on our state-mandated assessments.”
Transforming from teachers and interventionists, the Title I team became teacher-leaders and provided professional development to colleagues and administrators. They helped principals and teachers master the program, understand the data, and guide classroom strategies.
Margaret Watts, Title I teacher, describes how monthly progress monitoring for reading and math supports her school’s intervention strategy. Learn more by watching the video.
Title I Interventionist Stephanie Prevatte said that “assuming this teacher-leader role with Istation meant perceptions about Title I, who we were, and what we did were very positively influenced throughout the district.
Many teachers who previously had been very attached to using other resources completely revamped their classroom strategies.”
Smith said classroom teachers who used Istation consistently had the most positive outcomes and growth in student progress as they gained valuable formative insight from the reports.“It was easy to see gains in student progress,” Smith said. “The reporting features were at our fingertips as well as at the district level. The reports assisted administrators, teachers, parents, and students with monitoring progress throughout the year.”
See how student practice with Istation impacts growth. Title I interventionist Stephanie Prevattte explains more in the video.
Implementing the new approach had everyone across the district feeling good about the program, Smith said.
“When I gave the Title I team the charge to find a new research-based program, I never imagined we would find something with as many components to it as Istation,” Smith said.
“Istation has been a great fit for our program and has assisted us in meeting the needs of struggling, at-risk learners. We are thankful for the valuable resources, the gaming aspect of the program which improved student engagement, and the professional development and support we receive from Istation. We are proud to wear the red cape!”
Principal Quincy Collins explains how his school is able to meet the needs of all students with Istation’s computer-adaptive intervention and instruction. Watch the video to find out more.
While Hoover City Schools was successfully serving the needs of its Title I students, the central Alabama district wanted to streamline the process. To do so, they implemented Istation, an e-learning program that identifies learning gaps and provides engaging, interactive lessons and face-to-face teaching strategies to get students back on track.
Being able to serve more students in one day leads to more student success, which leads to greater overall school success. See how one district managed to get more from Title I funding to help students succeed. Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Director of Federal Programs and Testing, explains how Istation’s formative assessments and adaptive curriculum helped Hoover City Schools in Alabama.
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