EAP 17: Navigating School Difficulties & Response to Intervention
On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast with Kimi Walker, our guest is Marvin Prather, an educator and intervention coordinator who spends his days working with kids who have math or reading deficits to get them up to grade level. Marvin has seen students make great improvements in their math and reading skills as well as their behavior in the classroom by partnering with the student’s classroom teacher to create a plan of action specifically for that student.
Typically, the first step in helping students in subject areas of deficiency is to put them in a small group of students to go over the subject matter to give each student more personalized attention and the ability to ask more clarifying questions if they do not understand. If this method does not show improvement after a few weeks, the classroom teacher will have a meeting with the student’s parents to discuss what has already been done to help their child and they will discuss together a plan for increased interventions, such as increasing small group time to 2-3 times per week or reducing the number of problems being presented for the student to solve. In most situations, Marvin has noticed measurable improvement within 2-3 months.
Marvin’s advice to parents is to talk to the child’s classroom teacher to see if there are any resources they can be using at home to help their child progress. Additionally, if the child’s teacher has contacted the parents to discuss their child’s behavior in school, it is likely that their behavior is linked to difficulty understanding some of the subject matter being taught, so this should be handled appropriately and consistently. Marvin’s advice to teachers is to set clear expectations and maintain a consistent environment for all students, using rewards or incentives to encourage good behavior and a rapport with the students that will create trust.
Typically, the first step in helping students in subject areas of deficiency is to put them in a small group of students to go over the subject matter to give each student more personalized attention and the ability to ask more clarifying questions if they do not understand. If this method does not show improvement after a few weeks, the classroom teacher will have a meeting with the student’s parents to discuss what has already been done to help their child and they will discuss together a plan for increased interventions, such as increasing small group time to 2-3 times per week or reducing the number of problems being presented for the student to solve. In most situations, Marvin has noticed measurable improvement within 2-3 months.
Marvin’s advice to parents is to talk to the child’s classroom teacher to see if there are any resources they can be using at home to help their child progress. Additionally, if the child’s teacher has contacted the parents to discuss their child’s behavior in school, it is likely that their behavior is linked to difficulty understanding some of the subject matter being taught, so this should be handled appropriately and consistently. Marvin’s advice to teachers is to set clear expectations and maintain a consistent environment for all students, using rewards or incentives to encourage good behavior and a rapport with the students that will create trust.
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