Last week I described the process that my principal and I used to create a schedule that allowed me time to focus on both aspects of my role as a Reading Specialist and Literacy Coach. Read about it here. This week, I want to focus on how I selected students for my pull-out support class.

In order for the interventions to be effective, we felt it was important that I kept my class size small. We decided to cap it at 10 students in each class. Over time, we have shifted that cap to 15. Now, obviously, I could not pull out every student who needs my help. We had to be very strategic and intentional about which students would give us “the most bang for our buck,” in the words of my principal. My school had almost 600 students at the time, and according to benchmark data, over 150 of them qualified for the pull-out class. Even if I had full classes all day long, there was no way that I could work with every student who needed my help.

Data Analysis

That first year, we decided to focus primarily on 6th graders. We felt that they would be the most receptive to having extra support. The 7th and 8th graders had at least one year with no pull out support and had gotten used to it. We feared that pulling them out now would cause more behavior problems. We could work our way up to 7th and 8th grade, but ultimately decided to start small.

Even looking at just the 6th graders, there were more students than I could possibly see in small groups. I looked over the benchmark data carefully, determined not to bite off more than I could chew. At that point, we used the Star assessment from Renaissance for the reading comprehension in combination with the DIBELS assessment for fluency. I looked to see which students scored below the 40th percentile, either yellow or red, in the Star assessment. Then I looked at the DIBELS fluency scores for those students. The ones who were also below their grade level fluency goal were the students I focused on. I picked 20 students who met both categories to be pulled into my support class. We called it JAG Lab, since our school mascot is the Jaguars and it is a reading lab. This process took most of the 1st quarter.

Changing the Way We Look at Data

This is my third year in this position. As time went on, I had to adapt the way I looked at the data. For one thing, my district changed the benchmark assessment that we used. I inevitably needed to adjust my approach. We started using the Fastbridge assessment. I like Fastbridge in many ways. For one thing, it has a fluency CBM included, which keeps all of our data “under one roof.” I also like that there are different sub-tests, which gives us a more detailed picture of the students’ abilities and risk.

When looking at data using the Fastbridge, my colleagues and I developed a flowchart in order to see which students should be placed in different groups. For my pull-out intervention class, I look for students who are “some risk” or “high risk” in all 3 categories: AUTOreading, aReading, and CBM. Now that I have been here for a few years, I have worked my way up to working with all 3 grade levels. My JAG Lab classes have a mix of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. As I analyze the data, I am looking for at risk students across the whole school.

Since I am looking at all 650 students in the school, I have to be even more strategic with who I pick. I have started looking at each student’s grades and talking to their teachers to see who could benefit from my help the most.

Informing Families

Once I have picked the students that I am going to be working with, I send home a letter introducing myself and informing families that I will start working with their child. I looked around and found a free template, which I tweaked to meet my needs. I’ve also started including a data sheet where I write the student’s score for each subtest, as well as the benchmark, so that the families can see the need for my intervention class.

Getting Buy-In

For the most part, the parents of the students recognize how helpful my intervention class is. However, there are always a few that decide they don’t want their child enrolled. They contact the office and opt out of my class. While this is disappointing, there’s not much we can do about it. I have invited students several times, making sure that families know that the offer still stands if/when they decide they need it.

One of the main reasons that parents opt out is the fact that it takes the place of an elective. They don’t want their child to miss out. While I understand, I feel like having a reading foundation is more important. For some families, having the core teachers also recommend intervention is enough. If they hear it from more than just me, they are more willing to accept help. I have not been able to get 100% of the parents on board. If you have a way that works for your school, please let me know!