Student Interventions

Student interventions are critical in helping a struggling student achieve academic success. Using a value added system, teachers can quickly identify students who need help and then provide them with the resources and additional instruction necessary to improve.

Too many students in Arkansas remain below the proficiency level in reading. Disparities between the Arkansas Benchmark Examination results and nationally normed examinations are disturbing in their scope. As an example, the Arkansas Benchmark Exam showed 62% of fourth graders at proficient or above, while the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicated only 34% were proficient or above.

With this deficit in mind, UALR has proposed two programs for reading intervention:

Early Intervention—Reading Recovery
Reading recovery is a research-based literacy intervention that provides intensive tutoring for struggling readers in first grade. Most students accelerate their literacy learning and reach average or better performance. The goal is to dramatically reduce the number of learners who have extreme difficulty with literacy learning and the cost of these learners to education systems. UALR Literacy Model

Supplemental Support—Early Literacy Groups
These groups provide intensive literacy interventions for K-3 students. Children who are on the way to becoming proficient readers and writers but who are experiencing literacy difficulties may be seen in this small group instructional setting. Specially trained teachers support and monitor children’s literacy progress in targeted areas. UALR Literacy Model

We need more intervention programs like the ones above in order to most effectively provide struggling students with the resources and additional instruction necessary to keep from falling further behind in the academic process.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics and SchoolMatters