One of the most effective ways to provide intervention for secondary students is through a school-wide WIN (What I Need)period. WIN is a scheduled but flexible time block where teachers provide targeted support and enrichment to students based on their individual needs. WIN time should be planned to include both intervention and enrichment.
Secondary Intervention MTSS Highlights |
When launching a school-wide or district-wide initiative like WIN time, several legitimate concerns arise:
- How do we schedule the time with all the competing priorities?
- What should teachers do with the time?
- How do we ensure dynamic groups allow students to move in and out as needed?
- How do we support teachers in effectively implementing interventions?
Years ago, as part of a team opening a new high school, our principal emphasized the importance of site-based decision-making. With input from our leadership team, we dedicated considerable thought to our master schedule. Our principal reminded us that scheduling reflects our priorities, leading us to adopt a nonconventional schedule to support deep learning for all students. We decided on a 4x4 block schedule but heard the concerns raised by stakeholder groups, so we modified it. We alternated classes by quarter instead of semester. We also added an extra "floating block" in 9th and 10th grade English to offer additional literacy instruction for all students.
Once upon a time, I entered the classroom as a young teacher excited to impact my students' lives. I started as a middle school teacher, so I had my class syllabus, the class rules, and the outline of what we would be doing for the year, and I presented that to my students on the first day of school. I did this because it's what my own school experience was and it's what I was told to do in my teacher education program. A few years later, I had the privilege and opportunity to attend a Tribes training, now known as Peace Learning Center. The program emphasized creating engaging learning communities. This shift from control to collaboration with students not only resonated with me but also yielded remarkable results in my classrooms over the years.