Making Time for MTSS Interventions in Secondary School

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.

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? 

How to Schedule WIN Time in Secondary MTSS Interventions

Scheduling at the secondary level is always a challenge! Ensure the right people are involved in decision-making so that all competing priorities are considered.

A successful secondary MTSS schedule includes: 

Adequate time, space, staffing, and resources for intervention/enrichment to meet the needs of all students

Flexibility for students to move in and out of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions as data indicates 

➡️ Dig Deeper: Master Scheduling for MTSS; Options and Challenges!

Secondary School WIN Time Schedules

WIN Block Schedule

How to Utilize WIN Time

WIN time can include: 

• Support for Tier 1: Reteach key concepts from a recent lesson to ensure all students solidify their understanding before moving on to new material. You can also preteach concepts to students who may struggle to grasp them the first time.
• Enrichment opportunities: Some schools have clubs that meet during this time. For example,  students who excel in math could participate in a robotics workshop where they design and program robots, enhancing critical thinking and engineering skills.
• Tier 2 targeted intervention groups that address specific skill gaps. For example, you may have a group of students struggling with fractions receive focused instruction using hands-on activities to improve their understanding and application of fraction concepts.
• Tier 3 intensive support for students with significant learning gaps: A student who reads below grade level works one-on-one with a reading specialist to improve phonics, fluency, and comprehension skills using a structured literacy program. Or the classroom teacher can work with this student to break down important concepts and provide small pieces of text and learning to help the student apply reading skills to content.

To ensure alignment:
Create a curriculum map for the year with key standards identified for each quarter.
Utilize cross-disciplinary planning to allow collaboration between teachers across the support offered.
Identify and utilize assessment data. More extensive, more formal assessments like state tests can give a foundation for thinking through the needed supports
Use ongoing formative assessment to identify student learning gaps. This information can be applied immediately in WIN time.
Consider core competencies. If teachers collaborate and discover an underlying skill issue, like comprehension, support can be provided to strengthen these skills across all areas.

Regardless of the schedule option you choose, here are common strategies used during WIN time.

Small Group Instruction

Cohort Assessment Report A visual display of assessment data such as the Branching Minds Cohort Assessment Report makes it easy to group students that need targeted instruction for a specific skill.

Small groups should be formed by bringing together students with similar learning gaps.

If teachers have larger groups during WIN time, instructional tasks that students can complete with a partner or independently can be offered. The teacher can then pull small groups and work with them, while other students practice the needed skills. 

TIP: Have your students help set their  goals and create a work plan. Students who identify their own goals are more likely to be engaged during learning time.

Peer Tutoring in Secondary Schools

Having students support one another in their learning is a proven way to increase achievement. If you have taken the time to help students set up a goal and work plan, they can use this as a guide for their peer learning time. 

➡️ Dig Deeper: Five Peer Tutoring Strategies for the Classroom

One-on-One Support

Some students may need more intensive support. WIN time is ideal for providing individual support. Because the time is focused and intense, you can allot less time than when working with a small group.

For example, a 9th grader I taught struggled with basic reading skills and had trouble regulating his behavior. A small group setting would often set him off because he didn’t want others to know he struggled. I realigned my 30 minutes of small group time to work with him for 7 minutes individually at the start of each day. I introduced a new concept (ie- a new spelling pattern, a chunk of text for fluency, writing complete sentences, etc…), we practiced, and then I helped him plan for his individual practice time. This still gave me 20 minutes  to rotate two small groups each day.

How to Maximize Resources During WIN Time

Just as there is no one way to schedule WIN, there is no one way to utilize resources during WIN. Remember, how we schedule our time represents what we prioritize. If we want all students to have access to meaningful instruction during WIN time, we must be willing to organize and make the most of all available resources.

Draw on Your Staff's Strengths 
WIN time in many schools takes an "all hands on deck" approach. School leadership, support staff, and teachers all work together to create learning opportunities for every student.

Several schools I have worked in have utilized this strategy. The background and strengths of each adult are considered when planning which staff will handle which WIN group. 

• Certified teachers who are experts in their content should work with groups needing intensive support.
• Support staff can be trained to work effectively with students needing enrichment or strategic support.
  

Professional Learning for Teachers
It is critical to create an ongoing professional development plan so that staff have opportunities explicitly focused on effective intervention strategies and the successful implementation of WIN time.

When considering what professional development to provide for teachers, some key areas to focus on are:

• Differentiated instruction- effective strategies for small group instruction
• Using data to create groups
• Using data to realign instruction
• Formative assessment and progress monitoring

Your professional development plan should also provide time for staff feedback which will guide any adjustments needed. Progress monitoring isn’t just for our students!

Collaborative Planning Time  
If I had to advocate for one non-negotiable, it would be protected collaborative planning time! Intentional planning periods are critical to the success of WIN time and teacher buy-in. This time allows staff to:

Design WIN time activities
Share insights and ideas
Reflect on student progress
Address challenges

Teacher collaboration is at the heart of MTSS, enhances collective efficacy, and encourages shared ownership in student outcomes.

 ➡️ Dig Deeper: Practical Ways to Address Educator Workload and Help Teachers Thrive, with Angela Watson

Student Engagement in WIN Time

 

When WIN time is scheduled outside of class instructional time, a common concern is that many students just don't take advantage of the opportunity:

• Not showing up where they should be
• Not completing work during WIN time
• Not engaging in the process
  

In my experience, this disengagement occurs because students fail to see the "why." 
One way to help students feel like they are part of the process is to have them co-create their goals and work plans for this time. 
Align WIN time opportunities with the student's needs. 

This brings us to the importance of dynamic grouping and data-driven decisions. 

Dynamic Grouping 

If we set up WIN groups once at the beginning of the year and never change them, students may be sitting in learning spaces that aren't offering them what they truly need!

When conducting the initial planning for WIN time, consider how students will move in and out of WIN groups as needed. There is no sense in making a student sit in a WIN group for 8 weeks if they have mastered the skill in 4 weeks.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Staff planning time should include evaluation of ongoing student assessments and realignment of groups as needed.

Create a tracking system to document student progress and determine which concepts students have mastered and which require further intervention.
Create space for feedback. Allow students to help shape WIN time! This is a powerful way to impact our practice and increase engagement. 

Allowing students to have a say in their grouping empowers them to take ownership of their learning journey and increases their engagement.

➡️ Dig Deeper: The Importance of Engaging Student Voice in MTSS

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Incorporating WIN time is, well, a win for secondary students! (Sorry, I had to do it.) Our schedule reflects our values - incorporating time for MTSS interventions and enrichment ensures all students get the support they need to succeed.