Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Academic Intervention Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
EPIC reports above-expected semester growth after implementing in-house intervention program
Summary
District presenters said EPIC's new interventionist program produced higher-than-expected benchmark growth in its first implementation semester; presenters supplied counts of interventionists and students served and compared results to normal benchmark expectations.
EPIC ONE ON ONE CHARTER SCHOOL officials told the board that the district's first-year in-house academic intervention program produced greater-than-expected growth on internal benchmark measures during the first semester.
Dr. Summers, presenting remotely, said formative English language arts and math results are ahead of targets for the year and that, "in the area of reading, you're really making some good progress this year compared to the previous three." He also framed the update with national context, noting NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores have fallen in many states and observed that Oklahoma was among states with steep declines between 2019 and 2024.
Justin, the district academic presenter, gave preliminary implementation data: EPIC employed 52 interventionists for semester 1 and reported 1,921 students in reading intervention and 1,910 students in math intervention. The sessions were live and virtual and were scheduled as twice-weekly 30-minute sessions for students who scored below the 20th percentile on the Renaissance benchmark tool. Staff reported overall student engagement around 75% and said first-semester attendance for the intervention program reached about 35% of eligible students (higher than historical peaks of roughly 20% for prior outside supplemental programs).
Board members and staff noted point- and grade-level growth relative to internal reference points: kindergarten students averaged about a full grade level of growth; first graders showed more than half a grade level; second through fifth graders recorded point growth above the 15—25 point reference; middle-school grade-level gains also exceeded the typical reference. Staff emphasized this is an implementation year and described plans to refine delivery (for example, moving middle-school students from two 30-minute sessions per week to one 45—60 minute session to improve attendance).
Board discussion included a question about overlap between reading and math intervention rosters; staff said the team would analyze whether the same students were being served in both programs and report after the second semester. A board member asked whether the district had reliable counts of students served in both reading and math; staff replied the overlap is not currently known and will be examined.
The board characterized the intervention work as a multimillion-dollar in-house investment intended to bring tutoring and targeted instruction under district control and increase student access and consistent program quality compared with outside vendors.
