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Sycamore Junior High staff say Tier 2 reading class produced measurable winter gains
Summary
Staff from Sycamore Junior High School presented data to the Sycamore School District Board of Education showing that a 45‑minute, five‑day Tier 2 reading intervention has produced larger‑than‑expected MAP reading gains from fall to winter and established clearer entrance and exit rules.
Staff from Sycamore Junior High described a multi‑year effort to structure Tier 2 reading intervention and presented district assessment results showing stronger-than-expected growth for students in the program.
Samantha Reed, the school psychologist at Sycamore Junior High School, said Tier 2 targets roughly “the 15 percent of kids that don't respond to the general education” and that the junior high team has focused on “database decision making” and the “science of reading” to shape instruction. Jennifer Shelton, the junior high reading intervention teacher, said the intervention is taught as a 45‑minute, small‑group elective five days a week and that students are placed in the class “based on data.”
The team described a clear entrance and exit protocol that uses multiple data points. Reed said the school uses three data sources for placement and quarterly data checks to decide whether students should exit Tier 2, remain, or move to Tier 3 (individualized instruction). Reed and Shelton said the Tier 3 option provides a “double dip” with students receiving individualized instruction a second time during the day.
On outcomes, presenters cited MAP benchmark results. They reported that in the previous school year 36 percent of students in the intervention met or exceeded MAP expected growth (20 percent exceeded; 16 percent met). For the current school year, Reed said, 69 percent of students in the Tier 2 group had met or exceeded MAP reading growth projections at the winter benchmark, with 42 percent exceeding the projection. Reed reported that the average growth percentile for students in intervention rose from about the 30th percentile last year to about the 60th percentile this school year.
Shelton described classroom practice and student communication: “Everybody entering my class is Tier 2, and they know that. They know how they got there,” she said, noting the team talks with students about what their scores mean and how they can earn an exit. Reed said having the Tier 2 data centralized sped evaluation decisions for students who were not making growth: staff could begin the evaluation process sooner because “she's already got all the data she needs.”
Board members praised the team’s approach and encouraged sharing the model. Superintendent Michael Lewis (speaking later in the meeting) and several board members commended the staff for the data use and student ownership described in the presentation.
The presenters said remaining work includes increasing vertical alignment with elementary and high school programs, adding additional entry points during the school year, refining automatic exit rules, and further structuring Tier 3 services. Reed and Shelton said they plan to return to the board with updates and to present related work on math in a future meeting.
This presentation was informational; no formal board action was taken on the intervention at the meeting.
