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Middle school pilot 'Pause and Progress' aims to use WIN period for targeted help, structured choices
Summary
Northern Lehigh Middle School introduced 'Pause and Progress,' a WIN-period pilot that assigns students needing academic intervention to their content teachers and offers supervised choice areas for others, administrators say. The trial began in marking period four and staff report positive early feedback.
Northern Lehigh Middle School Principal Mr. Williams presented a new WIN-period pilot called “Pause and Progress,” saying the program started as a trial in marking period four to target academic support and introduce students to a more high-school-like lunch-and-learn model.
“We wanted to come up with a model that served as a bridge for our students to get from the middle school to the high school,” Mr. Williams said, explaining the program’s primary purpose is to make content-area teachers available for small-group or one-on-one intervention during the 40-minute WIN period.
Students who are failing a course, missing assignments or requesting help are scheduled with their teacher for targeted support; other students may select supervised choice areas—gym (physical activity), the library (quiet space) or an annex/cafeteria social area for board games and socializing. Mr. Williams said the schedule is organized so different content areas are open on different days (for example, ELA, science and Spanish on Wednesdays; math and social studies on Fridays) so students have at least weekly access to each content area.
Staff use a shared spreadsheet to preschedule students who need direct help, Mr. Williams said. “If you’re a student who needs help in my math class, how do I get my math teacher available for me or a small group of students throughout the week?” he asked, adding the spreadsheet allows teachers to identify absences or missed work and slot students into intervention slots.
Mr. Williams said there are firm behavioral and device rules in place: phone use is not permitted during the WIN period, and choice areas are supervised. Teachers who aren’t scheduled for intervention supervise choice areas while scheduled content teachers work with small groups.
The principal said staff feedback has been “very, very positive,” noting many teachers reported more meaningful, small-group time with five or six students. Administrators are discussing expanding choice options to include art and music sections so students who play instruments but are not enrolled in band might access rehearsal space informally.
Committee members asked practical questions about the length of the period (40 minutes), whether the approach increases staff workload and whether one-on-one attention is possible. Mr. Williams said the model uses time already built into the day and that dedicated one-on-one time can be achieved through common best practices like differentiated instruction and staggered group work.
Next steps: the district will continue the trial through the marking period to measure academic impact and refine scheduling and staffing for potential broader rollout next school year.
