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Hoover Middle School credits targeted six-week "academic skills" rotation with large short-term diagnostic gains
Summary
Hoover Middle School told the Waterloo Community School District board that a six-week, teacher-led ‘‘academic skills’’ rotation using IXL/EXL strand diagnostics has produced rapid gains for some students; staff said roughly 75–80 students cycle through the program every six weeks and the district will watch ISAS scores for sustained impact.
Hoover Middle School principal Tom Harskamp and his instructional team told the Waterloo Community School District board on Nov. 24 that a new teacher-led "academic skills" rotation is helping students close learning gaps identified by ISAS and EXL diagnostics.
The program places roughly 12 students with a single academic-skills teacher for six weeks and uses EXL/IXL strand analysis to group learners by the specific domains where they need support, Harskamp said. "We decided to ... give kids a way to like up their game," Harskamp said as he explained the pivot after a midyear schedule gap.
Instructional coach Becky Wooden and sixth-grade academic skills teacher Miss Puce described how the data-driven approach guides in-class instruction. Miss Puce said two students assigned to her six-week group recorded unusually large diagnostic gains: "one made 100 points growth ... the other one made like 160 points growth," she said, adding that an average monthly gain is generally about 10 points.
Why it matters: Hoover staff framed the rotation as a targeted intervention for the roughly 30% of students not yet proficient districtwide. By rotating about 75–80 students through academic-skills classes every six weeks, staff aim to reach most students who need extra support while also using the same diagnostic platform in regular classrooms and MTSS periods.
Board members and staff described practical supports behind the numbers: teacher professional development on the EXL/IXL platforms, collaborative "group jams" where teachers plan interventions, and incentives for student engagement (trophies and recognition were used schoolwide). Harskamp said the school is monitoring usage and hopes to see corresponding gains on upcoming ISAS results.
The presentation included brief student remarks: one sixth grader, Dion, said simply, "I love math," and another, Jeremiah, said he enjoys making new friends—remarks the principal used to underline student engagement as part of the program's success.
Next steps: Hoover staff told the board they will continue six-week rotations, use EXL reports to adjust grouping, and report back as district ISAS data are available to confirm whether the short-term diagnostic gains lead to sustained improvement across state assessments.
