Right now at Peterson, many students are participating in interventions. An academic intervention is simply a focused instructional time that targets specific needs and/or gaps in learning. They may include small group instruction, progress monitoring, and additional communication between a student’s teacher and additional school staff who are conducting the intervention. In some instances, a student will receive focused instruction outside of their class for short periods of time. This is done to provide the focused support that each student needs, and does not normally impact core reading, writing, or math instruction. We want each student to continue leaning with their classmates on these core subjects, while they also receive this additional intervention instruction to catch them up.
The term “intervention” kind of sounds scary, but really all it means is that our school is making a special change to instruction to better meet the needs of students. There may be gaps in learning for any number of reasons. Some students might miss some school and miss learning about a concept. Other students might not have understood the instruction as it was happening. Still other students might just need more time to let the learning form. It’s important to know that interventions are temporary and part of a normal day here at Peterson.
-Principal Hargraves
Assessment Results
Last week the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development released the results from the Alaska Star test and the Alaska Science Assessment. This test helps to tell a story about Peterson Elementary and helps schools make decisions about curriculum, staffing, and more. Schoolwide and districtwide results are posted online. The Alaska Star assesses Reading and Math in grades 3 through 5. The Science Assessment measures 5th grade only. These tests are specifically designed to measure proficiency in the Alaska standards.
