Pyramid intervention helps students achieve
By Brenda L. Shelkey, BHG News Service
At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, administrators at Underwood School were determined to address the issue of students who tend to fall through the cracks, the ones who aren’t necessarily trying to fail, but who don’t seem to know how to work toward their potential. After considering different options, administrators took a look at a program used by Gail Wold at Beulah Middle School. It is a Pyramid Academic Intervention program created to help students who are either academically failing a class or classes, and who often become ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities. High School Principal Gene Utecht and Elementary Principal Barb Robinson had several reasons for wanting to try the program. One reason stems from the need to meet AYP for No Child Left Behind. But at the forefront is the desire to provide an atmosphere that lets students work to their full potential. Often students don’t see the connection between doing the homework and doing well on a test which in turn affects the level of proficiency which schools are trying to meet under AYP standards. The base of the Pyramid Intervention is the voluntary after-school program where any student can come into the library or classroom which is set up with a supervising teacher, to work on homework and get help if needed. The next level begins with the teachers. Both elementary and secondary teachers look at the test results and identify areas of concern.
