Continuing Conversation With Colleagues About Providing Tiered Supports to Students

• In Event: The Tight-Loose Paradox Around Instructional Models: Where Do I Stand as a Teacher Leader?

Abstract

Purpose: I am engaging in self-study to gain a better knowledge of “How do I continue the conversation with other teachers and leaders about providing students with Tier 2 and 3 supports?” Often these students get labeled as “unreachable” when in reality, they aren’t “unreachable,” they are just “unreached” because the conversations, interventions, supports, and strategies have stopped.
Theoretical Framework: This study is grounded in Rosenholtz’s (1989) social-organizational framework. Both the structures of the school and the social interactions within it inform my approach.
Contextual Framework: As an interventionist at a middle school in a small industrial city, I provide students with academic and behavioral Tier 2 and 3 supports and assist others in doing the same. My interactions with students and colleagues happen throughout the day and across settings, and each interaction can impact whether the conversation around Tier 2 and 3 supports continues.
Methods and Data: I use self-study to make evident my thinking through reflective cycles of decision-making (Hamilton, et al., 2008). Since self-study privileges life story and voice, I am the instrument in posing intentional cycles of questions and inquiry into improving my practice (LaBoskey, 2004). My teacher research group colleagues are critical friends continuously checking the trustworthiness of my data cycles and conclusions (LaBoskey, 2004). My data for written reflective cycles include meeting notes, daily notes of conversations, journaled lists, calendar entries, intervention feedback from colleagues and ongoing reflections including those related to intervention fidelity and longevity.
Substantiated Conclusions: This is a preliminary paper for an ongoing study. Reflective cycle data will be included in the final paper in a narrative format with the cycles embedded as graphics. This research helps me realize what needs to be done to keep the conversation, ideas, and opportunities flowing for the students I have the strongest passion for. Going the extra mile in Tier 2 or 3 can seem exhausting. I am learning what conversation models work and what coaching models help support teachers in implementing the interventions that provide success and the momentum to keep the conversation going. I continue to learn how to best get a commitment from building leadership and teachers to continue the work for our students receiving Tier 2 and 3 supports.
Implications: This question matters because the population of students that this conversation is about is the most vulnerable, and if our students are in a system that appropriately supports them, they will have all of the tools they need to be successful, and the legacy of creating these supports will be continued. This will affect my continuing work because it will help me figure out how to gain buy-in and continued support and partnership from leadership and teachers. The implication for others’ practice is that this could open the door to a dialogue between all players in the building both faculty and students alike in being able to teach and support all children.

Author

• Shannon Costley, Carter G. Woodson Middle School