This year, Skyline High School introduced a new intervention policy that would take hold immediately. The policy would introduce several changes to the old system. First, it would require certain students to attend intervention, and second, it made intervention slightly longer than before.
While I’m slightly skeptical of the first addition to the policy, I’m glad the administration has extended intervention by 15 minutes. Junior Chloe Zou said, “The […] amount, like before they changed it to 45 minutes, meant that I didn’t actually have enough time to actually retake the tests I needed to. For example, if you wanted to retake a test, […] you could only retake half of it, because you didn’t have enough time, and then the teacher wants to go to lunch, so you get kicked out.”
While convenient, it isn’t the big increase in intervention time that students were hoping for. “I think we should have it four times a quarter,” Zou commented. “It gives students more time to get more things done.”
Robert McDaniel has heard these appeals, noting, “A lot of students specifically were saying, ‘Well, let’s do it like Olympus, where they have it longer and it’s every single day.’” The problem with this proposal was that the majority of teachers disapproved of it. “Teachers […] aren’t really in favor of that,” McDaniel explained. Though he did mention that he would be open to reconsidering it in the future, if this year’s smaller-scale version of intervention works out. “The real intent of the change is to figure out if interventions are really needed, and if they really have an impact for students. And if they do, then we can continue to revise.”
As for the first policy change (requiring certain students to attend intervention), there has been significant disapproval. There are several problems with this policy change, the first being the confusion that ensued during intervention earlier this year, with the majority of students not aware of the notification process if they’re called to intervention.
The second problem is that, while teachers can identify students struggling in their own class, they aren’t able to understand a student’s broader picture. Teachers aren’t aware of how the student is performing in other classes or external reasons for why they’re underperforming in their own class. A student might’ve missed a few days of one class and technically appear behind on paper, but in reality, they could be much more comfortable with that subject than another. But, due to the new intervention policy, students aren’t allowed to self-select where to attend if a teacher calls them to their own class.
However, a few things haven’t changed. Only certain students are required to attend intervention. Contrary to what some students believe, just like last year, students who have not been called to intervention can leave campus. “We never tell people that they can leave campus, but there’s not a can’t in there either,” McDaniel explained.
Overall, the new intervention policy is a mixed bag, though it seems the administration has good intentions. McDaniel said, “This isn’t about punishing students; it’s trying to get them to improve. It’s trying to help students who need support.”
