Walters held its first child study meetings in February after implementing a new literacy intervention model for the 2024-2025 school year.

Since late September, K-5 students identified through diagnostic assessments as needing additional reading support have been monitored using aimswebPlus. This data has helped teachers track achievement, measure progress, and refine targeted interventions.

Lisa Lupini, Teacher Consultant for Special Education, emphasized that aimswebPlus has enabled the team to make more informed decisions about student progress in interventions. It has also been valuable for tracking progress for students with IEPs.

“AimswebPlus helps us deliver targeted interventions, evaluate their duration, and adjust intensity or frequency based on data,” Lupini said.

Most students have shown adequate progress, while a few will continue interventions and be reassessed in six weeks. aimswebPlus has provided Walters educators with a common language around progress and strengthened data-driven decision-making.

In February 2024, Harper Creek High School experienced a spike in student referrals, the highest of the 2023-24 school year. While referrals were down overall, the PBIS team took a proactive approach for February 2025. A root cause analysis revealed that restlessness and difficulty focusing often led to student misbehavior.

To address this, the PBIS team launched a Brain Break Competition by hallway, encouraging staff to incorporate purposeful breaks into instruction. Teachers tracked breaks using stickers, with prizes awarded for the most breaks recorded and the most improved hall.

The impact was significant—over 600 Brain Breaks were recorded, referrals dropped by half compared to the previous year, and February was no longer the most challenging month for behavior.

Elliot Brinker, a French and Spanish teacher at Harper Creek High School, shared how Brain Breaks became a key part of his daily routine.

“At first, I struggled to include Brain Breaks in my lessons, but once routine set in, students requested them,” Brinker said. “Varying the breaks based on their input and the day's mood worked best.”

Below is an example of the February Brain Break resource sheet shared with staff.

Planning Effective Tier 2 Interventions

Tier 2 interventions ensure all students have the time and support needed to master essential academic and behavioral standards. Taking Action outlines a six-step process for designing these targeted interventions, which supplement Tier 1 instruction.

Teacher teams lead the effort by grouping students across classes or grade levels based on identified needs. The Pro-Solve Intervention Targeting Process from Taking Action serves as a valuable planning tool (see below).

Progress Monitoring is also necessary when planning Tier 2 interventions and extensions for students.

“Progress monitoring has the following benefits when it is implemented correctly: (1) students learn more quickly because they are receiving more appropriate instruction; (2) teachers make more informed instructional decisions; (3) documentation of student progress is available for accountability purposes; (4) communication improves between families and professionals about student progress; (5) teachers have higher expectations for their students; and, in many cases (6) there is a decrease in special education referrals.” (Fuchs, Compton, Fuchs, Bryant & Davis, 2008)

Teachers must be involved in every step of the process as a way to encourage collective ownership over the tools and processes they use.