By GEORGE KUNKE, geoakunke@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 6, 2021 3:01 pm
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A new program designed to help students that have fallen behind in their educational progress has been implemented by Raymond School District.
Directing the program is Raymond HS Principal Dave Vetter in the new position as Raymond School District Secondary Intervention Teacher (SIT).
Vetter has been with the Raymond School District for 18 years. He started as a kindergarten teacher, spent four years teaching fourth graders, four years as the junior high English teacher, and the past nine years as the junior/senior high principal.
Vetter graduated from Raymond HS and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Washington State University and Master's degree in administration from City University.
Vetter took time to respond to several questions from the Herald about his new role as Secondary Intervention Teacher.
Vetter is looking forward to the new position and for the opportunity to help students accomplish their goals and make a difference in their lives. The coronavirus pandemic has curtailed a lot of students from progressing with their studies since the outbreak took over in the spring of 2020.
"I'm excited to end my career teaching and working with the kids that need me the most," Vetter said. "This is a needed program not just at RHS, but at most of the schools across the state. Students have a tough enough time keeping up, Covid has caused many of them to fall behind."
"This is a new program at Raymond High school," Vetter said. "We have not had a need for it as exemplified by our above average graduation rates and the continual improvement of our ninth grade on track rates over the past five years. Due to Covid and distance learners who struggled with the format, the program is now needed to provide those students who have fallen back the support they need to catch up."
Vetter's role and duties are multifaceted. "I'm a teacher, problem solver, diagnostician and a member of the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS ) team," he said.
The program entails trying to prevent what is slowing down the learning process of the student and working to get him or her back on track.
"Different modes of assessment will be used to determine what holes there are impeding a student's success," Vetter said. "My job will be to identify and work to fill in these gaps. Credit recovery will be another large part of the program. Those students have been identified by our academic counselor, Karla Webber, and she has developed paths forward for me to guide them through."
According to Vetter, also involved with the new program, will be the "district student support coordinator." The program is for students in grades seven through 12 "as needed for identified students." Only at-risk students can participate in the program.
Vetter said he did not know what percentage of the students at Raymond would participate or need this program. "I am going to devote one period a day strictly to the eighth graders helping prepare them for success in high school. At this point, I couldn't say what percentage of other students I'll be working with."
As far as how many students will participate in the program, Vetter said, "The complete eighth grade class, about 50 students, and approximately 60 other students."
Asked if it is something that is mandatory if the school feels a student needs to participate, Vetter replied, "Yes, it is a normal class in a student's schedule."
SIT Job Description
This new position is non-continuing and will last a maximum of two years. It is funded by Federal emergency money. The job description of the Secondary Intervention Teacher position provides explicit content area instruction in a one-to-one or small group setting to improve specific mathematics, language arts, science, or social studies skills of a particular child or small group of children to support regular classroom instruction. It works with the school principal and classroom teachers to design and create intervention plans of learning aligned with regular classroom learning objectives and most appropriate for each child or small group of students identified as at-risk of meeting grade level proficiency. It also monitors and reports student progress and/or response to planned programs of content instruction and adjusts as needed to increase student academic achievement.
Functions of SIT
* Provides intensive instruction in mathematics to at-risk students in a one-on-one or small group setting.
* Identifies students who are at-risk of not meeting grade level proficiency by analyzing data from identified state and district formative and summative assessments, classroom grades, and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).
* Coordinates with the school principal to develop a schedule of one-on-one or small group academic support, based upon analysis of current data, for identified at-risk students.
* Works closely with identified at-risk students' teachers to coordinate intervention program efforts that align with regular classroom instructional focuses to promote student success.
* Monitors and maintains accurate data and anecdotal records on student progress towards mathematics achievement goals. Articulates the students' response or progress to the intervention of at-risk students weekly through a progress monitoring database system.
* Performs other duties as assigned.