In the classroom setting the school year winds down with picnics, field days and special events. The end of the year math intervention scenario looks quite different! A typical class gets to come to closure on their year together and the teacher has a clear idea of what will happen over the next few months. The vast majority of their students will pass to the next grade level and in the fall a new set of students will arrive and they will start the cycle all over again.
In math intervention, the end of the year and the start of the next isn’t always so clear-cut! Being intentional now can help your year to end smoothly and can set you up for success in the year to come.
Set Your Schedule and Adjust Your Expectations
If you can predict it, you can prevent it. I am certain that you can predict that there will be a variety of schoolwide schedule changes as the year comes to a close. Prevent yourself the frustration of preparing lessons for a group of students who never arrive by setting up your end of the year math intervention calendar as soon as possible.
Send an email, now, that asks teachers to let you know what dates their students might not be available for math intervention. I’ll make this easy- copy and paste my template below:
Hello [Teacher]!
As the school year winds down I know that plenty of fun activities have been planned for our students! I want to be sure that I am know about any changes in the schedule so that I can be as prepared as possible for my math intervention groups in the time we have left together.
Are there any days coming up between now and the next few weeks when students might be unavailable for math due to field days, field trips, class picnics, etc?
Thanks in advance- this is really helpful information!
[Signature]
Next, list each of your math intervention groups and count out the number of sessions you have left together. Don’t forget to account for any dates YOU might be unavailable due to testing or other end of year responsibilities. This will help you to adjust your expectations around what you might truly be able to accomplish together and what math skills you will want to prioritize before the year lets out!
Set Your Students Up For Summer Success
Setting your students up for success comes in two distinct forms. First, you want to help your students maximize their summer. Next you will want to be sure that you are prepared with any necessary data that might be needed to get your students the support they need in the year to come.
You obviously won’t be meeting with your math intervention groups this summer, however, you can send your students off with a simple toolkit that will keep their skills in tip-top condition! Consider sending home some printable math games that require minimal materials and set-up so families can play together.
A set of printable manipulatives (I have a set free here!) will ensure that your students have the math tools they need close at hand! Some families also like to have a learning packet that they can use throughout the summer.
Set Your Students Up for Future Success
You likely have a feeling about which students you think will and will not need math intervention come fall. Get your end of the year math intervention data spreadsheet in order so that you have information should you need to “fight” for your students.
Data pieces you might want to consider include:
- Pre and post-assessment data for the specific math skills you have targeted in intervention groups.
- Fact fluency growth across the school year.
- Classroom assessment datahe- Where are your students performing relative to their peers?
- Standardized data from school or district-wide screening assessments.
If you are the math interventionist for multiple grade levels not only will gathering this data into a spreadsheet provide you with the information you need to best place your students in the fall but it will also help you to form new math groups when the new school year rolls around!
Set Yourself Up for a Successful Fall
In addition to having your data points in order, you can set yourself up now so that you can hit the ground running in the fall. Print this free planning guide now.
Some day, when your students inevitably *do* cancel on you at the last minute, have it handy so you can sit down and start to fill it out. The instructions are clear and very step-by-step so you can plan your year a little bit at a time.
Wherever you leave off, pop your plan into the top drawer of your desk and you will be able to start wherever you left off in the fall. Your future self will be thankful that your end of the year math intervention plan included prep for the year ahead!
