Table 4 Interventions to increase student achievement with codes, descriptors, and examples

Small group intervention based on data (31, 35%)

Data-based, targeted activities to increase achievement

(1) The students are working a question with a diagram. Pam helps the students break down the diagram by having them label if the potential or kinetic energy is increasing or decreasing from letter to letter (Pam, classroom observation).

(2) Small group is most effective for me personally because you also can throw in the collaborative element of not excessive high-low [students] but you can have students with a strong understanding and by having them work collaboratively together in small group I can uh probe …. And have them add more background to what they know (Pam, interview).

Intentional interventions increase student achievement (25, 28%)

Data-based interventions

(3) So, you have this plan set aside, but eventually you are with your group, and you may have to change or restructure something to really help them (Pam, interview)

(4) You must really plan that time window for the kids and that moment. Or pick times when you are doing other things and pull them where they’re not going to get behind on other things [assignments, work] (Hermione, interview).

Instructional adjustment based on data (15, 17%)

Using historical data to make intentional adjustments to teaching

(5) The notes have many pictures and diagrams to demonstrate the concept- watershed and ground water. She (Hermione) also spends time breaking down the vocabulary words. When pronouncing the vocabulary words, she is sure to enunciate (Hermione, classroom observation).

(6) Some students are struggling with the current topic. Katie pulls up previous notes that used several pictures. She uses these pictures to provide clarification to students who are struggling with the differentiation between different types of events (i.e., tornado vs. hurricane vs. tsunami) (Katie, classroom observation).

(7) If I noticed that was a significant amount [of students] …. Maybe even just one per group I will stop what we are doing and do a quick reteach… Then I will go back [to] see how it is going and if it is… (Pam, interview).

Structured and planned for assessment to gauge progress toward learning goals (9, 10%)

Teachers continually assessed students to gauge their understanding of the content. Teachers used the data to provide immediate and relevant feedback, or intervention as needed.

(8) You want to make sure it [the struggle of the student(s)] is a consistent issue of they are completely misunderstanding instruction (Pam, interview).