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Intervention and Peer Tutoring In January 2006, Northview High School began an ambitious intervention system. The key element to this program was a schedule change to a seven-period day. For students with a high GPA, the seven-period day offers extra elective opportunities, or a free period. Students falling behind may be enrolled in a Guided Study class to complete their homework and get help during the school day. And, students needing extra help may be assigned by their teachers to be pulled from Guided Study and taken to Intervention to work with a Peer Tutor for a week on specific skills. In 2006/2007, about 70 students elected to trade in a free period to be a part of the peer tutoring program. For three weeks they received intensive training on library skills, instructional strategies, the Listening Center (audio books) and research technology. They also helped set up the library by making signs, moving books, organizing materials, and bar-coding. Tutors led library orientations for freshman English classes and assisted when teachers brought students in for research assignments. Intervention began with math, and by December as many as 220 students from Algebra 1, 1A, 1B, 2, and Geometry were being assigned to visit intervention for the week. In the spring, students from English, the Success Academy, economics and government, Spanish, French, and CAHSEE prep were also coming in. Tutors quickly took ownership of the program, and consequently were given more responsibility. Now they pick up students, keep attendance, distribute materials, grade tests, help with discipline, collaborate with teachers, create displays, make promotional presentations, and mentor and train other tutors. They participate in monthly meetings to exchange ideas and evaluate the success and possible improvement of systems. Probably the most impressive thing about their work is the innovative ways the tutors find to help their students. They make up competitive games, use board games, manipulatives, even macaroni! Tutors do whatever it takes to make the lesson more fun and to help their students understand. As a result of their hard work, in 2006/2007 the intervention program helped students achieve an average 14-point improvement each week. So far in the 2007/2008 school year, students are achieving a 17-21 point increase per week. More importantly, the library is busier than ever, as is the College & Career Center and after-school tutoring. Students now view the library as a vital resource, and teachers, too, have been turning to the library staff for articulation and assistance with projects, or for innovative ideas. For more information about how Intervention and the peer tutoring programs work, contact Hillary Wolfe, Learning Specialist at Northview High School (hwolfe@cvusd.k12.ca.us), or Intervention teachers Carleen Maurer (cmaurer@cvusd.k12.ca.us) or Marilynne Jensen (mjensen@cvusd.k12.ca.us). |
 Tutors Abraham Machuca, Orlando Ortiz, Robert Rincon, and Diego Romero practice using a four-pan balance to show equivalents for tutoring Algebra students at Northview High Schools Peer Tutoring/Intervention program.  Tutors Stephanie Garcia, Arielle Aguilar, Alberto Perez and Ashley Berry experiment with Algebra tiles to appeal to visual learners. |
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