Duncan Middle School is hoping to improve this year’s state test scores.
DMS added a 25-minute period called Advisory to give students intervention and enrichment time. During this period, English, math and science teachers are able to pull students to focus on interventions, as determined by benchmark testing.
Reavis Hammond, seventh-grade math teacher, said he likes advisory, but said the period could probably be used more effectively. Hammond said that some of the students who need to time struggle with paying attention and caring about their progress in school.
Hammond said he would rather have more time in his regular classes instead of having a separate intervention time.
Previously, Duncan Middle School had a similar intervention period called WIN (What I Need) that was removed last year. Advisory was added at the urging of some of the core teachers.
However, Advisory differs from WIN because each day of Advisory, when students aren’t pulled, are set enrichment days. Mondays and Thursdays, students work on Exact Path. Tuesdays are Drop Everything and Read (DEAR). Wednesdays are character days. And on Fridays, teachers get to choose what students during during that hour.
Whitney Gdanksi, seventh-grade English teacher, said she likes Advisory and appreciates that it gives students more time to finish work.
Gdanski said Advisory works better than WIN did.
Although she can see the benefit of Advisory, she said many of the students don’t seem to enjoy the period.
Hammond also said he has seen student grades improve because of the interventions done in Advisory. He said some students learn better at a slower pace and by using paper and pencils instead of Chromebooks.
Steven Dixon, technology engineer teacher, said he likes Advisory, but the students don’t. Dixon said he thinks the period could be used for better things, especially since students don’t get graded for the class.
He said there are benefits to students, but he can also see how the class might be boring for some of them.
