As interventions begin at Woodford County High School, so do the mixed emotions regarding it’s significance to our students’ success. Many believe that it is important, while others say it’s an unnecessary addition to the student body’s already packed schedule. To reach a consensus on the importance of intervention, we must first examine its underlying purpose.
Intervention was first put in place to help aid students’ ACT/SAT scores. Twice a week, students are placed into designated hives to allow 45 minutes dedicated specifically to ACT/SAT improvement. These hives require teachers to develop lesson plans tailored to the tests for students to participate in. This newly implemented policy is all for the benefit of the student body, and while the administration’s intentions are good, this addition to students’ daily regimen can be conflicting.
Seniors Parker Ishmael and Sean Williams both had strong emotions regarding the intervention. Williams stated, ”Intervention did not benefit my ACT score. The next ACT I took actually went down a point.” Ishmael added, “My sophomore year, before intervention, my ACT score was a 22. After intervention the following year, when we took the ACT again, I got a 20.” Even CERT testing, an ACT-like practice test, which has been said to at least increase our ACT scores by one or two points, has proved to be ineffective in producing consistent results for students, with scores varying between minor improvements and minor drops. These findings don’t necessarily prove that intervention is detrimental to one’s performance; however, they also don’t prove that it serves fruitfully towards ACT improvement, as it’s marketed to us by our administrators.
Oftentimes, intervention can cause more harm than good to students. Sophomore athlete, Dylan Branson, stated, “It’s difficult to work on any missing assignments, prepare for any test, or complete big assignments I have due during the week when I’m being forced into intervention hives. It makes you realize how important those two hive days really are.” With the responsibility of managing eight separate classes, every hive is important for students. As semesters wind down and the workload increases, students are struggling to balance life and school. Hive provides 45 minutes solely dedicated to completing any work that students need done. Providing that time during school hours allows students not to have to spend any extra time outside of class working on classwork when they are already balancing extracurriculars, jobs, responsibilities, etc. When interventions take away 2 hives during a week, that’s 90 minutes students lose during the school day and are forced to make up after school hours.
All in all, interventions serve as a useful tool to ensure minimal preparation for the ACT/SAT in the spring for our students. Although it requires those who already have a full schedule to take on even more responsibility, which can prove not only stressful but also unnecessary to students, but to the teachers as well. Intervention will encourage students to learn how to take on extra responsibility and manage their time better to ensure that all scholastic needs are met. Maybe in the future, our administration will be able to find a more simplistic way to balance our everyday student and staff life with the rigorous preparation for the ACT and SAT.
