Academic intervention services (AIS) teams provide support at the school level. Each team consists of educational professionals who determine academic intervention needs of the students in the school, establish targeted means of assessing students, determine methods for dealing with academic problems, and – most important – monitor on an ongoing basis whether these methods are resulting in increased learning and achievement. This year, with the new provision of inquiry teams in schools focused on supporting a particular target group of students, AIS content can provide valuabel intellectual capital to move the work of the inquiry team in addressing individual student needs.

The Office of Academic Intervention Services K-12 provides resources and support for this work directly to the schools as well as through School Support Organizations and collaboration with central office staff. The office also ensures compliance with New York State Education Department requirements for support for students performing below grade-level expectations. In a field that has been unfolding intensively in the last thirty years, and even more rapidly of late, it is the goal of the Office of Academic Intervention Services to build capacity in schools, developing a cadre of learning specialists who can lead the work of addressing specific student needs in every school using state-of-the-art, research-supported methodology.

Offering a range of professional supports, the Office of Academic Intervention K-12 provides professional development opportunities in intervention within literacy, mathematics and content areas , as well as informational resources including a newsletter , intervention toolkits of suggested methods and materials within specific areas of intervention, PowerPoint presentations in a range of topics, best practices identification and dissemination , video training materials , extensive on-line resources and tools , an active on-line listserv disseminating relevant research and encouraging dialogue about current methods, on-site technical assistance , web-based resources, university collaborations, pilots of promising programs, support of school-based professional development services, parent-support activities, and more. Customized professional development for schools, networks and school support organizations is available as are consultative services.

For additional information about our work, please contact Dr. Esther Klein Friedman, Director, Office of Academic Intervention Services K-12, efriedm@schools.nyc.gov .