CASA Academy

In order to address significant learning loss that has occurred for students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CASA Academy has added a Reading Interventionist on staff. The reading interventionist is charged with analyzing school-wide assessment data and creating and working with intervention groups to help students fill the learning loss gaps that have occurred because of the pandemic. CASA added this position in the 2021-22 school year and will use ESSER funds to be able to continue to support this position to address learning loss throughout the ESSER III budget period. Groups will range from 3-6 scholars depending on needs so the teacher to student ratio will range from 1:3 to 1:6. Intervention groups will occur for 20-30 minutes per day, 2-5 times per week based on need as determined by data. Students who need the most support will be pulled the most times per week. SIPPS is the evidence-based phonics intervention program that will be used. We will also use STEP data to guide instruction. Since CASA serves a low-income population, these students will be served in guided reading. CASA also serves a high percentage of EL students so these students will receive additional support through this intervention as well. We create all of the groups based off of our STEP assessment data. Groups will be monitored on an ongoing basis and officially tested and regrouped based on data 5 times per year.
CASA Academy will use the remainder of the 20% set-aside to provide contracted counseling services to address the social-emotional and mental health needs of students due to the pandemic. CASA will contract with a school counselor to meet with students who are identified as students who will benefit from this support by a staff member on campus. The Responsive Classroom will be used by both the counselor and teachers. Teachers implement the program daily in their classrooms during their morning meetings and community circles and the counselor will use this during counseling sessions as appropriate as well. Counseling sessions will occur in small groups and/or one-on-one depending on need to provide the utmost flexibility and support to our students. Sessions will occur every 1-2 weeks with most groups meeting weekly. Identification of students who need the services will be through teacher referral, parent referral, and discipline data. Our school serves primarily low income students so this is the population that will be targeted for support.