Building-Level Intervention Plans & Informal Accommodations: What Parents Need to Know 🏫📚

Sophia Whitehouse

Aug 20, 20212 min read

Updated: Feb 7

So, What Happens When Classroom Interventions Aren’t Enough? 🤷‍♀️

You’ve talked with your child’s teacher. They’ve tried some in-class interventions. But despite their best efforts, your child is still struggling.

Now what?

At this point, you’re likely writing a letter to the teacher or principal asking for additional support. That request usually triggers a meeting—which can go by many names, depending on your school district:

📌 MTSS - Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

📌 IAT - Intervention Assistance Team

📌 RTI - Response-to-Intervention

📌 SST - Student Success Team

📌 Any other mysterious acronym your school throws at you!

What to Expect at This Meeting 📝

Even well-informed parents are often caught off guard when they walk into this meeting. Why? Because it can feel like you’re on trial.

Here’s the typical setup:

✔ Your child’s teacher

✔ A building administrator (usually the principal)

✔ An Intervention Specialist

✔ A School Counselor

✔ Possibly a School Psychologist or Mental Health Specialist (if applicable)

That’s a lot of people. And it can feel intimidating. But remember—you are your child’s advocate. And everyone at the table cares about your child’s success.

What’s in a Building-Level Intervention Plan? 🏗️

The goal of this meeting? To create a Building-Level Intervention Plan.

🚨 The problem? Many school districts are wildly inconsistent in how they execute these plans.

So what should a good plan include? Here’s your checklist:

✔ Clearly identified skill deficits (behavioral or academic)

✔ Evidence-based intervention the school will use (not just “extra help”)

✔ Who is providing the intervention, how often, and where

✔ Baseline data to establish a measurable starting point

✔ A clear goal that can be tracked (not just “improve reading” but “increase reading fluency from 50 to 90 words per minute”)

✔ A timeframe for when the goal should be met

✔ Defined responsibilities for the school, parent, and student

✔ How progress will be monitored (what data will be collected and when)

This is not a vague plan. You want details. The more specific, the better.

Accommodations vs. Interventions: Know the Difference 🔄

🚨 Important: Accommodations are NOT interventions! 🚨

Many schools try to only provide accommodations at this stage. But accommodations don’t teach skills—they only change the learning environment.

Examples:

📌 Accommodation: Preferential seating (so a student is closer to the board and less distracted).📌 Intervention: Small-group instruction for explicit phonics instruction.

Accommodations help level the playing field, but they don’t teach missing skills. If your child is behind, you need interventions—not just accommodations.

Advocate for specific, evidence-based interventions to help your child actually catch up—not just cope.