DLA’s academic intervention program ensures that every student is being taught at the appropriate level, including those who may enter school significantly below grade level or those performing at or above grade level. 

Our model is based on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) which is defined as "the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals, and applying child response data to important educational decisions" (Batsche et al., 2005). 

Based on a problem-solving model, the MTSS approach considers environmental factors as they might apply to an individual student's difficulty, and provides services/intervention as soon as the student demonstrates a need. Focused primarily on addressing academic problems, MTSS has emerged as the new way to think about both disability identification and early intervention assistance for the "most vulnerable, academically unresponsive children" in schools and school districts (Fuchs & Deshler, 2007, p. 131, emphasis added). 

MTSS is grounded in differentiated instruction and begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all students in the general education classroom. 

Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning using a multi-tier model: 

• Tier 1: High-Quality Classroom Instruction, Screening, and Group Interventions 
• Tier 2: Targeted Interventions 
• Tier 3: Intensive Interventions and Comprehensive Evaluation 

At DLA intervention and services are provided by a variety of personnel, including general education teachers, special educators, and related service care providers. Progress is closely monitored to assess both the learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction. Additionally, our model allows for the inclusion of students with special needs in regular classrooms and activities and provides intensive academic supports for students who enter school significantly below grade level. 

3-8 Lightning Power Hour (Enrichment and Intervention): Lightning Power Hour is a designated time during the school day in which students are grouped based on formative assessment data to receive targeted academic intervention in reading and math. During this time, the intervention team and general education teachers will push in or pull students out for small group reading and math intervention. Both general education and intervention teachers provide students with academic intervention based on individualized learning needs. 

Below are the core components of lightning power hour: 

• Students are flexible grouped every 6-8 weeks based on formative assessment data 
• Students receive daily small group reading and math instruction 

• Multiple teachers are assigned to one grade level to reduce class sizes and provide targeted support 
• Students with special needs receive targeted intervention from an intervention specialist aligned to his or her IEP