ACADEMIC INTERVENTION SERVICES 2
Running head: ACADEMIC INTERVENTION SERVICES 1
Academic Intervention Services
Name
Institution
Author’s Note
Introduction
The federal government sometimes requires state or local governments and the private sector to implement specific requirements or legislation passed by Congress but fails to provide the funds for fulfilling such obligations. The creation of such provisions and the failure to provide funds to support them is an unfunded mandate. There are several examples of unfunded mandates, and the academic intervention services are only one of them. The state provides the funding for such programs, not the federal government even though such mandates originate from the federal government and are thus part of the unfunded mandates.
Government Rationale for AIS
The government created the academic intervention services program for several reasons, the primary one being to enhance and improve the academic performance of learners. The program is meant to assist learners who have difficulties meeting the learning standards set by the New York State (Rodgers, 2013). The academic performance standards ensure that it is possible to evaluate the performances of individual leaners relative to the set standards and as such determine which students need the academic intervention programs and the extent to which they will be a part of the program. The state government reserves the right to determine the academic performance standards as well as the guidelines on how the programs will be implemented across the schools in the state.
The academic intervention services program was also created to help learners who have a disability or have unique problems that limit their potential for academic achievement. As such, the academic intervention program takes into account all of these factors and integrates them to ensure that learners get the maximum benefit from the services. For learners with a disability, the score is lower compared to the abled, and also helps them get sufficient attention that they would otherwise not receive without the program. Leaners who may have personal or family issues that affect their academic performances also benefit from the academic intervention services since they get a chance to learn for extra time and under personal instruction. Furthermore, such leaners have a chance to get professional help as they can share their issues with teachers at a personal level.
Teachers and schools also benefit from the academic intervention services and are thus one of the reasons for the existence of the program. Schools aim to achieve high-performance levels from their leaners, and the academic intervention services are in line with this objective. When the program is effectively implemented, then it becomes possible for schools to boost their performances, an aspect that is beneficial to all stakeholders including the leaners, the schools, the state, parents, and the federal government. Therefore, the academic intervention services are a program with good intentions for all stakeholders even though it increases the costs of state governments, in this case, the New York State which is responsible for funding the program.
Plan for Change
The academic intervention services are described by the New York State Education Department and are passed down to all the districts and schools. The districts are responsible for implementing the academic intervention services program through determining the students who should participate in the program as per the set standards by the New York State Education Department. The schools with the involvement of parents, teachers, and the students where necessary are to design measures to ensure that the programs are implemented, including how the programs will be implemented. An implementation may be in the form of extra time teaching for learners under the program, personal instruction to learners under the program or even summer teaching sessions. For students who do not achieve the set state standards from kindergarten to high school, the program is compulsory.
The state standards are as follows: for learners in kindergarten through grade 2, lack of reading readiness in English and mathematics would lead to enrolment in the AIS program. From grade three through eight, scores below the following shall lead to enrolment in the AIS program. For mathematics, scores below the following for each grade warrant academic intervention. Grade 3;293, grade 4;284, grade 5;289, grade 6;289, grade 7;290, grade 8;293 (NYSED.gov, 2015). For English language arts, scores lower than the following state set standards shall lead to enrolment in the AIS program: grade 3;299, grade 4;296, grade 5;297, grade 6;297, grade 7;301, grade 8;302 (NYSED.gov, 2015). The above is the state set academic standards below which a student must be enrolled for the academic intervention services (NYSED.gov, 2015). However, the individual districts may use some other criteria when offering academic intervention services, but such a criterion must fulfill the above state requirements, and where the district education boards see fit, more students may be included even if they have met the above minimum state requirements.
The Cost of Change
Academic intervention services are financed by the state, in this case, the New York State is responsible, through consultations with the district boards of education, for the funding necessary for the implementation of academic intervention programs. However, individual schools may also use their funds to give the program more support. Funds for running the program may be gotten from funds for the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ from the federal government or other state funds. The New York State, during the 2012-2013 financial year trained one thousand two hundred teachers for the AIS program, at a state-funded cost of $922,000 (NYSED.gov, 2013).
References
NYSED.gov. (2013). Budget Coordination. Retrieved from http://www.oms.nysed.gov/budget/pro2012/p12-12.html
NYSED.gov. (2015). 100.2 General School Requirements. Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/1002.html#ee
Rodgers, D. (2013). Academic Intervention Services. Retrieved from https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1263&context=education_ETD_masters