A practical framework for supporting struggling students

Education

Post-pandemic learning gaps, chronic absence rates near 28 percent, and persistent youth mental health challenges demand immediate action. I developed this 30-60-90-day framework because educators and caregivers need a time-bound, evidence-based playbook they can implement within weeks, not semesters. 

Supporting struggling students requires consistent routines over one-off programs, tight alignment to core instruction, and decisions driven by short-cycle data.

This framework integrates Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) triage, high-impact instruction, tutoring, executive-function scaffolds, and tight progress monitoring. Every recommendation fits within real school constraints and family life. Used consistently, you can move from identification to measurable gains in a predictable, repeatable way.

Clarify who needs support: Defining the struggling student

Clarity about who needs support prevents wasted resources and delayed intervention. For this playbook, a struggling student is any K-12 learner showing persistent academic underperformance, skill gaps in areas like decoding or math facts, or executive-function barriers such as task initiation and organization relative to grade-level expectations.

When in doubt, screen early and begin targeted supports while simultaneously pursuing evaluation where warranted. MTSS intervention and special education evaluation can proceed in parallel. Equity work includes translation, family-friendly communication, and scheduling supports during the school day whenever possible.

Align around a shared roadmap: The seven moves and 90-day timeline

A simple mental model keeps everyone aligned and accountable. The seven moves are: Screen, Triage, Set Goals, Teach and Tutor, Scaffold Executive Function, Partner with Family, and Monitor and Iterate. Each move builds on the previous one so students experience coherent, not fragmented, support.

Use clear timeline anchors: days zero through seven for screening and baseline, days eight through thirty for launching targeted supports, days thirty-one through sixty for intensifying or adjusting delivery, and days sixty-one through ninety for deciding whether to sustain, exit, or escalate. Keep artifacts lean with a one-page checklist and goal sheet plus a simple progress graph. Update the graph weekly or every other week so decisions stay current.

Catch students early with fast, fair screening: Step one

Universal screening identifies risk before students fall further behind. Screen seasonally using brief, validated measures in reading and math, and add structured reviews of behavior and attendance. Pair screening data with teacher judgment and work samples to confirm patterns rather than relying on a single score.

The Data-Light Protocol

Run a thirty- to forty-five-minute in-class protocol to establish baselines:

• Five minutes to explain the purpose and set up materials
• Fifteen to twenty minutes to administer two short probes while other students complete quiet work
• Ten to fifteen minutes to sort results into risk groups and schedule supports before students leave

Capture baseline scores, an attendance snapshot, and notable barriers like sleep, caregiving duties, or transportation issues. This protocol ensures you move from data to action within the same week instead of waiting for the next meeting cycle.

Sort students into the right tier quickly: Step two

Triage decisions must be fluid and data-driven, not based on seat time or adult perception alone. Tier One is core instruction with built-in differentiation, Tier Two provides standardized small-group intervention, and Tier Three delivers individualized, high-intensity support with frequent monitoring.

If screening places a student well below benchmark and class data corroborate the pattern, start Tier Two immediately. If the student is multiple years behind or has not responded to prior Tier Two efforts, start Tier Three. Movement between tiers follows data: inadequate response after six to eight data points should prompt intensification or referral, not a wait-and-see approach.

Red Flags for Immediate Escalation

• Severe decoding or numeracy deficits two or more years below grade level, confirmed by multiple data sources
• Documented nonresponse to well-implemented Tier Two after six to eight data points
• Clear disability markers or a caregiver request for evaluation

Drive instruction with clear, measurable goals: Step three

Goals without specificity produce drift and wasted effort. Write one to two measurable goals per student tied to grade-level benchmarks. Graph progress with an aimline from baseline to target, and adopt simple decision rules.

For example, a third-grade reading fluency goal might read: increase oral reading fluency from 65 to 95 correct words per minute with at least 95 percent accuracy by day 60, and meet 110 or more correct words per minute by day 90. A fifth-grade math goal might target solving 20 single-step fraction problems with 90 percent accuracy in five minutes by day 60.

Decision rules keep teams honest and reduce wishful thinking. If four consecutive data points fall below the aimline, intensify. If four points land above, consider fading supports or setting a new stretch goal.

Rely on proven instructional routines: Step four

Routines beat programs because they transfer across subjects and survive staff turnover. Explicit instruction has shown moderate-to-large positive effects across subjects, grades, and learner groups over five decades. Retrieval practice and spaced practice are high-utility techniques that consistently boost performance.

A Reusable Mini-Lesson Recipe

1. State the goal and success criteria in student-friendly terms
2. Activate prior knowledge briefly and preview vocabulary
3. Model with a worked example, thinking aloud through each decision step
4. Check for understanding with a quick diagnostic item
5. Guide practice with immediate, specific feedback
6. Reteach micro-misconceptions on the spot

Follow guided practice with independent practice, cumulative retrieval from prior lessons, and an exit ticket aligned to the goal. Record the data point and cue the next session’s focus. Interleaving problem types dramatically improves retention, with one study showing 77 percent next-day accuracy versus 38 percent with blocked practice.

Target the actual skill gaps: Step five

Intervention effectiveness depends on precise matching to diagnosed needs. High-impact tutoring features one-to-one or very small groups, at least three sessions per week of approximately thirty minutes, with a consistent trained tutor and tight alignment to core instruction. A meta-analysis estimated average tutoring effects of 0.37 standard deviations, with larger effects when delivered by trained adults during school hours.

Some students show such significant skill gaps that regular small-group intervention is not enough to close the distance in a reasonable timeframe. When data reveal entrenched deficits in decoding, computation, or basic problem solving, they may need more intensive, individualized teaching.

If diagnostics point to missing prerequisite skills that need individualized reteaching at a flexible pace, consider enrolling students in targeted remedial classes that deliver one-to-one instruction aligned to school goals and progress monitoring. This option works especially well when foundational gaps in phonics, fractions, or basic computation block access to grade-level content.

Quick-Pick Support Options

• Small-group fluency sprints for three to four students, with ten- to fifteen-minute repeated readings and modeling
• Cumulative retrieval calendars with daily five- to ten-item mixed reviews and spaced repeats
• Interleaved math sets that mix two to four commonly confused problem types
• Language-rich read-alouds for English learners with pre-taught vocabulary and sentence frames

Make tutoring high-dosage and high-quality: Step six

Tutoring without structure quickly becomes expensive babysitting. Protect 90 to 135 minutes per week per student by building tutoring into the master schedule and coordinating with core teachers for alignment. Avoid pulling students from core reading or math instruction whenever possible.

A sample six-week scope begins with baseline assessment and goal-setting in week one. Weeks two and three focus on explicit instruction with guided practice and cumulative review, and weeks four and five add interleaving plus alignment with real classwork. Week six reviews progress, adjusts goals, communicates results to families, and includes tutor reflection on the mini-lesson recipe, feedback techniques, fidelity logs, and data entry.

Teach independence through executive-function scaffolds: Step seven

Many struggling learners need more structure, not just more time. Executive-function supports improve on-time starts, sustained attention, and work completion. The goal is building independence, not permanent dependence.

Low-Lift EF Toolkit

• Daily visual plan with time blocks and priorities
• Two-column task breakdown with steps and checkboxes
• Timers for twenty-five-minute work sprints with five-minute breaks
• Materials checklist and end-of-day backpack sweep

Fade supports responsibly by shifting from adult-provided to student-generated checklists by week four to six. Increase sprint intervals and reduce prompts as reliability improves. Track executive-function goals alongside academics to ensure transfer across classes and settings.

Use content-specific routines that match student needs: Reading and math playbooks by need

Subject-specific routines accelerate skill building when matched to developmental stage. For K-3 reading, emphasize daily phonemic awareness drills, explicit phonics, and decodable text practice. Use repeated readings with accuracy goals and immediate corrective feedback.

For grades four through nine, teach morphology, including prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Practice multisyllabic decoding on content words. Add structured comprehension routines: preview questions, chunk text, and summarize using sentence frames.

In math, design interleaved homework by selecting three to four commonly confused problem types and sequencing them in mixed patterns. Include one to two worked examples and two retrieval items from prior units. Use error analysis in which students compare incorrect and correct solutions to identify rule violations.

Let progress data drive every decision: Progress monitoring that drives decisions

Data collection without action is administrative theater. For Tier Three students, monitor weekly, and for Tier Two students, monitor every one to two weeks. Collect six to eight data points before making major decisions.

Select brief, reliable curriculum-based measures aligned to goals. Keep administration conditions stable: same time, directions, and scoring rules. Use quick digital or paper graphs updated after each data point, and apply clear decision rules: four points below the aimline means increase dosage or reduce group size; four points above means consider fading or setting a new stretch goal.

Use 30, 60, and 90-day reviews to adjust fast: Review protocols at 30, 60, and 90 days

Brief, focused data meetings prevent drift and ensure accountability. Meet every two to four weeks with tight agendas lasting fifteen to twenty-five minutes. Include caregivers, counselors, and relevant specialists to align school and home supports.

At day thirty, adjust dosage or grouping if data shows insufficient progress. At day sixty, consider provider or material changes, or initiate an evaluation referral if red flags persist with strong fidelity. At day ninety, make the formal decision: exit to maintenance, sustain the current plan, or escalate to Tier Three, a 504 plan, or an IEP.

Treat families as core partners, not add-ons: Partnering with families

Consistent, respectful communication multiplies intervention effects. Use short, regular two-way check-ins with a standing agenda covering goals, current data, wins, barriers, and next steps. Keep check-ins to ten minutes with clear action items for both school and home.

Sample messages help families engage confidently while still protecting teacher capacity. A progress update request might read: Could you share the latest reading score and this week’s skill focus, so we can celebrate growth and adjust support? A study plan alignment message might say: We will practice the retrieval set on Tuesday and Thursday; can you send six items and let us know how long practice takes at home?

Recognize when MTSS is not enough: when to escalate – 504 plans and IEPs

MTSS is a framework for prevention and intervention, not a gatekeeper to special education. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), districts must complete initial evaluations within 60 calendar days of parental consent and convene an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting within 30 days of eligibility determination. Section 504 guarantees equal access when a disability substantially limits a major life activity.

Caregivers can request evaluation with a simple email citing data and concerns. If services or evaluations were delayed or inadequate, teams should consider compensatory services. Keep documentation of all data and communications in case disagreements require mediation or due process.

Standardize systems so the work is sustainable: making this sustainable

Standardization protects teacher capacity and ensures equity. Adopt one to two screeners and a common progress-monitoring graph template across grades, then batch-create retrieval calendars and interleaving sets and share exemplars in a central drive.

Schedule intervention during the school day when feasible to reduce inequities tied to transportation and caregiver schedules, and provide translated summaries plus interpreter support as needed. Invite family insights on barriers and adjust plans accordingly so supports remain realistic. Pin the seven-move checklist, run the Data-Light protocol this week, and set two goals per student so your next ninety days start with strong momentum.