Student Support with Intervention Compass at Burton School District

burtonschools.org
4,800 students
Rural
6 elementary schools
2 middle schools
1 charter high school
86.2% socioeconomically disadvantaged
16% English learners

C H A L L E N G E

Educators at a Burton School District in California relied on manual processes to assess, group, and track students for interventions. Teachers used paper and pencil, while administrators pieced together data from multiple, disjointed systems. This approach was inefficient, often leading to gaps in communication and missed opportunities to address students’ needs comprehensively.

S O L U T I O N

With the implementation of Intervention Compass, the district transformed how it manages student data, streamlined its processes, and improved outcomes for students and teachers alike.

"There are so many different ways to use this platform, and I’m amazed by how far we’ve come because of it.”

Elizabeth Spindler

Curriculum Coordinator

Elizabeth Spindler, then a reading intervention teacher, struggled with the inefficiency of manual data collection. “I used paper and pencil to assess students and group them for tier 2 interventions,” she says. Recognizing the limitations of this method, Spindler and her colleagues sought a better way to track, analyze, and act on student data.

For administrators like Briana Kehoe, director of educational services for elementary campuses, and Casey Rangel, director of educational services for secondary schools, the challenges extended beyond reading intervention. They needed a cohesive system to:

track multiple measures such as attendance, behavior, and academic performance.
analyze and respond to data more effectively.
customize solutions for different schools and grade levels.

The district adopted Intervention Compass, starting with small-scale pilot programs. Spindler began by inputting assessment information and grouping students, later expanding the platform’s use to include benchmark data from K-2 teachers.

As more teachers and administrators engaged with the platform, they connected it to the district’s student information and assessment tools, unlocking new insights. “Having multiple measures in one place—including attendance—has been an eye-opener,” says Kehoe.

Key Features and Benefits

Comprehensive data integration, customization, streamlined mandate compliance, enhanced teacher collaboration, and powerful visualization tools are some of the platform’s many positive features.

With Intervention Compass combining attendance, academic performance, and other metrics into one platform, teachers can make connections that were previously overlooked. For instance, the system highlights attendance issues as underlying causes for academic struggles, enabling targeted interventions. Rangel uses the platform to track discipline data and align tier 1 supports to improve school culture. Teachers use the “raised hand feature” to share urgent student notes in real-time.

“We have been able to keep customizing it to serve our campus needs,” Rangel says. “It’s a beautiful system of support for students and teachers.”

Earlier this year, when California mandated early screening for reading delays including dyslexia, the district was ready. Spindler, now curriculum coordinator, attended dyslexia training and was thrilled by how easily Intervention Compass aligns with the new requirements.

Teachers and administrators access views based on their roles, enabling effective collaboration. Benchmark assessments from K-2 teachers inform targeted support plans led by interventionists. Dashboards display data with a “stoplight” system, instantly highlighting gaps in early literacy skills such as phonemic awareness and phonics, as well as early numeracy skills. Administrators generate grade-wide reports to track progress over time.

Measurable Improvements in Student Support

Adopting Intervention Compass has resulted in significant improvements in student support. Teachers can flag students’ profiles for immediate attention, ensuring faster, more cohesive responses to challenges. Administrators use data insights to identify root causes and design more effective interventions. Compliance with state mandates became seamless, freeing educators to focus on teaching and intervention.

“There are so many different ways to use this platform, and I’m amazed by how far we’ve come because of it.” says Spindler.

Looking Ahead

With plans to expand tier 2 and tier 3 interventions and incorporate additional data types, the district is confident that Intervention Compass will remain a cornerstone of its student support strategy. “Intervention Compass’s customer support team want to make sure the system works for us,” says Kehoe. “I haven’t seen another platform do that.”