Name: Maximizing the Benefit of Small Group Instruction
Start: 2026-11-19T13:00:00-0500
End: 2026-11-19T14:15:00-0500

Maximizing the Benefit of Small Group Instruction

Thursday November 19, 2026 1:00pm - 2:15pm EST

Instructional time spent in a small-group setting is a precious commodity. We must use it thoughtfully and intentionally because even the most well-designed independent activities are less effective than time with a skilled teacher. Therefore, our first goal is to prevent the number of students who require small-group interventions. We can accomplish this by solidifying our core instruction and rethinking how we deliver targeted interventions. When many students need specific skill support, we can provide that intervention within our whole-group lessons. This requires data-driven decision-making and thoughtful planning to identify which skills need whole-group versus small-group instruction. We can then reserve small-group instruction for targeting skills that few students need. Effective small-group instruction is targeted and data-driven. It is designed to give students additional practice and feedback on a specific skill. It does not replace Tier 2 and 3 interventions, but may enhance and reinforce that instruction. We should ask ourselves what a specific student or group of students needs that differs from everyone else in the class. That answer sets the purpose for small-group instruction. If each small group receives the same or similar instruction, the instruction is not targeted and does not justify the small-group structure.
Learner Objectives:
Participants will...

Summarize the importance of reducing independent work time in small-group instruction.
Describe how targeted, skill-specific interventions increase efficiency.
Summarize the impact of fluid student groupings in improving student outcomes.
Explain the purpose of universal screeners and how to use this data to understand the scope of instructional needs.
Summarize the purpose of diagnostic assessments and their connection to differentiation.
Identify the purpose of progress-monitoring tools and their connection to evaluating instruction.
Examine data-based decision-making models for small-group instruction.

Speakers

Jamey Peavler, Ed.D.

Graduate Reading Science Program Director, Assistant Professor, Mount St. Joseph University

Jamey Peavler is an Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Graduate Reading Science Program at Mount St. Joseph University. Before joining The Mount, Jamey served as the Director of Training for the M.A. Rooney Foundation, providing Orton-Gillingham training for teachers... Read More →

Thursday November 19, 2026 1:00pm - 2:15pm EST

Breakout Session

2026 MiMTSS Conference

Jamey Peavler, Ed.D.

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2026 MiMTSS Conference

Jamey Peavler, Ed.D.

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