Using a Response to Intervention Framework to Promote Young Children’s Social Development: The Teaching Pyramid Model

1. Using a Response to Intervention Framework to Promote Young Children’s Social Development: The Teaching Pyramid Model

2. Session Discussion • Background on Response to Intervention • The Pyramid Model as a RTI framework for addressing behavior • Implementation issues for RTI • Addressing issues

3. A Little Background on RtI • Many children receive intervention for their behavioral or academic problems too late. • Early intervention can prevent delays and reduce severity of developmental problems. • Response to intervention also has its roots in the idea of early intervention as prevention.

4. What is Response to Intervention? RTI is: a multi-tiered approach to instruction that uses a systematic problem-solving approach that focuses on students’ response to those interventions as a basis for determining their instructional needs and intensity.

5. What does an RtI approach do? • Finds children falling behind as soon as possible--screening • Has multiple levels of instructional support available so children can be matched with the level of support they need—multiple tiers of intervention • Uses a progress monitoring approach to make sure intervention is working • Uses a systematic problem-solving approach that focuses on students’ response to those interventions as a basis for determining their instructional needs and intensity

6. Essential Components of RtI • Use of multiple tiers of intervention • Reliance on evidence-based practices in all tiers • Use of monitoring to determine if students are making progress • Problem-solving approach to determine most appropriate level of intervention for individual students

7. Tier 3More Focused Instruction for Highest Risk Children Tier 2 More Intensified Instruction for Children Needing More Instructional Opportunities to Learn Tier 1 Core Curriculum and Supports Available to All Children Essential Component #1:Multi-Tiered Model Continuum of Intensity and Progress Monitoring Increases Percentage of Children Needing More Intensity Decreases

8. Essential Component #2:Evidence-Based Practices Used in All Tiers • Tier 1: Evidence-based core curricula and instructional practices provided to allchildren • Tier 2: More intensified instruction for children not demonstrating adequate growth in Tier 1 • Increased opportunities to practice skills from Tier 1 curriculum • Tier 3: More focused intervention for children not showing adequate growth in Tier 2 or for children well below Tier 1 benchmark

9. Essential Component #3: Use of Progress Monitoring To identify children not showing adequate growth To monitor growth of children receiving targeted intervention in Tiers 2 and 3 Measures are for instructional planning—not diagnosis

10. Individual Child Progress Monitoring Intervention implemented Olive was below benchmark Olive had 3 quarterly assessments Provides ‘before’ and ‘after’ slope estimates

11. Essential Component #4:Problem-Solving Model Assumes Data-Based Intervention Decision-Making • More Dynamic • More Data-Driven • More Responsive

12. Some Misconceptions about RtI 1. Rti replaces special education and its procedural safeguards. • RtI does not replace existing systems for evaluating or determining eligibility for special education services and procedural safeguards. 2. Children with disabilities will be in Tier 3. • Children with disabilities can be found at all tiers. 3. RtI models focus only on preventing learning disabilities and not behavior problems and challenging behaviors. • Focus is on learning or behavioral problems.

13. Questions How can we in early childhood apply an RtI model to early childhood in the area of social-emotional development? How can we build on existing models? What will some of the challenges be? What are the next steps?

14. Social Competence “Emotional well-being and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007)

15. National Centers - Resources Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (HHS) www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (OSEP) www.challengingbehavior.org

16. Pyramid Model Tertiary Intervention Secondary Prevention Universal Promotion

17. Nurturing and Responsive Relationships • Foundation of the pyramid • Essential to healthy social development • Includes relationships with children, families, and team members • Meets criteria for high quality practices as defined by NAEYC and DEC

18. High Quality Environments • Inclusive early care and education environments • Comprehensive system of curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation • Environmental design, instructional materials, scheduling, child guidance, and teacher interactions that meet high quality practices as described by NAEYC and DEC

19. Targeted Social Emotional Supports • Self-regulation, expressing and understanding emotions, problem solving, developing social relationships • Explicit instruction • Increased opportunities for instruction, practice, feedback • Family partnerships • Progress monitoring and data-based decision-making

20. Individualized Intensive Interventions • Comprehensive interventions • Assessment-based • Skill-building • Partnerships with families • Progress monitoring and data-based decision-making

21. Assessment & Progress Monitoring • Progress monitoring • (Child Checks) • Behavior Incidents • With increased precision • and frequency • Progress monitoring • (Child Checks) • Behavior Incidents • Universal Screening • (ASQ-SE, SSRS) • Behavior Incidents

22. Implementation Fidelity • Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool • Teacher adoption of tier 1 for all children • General assessment of tier 2 and 3; not specific to individual target child • Tier 2 and Tier 3 • Must develop fidelity tool to examine implementation of intended instructional procedures and number of child learning opportunities

23. RtI for Social/Behavioral • Type and intensity of behavior Can demand immediate, intensive intervention. • Type and intensity of behavior Can demand very frequent measurement • Interventions are reliant on the social environment of the classroom; not delivered as pull-out • Tier 2 and 3 interventions are not unique; difference is in intentionality, dosage, and precision • In tiers 2 and 3, family involvement is vital to implementing and powering up intervention intensity across interactions, routines, and environments • The potential “targets” of behavior change are almost limitless, requiring highly individualized measurement methods

24. Questions/Reflections from You To verbally ask a question press *7 on your phone to unmute your line • What is happening in RtI relevant to early childhood in your state? • What challenges are programs encountering? • What policies, procedures, collaborative relationships are necessary for RtI? • What do you see as the potential for RtI? • What do you see as major tasks for the field in adopting the RtI framework?

25. Contact TACSEI