Being an RTI Guru: Resources to Support the School Psychologist as an RTI Leader

1. Being an RTI Guru:Resources to Support the School Psychologist as an RTI Leader Lynne Thies, Ph.D. NYASP Conference 2013

2. Questions to Explore • What do the NYS laws and regulations say about the role of RTI in the public schools? • How is RTI being implemented in your school? • What should the school psychologist’s role be in regard to RTI? • How do school psychologists gain the knowledge necessary to participate in the RTI development and implementation process? • Your questions…….

3. What I Think you Need to Know to be an RTI Guru in NYS • The law Federal vs. State, Law vs. Regulations, Regents policies, guidance documents • Instruction Effective practices, Instructional Hierarchy, Curriculum • The model Assessment (screening, progress monitoring); Tiers; Standard protocol vs. Problem-solving; How to use data to inform instructional decisions; Interventions

4. The Law: What Do You Know? • What is a law? What is a regulation? What about a Regents policy or guidance document? • ESEA versus Part 100 – what is important to know? • IDEA versus Part 200 – which do we follow? • Important links: • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/register.htm • http://nysrti.org

5. Academic Intervention Services (AIS) • Found in NYS Regulations Part 100.2(ee) • Academic intervention services means additional instruction which supplements the instruction provided in the general curriculum and assists students in meeting the State learning standards and/or • Student support services which may include guidance, counseling, attendance, and study skills which are needed to support improved academic performance; • Link to AIS Q & A (2000): • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/AISQAweb.pdf • Check Qs 37, 39, 40, 41 – RTI precursor??

6. What does the NYSED say about Response to Intervention? • The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has established a regulatory policy framework for RtI in relation to school-wide screenings, minimum components of RtI programs, parent notification and use of RtI in the identification of students with learning disabilities. • The Regents policy establishes RtI as a school-wide system of organizing instruction and support resources to deliver high quality instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners. (RTI Guidance Document, page 1, October 2010)

7. Part 100 & Response to Intervention Defines an RTI program as: A school district's process to determine if a student responds to scientific, research-based instruction Delineates the following required components: • appropriate instruction - all students, general education, qualified personnel • screenings- all students, identify those not making academic progress at expected rates • Instruction matched to student need - increasingly intensive levels of targeted intervention &instruction for students not making satisfactory progress in the level and/or rate of learning re age or grade level standards • Repeated assessments of student achievement - curriculum measures, show if interventions result in student progress toward age or grade level standards • The application of information about the student’s response to intervention to make educational decisions - re changes in goals, instruction and/or services and re decision to make a referral for special education services

8. Relationship between AIS & Response to Intervention (Pt. 100) • Addition to the regulations in 2010: • … A school district may provide a Response to Intervention (RTI) program in lieu of providing Academic Intervention Services (AIS) to eligible students, provided that: • the RTI program is provided in a manner consistent with subdivision (ii) of section 100.2 of this Part (where RTI is defined); • the RTI program is made available at the grade levels and subject areas (reading/math) for which students are identified as eligible for AIS; • all students who are otherwise eligible for AIS shall be provided such AIS services if they are not enrolled in the RTI program; and • the school district shall submit to the Department no later than September 1st of such school year, a signed statement of assurance that the services provided under the district's RTI program meet the requirements of this paragraph.

9. Relationship between Part 100 & Part 200 (Special Education) Regulations • Part 100 defines the components of the RTI program • Part 200 defines the components of the LD identification process based on the assumption that the Part 100 requirements are in place • Therefore, a district MUST have an RTI tiered service delivery program in place in order to satisfy the requirements of the LD identification process under Part 200, special education regulations

10. Where does the October 2010 RTI Guidance Document fit in? This document provides detailed support for districts in setting up their RTI programs so that they are in compliance with both Parts 100 & 200 regulations http://www.nysrti.org/docs/NYSED%20RtI%20Guidance%20Document.pdf For each component of an RTI program, the document provides: • the regulatory requirements, followed by guidance, quality indicators, and tools to assist districts in selecting a specific structure and model • Districts that follow the outline provided by the document will be able to set up a comprehensive, legally-defensible RTI process. • Document states that teachers who provide the RtI interventions should participate in the CSE meeting to determine if a student is eligible for special education under the learning disability classification.

11. Instruction: What Do School Psychologists Need to Know about Instruction? • Theories/research come from Educational Psychology • Chapters on Instructional Psychology, Effective Instruction, effective Schools, etc. have appeared in: • all 4 versions of the Handbook of School Psychology • Handbook 4th Ed.: chapters4, 21, 35, 36 • NASP’s Best Practicesseries • BP V: chapters 64, 65, 68 • Concepts about Instruction are embedded in an understanding of a Response to Intervention model – • What Is core instruction? • What does an effective instructional environment look like? • Why is Academic Engaged Time so important? What about Opportunity to Respond, Relevant Practice and Informed Feedback? What should a third grade student be able to do in regard to reading and mathematics?

12. Resources on Instruction • Books & Journals:

13. The Instructional Hierarchy as a Framework for Understanding Instructional Level • Instructional Hierarchy (Haring & Eaton, 1978) - a framework for matching interventions to a student’s skill proficiency (instructional match) • Based on the theory that learning (academic or social/behavioral) progresses through a predictable sequence including: • Acquisition - beginning to learn skill but not yet accurate or fluent – goal is accuracy • Fluency – able to complete skill accurately but works slowly – goal is automaticity • Generalization – does not use skill in different situations or confuses with similar skills – goal is to use widely and discriminate when to use it accurately • Adaptation - not able to adapt skill to fit novel task demands or situations – goal is to develop the ability to identify elements of skill that can be adapted & used widely • http://www.interventioncentral.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/pdfs_interventions/IH_matrix.pdf • Burns, et. al (2012) have applied this framework to how to choose interventions for both academic and behavioral issues

14. Instructional Deficit versus Behavioral Deficit Do you hate the word “lazy” as much as I do? • Determining whether a student’s inaccurate responses or lack of responding are due to a skill (can’t do) deficit or a performance (won’t do) deficit can help guide the direction of the intervention • Here’s why to do it: • http://www.vail.k12.az.us/steep2004/district/step3.php • See next page for what to do….

15. The Can’t Do, Won’t Do Assessment Procedure (from Witt & Beck, 1999) Step 1: Obtain several days of the student’s usual baseline data on the same probe, Step 2: Say, “During the last __ days on your __ sheet, your highest score has been __. Today, if you beat that score, I am going to let you (earn a prize, free time, or something the student indicates he/she truly would like). Do you have any questions?” Step 3: Administer the probe. Step 4: Determine the number correct. Step 5: If the student’s performance with the incentive is 15‐20% greater than his or her best performance, then consider the student to have a Won’t Do problem. Won’t Do Problem – • Interventions should be targeted toward increasing motivation. • Complete a reinforcement menu with the student & develop a plan for providing reinforcement contingent on accurate work completion. Can’t Do Problem - • If performance does not increase by 15‐20% (or more), it is likely that the student has a Can’t Do problem. • Interventions would then be targeted toward the specific skill deficits (screen further if necessary). Provide instruction and practice at the student’s instructional level.

16. Some Web Resources on Instruction and Curriculum for School Psychologists • Links to web resources relating to learning/instruction – • Center on Instruction: http://www.centeroninstruction.org/index.cfm • U. of Oregon Center on Teaching & Learning: http://reading.uoregon.edu • Florida Center for Reading Research: www.fcrr.org • Minnesota Center for Reading Research: www.cehd.umn.edu/reading • Evidence-based Intervention Network: http://ebi.missouri.edu/ • Reading Rockets: www.readingrockets.org • Information on Common Core LS: http://www.engageny.org/video-library • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development – ASCD: www.ascd.org • http://www.ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/ascd-webinar-archive.aspx

17. The Model – Resources for Designing the Multi-tiered System of Support • The NYS Guidance Document for RTI implementation provides the structure for districts to set up the process • The NY model requires that districts specify multiple aspects of the plan including: • Screening procedures • Instructional programs to be utilized at all 3 tiers • How decisions about level of support will be made (the rules) Some of my favorite print resources:

18. RTI Focused Websites and E-Newsletters • National Center on RTI: www.rti4success.org (The RTI Responder) • RTI Action Network: www.rtinetwork.org • Iris Center-Peabody College Vanderbilt University: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/rti01-overview/ • RTI in Early Childhood: U. of MN.: www.myigdis.com • National Center on Progress Monitoring: www.studentprogress.org • DIBELS: www.dibels.uoregon.edu • DIBELSnext: www.dibelsnext.org • AIMSweb: www.aimsweb.org • Publishers/Intervention materials: EPS, SoprisWest, Guilford, Wiley, Brookes, Corwin Press Webinar on math progress monitoring & decision-making: • http://www.studentprogress.org/library/mathcbm_module/NCSPM%20Math%20Module%20final.htm

19. Intervention Resources Intervention resources: • What Works Clearinghouse: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ • Best Evidence Encyclopedia: http://www.bestevidence.org/ • Books – • Sites for watching demonstrations of interventions: • Youtube!! (channels to check out: EBINetwork, rdbchidsey, RTIActionNetwork) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOHaCoDt90&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPLMNI10nip96BfiWLEV_7Q • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71lSRupFjl4&list=UUPLMNI10nip96BfiWLEV_7Q

20. The Future of RTI – Transactional Model • Doesn’t this sound good! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKTG1vxKQuo&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPVI9ap-_PaJf_6FZCfbuZA