RTI Responsiveness to Instruction

1. RTIResponsiveness to Instruction

2. Why are we here today? • Share the great news that Grover and Jefferson Elementary schools are the next to start implementing Responsiveness to Instruction • Information today is being provided by the district training team: • Molly Blanton-Curriculum Coordinator • Sandy Hamrick-Counselor (Casar) • Yonna Acuff-Educational Diagnostician (Casar) • Anna Whitaker-Curriculum Coordinator • Giancarlo Anselmo-School Psychologist (Springmore)

3. RTI Overview Goals… • As a result of this overview, you will: • Better understand the ‘Response to Instruction’ (RTI) model • Have an overview of the RTI pilot program in the State of North Carolina and within Cleveland County

4. Introduction • What is RTI or Responsiveness to Instruction? • RTI and federal regulations

5. RTI or Response to Instruction emphasizes: • High quality instruction for all students • High quality teachers • Ongoing student assessment • A coherent instructional plan that provides coordinated academic lessons every day for every student at every level of intervention • Interventions to help students learn • Special education placement on basis of ability to learn

6. What is ‘Response to Instruction’? 'Response to Intervention' is an emerging approach to structuring general education. In the RTI model: • A student with academic delays or behavioral concerns is given one or more research-validated interventions. • The student's academic/behavioral progress is monitored frequently to see if those interventions are sufficient to help the student to catch up with his or her peers. • If the student fails to show significantly improved academic skills despite several well-designed and implemented interventions, this failure to 'respond to intervention' can be viewed as evidence of an underlying Learning Disability.

7. Why is RTI now being adopted by schools? Congress passed the revised Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in 2004. • This Federal legislation provides the guidelines that schools must follow when identifying children for special education services. • Based on the changes in IDEIA 2004, the US Department of Education (USDE) updated its regulations to state education departments. The new USDE regulations: • Explicitly ALLOW states to use RTI to identify LD • FORBID states from forcing schools to use a ‘discrepancy model’ to identify LD

8. IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education) Regulations: What do they say about LD diagnosis? § 300.307 Specific learning disabilities. (a) General. A State must adopt criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability…. the criteria adopted by the State— (2) May not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in § 300.8; [‘Discrepancy’ Model] (3) Must permit the use of a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention…[‘RTI’ Model] NOTE: [bracketed comments added] Source: IDEA (2004, 2005). Proposed Regulations from US Department of Education (§ 300.307)

9. Limitations to the ‘test-score discrepancy model’(Gresham, 2001): • Requires chronic school failure BEFORE remedial/special education supports can be given. • Fails to consider that outside factors such as poor or inconsistent instruction may contribute to a child's learning delay. • A ‘severe discrepancy’ between test scores provides no useful information about WHY the student is doing poorly academically. • Different states (and even school districts within the same state) often used different formulas to diagnose LD, resulting in a lack of uniformity in identifying children for special education support. • …the discrepancy model is “potentially harmful” to students

10. More Reasons to Consider RTI • 75% of students with learning disabilities who do not receive early interventions continue to have difficulties learning to read throughout their life • Often children are not identified until 4th or 5th grade • These same children were referred as early as kindergarten • Research suggests this is too late to intervene

11. More Reasons to Consider RTI cont. • Children can’t read, but standardized testing showed no disability or worse average scores • Our mindset becomes, We’ll refer again next year-maybe he’ll be far enough behind to qualify for help then • The average age of placement in EC is 10 years old

13. Old friends we are laying to rest • LD discrepancy model • SSMT process

14. What is this magic? • Combination of: • Problem-solving model (PSM) • Use of Curriculum Based Measurements (CBM)

15. Implementation of a RTI System • First three levels call for implementation of Problem Solving Model (PSM) and Curriculum Based Measurements (CBM) in the general education setting • Fourth level represents Exceptional Children services – the highest level of service intensity

16. Problem Solving Model • Problem-solving is an approach to developing interventions and ensuring positive student outcomes – rather than determining failure or deviance (Deno, 1995). • Changes the focus from “Does this student qualify for special education services?” to “What can we do to meet the needs of this student?”. • Seven step cyclical process that is inductive, empirical, and rooted in behavioral analysis

18. Curriculum Based Measurements • CBMs are quick and usually take one minute to administer • CBM assessments can be administered frequently (daily if needed) and the results can be displayed graphically • This provides a visual representation of the student’s learning • If the student does not display progress, the instruction can be adjusted which allows for intervention before the student begins to fail (Espin et al., 2001) • DIBELS are a good example of a CBM

19. DIBELS • Dynamic: sensitive to differences among individuals and changes within an individual • Indicators: • Measures students’ “academic health” • NOT intended to measure the full domain of skills - measures skills representative of the domain • Basic (Early Literacy) Skills: • Recognizes basic skills essential for higher skills • NOT intended to measure content-area skills

20. CBM • Studies have shown that CBM aids teachers in generating superior student achievement regardless of whether the students are identified as learning disabled, low achieving, or achieving in the average range (Fuchs et al., 1994)

21. CBM Reading Fluency Probes: Example Examiner Copy Student Copy

22. Reading Fluency Monitoring Chart: Example

24. Cleveland County Schools EOG/CBM data 2007

26. Curriculum Based Measurements of Writing • Study done at Springmore Elementary School with 89 fourth graders • Results suggests a modest correlation with correct sentence sequences and the total score from the EOG writing test • Strong correlation with % correct words with conventions score on EOG writing test • 91% of students who scored at least 31 correct sequences passed the EOG writing test • 96% of students who scored at least 40 correct sequences passed the EOG writing test

27. Level IV IEP Consideration Level III Consultation with the Problem Solving Team Level II Consultation With Other Resources Level I Consultation Between Teachers-Parents Amount of Resources Needed to Solve Problem Intensity of Problem

28. School-Wide Systems to Support Student Achievement Intensive 1 – 7% Levels of Intervention Strategic 5-15% Core 80-90% Adapted from Sugai and Horner

29. Level IV IEP Consideration Level III Student Study Team Level II Consultation With Other • Intensive Interventions 1-7% • Strategic Interventions 5-15% • Core Curriculum 80-90% Resources AMOUNT OF RESOURCES REQUIRED TO MEET THE Level I Consultation STUDENT’S NEEDS Between Teachers - Parents INTENSITY OF NEEDS Needs - circles - pub

30. School Improvement Whole School Effective School Organization Classroom Effective Instructional Practices Culturally Responsive Instruction Effective Instructional Practices Struggling Students Culturally Responsive Practices Individuals Progress Monitoring Consider- ation for Eligibility EC Behavioral Group Strategies Universal Design/ Differentiated Instruction Related Services Positive School Climate Specially Designed Instruction FBA/BIP Mental Health Assistance Behavior Interventions Effective Staff Development Mental Health Services Positive Classroom Management Focused Research-based Academic Instruction Data Based Decision Making Ongoing Screening and Assessment Classroom Coaching and Consultation Parent and Community Partnerships

31. School Improvement Academic Behavior Intensive, Individual Interventions • Tutoring • Academic Remediation Plans • Specially Designed Instruction Intensive, Individual Interventions • Functional Behavior Assessment & Behavior Intervention Planning Targeted Group Interventions • Small group instruction • Focused academic help sessions Targeted Group Interventions • Social Skills instruction • Reinforcement of specific skills • Group Behavioral Strategies • Classroom Coaching Universal Interventions • Effective instructional practices • Recognition of academic achievement • Culturally responsive practices • Data-based decision-making • Parent & Community Partnerships Universal Interventions • School-wide rules and procedures • Systematic reinforcement • Social Skills Instruction • Culturally responsive practices • Data-based decision-making • Parent & Community Partnerships

32. Ways to Enter Tier I • Students who are significantly behind peers based on universal screening data (DIBELS, CBM) will enter Tier I • Students who are significantly behind peers in any content area

33. RTI Procedures • Activities at Tier I • Parent and teacher working together to Define the Problem • Based on data develop an intervention plan • Evaluate • Teacher and parent use progress monitoring data to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions • Intervention should last at least 4-6 weeks

35. Results of Tier I • Continue effective practices for students making progress • Non-responders begin tier II interventions • If student is performing consistently with peers they can discontinue Tier I

36. Tier II: Strategic/Targeted • Definition: Academic and behavioral strategies, methodologies and practices designed for students not making expected progress in the general education curriculum and/or have mild to moderate difficulties demonstrating social competence. These students are at risk for academic failure.

37. RTI Procedures • Activities at Tier II • Steps of cyclical problem-solving model repeat, but more school personnel are involved as needed on a consultation basis • Parent • Teacher • Grade level teams, counselor, school psychologist, diagnostician, reading teacher, administrator, social worker, curriculum coordinator, nurse, etc.

39. Tier II: Strategic Interventions • Scientifically research-based interventions • Academic – reading, math & writing • Behavior • Standard course of study with supplemental materials • Differentiated instruction in the classroom

40. Tier II: Strategic Interventions • Increased opportunity to learn • Increased instructional time • Increased assessment • Data collection and analysis done weekly using DIBELS and Curriculum Based Measurements • Using the data to plan for further instruction • Interventions last at least 6 weeks

41. Results of Tier II Interventions • Cycle students who respond to interventions back to tier I • Students not responding to interventions are moved to tier III

42. RTI Procedures • Activities at Tier III • Steps of cyclical problem-solving model repeat but in a more formal and systematic way and with the school-based problem solving team • Team may consist of referring teacher, parent, administrator, psychologist, EC staff member, counselor, regular education representative, anyone else needed

43. Tier III: Intensive Interventions • Small intensive groups (2-4 children) • Can be outside the classroom • Tutoring by remedial educators (Title 1, EC teachers, trained interventionists, etc.) • Monitoring done 2 to 3 times a week with Curriculum Based Measurements • Monitoring done by the Problem Solving Team • 6-8 week interventions

44. Results of Tier III Interventions • Cycle students who respond to interventions back to tier II • Students not responding to interventions are evaluated for EC eligibility potentially entering tier IV which is EC services

45. Interventions are NOT • Preferential seating • Praise and attention • Shortened assignments • Parent contacts • Extended time • Suspension • Doing more of the same assignments • Retention

46. What are interventions? • Scientifically based mini-lessons on skill deficits • Decrease group size • Increase amount and type of cues and prompts • Teaching additional strategies • Changing curriculum • Change types and method of corrective feedback

47. What are advantages of RTI? • One advantage of RTI is that it allows schools to intervene early to meet the needs of struggling learners. • Another advantage is that RTI maps those specific instructional strategies found to benefit a particular student. This information can be very helpful to both teachers and parents. • RTI promotes a school environment that makes everyone a stake holder in each child's education • RTI procedures have also been shown to increase schools overall success on state testing programs

48. Loris Elementary School Results

49. Loris Elementary School Results

50. PACT English/Language Arts - Grade 3 % of students meeting state and local standards