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1. Welcome to the RTI for ELLs in Georgia: Research to Practice A professional learning webinar series Spring 2011 • While you are waiting, please do the following: • Enter/edit your profile information by going to: • Tools - Preferences - My Profile… • Fill out the info on the “Identity” tab and click “OK” • To view the profile of another use, hover your mouse over his or her name in the Participants window • Configure your microphone and speakers by going to: • Tools – Audio – Audio setup wizard • Confirm your connection speed by going to: • Tools – Preferences – Connection speed

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3. Questions and Answers There is one options for asking questions: • Type your question in the chat section. Make sure you send it to “this room” so that all participants can see your question. GaDOE personnel will respond to your question.

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6. RTI for ELLs in Georgia: Research to Practice A professional learning webinar series Session 3 March 15, 2011, 3-4:30pm RTI for ELLs: How Research on Literacy, English Language Instruction, and Reading Intervention Can Inform Practice

7. Welcome and Introductions • Dr. Kimberly Anderson, REL-SE at SERVE Center at UNCG • Carol Johnson, GaDOE • LaShaun Odom, GaDOE • Dr. Sylvia Linan-Thompson, UT Austin • Participants

8. Counting ALL Participants To officially “sign in” to this webinar: • Go to the Chat Window • Type your district name and school name or organization name • Type your name and the names of every person in attendance with you • Send it to “This Room”

9. Who are our participants? • Teachers Pk-5 • Teachers 6-8 • Teachers 9-12 • ESOL/Title III coordinators, RTI/SST coordinators, or counselors • Building administrators • LEA Office, RESAs, or GaDOE • Post-secondary IHE • Other?

10. REGIONAL EDUCATION LABORATORY- SOUTHEAST (REL-SE) Serving AL, GA, FL, MS, NC, SC, 2006 – 2011 Executive Director, Dr. Ludwig van Broekhuizen Toll Free: 800-755-3277 www.serve.org Georgia liaison: Dr. Kim Anderson Operated by SERVE Center at UNCG

11. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) System

12. REL-SE’s MISSION To serve the educational needs of the Southeast, using applied research, development, dissemination, and training and technical assistance to bring the best available evidence and proven practices into local, district, state, and regional school improvement efforts

13. REL-SE Services • Outreach and Dissemination of Research, Evaluation, and Policy Info. = today’s “Bridge Event” • Technical Assistance to SEAs and LEAs • “Issues & Answers” publications • Experimental Studies on interventions of relevance to our region • Quick Turnaround Data Analysis

14. Overview of the Series • Goal is to provide GA educators with increased knowledge of research and practice that can improve RTI for ELLs • Co-hosted by REL-SE and GaDOE, with support from USED Institute of Education Sciences (IES) • The 7 sessions build on trainings that GaDOE and REL-SE have been offering since 2008 • Addresses the GA RTI Guidance Manual and research-based practices for ELL instruction, intervention, assessment, and RTI • Sessions archived at GaDOE website

15. SERIES OVERVIEW

16. series overviewsession 1 session 2 session 3session 4 16

17. SERIES OVERVIEWSESSION 5 SESSION 6 SESSION 7

18. Where the series fitS in the EBDM Cycle (Evidence-Based Decision Making) 18

19. Session Goals • Gain an understanding of the recommendations in the 2 IES Practice Guides— Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades (2007) and Assisting students struggling with reading: RtI and multi-tier intervention for reading in the primary grades (2008) • Engage in conversation with the researcher and each other about how to utilize the recommendations in the implementation of RTI for ELLs

20. AGENDA • Welcome and introductions • Overview and agenda • Research presentation • Reflection and Q&A • Concluding thoughts • Looking ahead to Session 4 • Evaluation survey

21. WARM-UP DISCUSSION 2 min. chat And utilize chat box Re: our knowledge of reading/language arts and English language development instruction and intervention… • What do we feel most knowledgeable about? • What do we have the most questions about? 21

22. Welcome Dr. Linan-Thompson, University of Texas at Austin!

23. RtI for ELLs: How research on literacy, English language instruction, and reading intervention can inform practice Sylvia Linan-Thompson, Ph.D.

24. Purpose • Examine and reflect on the research in literacy, ESL, and accountability and the implications. • Three areas: • Assessment • Instruction • Differentiation

25. Recent Changes • Attention to reading instruction • Attention to instruction for ELLs • Attention to accountability

26. How are we doing? • What percentage of ELLs who enter school in kindergarten fail to develop sufficient proficiency in English to be reclassified before they complete high school or drop out? • A. 15% • B. 37% • C. 56% • D. 78%

27. Additionally, • 9% of ELLs are retained in grades 7 to 12. • ELLs tend to be over or under represented in special education, particularly in learning disabilities.

28. The Promise: RtI • Preventive • Addresses the socio-cultural and instructional pieces of the exclusionary clause • cultural, social, and economic conditions; and inadequate instructional opportunities. • Multiple tasks and opportunities to reach benchmark

29. Practice Guides • Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades • Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades

30. RtI and ESL Programs

31. Parallel Programs

32. Practice guide recommendations (ELLs)

33. Practice guide recommendations (RtI)

34. Assessment

35. RtI and ELL Practice Guide Recommendations: Assessment

36. Recommendation 1: ELL • Universal screening and formative assessments with ELs using English language measures of phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and word and text reading. Use data to identify ELs who need additional instructional support • Scientific evidence base: Strong.

37. Recommendation 1: RtI Screen students for potential reading problems at the beginning of the year and again in the middle of the year. Regularly monitor the progress of students who are at elevated risk for developing reading disabilities. Level of Evidence: Moderate

38. Screening Select a set of efficient screening measures that identify children at risk for poor reading outcomes with reasonable accuracy. Students’ oral language proficiency alone is not a valid predictor of reading success or failure but it is important to take it into account. Examine students’ scores in relationship to established goals and language program. Use the Screening Tool Chart at rti4success http://www.rti4success.org

39. Benchmarks • Benchmarks are necessary to set a goals for students. • Use benchmarks or growth rates (or a combination of the two) to identify children at low, moderate, or high risk for developing reading difficulties. • ELLs can meet benchmarks when provided appropriate instruction that supports language and literacy development.

40. Recommendation 4: RtI Monitor the progress of tier 2 students at least once a month. Use these data to determine whether students still require intervention. For those still making insufficient progress, school-wide teams should design a tier 3 intervention plan. Level of Evidence: Low

41. Progress Monitoring Monitor progress of tier 2 students on a regular basis using grade appropriate measures. While providing tier 2 instruction, use progress monitoring data to identify students needing additional instruction and the effectiveness of the program. Ensure the the measures are appropriate for the population. http://www.rti4success.org/chart/progressMonitoring/progressmonitoringtoolschart.htm

42. Check-in • Currently, you use assessment to: • to identify students who would benefit from a supplemental intervention B. determine students’ response to that intervention C. determine the effectiveness of instruction D. determine eligibility for special education services E. All of the above.

43. Integrate RTI and the identification of ELLs • Rather than have 2 parallel systems determine how the two will work together. • Consider data in light of • students language proficiency and their opportunities to learn. • the norming sample of assessments used. • with whom interventions have been validated.

44. Instruction

45. RtI and ELL Practice Guide Recommendations: Instruction

46. Recommendation 2: ELL • Provide focused, intensive small-group interventions for ELs. Interventions should focus on several of the five core elements – phonological awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and/or writing. Explicit instruction should be the primary means of instructional delivery. • Scientific evidence base: Strong.

47. Recommendation 3: RtI Provide intensive, systematic instruction on up to three foundational reading skills in small groups to students who score below the benchmark on universal screening. Typically these groups meet between three to five times a week for 20-40 minutes (tier 2). Level of Evidence: Strong

48. Tier 2 interventions are effective, if they • provide additional, focused instruction. • include the essential components for the students age/grade level. • are provided in small groups. • use assessments to plan instruction.

49. Effective Tier 2 Instruction • Effective instruction goes well beyond program specifications. • Pacing, interactive teaching, feedback are essential for ELs regardless of program.

50. Effective reading instruction for ELs • There is evidence that ELs can make as much early reading progress as non-ELs, when provided with effective instruction. • Recent longitudinal studies suggest that effects of 1st grade interventions are maintained.