The Three Tiered Model Part I

1. The Three Tiered ModelPart I Michelle Windmueller, Ph.D. Quarterly Special Education Meeting Albuquerque, New Mexico April 30, 2004

2. Historical Context • ID Criteria from the 70’s • Wait and Fail • Response to Intervention • Leveling Instruction for Students At-risk • No Child Left Behind • Reading First

3. What is needed? • Negotiate a complex alphabetic system to learn to read • Specially designed instruction to meet the needs of individual • Test a system at multiple levels • Implementation modeled after a public health model

4. Three Tiered Model • Layers of intervention responding to student needs • Each tier provides more intense intervention • Aimed at preventing reading difficulties TIER I TIER II TIER III

5. Why use the Three-Tier Reading Model? • Early identification of students in need of help, • Supplemental instruction to prevent or alleviate reading difficulties, • Serving students who require occasional additional instruction as well as students who require long-term support, • Assessing students on an ongoing basis, throughout the years, and • Providing an avenue of supplemental instruction for students who do not require special education services but who consistently fall behind.

6. Results of Primary Intervention

7. The Three Tier Reading Model Tier I Core Classroom Instruction All Students Approximately 20 - 30% Tier II Supplemental Instruction Instruction for Intensive Intervention Tier III Approximately 5 - 10%

8. Tier I is comprised of three elements: progress monitoring of at-risk students ongoing professional development in-class support and mentoring TIER I: Core Classroom Instruction TIER I

9. TIER I: Core Classroom Instruction (cont’d) Focus For all students in K through 3 Scientific-based reading instruction and curriculum emphasizing the five critical elements of beginning reading Program Grouping Multiple grouping formats to meet student needs Time 90 minutes per day or more Benchmark assessment at beginning, middle, and end of the academic year Assessment Interventionist General education teacher General education classroom Setting

10. Tier II is small-group intervention in addition to the time allotted for core reading instruction. Tier II includes programs, strategies, and procedures designed and employed to supplement, enhance, and support Tier I. TIER II: Small Group Intervention TIER II

11. TIER II: Small Group Intervention (cont’d) For students identified with marked reading difficulties, and who have not responded to Tier I efforts Focus For students identified with marked reading difficulties, and who have not responded to Tier I efforts Focus Specialized, scientifically based reading program(s) emphasizing the five critical elements of beginning reading Program Specialized, scientifically based reading program(s) emphasizing the five critical elements of beginning reading Program Grouping Homogeneous small group instruction ( 1:5) Grouping Homogeneous small group instruction ( 1:5) 25-30 minutes per day in small group in addition to 90 minutes of core reading instruction Time 25-30 minutes per day in small group in addition to 90 minutes of core reading instruction Time Weekly progress monitoring on target skills to ensure adequate progress and learning Assessment Weekly progress monitoring on target skills to ensure adequate progress and learning Assessment Research-provided interventionist Interventionist Research-provided interventionist Interventionist Setting Appropriate setting outside the classroom designated by the school Appropriate setting outside the classroom designated by the school Setting

12. Tier III is specifically designed and customized small-group reading instruction that is extended beyond the time allocated for Tier I and Tier II. TIER III: Intensive Intervention TIER III

13. TIER III: Intensive Intervention (cont’d) For students with marked difficulties in reading or reading disabilities and who have not responded adequately to Tier I and Tier II efforts For students with marked difficulties in reading or reading disabilities and who have not responded adequately to Tier I and Tier II efforts Focus Focus Individualized and responsive intervention emphasizing the critical elements of reading for students with reading difficulties/disabilities Individualized and responsive intervention emphasizing the critical elements of reading for students with reading difficulties/disabilities Program Program Grouping Homogeneous small group instruction (1:3) Homogeneous small group instruction (1:3) Grouping 50 minutes per day in small group in addition to 90 minutes of core reading instruction. Weekly progress monitoring on target skills to ensure adequate progress and learning 50 minutes per day in small group in addition to 90 minutes of core reading instruction. Weekly progress monitoring on target skills to ensure adequate progress and learning Time Time Assessment Assessment Research-provided interventionist Interventionist Research-provided interventionist Interventionist Appropriate setting outside the classroom designated by the school Setting Appropriate setting outside the classroom designated by the school Setting

14. How do Tier II and Tier III differ?

15. Effective Practices Grounded in Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR) • Reading instruction that is systematic and explicit: • phonemic awareness, • phonics and word study, • vocabulary, • fluency with connected text, and • comprehension

16. Role of Progress Monitoring • Benchmark assessments • Frequent progress monitoring

17. Questions to Consider What was the biggest challenge for the building principal with this project? • Coordination/communication/scheduling and keeping all participants involved in the process. Calming teachers down who felt threatened with change. • Reassuring teachers that we weren’t going to overhaul the aspects of their reading instruction that were successful. We were only going to strengthen instruction in specific ways for those students who were not up to expected achievement levels. • We also changed the way we view the generation and use of specific data. This was uncomfortable for a few teachers in the beginning.

18. Questions (continued) What is different about this process from typical reading instruction? • Specific skills are taught explicitly and measured for results for each child. (Progress monitoring). Our teaching has become more precise. • The biggest difference is that we know which skills our students have mastered because we have concrete data to make decisions about instruction. No time is wasted on guessing which skills a child needs or teaching a skill that a child has already mastered.

19. Questions (continued) What resources must be in place for this process to work successfully in a school? • There must be trust in the leadership or the process or both. After the initial student progress is measured, teachers buy-into the extra work of progress monitoring. All teachers want their students to make progress. When teaches see that their efforts have been successful, progress monitoring sells itself and everybody—teachers, students, and principal-win. You also have to be creative in scheduling the instruction for the classroom and tutors. The project is possible without additional tutors, though the progress would probably be slower.

20. Questions (continued) How can you keep it going after the first year? • Pairing teachers who have had a year of experience with progress monitoring and new techniques that are explicit and specific with teachers just beginning the process is helpful. • Looking at all the resources that a school already has and refocusing those resources to fit the program is helpful. • Having leadership expectations for teachers the second year gives them a sense of importance and keeps the process going.

21. Looking at the results and expecting that every child will make progress—teachers knowing that the principal will be reviewing the data keeps them focused and keeps expectations high. • Selecting staff development that is meaningful and then giving teachers choices about using the new things they have learned. For example: teachers learn several new techniques, but are expected to try at least one rather than all. Most teachers try them all but are not required. Takes the pressure off. Builds trust and mutual support. • Teachers sharing what they have used and how it works keeps new ideas alive and used. Sharing time at weekly team meetings devotes 10 minutes per week for team members to share their successes and failures with lessons. The whole team learns in the process and reluctant teachers have to share so they tend to try new activities so that they will have something to say at the team meetings.

22. Covering grade level leader’s class so she can observe the other teachers for implementation. • Teachers switching classes for progress monitoring to check for validity and consistency of progress monitoring results. • Covering a teacher’s class if she is having problems so that she can observe another teacher on her team who is having success with a specific technique or lesson.

23. Questions (continued) Is this a complete re-do for reading instruction? • No-if reading instruction is successful (i.e. all students on grade level), then there is no need for change. However, for those students who are not on grade level, specific interventions are necessary. Progress monitoring and explicit instruction on specific skills are needed.

24. Questions (continued) How can this process work without the support of a resource like a Center for Reading and Language Arts? • Specific staff development can be taught using some of the same materials that UT uses in their staff development. • Small groups can be taught with tutors available in the school or by combining classes to release a teacher to hold small groups during the school day. • Last school year, 14 students had tutoring from UT out of 110 kindergartners. This year, 7 first grade students out of about 115 first graders receive UT tutoring. Others who are also below level receive small group instruction from a district-provided tutor and have small group instruction with their teacher. • Teachers can learn to administer the progress monitoring and keep track of the results themselves.

25. Questions (continued) What have been the benefits other than student achievement? • Status for kindergarten and first grade teachers has increased among the faculty. They have accountability in a similar manner as teachers in grades 3-6 have always had. • Teachers having concrete evidence of their students’ successes is very reaffirming and positive for them.

26. Primary teachers are seen as “experts” in reading instruction. It has broken down the barriers that sometimes exist between kindergarten and first grade. It has stopped the “they didn’t teach them in kindergarten” comments. It also caused a heightened awareness in first and second grades about reading instruction. Teachers in first and second see what is coming and have stepped up to the plate for the challenge. • Specific achievement results are very helpful for parent conferences. The data helps the teacher and parent set goals for each student. It stops the arguing that sometimes occurs when parents don’t want to accept that their child is below level. When progress is made, it is real and measurable and gives the parent, teacher, and child a reason to celebrate. We have 3 way parent-student-teacher conferences. The children know the level they are expected to reach and where they are in their skills.

27. Establishing a Three-Tier Reading Model • Evaluate your campus reading-instruction practices to include a review of: • Curriculum and supplemental materials; • Instructional practices; • Amount of time devoted to instruction; • Integration of reading and writing into other curricular domains; • Supplemental instruction for students who are struggling; • Referral processes for supplemental instruction • Environmental arrangement and grouping practices; • Professional development; • Assessment processes and student outcome data

28. Resources for More Information • The University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (TUCRLA) http;//www.texasreading.org • Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement http://idea.uoregon.edu • Big Ideas on Reading Website http://reading.uoregon.edu • Reading Rockets http://www.readingrockets.org • Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) http://dibels.uoregon.edu • National Reading Panel Report http://nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrppubskey.cfm

29. Contact Information Michelle Windmueller, Ph.D. Educational Consultant 4906 Saint Louis Court Culver City, California, 90230 Office 323.343.4449 Cell 323.533.5432 Fax 310.839.5199 mwindmueller@comcast.net