RTI: A RESPONSE TO ENGLISH LEARNER’S ACADEMIC AND LINGUISTIC NEEDS

RTI: A RESPONSE TO ENGLISH LEARNER’S ACADEMIC AND LINGUISTIC NEEDS Magdalena Ruz Gonzalez Project Director III Multi-Lingual Academic Support Gina Koency Project Director III Curriculum Support & Assessment

IDEA • In the newly reauthorized Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), eligibility and identification criteria for children with disabilities have changed [614(b)(6)(A)-(B)]: • When determining whether a child has a specific learning disability: • The local education agency (LEA) is not required to consider a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability. • The LEA may use a process that determines if a child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation.

NCLB Rti IDEA Response to Intervention is the intersection of the two federal laws governing our work.

EIS andDisproportionality Any LEA identified as having significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity must reserve the maximum amount of funds under section 613(f) of the Act to provide comprehensive coordinated early intervening services to serve children in the LEA, particularly, but not exclusively, children in those groups that were significantly over-identified [300.646(b)(2)].

What is Rti? • A process of determining specific student need(s), designing interventions to address need(s), assessing the effectiveness of that intervention making adjustments accordingly. • Rti should be used as a framework for ensuring instructional effectiveness. Practice of providing high-quality instruction/intervention matched to student needs. • Using learning rate over time and level of performance to make important educational decisions. • National Association of State • Directors of Special Education • Policy Guide

Rti is A Way of: • Using data to examine the system in relation to most important results • Structuring thinking so that we don’t miss anything • Identifying strategies with a high probability of improving student performance and knowing if they work • Keeping our attention focused on the most important things • Source California Department of Education • Specialized Programs, Special Education

GROUP DISCUSSION: • What do you currently have in place for students who are struggling to learn? • How is this working? • What is the evidence of success?

Features of Rti that Benefit ALL Students High quality classroom instruction Research-based instruction Classroom performance Universal screening Continuous progress monitoring Research-based interventions Progress monitoring during intervention Fidelity measures

What does Rti implementation look like? • Students receive high quality, research-based instruction by qualified staff in their general education setting • General educationinstructors and staff assume an active role in assessmentin the core curriculum • School staff conduct universal screeningof both academics and behavior • School staff implement specific, research-based interventionsto address the student’s difficulties

GROUP DISCUSSION • Examine your list of activities that support students. • Identify Intervention or Prevention.

What are the Implications of RtI for English Learners (ELs)? “…educators must ensure that students’ socio-cultural, linguistic, racial/ethnic and other relevant background characteristics are addressed at all stages…” Without such examination, even pre-referral intervention practices may not result in improved student outcomes and may continue to result in disproportionate representation in special education. (Ortiz, 2002)

Research says… • Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda (2005) • Special education placement odds increased as language support was reduced. • ELs in English Immersion were almost three times as likely to be placed in RSP than ELs in Bilingual Education. • Vulnerable EL subgroup: Limited proficiency in both L1 and L2. • Figueroa & Newsome (2006): [School psychologists] do not use extant legal or professional guidelines for making nondiscriminatory assessments of bilingual children.

High Intensity- Special Education Placement Levels of services provided prior to special education referral INTENSIVE- 5% Intensive Tier III Rti MODEL Time Program Group Size Core replacement Intensive SBE Adopted Intervention Programs used with fidelity Tier II Teacher Dialogue Strategic 15% Differentiated Instruction Rapid Response-Problem Solving Approach CORE + SUPPLEMENTAL Strategic Tier I CORE with Differentiated Instruction In class-Preventive All students Benchmark 80% Effective Classrooms

Strengths of Rti: Teacher Dialogues • Professional conversation • Collaboration • Reflective dialogue • Collective focus on student learning • Spirit of shared responsibility for the learning of all students • - Dufour’s PLC

Strengths of Rti: Differentiated Instruction • Creates respect for individual learning styles • Respect: culture and language are seen as additive approach • Develops a learning environment that is safe • Learning environment: develops competency; bilingualism • Multiple ways for students to show what they know • Opportunities for practice: develops capacity for learning • Eliminates factors that interfere with capacity to demonstrate proficiency • Factors: Student failure is a result of a mismatch between learning environment and student learning needs/characteristics • -Tomlinson, Differentiated Instruction • -Garcia, Wilkinson & Ortiz, 1995

Strengths of Rti: Problem-Solving/Solution-Focused Approach • Assessment becomes an ongoing process not a point in time event • Focus on difference between what student is doing and expectations of environment • Multiple measures of assessment • Seek information to help find solutions • Assessments focus on gathering information that will inform instruction

Tier I: Effective Classrooms Attend to Four Elements • Who They Teach (Students) • Where They Teach (Learning Environment) • What They Teach (Content) • How They Teach (Instruction)

Strength of Tier I: Instruction for Benchmark and Strategic • Creates respect for individual learning styles • Creates learning experiences that “uncover” the content • Creates an environment for systematic change • Aligns instruction with desired learning results • - Ligue & Wiggins, Understanding by Design

Levels of services provided prior to special education referral High Intensity-Special Education Placement INTENSIVE- 5% Intensive Tier III Rti TIER MODEL Time Program Group Size Some students SBE Adopted Intervention Programs used with fidelity Intensive Tier II Teacher Dialogue Strategic 15% Differentiated Instruction Rapid Response-Problem Solving Approach CORE + SUPPLEMENTAL Strategic Tier I CORE with Differentiated Instruction Preventive All students Benchmark 80% Effective Classrooms

Strengths of Tier II: Strategic and Intensive Problem-Solving Process • Identifying what the student knows, what they should know, and areas to target for instruction • Developing an intervention plan • Implementing the plan • Monitoring student progress • Evaluating, reviewing, and revising the plan

Problem-Solving Approach • General education instruction and screening for all students • Identify students needing additional support • Develop and implement an intervention designed for the individual needs of the student • If response is not adequate, modify intervention and continue implementation (problem solving) • If response continues to be inadequate, student may need special education support

Implementation Issues • Professional roles • Beliefs about role of culture and language in learning • Structural inequities • Assumptions built in current infrastructures • Level of instruction • Transition: beliefs, procedures, and practices • Instructional differentiation • Expertise in team • Program fidelity issues • Program validity– ELs

GROUP DISCUSSION • Examine your Intervention/Prevention list again. • Determine if I= in your control P= Partial Control N= Not in your control • Determine if you are to Keep because you have excellent results or Modify or Eliminate the activity.

EXAMINING Rti CHARACTERISTICS FOR ELs • Read the sections from the Handout. • What questions do you have? • What Aha’s do you have? • Are foundational issues the core reasons for ELs not having success? (Foundational issues such as Leadership, Systematic Plan, Accountability, Trust, Communication)

Language Modifications for English Language Learners

Language Modifications for ELs • Purpose of the research. • Research findings on language factors in testing. • Linguistic features which complicate test items. • Making language modifications. • Rating the items.

What is Language Modification • Maintaining the intention of the test item. • Retaining essential content words. • Reducing the length of paragraphs, sentences, words. • Improving the directness and clarity of sentence structure. • Adding pictures and re-formatting to improve comprehension.

Perspective Why Language Modification? • Language load can threaten the validity and reliability of content-based assessments. • A student cannot demonstrate content knowledge (i.e., math, science) if language is a barrier. • Language modifications have been shown to reduce the language barrier for ELs.

Study 1 • Abedi, J., & Lord, C. (2001). The language factor in mathematics tests. Applied Measurement in Education, 14(3), 219-234. • 1031 grade 8 students; NAEP mathematics • Two test booklets: • Original English version • Modified English version

Results • Significant improvements for students in low and average-level math classes who took the modified English version. • ELs and low-performing students benefited the most from the modified versions. • Language features with the greatest impact: • Unfamiliar/infrequent vocabulary • Passive voice constructions

Study 2 • Abedi, J., Lord, C., Hofstetter, C., & Baker, E. (2000). Impact of accommodation strategies on English language learners’ test performance. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice,19(3), 16-26. • 946 grade 8 students; NAEP mathematics • Conditions: • No accommodation • Modified English version • Extra time only • Glossary only • Extra time + glossary

Results • Extra time + glossary improved all scores • Only the modified English version helped narrow the gap between ELs and non-ELs • Helped reveal content knowledge of ELs by reducing the language barrier

Study 3 • Abedi, J., Courtney, M., Leon, S. (2001). Language Accommodation for Large-Scale Assessment; Assessing English Language Learners. Los Angeles: University of California, CSE/CRESST. • 1,594 grade 8 students; science items from NAEP and TIMSS • Conditions: • No accommodation (standard) • Customized English dictionary • A bilingual glossary • Modified English version

Results • ELs performed highest under the computer testing accommodation • Again, accommodations did not benefit non-ELLs

Item 11 • Original: • A theory in geology says that huge sections of the earth’s crust move around very slowly. Does this theory help us answer the following question? • Modified: • A theory in geology says that large parts of the earth’s crust move around very slowly. Does this theory help us answer the following question? • Percentage of ELL students who answered the item correctly: • Original Modified Difference • 35.6 % 46.6 % + 11.0 %

Item 13 - Original • On cold days, snakes usually lie very still and eat little or nothing, while birds usually move around and eat a lot of food. Which statement best explains this? • Both animals are cold-blooded, but without feathers to keep warm, snakes get too cold to move. • Unlike birds, snakes are warm-blooded; they must hibernate during cold weather. • Unlike snakes, birds are cold-blooded; they are less affected by the cold than snakes. • Unlike snakes, birds are warm-blooded; they must eat food to maintain a constant temperature.

Item 13 - Modified • On cold days, snakes usually lie very still and eat little or nothing. But, birds usually move around and eat a lot of food. Which one best explains this? • Both animals are cold-blooded. With no feathers to keep warm, snakes get too cold to move. • Snakes are warm-blooded, and birds are cold-blooded. On cold days, snakes must hibernate. • Snakes are warm-blooded, and birds are cold-blooded. Cold affects birds less than it affects snakes. • Snakes are cold-blooded, and birds are warm-blooded. On cold days, birds must eat food to keep a regular body temperature.

Item 13 • Percentage of ELL students who answered the item correctly: • Original Modified Difference • 31.0 % 48.3 % + 17.3 %

Item 28 - Original • In two different places in a museum of natural history, you might find the following combinations: • Place 1: Aspen trees, beaver, blue jays and deer • Place 2: Rattlesnakes, alligators and turtles • The things in Place 1 are probably grouped together because: • They are found in the same areas in nature. • People enjoy looking at them. • They were collected at about the same time. • They were all alive once. • I don’t know.

Item 28 - Modified • In a museum of natural history, you might find this group: • Aspen trees, beaver, blue jays and deer • These things are shown in the same place in nature. • People like looking at them. • They were found at about the same time. • They were all alive once. • I don’t know.

Item 28 Percentage of ELL students who answered the item correctly: Original Modified Difference 39.1 % 51.7 % + 12.6 %

Which language features complicate test items? • unfamiliar words • (idioms, words from unfamiliar contexts, long words) • X Circle the clumps of eggs in the illustration. •  Find groups of eggs. Draw circles around the groups.

Which language features complicate test items? False cognates Examine the pie chart below to answer the question. [Interference between pie in Spanish (foot) vs. pie in English]

Which language features complicate test items? • Overuse of synonyms / indefinite pronouns missing or unclear antecedents • X Marie had 10 marbles in a bag. It weighed 1 pound.Then she added some more until it weighed two pounds… •  Marie had 10 marbles in a bag. The bag weighed 1 pound. Marie added more marbles. Then the bag weighed 2 pounds…

Which language features complicate test items? derivatives of content words Three cylindrical containers were filled half-way. A single magnetic force drew three different coins towards it.

Which language features complicate test items? words with tech and no-tech meanings The main product of the Acme Metal Company is nails. If their fastest machine produces… If an average math student scores 72 on the final exam…

Which language features complicate test items? • math keywords misinterpreted • On Monday, the milkman brought 7 bottles of milk. That was 4 bottles less than he brought on Sunday. How many bottle did he bring on Sunday? • Six times a number is equal to a second number. • [second = 2?]

Which language features complicate test items? other word interpretation challenges Dwayne finished the game with 10 marbles. He had lost a total of 5 marbles. How many marbles did Dwayne have at the start? [At the start of the question?] Lila and Keisha have 5 yards of blue fabric altogether… [altogether interpreted as each]

Which language features complicate test items? Abstract (vs. concrete) presentation X The weights of two objects were measured.  The clerk weighed two suitcases.

Which language features complicate test items? Long problem statements; unnecessary expository material Mrs. Brown brought an aquarium into class one day. “Our class project will be raising tadpoles into frogs,” she told the fourth graders… Two weeks later the first tadpoles hatched out of the eggs…

RTI: A RESPONSE TO ENGLISH LEARNER’S ACADEMIC AND LINGUISTIC NEEDS