The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of RtI in the Secondary School Setting: Making it Work!

1. The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of RtI in the Secondary School Setting: Making it Work! Jennifer Maichin jmaichin@mineola.k12.ny.us Janice Patterson jpatterson@mineola.k12.ny.us Whittney Smith wsmith@mineola.k12.ny.us

2. Albert Einstein once said… “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

3. Essential Components

4. “Without the right building-level leadership, RtI will not realize the potential it has in fundamentally altering for the better both the delivery system and educational practice in our schools.” • Dr. David P. Prasse, Professor and Dean of the School of Education, Loyola University Chicago

5. NYSED April 2008 State Education Department Field Memo • Authorizes the use of RtI in the State's criteria to determine learning disabilities (LD) and requires, effective July 1, 2012, that all school districts have an RtI program in place as part of the process to determine if a student in grades K-4 is a student with a learning disability in the area of reading.  “Effective on or after July 1, 2012, a school district shall not use the severe discrepancy criteria to determine that a student in kindergarten through grade four has a learning disability in the area of reading.”     [8 NYCRR section 200.4(j)]

6. Prior to the State’s Memo: • IDEA 2004: • “…in determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a local agency may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific research-based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures…” (H.R. 1350, 2004, section 614 (b)(6)(A&B)) Less stringent

7. Background (The Who?): • WelI Established IST • The Team • Constant Members: IST Chairperson, Guidance Counselor, Speech Therapist, School Psychologist, Parent • Varying Members: Team Teachers (General and Special Education), Encore Teachers, Support Staff, Social Worker, Student • See Attached “MMS IST/RTI FLOWCHART”

8. Tier I: What is it? • Quality classroom instruction • Within the general education classroom • High quality program incorporating standards • Research-based instructional strategies or materials • On-going assessment of strengths and needs • On-going professional development

9. Implementation: Part I • Educate the staff about what RtI is? • IDEA 2004 • “Wait to fail” vs. RtI • District Support • Leverage with New IDEA • “ In determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a local educational agency may use a process that determines if the child responds to a scientific, research based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures” (IDEA 2004, Title 20, Section 1414, subsection b(6)).

10. Getting Stuck in Tier I • Scenario: Your team has an IST meeting to discuss a student who is struggling in school. A few strategies were brainstormed after a lengthy conversation about what the student can’t do. Six weeks later, the team meets again and… See attached sample plans

11. Implementation Part II: Strategy Development (Tier I) • Teacher Ownership vs. “Buy In” • Station Activity • Devote Faculty Meeting Time • Objectives from IST Meetings • Teachers working in groups to brainstorm strategies • Weed Out the ones that are not measurable • Share the collective strategies with the entire faculty & bring them to IST Meetings • Attach the strategies to research

12. The How (in Mineola MiddleSchool) ? • A Three Tier RTI Model Small Group AIS (Reading / Special Ed. Teacher) AIS (Content Area Teacher) Within the general education class RTI can also be used to address the social / emotional needs of our children (e.g. BIP; Group Counseling; Individual Counseling)

13. Our Structure • 6th Grade • Double ELA --- with a Reading Teacher as a co-teacher (providing small group instruction) • Double Period Math --- Differentiated Instruction • 7th Grade • 4th Period --- On-Target; AIS Math Tier II or III; AIS ELA Tier II or III; or any combination • 8th Grade • 4th Period --- On-Target; AIS Math Tier II or III; AIS ELA Tier II or III; or any combination

14. Day A Reading Tier III Reading Tier III Math Tier III Math Tier III ELA Tier II ELA Tier II Math Tier II Math Tier II On-Target On-Target Visual Representation of Tiers II & III in 7th and 8th Grade Day B • Reading Tier III • Reading Tier III • Math Tier III • Math Tier III • ELA Tier II • ELA Tier II • Math Tier II • Math Tier II • On-Target • On-Target 4-6 students 4-6 students 12-14 students 12-14 students 25 students 25 students

15. GOALS: • Address the academic needs of students • Not a static program • Increase self-awareness of the students (e.g. skill breakdown on Assessments; DIGS) • To empower the IST to make a difference • Address emotional needs of students

16. READING MAZE Reading CBM Tier II – Benchmarking 3x/year (monthly progress monitoring) Tier III – Strategic Monitoring (weekly) MATH Math CBM-2 Basic Facts Tier II – Benchmarking 3x/year (monthly progress monitoring) Tier III – Strategic Monitoring (weekly) AIMS Web (Tracking Program)

17. Sample AIMsWeb Data8th Grade Tier II AIS

18. Sample Student Benchmark Report

19. Reading Improvement Report for 2007-2008 School Year

20. Benchmark Scores for 2007-2008 School Year

21. http://www.aimsweb.com/login.php

22. Next Steps • Administer CBMs • Score and Enter Data in AIMsWeb • Meet with AIS Teachers to discuss results and provide them with Passwords to AIMsWeb • Talk about the “Philosophy” of AIS • Tie strategies to research • Curriculum Skills

23. Tier 3 - Intensive Small group (4-6 students) AIS classes Progress Monitoring every 2-3 weeks Regression /no progress, revise (repeat if not successful) --- consider referral to CSE Progress Continue with program IST Process Tier 2 - Strategic Small Group (10-12 students) AIS Classes Benchmarking three times / year Three data checks, regression/no progress IST Process Three data checks IST Process Tier 1 - Universal Quality classroom instruction using research-based strategies with targeted students At-Risk Student Teacher analyzes data, refers student to IST and moves student to Tier 2. On Target Student Teacher analyzes data and keeps student in Tier 1.

24. Questions…

25. RtI Resources/Links • www.nrcld.org • www.ncld.org • www.nasdse.org • http://www.rtinetwork.org/ • www.aimsweb.com • www.interventioncentral.org