Guidelines for Pre-Referral Interventions at Tier 3 Education Services

1. Helpful Tips re: Interventions EC Chairperson/Psychologist Meeting 10.20.11

2. Guidelines for PRE-REFERRAL Interventions • “Pre-Referral” Interventions only occur at Tier 3 (SST) and EC eval/services. • (differeniation/strategies/interventions at Tier 1 or Tier 2 {ex: PEP} do not apply to these guidelines)

3. Guidelines for PRE-REFERRAL Interventions • Non-EC students exhibiting difficulty with academic, behavioral, social and/or emotional needs require pre-referral interventions through the SST process. (This includes ESL, AIG, and 504 students.) • EC students exhibiting difficulty with academic, behavioral, social and/or emotional needs not addressed by their current IEP or area of eligibility require pre-referral interventions (to address area of concern) prior to determining need for reevaluation.

4. All interventions must … …be defined by frequency, intensity, and duration. Best Practice rules are as follows: • Frequency: 3-5 times a week, depending on the fidelity (being delivered as recommended in the studies that determined it as research-based) of the specific intervention chosen. For example: “Inside” requires 5 times a week at 45 minutes each session. • Intensity: adjusting duration, time frame, grouping to meet guidelines of the specific intervention chosen. For example: “HELPS” requires 10-12 minutes per session at 1:1 ratio • Duration: all should include at least 4 data points (charted snapshots of progress collected during progress monitoring). Progress monitoring should occur every 3-5 school days… not less than once per week. Therefore, it is unlikely that an intervention will be accomplished with fidelity in less than 3-4 weeks.

5. Helpful Tips re: SLD Eligibility EC Chairperson/Psychologist Meeting 10.20.11

6. Scores Please remember to record all cluster/composite scores when filling out your worksheets. These need to be explained in parent friendly terms, (i.e. – average range, below target…)

7. Woodcock Johnson – III Test of Achievement (WJ-II NU) Cluster scores to look at when determining eligibility: • Basic Reading – (a measure of basic reading skills, including sight word vocabulary, phonics and decoding skills) • Reading Comprehension – (a measure of the student’s ability to understand what he/she reads) • Math Calculation – (a measure of basic math computation skills, as well as speed and automaticity with basic math facts) • Math Reasoning – (a measure of mathematical knowledge, including problem solving and quantitative reasoning) • Broad Written Language – (a measure of written language, including spelling, fluency of writing and quality of written expression) ** If using the Reading Fluency subtest score, you must give an additional test to support this score for eligibility in that area. The Gray Oral Reading Test 4 (GORT 4) can be used to help support this reading fluency subtest score.

8. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT III) Composite/subtest scores to look at when determining eligibility: • Basic Reading • Reading comprehension • Reading Fluency • Written Expression • Math Problem Solving • Numerical Operations

9. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition(WISC IV) Composite Scores to look at when determining eligibility:  • Verbal Comprehension Index – a measure of verbal, concept development, verbal reasoning and ability to use knowledge acquired from one’s environment • Perceptual Reasoning Index – a measure of non-verbal, visual problem solving, abstract and fluid reasoning, visual –spatial processing and ability to organize visual information. • Working Memory Index – a measure of attention, concentration, short term auditory memory and ability to temporarily retain information in one’s memory, perform some operation wit it and then produce a result. • Processing Speed Index – a measure of the ability to quickly and accurately scan sequence and discriminate simple visual information ** FULL SCALE IQ - THIS IS THE OVERALL COGNITIVE ABILITY SCORE/ IQ. **

10. Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS II) Composite Scores to look at when determining eligibility: • Verbal • Nonverbal Reasoning • Working Memory • Spatial • Processing Speed • **GENERAL COGNITIVE ABILITY**

11. Case Study #1 Jake Rivenbark was referred for a full evaluation in order to determine eligibility for special education services. Jake is in 3rd grade and is below grade level in reading. Jake is motivated to learn and likes to work on the computer. He gets along well with all children and is described as friendly, fun and well liked by teachers. Her is perseverant and rarely shows frustration in the classroom despite academic struggles in reading.

12. Case Study #1…continued The Problem Solving Team implemented interventions for basic reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension. They used Direct Instruction Reading program (SRA), FRY Sight Word list, story maps and graphic organizers.

13. Jake’s Eligibility Worksheet

14. Kim’s Eligibility Worksheet

15. Guidelines • Remember when filling out your worksheets for any category, you must record all scores in parent friendly terms from the tests given. • Please do not abbreviate tests given. • Record all assessments given even if there is not a space on the worksheet for that assessment. • Be sure to record all assessments on the worksheet that were requested on the DEC 1, DEC 2 and/or DEC 7. • If you need help determining which assessments to record on your worksheet, please consult with the psychologists, speech therapists, and/or any other related service providers.

16. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ec/development/learning/sld-webinar.pdfhttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ec/development/learning/sld-webinar.pdf

17. Questions?