Determining Eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities

Determining Eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities Policy, Procedures and Processes March 2009

The Guidance Document Process • Included a committee of stakeholders • One school-level RTI coordinator/interventionist • Two principals • One district special education director • One district special education coordinator • Five school psychologists • State RTI Coordinator • Assistant Director, OAA • Was based on current research, professional judgment, and experience gained from implementing the RTI process in RTI Demonstration Schools West Virginia Department of Education 2009

The Committee Angela Madia, Harrison County Beverly Winter, Raleigh County Brenda Clark, Tyler County Bonnie Vickers, Kanawha County Conrae Lucas-Adkins, Lincoln County Ed Morgret, Hampshire County Hope Reagan, Berkeley County Jim Brown, WVDE Kerynn Sovic, Jackson County Linda Palenchar, WVDE Marianne Annie, Kanawha County Susanne Vila, Wetzel County Vic Fisher, Harrison County

Professional Development Plan 2009-2010 West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Guidelines for Identifying Students with Specific Learning Disabilities • Guidelines to inform practice and decision-making • Background information • Strategies and procedures to provide consistency across schools and districts • Resources West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Policy & Guidance West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Revised Timelines for Implementation West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Big Ideas • RTI conveys a new way of thinking about determining specific learning disabilities • Decision-making for determining a specific learning disability is a data-driven process • RTI data collection and formal evaluations inform the SLD decision-making process West Virginia Department of Education 2009

You Will Know… • The nature, roles and responsibilities of the various teaming structures needed within the RTI framework • Procedures for verifying each of the SLD criteria • Level of Learning • Rate of Learning • Exclusionary Factors • Validating Underachievement • How to document the written requirements for SLD determinations West Virginia Department of Education 2009

You Will Understand… • EC members need a comprehensive understanding of the student, his/her educational environment, educational history, and response to intervention • The EC decision-making process relies on high quality: • Collaboration • Data analysis • Documentation West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Essential Question How can educators, school psychologists, and parents feel confident in making an appropriate SLD eligibility decision? West Virginia Department of Education 2009

RTI Knowledge Rating Scale West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Advance Organizer West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Connecting RTI and SLD The Framework and the Identification Process West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Response to Intervention is… a process of teaching students to read, write and do math . . . and perhaps concluding that a few have specific learning disabilities. West Virginia Department of Education 2009

RTI Continuum of Support for All Intensive Strategic Universal

Opportunity to Learn West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Two Purposes of RTI • Provides an academic support system for all students through tiered instruction, progress monitoring, and teaming • Is used as a method for identifying students with specific learning disabilities West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Research Base for Using RTI as a Component of SLD Identification West Virginia Department of Education 2009

RTI and SLD • West Virginia’s SLD eligibility criteria no longer include use of the IQ-achievement discrepancy • The data collected through the tiered instruction model is a component of a multidisciplinary evaluation for SLD • SLD is characterized by: • Achievement that is substantially below grade-level, and • Documented low response to research-based intervention

LD Identification Considerations • Low academic growth does not necessarily constitute a specific learning disability. • If the low-performing student does not grow where other students are thriving, targeted intervention needs to be considered. West Virginia Department of Education 2009

The Paradigm Shift West Virginia Department of Education 2009 • Work with a partner • Read “Connecting the RTI Framework to SLD Determination” pp. 2-7 • Reflect on the changes in identifying students with SLD • Complete the Paradigm Shift Worksheet

Conceptual Framework for SLD Identification West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Problem Solving and Teaming Laying the Foundation for Decision-Making West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Problem Solving Process Step 1: Problem Identification Step 4: Evaluating Response to Intervention DATA Step 2: Problem Analysis Step 3: Intervention Planning & Implementation West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Teaming Structures Each collaborative structure provides a framework and process for discussing students’ educational concerns. West Virginia Department of Education 2009

IIT and SATRoles & Responsibilities IIT • Teachers working together to: • Identify students for tiered intervention • Group students • Select and develop targeted interventions • Monitor student progress and effectiveness of interventions SAT • Review and validate documentation collected during the instruction and intervention process • Make recommendations for further, broader problem solving activities • Initiate multidisciplinary evaluations for special education West Virginia Department of Education 2009

SAT Forms • Local districts are encouraged to develop SAT forms that meet the needs of their students and schools and communicate problem solving activities to parents • Sample SAT forms are available on the OSP RTI web site at http://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/RtIForms.html West Virginia Department of Education 2009

MDET and EC Roles & Responsibilities MDET • Review and discuss existing data collected during the tiered intervention process • Determine the need for additional evaluations that inform instruction and eligibility decision-making • Select appropriate assessments to confirm or reject a SLD hypothesis EC • Review and discuss student’s response to intervention • Review and discuss results of additional evaluations • Determine if multiple data sources indicate a specific learning disability • Document the presence of a SLD West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Roles & Responsibilities At-a-Glance West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Student Support Teams Sort • Read the roles/responsibilities of the various teaming structures • Categorize each according to: • IIT • SAT • MDET • EC • IEP Team West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Parents as Partners in the RTI Process The district must document that the student’s parents were notified about the following: • The state’s policies regarding the amount and nature of student performance data that would be collected and the general education services that would be provided; • Strategies for increasing student’s rate of learning; and • The parents’ right to request an evaluation at any time throughout the RTI process http://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/ResponsetoInterventionParentsGuide.pdf West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Parent Requests for Evaluation • The law is clear - a parent may request an evaluation at any time during the RTI process • If a parent requests an evaluation, the district may choose to: • Request permission to evaluate, OR • Decline the request to evaluate and issue prior written notice (PWN) in accordance with the regulations West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Determining Levels of Support through Problem Solving (p.14) Identifying Students for Tier II Support Identifying Students for Tier III Support Use September universal screening results to identify students at risk for failure Group by similar academic needs Provide 2 rounds of Tier II Continue problem solving activities throughout Tier II Use results of 2 rounds of Tier II intervention to determine appropriate Tier III intervention May be provided simultaneously with a request to evaluate West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Multidisciplinary Evaluation Components Selecting Assessments to Inform Instruction and Determine SLD West Virginia Department of Education 2009

West Virginia Department of Education 2009 A complementary relationship between the RTI process and psychoeducational testing exists in evaluating for a potential learning disability.

RTI as a Component of the Evaluation for SLD • Data collected throughout the RTI process is used as a component of the multidisciplinary evaluation • Calculating a severe discrepancy is no longer part of the SLD determination process • Policy 2419 phases out the use of IQ-achievement discrepancy to determine SLD West Virginia Department of Education 2009

RTI Documentation Constitutes Existing Data… Most information is gathered through the course of the student’s instruction and intervention… • A chronology of the student’s educational history • Benchmark and progress monitoring data • Results of diagnostic assessments to inform the intervention process (e.g., Quick Phonics Screener, Phonological Awareness Screening Inventory, Basic Reading Inventory) • Specific documentation of the nature and intensity of general classroom instruction • Comprehensive documentation of the nature, frequency, and duration of intervention

Considerations for Selecting Formal Assessments • In conducting an evaluation, MDETs select assessment procedures that will link eligibility determinations to instruction. • Assessments that focus on specific features of a student’s academic difficulty are more useful than measures that address global academic areas. • For the student who exhibits weaknesses in areas such as memory, attention, or processing speed, the evaluation battery addresses those areas. West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Cross Battery Assessment (XBA) Approach for Determining SLD • Cross battery assessment(XBA) is a process of selecting subtests that target specific cognitive domains. • XBA results and interpretations inform and guide instructional approaches and strategies for the student. • X BA includes multiple measures for arriving at a conclusion that confirms or rejects the hypothesis made by the SAT and MDET. • Lists included in the SLD guidance document are not exclusive. Professional judgment and expertise should guide the selection of tests.

Observation Requirement • The student suspected of having a SLD must be observed in the learning environment, including the general classroom setting, to document the student’s academic performance and behavior in the areas of difficulty. West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Observation Requirement • Use information from observation done before the student was referred for an evaluation OR • At least one member of the evaluation team conducts an observation after the student has been referred for evaluation and parent consent is obtained New West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Observation and Parent Consent West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Observation Requirements Before the Referral After the Referral Running records Principal walk-throughs Informal or anecdotal information that addresses specific referral issues, instructional practices and fidelity of instruction Observations made by reading specialists, co-teachers, counselors Formal classroom observations conducted by a member of the evaluation team Information regarding setting demands, student behaviors, teaching practices, and any other related curriculum and instruction issues that may affect student performance West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Activity: Designing the Evaluation • Read the Case Study entitled “Danielle” • Work with your group to create an assessment battery matched to Danielle’s learning characteristics and performance data • Keep the goal of instructional planning in mind • Record your decisions on the large chart paper • Be prepared to share your decisions West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Which did you consider in planning the evaluation? • Rate of learning • Level of academic performance in one of the 8 areas for SLD • Memory • Processing speed • Attention/concentration • Visual motor integration • Behavior • Executive functioning • Speech/language • Primary language • Phonological processing • Academic fluency • Others? West Virginia Department of Education 2009

SLD Eligibility Standards Operationalizing the SLD Criteria West Virginia Department of Education 2009

Determining Eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities