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Consultation Teams

Consultation Teams. Improving Educational Outcomes for All Students John Humphries, NCSP. Goals for Today:. ID Best Practices Improve Consistency Improve Results Avoid “Drive-by” Training. Why is consistency important?. Buildings consistently use a Best Practices approach

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Consultation Teams

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  1. Consultation Teams Improving Educational Outcomes for All Students John Humphries, NCSP

  2. Goals for Today: • ID Best Practices • Improve Consistency • Improve Results • Avoid “Drive-by” Training

  3. Why is consistency important? • Buildings consistently use a Best Practices approach • District has a unified plan for learning challenges • Why is consistency important to you?

  4. A note on nomenclature: • “Pre” 1. Prior to. 2. In front of. • “Referral” An evaluation for special ed. • “Pre-referral” means a referral is coming. • Suggestion: use a name indicating problem solving or discussion, not a “step” prior to referral.

  5. Other Names Include: • Teacher Assistance Team • Intervention Team • Child Study Team • Building Consultation Team • Problem-Solving Team

  6. Student Study Teams: History • By 1975, 23 states required and 11 states recommended interventions prior to evaluation for special education referral (Carter & Sugai, 1989).

  7. The Pennsylvania Experiment • 1990, Inst. Support Teams mandated K-6: • Decreased Special Ed Referrals & Placement (by ½ to 1/3 in some districts) • Improved Academic Learning Time • Significant Increase in Middle School GPAs • Improved IEPs for children who qualified See Kovaleski (2002), de Fur (2000)

  8. 2005 WSPA Survey Data • 85% have a Building Consultation Team • 55% of teams meet 1-2 hours/week • About 25 cases/year +/- 15 • Time spent on: • Planning Interventions for SPED students • Modifying Interventions/Reviewing Data • Processing SPED Referrals • Planning Interventions for Non-SPED students WI School Psych Assoc., 2005 Survey, 211 Respondents

  9. Why Use BCTs? • NCLB Standard is PROFICIENCY for ALL • Remove barriers to learning • RTI Precursor • Some supports come and go, BCTs are consistent and effective • What is your mission statement?

  10. SASD Mission • educational opportunities which challenge students to achieve excellence, maximize their unique talents and abilities, prepare them to face the demands of the future, and be literate, contributing members of society.

  11. Your Mission Statement "Sandhill School aspires to a safe and joyful environment where students achieve social maturity, personal responsibility, and academic success."

  12. But be careful in using BCTs… • PI 115.77 Special education referrals—requires individuals who believe a child has a disability to make a referral. • BCTs should neither block a referral nor end when a referral is made! • Kovaleski: 50-day rule

  13. Information Update Bulletin 02.05 • “…prereferral interventions may not delay the LEA’s accepting and processing of special education referrals. The LEA’s procedures cannot require …the permission…or agreement of others before the LEA accepts a referral.” • (Nor can practices require permission…) www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/bul02-05.html

  14. Components of Effective BCTs • Depends on what/who you read! • Consistently include: • Parent/guardian involvement • Not a “special education process” • Collaboration within BCT and building staff • A Problem-Solving Process • Progress Monitoring -> revised decision • Treatment Consistency/Integrity

  15. No short-circuit • Even if a referral is made, BCT should continue! • Help before SPED • Unlikely self-contained • IEP Planning

  16. Team Membership • Administrator (resources and support) • Regular Ed. Teacher (in PST Role?) • Classroom Teacher(s) • Pupil services • Parent • (Special Education?)

  17. Team members, continued • Others based upon presenting concerns. • Nurse • Specials (physical education, etc.) • Speech/Language • Playground Supervisor • Other Pupil Services Staff • Not PT/OT: licensed by DRL, Req. Dx

  18. Team Members: Teacher • Recommended Ratio 1:600 in Program Support Role (Kovaleski, 2002) • Experienced and Respected • Release time if possible

  19. Team Member: Administrator • Not pathology focus, rather instructional variables • Coordination of efforts among staff/teachers • Model flexibility and creativity • Articulate and support mission of BCT

  20. Team Member: Pupil Services • Problem identification and definition • Data Management • Goal Attainment Scale • Revisions • Intervention Integrity

  21. Team Member: Parent • Consent/notify/involve • Contact • Prior • Meeting with BCT or teacher & 1 BCT Member • Share Plan • Share Outcomes!

  22. Intervention: Who Does It? • Classroom Implementation by BCT • + consistency, search for what works, time • Direct Outside Implementation by BCT • Classroom Teacher

  23. Progress Monitoring • Who is responsible for monitoring? • BCT Members • Pupil Services • Facilitator via agenda • Use Goal Attainment Scaling • Make data collection easy, fast

  24. Who facilitates the meetings? • Someone with: • time! • expertise • facilitation skills • commitment

  25. Without consent can: Meet with teacher Discuss issues Suggest strategies Help to analyze data With consent can: Observe student Meet with student Individually screen student (Achievement, behavior, etc.) Give questionnaires Collect data directly Consent: with and without

  26. Meeting Roles • Facilitator: Guides meeting • Process Observer: Can help members get through difficult situations • Timekeeper: Notices length of time spent on each case, notifies group for decision

  27. Time Keeper Use a Parking Lot Develop clear agenda with outcomes Pre-meeting work: File review Parent contact Observation if possible Determine Strengths! Limiting discussion Refocusing Clarifying Facilitation Issues

  28. Teacher Concerns & Responses • Lack of awareness of process • Give them training • Return on their investment? • Build trust by following through • Blocking referrals • We don’t stop BCT just because a referral made • Past BCT has not been useful • Consider the lion on the veldt, only 10% of hunts…

  29. So far, we’ve talked about: • History & Context • BCT Membership/meeting Options On Deck: • BCT Process • Format • Data and Progress Monitoring

  30. BCT InterventionsNot Prereferral-Referral-Test • Widely endorsed as part of prevention, but NOT prereferral-referral-test; Must change • Existing practices reflect poor quality • 80% not guided by behavioral definition • 80% do not have a direct measure in the natural setting • 75% do not compare pre and post intervention data • Do they work???? Of course not! Reschly, 2004

  31. Assessment/Intervention Kratochwell, et.al 2002, p.586

  32. Intervention Choice: First, use “the Maalox Approach” • Immediate • Proven • Cheap • Noninvasive • Keep the focus on research-driven practices (Braden & Kratochwell, Empiric Assessment, 1997, as quoted in Kovaleski, 2002)

  33. Finding Evidence-Based Interventions • www.interventioncentral.org • www.schoolpsychology.net • www.naspcenter.org • Many, many others… Use those: • Based on same population • Focused on same problem • Acceptable to your staff, students, parents…

  34. Monitor student progress • Problem Statement includes monitoring • Data should be documented/charted • Timeline • Goals • Treatment integrity • Teachers will likely need some help getting started and sustaining the intervention. Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t need the BCT!

  35. Monitoring, Continued • The measure must be sensitive enough to show progress • Visual methods may ease interpretation of data (charts with new sight words learned; decreased behavioral incidents tracked)

  36. Kovaleski, 2004 at NASP Conference

  37. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) • Combines different ratings into one format • Individualized • Based on teacher’s goals for each student • Criterion-referenced • Roach and Elliott, 2005

  38. “Got GAS?” • Select target(s) • Describe in objective terms • Develop 3-5 descriptions of probable outcomes from -2 or -1 to +1 or +2 • Teacher gives daily or weekly rating • Evaluate progress AND intervention

  39. Goal Attainment Scaling • Handout Paper • Activities—Case Studies • Discussion

  40. Keys to BCT success • Understand the change process • Pre- and post- evaluation • Progress Monitoring • Staff feedback • Take a meeting each quarter where no individual students are discussed, talk about the system, results, make plans, etc.

  41. Factors in Managing Change Adapted from Villa & Thousand, Creating an Inclusive School, 1995

  42. BCT Program Evaluation: Data • Individual student improvement • Number of cases reviewed • Number resolved or to SPED referral • Surveys at end of year (satisfaction may not be related to improved outcomes) • Teachers • Parents

  43. BCT Surveys/Questionnaires • Take time soon to review your responses by school and by district • Survey again at start of next year after you have had some time to make changes • Come back together next year at this time to review

  44. Elementary: Reading! Attention Articulation Language Dev. Mental Health Middle/High School: Reading… Homework completion Attention Mental Health Social Problems Typical BCT Issues:

  45. Reading Statistics • 5% of children learn to read effortlessly • 20-30% learn relatively easily once exposed to reading instruction • For 60% of children reading is a more formidable task • For at least 20-30% of children, reading is one of the most difficult tasks that they will have to master. • For 5% of children, even with explicit and systematic instruction, reading will continue to be a challenge. MacKenzie (2000), citing statistics from Lyon, Kamme’enue, Simmons, et al.

  46. 5 big ideas about reading: • Language ability: amount and kind of talking in which families engage. • Phonemic awareness: awareness of the sounds of language and ability to manipulate. Phonological awareness: knowledge that the words we speak are made of individual sounds and the ability to detect and manipulate those sounds.

  47. 5 big ideas about reading: • Alphabetic understanding: the idea that sounds are represented by letters and the letters can be blended to form words. • Fluency with the code: ability to rapidly decode letters into sounds and then words. • Comprehension: deriving meaning from the words.

  48. Questions/Discussion • Large group questions • Small group discussions • Strengths • Challenges • Goals • Action Planning

  49. References • deFur, Sharon (March, 2002) author, IST VA, Findings Abstract/Selected Studies • Dehn, Milt (Spring, 2000) WSPA, Changing Times…Changing Lives • Iverson, A.M. (2002) In Best Practices in School Psychology IV, Ch. 43, p.657

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