What To Do When A Student Does Not Respond To An Academic Intervention

1. What To Do When A Student Does Not Respond To An Academic Intervention Libby Quade M.A., NCSP May 5, 2014 Several slides provided courtesy of Brian Lloyd, Ed.S., NCSP

2. PLC Topics • What PLC topics did you like this year? • What PLC’s would you like to have next fall?

3. Introductions • Tell us about yourself: • Tell us your name • The primary school levels in which you work • Briefly describe the level or amount of RtI/MTSS implementation in your buildings.

4. Agenda Determining a positive response vs. a lack of response to interventions Making sure the problem has been correctly identified. Are interventions are correctly aligned to student skill deficit? Fidelity of interventions and progress monitoring. Are evidence-based interventions being used? Description of evidence-based interventions for math, reading, and behavior. What else can you try?

5. Making Decisions About Rate of Improvement • How to make a decision about when an intervention is successful. • 4 data points below goal line. • At least 8 data points – is ROI more than goal ROI? • Good goal is 1.5 expected rate for tier 2 and 2.0 expected rate for tier 3. (See top of page 6 of LD FAQ) • Is student’s rate of improvement above average peer rate? • Did we give enough time for the intervention to be successful?

6. Problem Solving Is Recursive •Define the Problem (Screening and Diagnostic Assessments) What is the problem and why is it happening? • Develop a Plan (Goal Setting and Planning) • Evaluate (Progress Monitoring Assessment) What are we going to do? Did our plan work? • Implement Plan (Treatment Integrity) Carry out the intervention

7. What Is The Minimum Number Of Interventions Attempted? IISD LD FAQ Page 5 – A student may be referred to the MET team for consideration of special education eligibility after a minimum of two interventions have been tried and the child has demonstrated growth far below the typical (i.e., locally normal) age/grade level rate of acquisition. Also middle of page 16 of the IISD SLD Guidelines.

8. Is The Problem Correctly Identified - Reading Set up a target date to meet to evaluate success of interventions. Periodically check on AIMSWeb or have graphs on an accessible network location. Schedule a meeting to review data for groups of students. For reading, use BIG FIVE skills to frame your intervention skill target. Make sure that both your intervention and progress monitoring measure align to the skill(s) you want to measure. When in doubt about PM measure for reading, use R-CBM or DORF (oral reading fluency).

9. Is The Problem Correctly Identified - Math Math Try to get access to evidence-based intervention. You need broad based skill remediation approach. -Evidence-based strategies (BTN)

10. Is The Problem Correctly Identified - Math

11. INTERVENTIONS • Not all interventions are created equal. • Doing analysis of ROI for entire intervention groups is critical. • Student ROI should be compared to same-grade norms, as well as to the students within the intervention group, • assuming I have the same fidelity data for all students across the group. • If all or even most of the students within an intervention group don’t make the expected ROI, ask: • Is that a problem with each student in the intervention group ? • Is it a problem with how that intervention group has been set up? (ineffective intervention, poor fidelity, poor match of intervention to student need, etc.)

12. INTERVENTIONS – Williamston Last Year Last year (2012-13), Teacher Directed PALS improved NWF scores for Kindergarten, but not 1st Grade. Last year, Phonics For Reading improved scores for students in the 1st grade, but not in the 2nd grade. Last year, 6 Minute Solutions seemed to give better improvement to students with reading fluency issues than Read Naturally, but it could be student characteristic dependent. Last year, My Sidewalks had a positive effect on ROI in one school district, but not as much in another.

13. INTERVENTIONS – This Year At the start of last year, the Williamston MTSS coaches brainstormed how to improve intervention group performances They targeted reading fluency as the big 5 area they were weak in for both tiered intervention and classroom instruction. They “tweaked” interventions to include a fluency component for many and added reading fluency (6 minute and/ read naturally) in the 3rd grade (and in some other grade classrooms). Williamston’s fall data looks (I think) very good.

14. INTERVENTIONS – This YearFluency Intervention Grade Level Analysis FALL PROGRESS MONITORING 2nd Grade AIMSWeb R-CBM Graphs indicated that 33 total students’ progress was monitored. 25 of 33 students (76%) met their goal. 3rd Grade AIMSWeb R-CBM Graphs indicated that 35 total students’ progress was monitored. 32 of 35 students (91%) met their goal. 4th grade AIMSWeb R-CBM Graphs indicated that 31 total students’ progress was monitored. 29 of 31 students (94%) met their goal. 5th grade AIMSWeb R-CBM Graphs indicated that 41 total students’ progress was monitored. 40 of 41 students (98%) met their goal.

15. INTERVENTIONS – This Year • The winter data did not look as good. The snow days didn’t help. • It was once again found that students receiving Phonics For Reading made good ROI in the fall, but did not meet their goals in the winter. • Last data point prior to evaluating intervention groups, 32 of 32 1st grade students scores plummeted on R-CBM for that week. The assumption is the that the reading probe may have been a harder measure than previous probes. • What would you do with this information? • I decided to throw that data point out. • 78% percent of students ended up meeting their end of intervention goal at least once.

16. BREAK

17. INTERVENTIONS - READING READING – Research based, but are they equal?

18. INTERVENTIONS - READING Reading Continued…

19. INTERVENTIONS - READING Here are reading interventions added to our list last May 2013:

20. INTERVENTIONS - MATH Connecting Math was added at our May 2013 PLC

21. Math Interventionshttp://www.intensiveinterventions.org

22. INTERVENTION SELECTION The What Works Clearinghouse (http://www.w-w-c.org/) established by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, and the public with a central, independent, and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. CASEL Intervention Program Ratings http://casel.org/guide/framework/elementary-school-program-ratings/ The 2013 CASEL Guide identifies well-designed, evidence-based social and emotional learning programs with potential for broad dissemination to schools across the United States. National Center on Intensive Intervention The Center's approach to intensive interventions is data-based individualization (DBI). http://www.intensiveintervention.org/chart/instructional-intervention-tools TEAM TIME TO DEVELOP A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LIST

23. INTERVENTIONS – TEAM TIME Let’s break into teams of 2 to 3 What interventions on the IISD lists have you found to improve student outcomes/PM scores? What interventions not on the lists have you found to improve student outcomes/PM scores? What interventions have you found to NOT have the outcomes you would have expected? Let’s share out at the end of the team time and report your interventions and reports of efficacy with the large group

24. INTERVENTIONS Last year we hoped that Illuminate Ed could help us track intervention group data. That project hasn’t been successful as of yet.

25. FIDELITY Periodic and/or spot checks of the interventions. This could include the use of an intervention component checklist. Number of Components Present divided by Total Number of Components times 100 = percentage score that can serve as fidelity rating.

26. FIDELITY

27. FIDELITY

28. FIDELITY • Problems with fidelity checks through observation forms. • Who does them? • Who does them?! • WHO DOES THEM!?!?!?!? • Time/Money/Schedules/etc.

29. FIDELITY How can we set up system to check? One check could be to record minutes expected and minutes attended.

30. FIDELITY The Data Will Tell One flag you have to check integrity is the outcomes of your interventions. If nobody or only a few are making progress in response to a research-based intervention, this is a BIG RED FLAG. Even if only one student is not responding, this is a little red flag, but still worthy of checking.

31. FIDELITY • Interview the interventionist • In the case of one or a few students not responding, talk with the interventionist and ask her why. She/he may tell you. • An easily correctable issue may arise. • My experience, biggest cause of fidelity issues? • 1st Place: Schedule, schedule, schedule, schedule… • 2nd Place: Simple communication break downs.

32. Progress Monitoring FIDELITY Are the progress monitoring scores matching benchmark scores? Are progress monitoring scores matching what the teacher sees in the classroom? Are you seeing big peaks and valleys on a regular basis with your progress monitoring scores? Do you not see PM scores reported for months at a time? RED FLAGS. Check.

33. INTERVENTIONS “OUT OF THE BOX” • How can buildings plan for the maximum amount of people to give the most amount of intervention time? • OUT OF BOX – Role flexibility is required. Creative scheduling is required. • Example: Principals cover a classroom to allow teachers to give small group intervention. • Example: Teachers take multiple classes to have enrichment activity while second teacher (and other staff) teaches small group intervention.

34. Team Discussion • In teams of 2 or 3 discuss: • Who provides tier 2 and tier 3 interventions in your building? Is it you? • List other possible staff members who could be identified to deliver interventions • How could they be enabled to do that? • How do you go about addressing barriers to intervention delivery? • As a group: • Share your team’s responses and record them for the large group.

35. WHAT IF IT’S STILL NOT WORKING? • See Instructional Variables Checklist handout. • Case Examples

36. DISCUSSIONS What do you think?