RtI Coordinator Conference

1. RtI Coordinator Conference Kim St. Martin November 3, 2011 http://miblsi.cenmi.org

2. Key Points for Today • Take a walk down memory lane… • ISD and district infrastructures to support RtI implementation • Defining RtI Coordinator and Liason • Distinctions between RtI coordination in building specific implementation model vs. district model

3. Let’s Take a Walk Down Memory Lane…

4. Then… • Compass District: • Excited principal hears about MiBLSi and wants to implement RtI in his/her building • Principal asks superintendent if it would be a problem if his/her building applies to participate with the project…answer “go ahead” • Grant application is downloaded and completed by principal and teacher(s)

5. Then… • Compass District: • Assistant Superintendent or Curriculum Director approach the ISD to see if they can identify a coach to support the building who is applying…answer, “sure.” • Letter of commitment written by central office administrators and ISD administrators…We are committed!

6. Then… • Compass District: • One year later another building in Compass District wants to participate. • Three years later, all the elementary buildings have gone through training and now it is time to add the middle school. • Four years later…what about the high school? • We will have everyone “doing RtI once the high school is trained.”

7. Then… • RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district: • “East Elementary wants to stop using SWIS but the North and West still use it and like it.” • The principal at North has retired and the new principal doesn’t support MiBLSi and is not regularly attending training.” North is done with MiBLSi!

8. Then… • RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district: • All of the buildings say their core program is not working but none of this information seems to be getting to the Curriculum Director”

9. Then… • RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district: • Buildings consolidate and two of the buildings that consolidated were MiBLSi buildings…staff are all separated and in other buildings with no MiBLSi participation…we are starting from scratch! • You go to your other buildings and hear the same things!

10. Sound Familiar?

11. Infrastructures to Support District RtI Implementation

12. Implementation Structures • ISD Level • District Level • Building Level

13. ISD Cabinet ISD Implementation Planning Team • Vision • Policy • Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation) • Barrier busting • Create materials • Collect and summarize data • Identify barriers to implementation ISD Liaison Coordination ISD RtI Coordinator Implementation Supports Direction Training Coaching Content Expertise Materials Evaluation LEA Cabinet LEA Implementation Planning Team • Vision • Policy • Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation) • Barrier busting • Create materials • Collect and summarize data • Identify barriers to implementation LEA Liaison Coordination LEA RtI Coordinator Implementation Supports Schools

14. What is a Liaison? • Someone who has executive level (e.g. cabinet level) decision making authority and sits on an executive level administrative team • Holds the vision for RtI implementation • Ensures the vision for implementation is translated into action via the “Implementation Team”

15. What is a Liaison? • Ensures policy aligns with the vision • Ensures the Implementation Team is developing and actively implementing a work plan to ensure implementation of RtI with fidelity across districts

16. What is a RtI Coordinator? • Individual(s) who work closely with the Liaison to ensure the work plan for RtI implementation across districts is being implemented with fidelity • Conduit between district-level infrastructures to support implementation (e.g. Implementation Team, Building Leadership Teams) and the ISD Implementation Team

17. What is a RtI Coordinator? • Someone who has • Successful experience implementing MiBLSi/RtI practices • Ability to deepen knowledge and develop capacity necessary for a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) • Data savvy (process and outcome) • Successfully applied the problem-solving process at multiple levels

18. What is a RtI Coordinator? • Someone who has • Knowledge of the School Improvement Process • Facilitation skills necessary to lead small and large group meetings • Ability to manage multiple projects at once • Willingness to engage in continuous improvement to enhance skills (knows what (s)he knows and doesn’t know and fills the gaps)

19. What is a RtI Coordinator? • Someone who has • Systems thinking (must move beyond the practices that are being implemented to systems to support implementation) • Willingness to accept feedback from stakeholders, colleagues and supervisors • Timeliness • Effective organizational skills • Effective communication skills

20. What is a RtI Coordinator? • Someone who has • Trust and respect from others (this is accomplished by demonstrating competency and integrity) • Ability to manage ambiguity (this work is not cut/dry or black/white…there is a lot of GRAY)

21. Flavors of ISD/RESA Support to Local Districts

22. Flavors • Large urban districts (e.g. Detroit, Grand Rapids) • Stand alone districts • Large districts with 5,000-10,000 students • Mid-sized districts with 2,000-4,000 • Small districts/Charter school academies

23. How the ISD supports the different flavors of districts….

24. District (Large) District (Med) Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Building Mid-Size District Support There may be a limited number homegrown staff who can support coaching functions (Reading Interventionists, Behavior Interventionists) but training support may need to be directly provided by the ISD staff. If training capacity can be developed, it would probably be a small number. Building Building Building Large District Support ISD support to build local capacity to support RtI implementation (training capacity, coaching capacity, developing the capacity for a RtI Coordinator). Remember, a large district has more staff availability to use “homegrown” people to lead implementation District (Small) Small District Support One elementary and a middle/high school. Principal may also be curriculum director and limited staff availability to provide coaching and especially training support. ISD support would be to assign external coaches and to provide training of RtI practices. Building Building

25. Cabinet Implementation Planning Team • Vision • Policy • Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation) • Barrier busting • Create materials • Collect and summarize data • Identify barriers to implementation Liaison Coordination RtI Coordinator Let’s unpack the functions of the cabinet and Implementation Team!

26. Key Distinctions Between ISD and District Focus District ISD District District District Building Building Building Building Building District District District District District District

27. Defining the “Cabinet”

28. Defining the Cabinet • Individuals who are responsible for the vision and have the decision making authority to: • Determine policies for the ISD • Allocate resources (e.g. position can be funded to support RtI coordination, coaching, training, etc) • Remove barriers and obstacles impacting the ISD’s support to the local districts

29. Cautionary Note about the “Cabinet” • Do not create a separate cabinet for the purpose of supporting RtI • When possible, this work should be embedded into existing infrastructures • If your district does not call the group of key administrators the “Cabinet” don’t worry! • (Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Finance, Director of Special Education, Curriculum Director, or some alterations to the titles listed)

30. Defining the “Implementation Team”

31. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • Develops a work plan to support local district implementation efforts around three focus areas (see next slide) • This does not mean a separate plan to support every single district…the focus areas are a way to categories the buildings within districts • Three possible implementation tracks is better than 12!

32. Stages of Implementation Should we do it! Work to do it right! Work to do it better!

33. Thinking about Two Layers of Implementation Support Building Level District Level

34. Unpacking the Functions of an Implementation Team Cabinet Implementation Planning Team • Vision • Policy • Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation) • Barrier busting Liaison • Create materials • Collect and summarize data • Identify barriers to implementation Coordination RtI Coordinator

35. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • “Should we do it/Why are we doing it?”: • Awareness activities, overviews for districts, buildings within districts • Provide a process for gap analysis (what is implementation/performance gap • Develop a process to determine staff commitment for implementation • Provide a process for resource mapping (do we have necessary resources to implement successfully?) Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?

36. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • “Should we do it/Why are we doing it?”: • Provide information about defined roles and responsibilities regarding implementing RtI/MTSS • Provide information and materials: blueprints for implementation, evaluation, training) • Establish meeting cycle for a team who is in Exploration Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?

37. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • “Work to do it right!”: • Provide resources for setting up staff structures (district-level staff structures for the Implementation Team and building level staff structures for Leadership Teams) • Provide processes/resources for setting up information systems • Provide process/resources for setting up implementation Work to do it right!

38. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • “Work to do it right!”: • Provide process/resources for managing the change process • Provide process/resources for staff (two layers) to prepare for implementation (e.g. selection for first implementers, identify and develop trainers, identify and develop coaches, develop training schedule, provide training) • Provide process/resources to support implementation Work to do it right!

39. Implementation Team • “Create materials”: • “Work to do it better!”: • Emphasize through each replication, implementation efforts become more clearer • Actively engage in learning how to do and support the doing of RtI/MTSS. The work is implemented and sustained by local stakeholders and is well-integrated into policy/written documentation Work to do it better!

40. Common Assumptions • Assumptions about the current stage of implementation buildings within the district/county are functioning • Perception data is primarily used to assess implementation: “X Building is go gang buster with implementation!”

41. Common Assumptions • Assumptions about how to organize the stages of implementation for local districts • If we have 12 local districts does that mean we have 12 individualized implementation plans

42. ISD Implementation Team • “Collect and Summarize Data across the county/region”: • Fidelity/process data: • Team Implementation Checklist (TIC) • Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ) • Self Assessment Survey (SAS) • Schoolwide Evaluation Tool (SET) • Planning and Evaluation Tool-Revised (PET-R) • Reading Team Implementation Checklist (R-TIC) Are the local districts doing what they said they were going to do?

43. ISD Implementation Team • “Collect and Summarize Data across the county/region”: • Outcome Data: • SWIS • DIBELS/AIMSweb If our local districts are doing what they said they were going to do well, is it having an impact on student outcomes?

44. If the answer is “no” to either of those questions, the Implementation Team needs to determine why?

45. Implementation Team • “Identify implementation barriers”: • Teams and principals are attending PD that (although it is aligned with the research base) staff hear different terms, phrases and think the district’s direction is changing • Effective meeting structures are not in place and the team is not completing the necessary tasks that need to be accomplished

46. Implementation Team • “Identify implementation barriers”: • Data is not a part of the meeting • Principal is not supportive • District PD is not related to the RtI work and now the team does not have time to work with their staff in RtI practices and data analysis

47. How does the work of the Implementation Team interface with the cabinet?

48. Cabinet and Implementation Team Cabinet Implementation Team Collaborates with MiBLSi staff to develop work plan to support implementation Develops internal and external capacity to support RtI Develops organizational structures for good communication and to quickly identify challenges (continuous monitoring and adjustments) Ensures the Liaison has the talking points necessary to update the cabinet about implementation progress • Allocates resources to support work • Identifies Liaison and RtI Coordinator • Provides political support • Provides visibility for the work accomplishments • Removes implementation barriers identified by the Implementation Team • RtI is a standing agenda item for Liaison to report progress (data outcome and process are shared)

49. RtI Coordinator Participation on Implementation Teams

50. Key Distinctions Between ISD and District Focus District ISD District District District Building Building Building Building Building District District District The district RtI Coordinator keeps a pulse on building level implementation and communicates with the ISD RtI Coordinator what is going well and what needs improvement District District District