Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Problem Solving and Response to Intervention… Don’t be Afraid to Ask!

1. Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Problem Solving and Response to Intervention… Don’t be Afraid to Ask! Laura Boynton Hauerwas, Ph.D. Ina S. Woolman Providence College RI Department of Education

2. Response to Intervention (RTI) What is it? a problem-solving philosophy an intervention system a way to monitor progress a shared responsibility

3. RTI: a problem solving philosophy If a student isn’t performing as expected, we will change what WE’RE doing … and continue problem solving until we find what works.

4. What is problem-solving? A decision making process 1. Problem Identification 2. Problem Analysis 5. Plan Evaluation Revise Modify Intensify With Expanding Support 3. Plan Development 4. Plan Implementation

5. What is the discrepancy between what is expected and what is occurring? 1. Problem Identification What does the data show us?

6. Why is the problem occurring? 2. Problem Analysis What does the data show us?

7. What is the goal?What is the intervention plan?How will progress be monitored? 3. Plan Development

8. How will implementation fidelity be ensured? What does the data show us? 4. Plan Implementation

9. Did the student(s) respond to the intervention? What does the data show us? 5. Plan Evaluation CELEBRATE? REVISE? MODIFY? INTENSIFY? WITH EXPANDED SUPPORT?

10. What does the data show us? Carrying out Interventions and utilizing data are inseparable in the problem-solving process

11. RTI: an intervention system • School-wide system • Foundational curriculum • Variety of Interventions • Systematic Assessment Plan • Data-based decision making process

12. First Floor -Primary • All students • Comprehensive core curriculum • Differentiated Instruction • Flexible grouping • Benchmark assessments 3 times a year • Preventive and proactive

13. The Roof -Secondary Programs, strategies, procedures to enhance and support primary program • Focused group and individual interventions • High efficiency, short term • Progress Monitoring assessments twice a month • 10-15% of students

14. The Chimney - Tertiary Different Architecture Scheduling Delivery

15. What is an intervention? • Instruction that supplements and intensifies classroom curriculum/instruction to meet student need • Academic or Behavioral • Standard Protocol or Individualized • All interventions must have plan of implementation, criteria for successful response, assessment to monitor progress

16. Response to Intervention… are we there yet? J J Instruction L Intervention L What’s next? J Regular Education Intervention L J Intervention Consider adding Special Education support

17. What do you mean by intensifying an intervention? Teacher with specific expertise Classroom Teacher Specialist Professional Curricular Focus 5 areas Less than 5 2 or less Systematic Instructional Sequence Extensive opportunities for feedback Task Analysis Multiple opportunities for Guided Practice Differentiated Instruction Specialization of Instruction Frequency of Progress Monitoring 3 times a year Monthly or greater Weekly

18. “Never argue with the data”Let it drive your decisions • Teachers use assessments as formative tools to inform instruction • School administrators use assessment data to help teachers meet the needs of students by providing necessary staff development and changes in curriculum • Teachers use progress monitoring assessments to determine if students are responding to instruction and intervention

19. Using Progress Monitoring Data to Chart RTI

20. Grouping students for instruction based on student skill, monitoring their progress over small periods of time, adjusting instruction based on the data and providing kids feedback on their performance … one of the most powerfulsets of educational practices that exists. ~Dan Reschly

21. Impact of RTI on Student Learning

22. Questions YOU need to ask about data tools • Does your district assessment plan include progress monitoring tools that give you the information you need? • Do you have a way to efficiently manage and graph student progress data?

23. Where do we find out more about tools to monitor progress? • http://www.studentprogress.org • http://www.interventioncentral.org • http://www.aimsweb.com • http://dibels.uoregon.edu/ • http://pals.virginia.edu/

24. How do you coordinate all this?

25. RTI: a shared responsibility • This is about each and every … • Student, class, school and district • For district-wide success, • it needs to be • everybody’s business • Michigan Teacher Network at michiganteacher.net

26. Special Education Reading Specialist Counselor Other Specialists Students Teachers Parents School-Based Problem Solving Team EL Teacher Special Educators School Psychologists-Diagnosticians Expanding Circle of Support

27. Lessons learned about Teaming: • Problem solving = seen as neither a general educator or a special educator process … but an “EVERY EDUCATOR” process • Flexible scheduling needed to allow for team participation and provision of interventions by needed education and support personnel

28. More lessons learned about Teaming: • Buildings may have one or more “teams” -functions and membership of support team(s) vary as appropriate: • During the process • Depending on purpose • Depending on student characteristics and need • Support may begin in grade-level meetings or other collegial gatherings • Building administrator involvement is essential

29. Don’t be afraid to ask… Contacts: • Listserv – send an email request to sheila.beliveau@ride.ri.gov • Laura Boynton Hauerwas, Ph.D.Professor of Education Providence College, Chair – State Learning Disabilities Committee, Facilitator – PLUS Demonstration Schools lhauerwa@providence.edu • Ina S. Woolman RI Dept. of Education, Office of Special Populations, Staff – State Learning Disabilities Committee,Member – PLP Committee ina.woolman@ride.ri.gov