Building Capacity for RtI 2 : Practical strategies for sustained outcomes

1. Building Capacity for RtI2:Practical strategies for sustained outcomes The ACSA-CASP RtI Project: A joint partnership between the Association of California School Administrators and the California Association of School Psychologists

2. Who We Are • Catherine Christo, Professor, Sacramento State University • Carin Contreras, Director of Instruction, Assessment and Intervention, Roseville City School District • Jennifer Gaviola, Director of Special Services, Madera Unified School District • Deeds Gill, Lead School Psychologist, RTI Coordinator, Fresno Unified School District

3. Welcome! • Structure of the Webinar • Format for delivery • Individual • Teams

4. Participants Will Develop Skills and Resources To: • foster consensus among critical stakeholders • develop a multi-tiered model of interventions that is responsive to student need • use data to design interventions and track student progress • implement problem solving teams

5. Participants Will Not • Receive the “magic key” for RtI

6. Agenda • Introduction • Primer on RTI • Tiered Model of Interventions and Data Based Decision Making • Problem Solving Teams • Consensus Building • Wrap up

7. Framework for the Webinar • Use in different ways • Teams • Individuals • Time • Blueprints • Group/individual activities • Resource CD

8. Building RtI

9. Things That Get In the Way (national center on response to intervention) • Insufficient professional development • Different beliefs about school reform • Human nature • Time • Lack of available expertise • Turnover • Failure to nurture personal relationships

10. School Building Level: Infrastructure(www.nasdse.org)

11. District Level: Infrastructure(www.nasdse.org)

12. quick primer on rti2 (response to instruction/ intervention)

13. Response to Intervention is the practice of providing: From: Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation - NASDSE • “high quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, • monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals and • applying child response data to important educational decisions.”

14. Tiered System of Supports Increase in intensity of services as student need increases

15. Everyone should understand:The “BIG” Ideas of RtI Decide what is important for students to know Teach what is important for students to know Keep track of how students are doing Make changes according to the results you collect Dave Tilly, Heartland AEA; 2005

16. The REALLY Big Ideas

17. RtI2 Is: • “…an effective strategy to support every student.” • “.. a school-wide process that provides assistance to every student, both high achieving and struggling learners.” • “It is a process that utilizes resources within a school and district in a collaborative manner to create a single, well-integrated system of instruction and interventions informed by student outcome data.” • “…systematic data-driven approach to instruction that benefits every student.” • Jack O.Connell 11/14/2008

18. RtI2 Is: • “…reduces disproportionate representation of certain groups of students identified as needing special education students.” • “…integrates resources from general education, categorical programs, and special education through a comprehensive system of core instruction and interventions to benefit every student.” • Jack O.Connell 11/14/2008

19. Core Components (CDE, 2008) • High quality classroom instruction • Research based instruction • Research based interventions • Fidelity of program implementation

20. Core Components (CDE, 2008) • Universal screening • Continuous classroom monitoring • Progress monitoring during instruction and intervention

21. Core Components (CDE, 2008) • Staff development and collaboration • Parent involvement

22. Core Component (CDE, 2008) • SLD Determination • One component of process for determining SLD • Addresses need for data based instruction and documentation of progress

23. It’s All About The Nudge (Compton, 2005) RtI Helps Figure This Out

24. The Umbrella of RtI RtI approaches can provide Instructional Program Coherence (IPC) for: -Mellard and Johnson, 2008

25. Two minute gossip… • Turn to a neighbor • Discuss the CONCERNS you have heard about implementing RTI • With that same neighbor • Discuss the POSITIVE things you have heard about implementing RTI

26. WHY DO WE WANT TO DO THIS? THE RATIONALE

27. Establishing the Rationale: The Challenge • National Literacy Crisis • If intervene at grades 4-7, 10-15% will be brought to grade level • Drop out issues • AYP

28. The Potential: It Works for Kids • Substantial reduction in special education referrals • Early intervention changes outcomes • Using data to deliver needed services targets those kids most in need

29. The Potential:Teachers Like It Because • Their kids get help right away • “I feel like I am not alone anymore” They have access to resources • “That was a really difficult year but I would never go back to the way we were.” • They have the feeling they are meeting students needs • “I don’t go home at night worrying about what to do to help, I go home thinking about creating plans” • Ongoing reasons to celebrate

30. The Potential:Administrators Like It Because • A stronger use of data • Kids get intervention services earlier • It is a coordinated intervention strategy • We identify learning challenges as opposed to just sending them to special education • Test scores go up • It’s the right thing to do

31. Why Do RtI…. • Think about your site(s) – • why would your staff /community want to do RtI? • -what are some current challenges RtI could address • What are some positive outcomes it could bring about • What grade levels or academic areas would be a good start? • See Thinking About RtI

33. Tiered Model of Interventions & Data Based Decisions CARIN CONTRERASDEEDS GILL

34. What you need… • Building a house…. • Plans…a vision of what will be…BLUEPRINTS • To guide our way…tells us where to put the walls • Does NOT tell us where to put the furniture • A Builder…..with subcontractors…a TEAM • Each has a different but important ROLE • A Loan…funding…MONEY • We need to spend our money in the most important areas….cannot afford to waste it

35. School Building Level: Infrastructure(www.nasdse.org)

36. District Level: Infrastructure(www.nasdse.org)

37. WHY DO WE NEED A MULTI – TIER MODEL OF INTERVENTIONS?

38. Why a Tiered Model? Core Principle of RtI: ALL students are part of ONEproactive and responsiveeducational system: • Belief that we can effectively teach ALL students • Belief that ALL children can learn • Belief that failure can be avoided with prevention, stopped with early and effective intervention • Belief that early indicators of future problems are identifiable • Use of ALL available resources to teach ALL students • Belief that all students are everyone’s responsibility

39. Tiered Model of Interventions • It allows us to look at ALL kids and what they might need on a CONTINUUM….not in a BOX • It helps us organize who gets what, when they get it, and why they should have it • It will NOT work without targeted assessment and effective problem solving

40. Tiers of Service Delivery Behavioral Systems Academic Systems Tier III: Intensive Cycle in addition to and in alignment with Core: Individual Students Assessment-based Intense, durable procedures Tier III: Comprehensive/Intensive Cycle in addition to and in alignment with Core: Individual Students Assessment-Based High Intensity Of longer duration Tier II: Targeted Group Interventions in addition to and in alignment with Universal Some At-Risk Students High Efficiency Rapid Response Tier II: Supplemental Cycle in addition to and in alignment with Core Some At-Risk Students High Efficiency Rapid Response Tier I: Universal Interventions All students; all settings, Preventative, Proactive Tier I: Core Cycle All students Preventative, proactive

41. Why a Tiered Model? • Need to have a TEAM of individuals at the District and the School Building Level • They need to represent different roles: • Data Mentor • Content Specialist • Facilitator • Liaison • Instructional Leader

42. Data CoachRoles/Skills (NASDSE) • Coordinate data management • Demonstrates expertise in collecting, organizing, displaying, analyzing, and interpreting data • Generate easily understandable visual displays of data • Attend all sessions where PD around data collection is conducted

43. Content Specialist Roles/Skills (NASDSE) • Has in-depth knowledge of content area to be addressed (reading, math, behavior) • Knows best practice research • Has good curriculum knowledge • Knows effective instructional practices • Facilitate others’ learning of content

44. Facilitator/RtI CoachRoles/Skills (NASDSE) This role changes… • In early stages, attends to supporting staff through the “change process” • Procedures for communication • In later stages, attends to group needs • Setting meeting times, developing agendas, determining processes to keep all team members involved and open communication with staff

45. Staff LiaisonRoles/Skills (NASDSE) Each team member may play this role: • Key communicators with staff who are not members of the leadership team • Follow developed procedures to gain input from staff • Remember all staff, not just grade level representation (English language learners, Title 1, Gifted, Special Education, etc.)

46. Instructional LeaderRoles/Skills (NASDSE) Principals SHOULD be the “Instructional Leader” • Provideinstructional leadership • Secure and allocate resourcesand master schedule • Identify support needed by leadership team • Facilitatecommunication with all staff • Attendall RtI professional development sessions

47. At your tables…. • Look at the different roles for the RtI Leadership Team • Who in your organization can fill these roles? Can you fill these roles at the district level? • Identify the person(s) and possible responsibilities

48. Why a Tiered Model? • The RtI Leadership team needs to work through a set of guiding questions in order to continue building consensus and start building the infrastructure necessary for implementation • Can use the NASDSE Blueprints • Heartland AEA 11 Guiding Questions • Pasco County, FL Guiding Questions • Revised RtI 10 questions with stepsdoc.doc • Guiding Questions for PS_RtI BLT.doc • Guiding Questions for PS-RtI Tiers .doc