RtI Workshop Tier 1 Interventions

RtI WorkshopTier 1 Interventions Presenters:Andrea Tamarazio, Erie 1 BOCES Kristen Marchiole, Erie 1 BOCES Date: December 10, 2010

Workshop Goals • To understand the Core Principles of RtI • Gain a solid understanding of the elements of Tier 1 • Learn how to create CBMs (using a website)

RtI Core Principles • Student services are arranged in a multi-tiered model • Data is collected to assess student’s baseline levels and to make decisions about student progress • Interventions are scientifically validated • The “procedural integrity” of interventions is measured • RtI is implemented and developed at the school and district level to be sustainable over time Source: School Psychology Review, 2007

Remember This …. AS PROFESSIONALS … WE MUST CONSIDER THIS PROCESS FOR ANY STUDENT DEMONSTRATING ACADEMIC DEFICITS, NOT ONLY THOSE THAT ARE SUSPECTED OF HAVING A LEGALLY DEFINED “DISABILITY”

Three Tiered Model Tier 3 Intensive Interventions Tier 2 Individualized Interventions Tier 1 Universal

Think about this …

Circle of Accountability Source: Syracuse City School District, 2008 • Identify students who need additional support • Use research-based interventions to assist students • Monitor these students progress on ongoing basis

Which Intervention, Which Tier?

Tier 1 Available to all students in a classroom or school. Can consist of whole-group of individual strategies or supports. Tier 1 Interventions attempt to answer the question: Are routine classroom instructional strategies sufficient to help the student achieve academic success?

Tier 1 • Use ALL available resources to teach ALL students • Tier 1 provides strong curriculum, instruction, and assessment • Tier 1 is effective teaching in Gen. Ed. Room by the Gen. Ed. Teacher • Preventative and Proactive • On-going CBMs and other progress monitoring tools • Differentiated instruction and other research based teaching strategies and approaches • Universal screening to identify at-risk students

Elements of Tier 1 • School wide efforts that ALL students are involved • Universal screening of academic and behavioral skills • Instruction supported by scientifically based research • Effective Instruction • Differentiated Instruction • Effective Classroom Management • Curriculum Framework and Personnel www.rti4success.org

Tier 1: Universal Screening • What: • A process to collect data on academic and behavioral expectations • How: • Collect data 3 times a year to demonstrate a developmental trend called “norming” • Utilize measures that are quick, brief, and easy to use including Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM)

Tier 1: Universal Screening • CBM is an established procedure and useful method for determining standards for achievement. • CBM is a standardized measurement methodology using materials from the curriculum. • CBM uses brief (i.e., 1 to 3 min) direct measures of student performance in the basic skill areas of reading, math, spelling, and written expression.

Tier 1: Universal Screening • Curriculum Based Measurement • Compare individuals to their peers • Place students into instructionallyappropriate curriculum • Measure individual student progress • Useful throughout the process of the 3 Tiers.

Tier 1: Universal Screening CBM • Useful in identifying students at risk of academic difficulties • Aids in establishing AYP • Useful in predicting performance on NY State Test • Useful in informing instructional decisions • Math (Fuchs, Fuchs, 1989) • Reading (Good, R.H. and Kaminski R.A., 1996) • Useful in re-integration decisions (Shinn, 1998) • Useful in making decisions concerning language minority students

Tier 1: Universal Screening CBM • Evaluation • Evaluating skills analysis (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlett, & Stecker, 1990) • Instructional interventions (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986; Shinn, Good, & Stein, 1989) • Math (Fuchs, Fuchs, 1989) • Reading (Good, R.H. and Kaminski R.A., 1996) • Establishing instructional goals (Shinn, 1988)

Creating CBMs for Tier 1 of the RtI Model • Jim Wright’s website: Intervention Central: www.interventioncentral.org • Letter Naming Generator • Word List Fluency Generator • Reading Fluency Passage Generator • MAZE Passage Generator • Writing Probe Generator • Early Math Fluency Generator • Math Fluency Generator

Creating CBMs for Tier 1 of the RtI Model • Easy CBM Website: www.easycbm.com • Early Literacy • Letter Naming • Letter Sounds • Phoneme Segmentation • Word Reading Fluency • Passage Reading Fluency • Multiple Choice Reading Comprehension • Math Numbers & Operations • Math Measurement • Math Geometry • Math Numbers and Operations & Algebra

Creating CBMs for Tier 1 of the RtI Model • HELPS Program • Easy-to-use instructional strategies that are specifically designed to improve students reading fluency • DIBELS • Using data to make decisions for students, EACH and ALL

Elements of Tier 1 Mastery requirements of content Cut points identified on screening measures and continued growth as demonstrated by routine progress monitoring are indicators of content mastery. Taken from the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities: http://www.nrcld.org

Elements of Tier 1 Frequency and focus of progress monitoring Recommendations on progress monitoring vary. In general, progress monitoring occurs at least once every three weeks, often as frequently as weekly, twice weekly, or even daily. At-risk students in Tier 1 need to be monitored at a more frequent rate than the three times per year rate provided by screening. Results of progress monitoring provide data that can be used to make decisions about regrouping students or about continuing, revising, or changing an intervention.

Elements of Tier 1 Duration of the intervention Students, including those receiving instruction in Tier 2 and beyond, remain in Tier 1 throughout the school year unless found eligible for special education and specially designed instruction that cannot be provided in the general classroom. Taken from the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities: http://www.nrcld.org

Elements of Tier 1 Instructional delivery supported by scientifically based research Classroom observation demonstrates high quality classroom instruction

Tier 1: Effective Instruction • Research-based effective teaching principles include: • active engagement of students, • high success rates, • increased content coverage, • direct instruction • scaffolded instruction, • instruction that addresses the critical forms of knowledge, • instruction in the organizing, storing, & retrieving of info, • strategic instruction, • explicit instruction, and • instruction that teaches across subjects.

Elements of Tier 1 Differentiated instruction Classroom observation demonstrates differentiated instruction

Tier 1: Differentiated Instruction • Planning and providing alterations for the following: • curriculum, • instruction, and • assessment. • Recognizing students’ • varying background knowledge, • readiness, • language, and • preferences in learning and interests. • Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. • The intent of differentiating is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success to assist in the learning process.

Elements of Tier 1 Curricula & instructional materials aligned to state standards All of the following show evidence that the school is implementing curricula and instructional materials aligned to the state standards: • district’s curriculum maps; • teacher lesson plans; and • teacher interviews.

Elements of Tier 1 Instructional leadership District/school improvement plan • connects with professional development that exhibits growth, knowledge, and fidelity towards implementation; • addresses areas of needs/concerns based on data (i.e., state test scores, subject area assessment scores discipline data, test data); and • demonstrates a direct correlation of allocation of resources to the needs.

Elements of Tier 1 System of instructional support Instructional management plan which includes: • data-driven professional development; • evidence of formative; and • summative observations to improve instructional practices.

Elements of Tier 1 Parental/family and community involvement • School improvement plan includes parental involvement component linked to improving measured student achievement and behavior; • Achievement performance data (state testing)

Tier 1: Focus on School Factors That We Can Control “Some factors in students’ lives (such as family divorce, moving frequently, drug use, and poor teaching) lower the probability that these students will learn and/or get along with others. These are often referred to as risk factors….Risk factors do not assure student failure. Risk factors simply make the odds of failure greater. Aligning assessment and instruction allows teachers…to introduce new factors into the student’s life that raise the probability of learning. These are often protective factors since they protect against the risks associated with risk factors…The use of protective factors to raise the probability of learning is often referred to as resilience.” Source: Hosp, J.L. (2008). Best practices in aligning academic assessment with instruction. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 363 – 376). Bethesda, MD. National Association of School Psychologists.

Tier 1 Instruction / Interventions Tier 1 Instruction / Interventions: • Are universal – available to all students • Can be delivered within classrooms or throughout the school • Are likely to be put into place by the teacher at the first sign of a struggling student. All children have access to Tier 1 instruction / interventions. Teacher have the capability to use those strategies without requiring outside assistance.

Tier 1 Instruction / Interventions Tier 1 Instructions / Interventions encompass: • The school’s core curriculum and all published or teacher-made materials used to deliver that curriculum. • Teacher use of “whole group” teaching & management strategies • Teacher use of individualized strategies with specific students.

Tier 1: Classroom-Level Interventions • Decision Point: Student is struggling and may face significant high-stakes negative outcomes if situation does not improve. • Collaboration Opportunity: Teacher can refer the student to a grade-level, instruction team, or department meeting to brainstorm ideas – OR – teacher seeks out consultant in school to brainstorm intervention ideas. • Documentation: Teacher completes “Classroom Intervention Form” prior to carrying out intervention. Teacher collects classroom data. • Decision Rule [Example]: Teacher should refer student to the next level of RTI support if the intervention is not successful within 8 instructional weeks.

Insert Jim Wrights 8 step checklist 1. Train Teachers to Write Specific, Measureable, Observable ‘Problem Identification Statements. 2. Inventory Tier 1 Interventions Already in Use. 3. Create a Standard Menu of Evidence-Based Tier 1 Intervention Ideas for Teachers. 4. Establish Tier 1 Coaching and Support Resources. 5. Provide Classroom (Tier 1) Problem-Solving Support to Teachers. 6. Set Up a System to Locate Additional Evidence-Based Tier 1 Intervention Ideas. 7. Create Formal Guidelines for Teachers to Document Tier 1 Strategies. 8. Develop Decision Rules for Referring Students from Tier 1 to Higher Levels of Intervention.

Questions / Concerns If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me Andrea Tamarazio atamarazio@e1b.org Kristen Marchiole kmarchiole@e1b.org

RtI Workshop Tier 1 Interventions