Responsiveness to Instruction

Responsiveness to Instruction Moving Through the Tiers

Agenda • Completing Tier I • Completing Tier II • Progress Monitoring & Periodic Evaluation • What comes after Tier II? • Difference between • schools completing Tier I & II • schools that are in full implementation.

Common Difficulties seen in the District • Teachers not using the same progress monitoring instrument on a tier. When different instruments are used each month/week, there is no way to make an accurate comparison to determine if the student has made any progress or not. • Teachers trying to address too many needs at one time and not narrowing in on the key area of need. When teachers try to address everything, the model is not manageable. In addition, it is difficult for the student to make any progress because so many things are trying to be addressed at one time. • Teachers providing high intensity of interventions at Tier I. This does not allow any place to go, when the student is not being successful and needs to move up a tier. • Periodic Evaluation not being completed. • Needs Assessment for Tier II is copied from Tier I, instead of using the latest information and data.

Changes • Based on these difficulties, as well as input that has been received, some changes have been made to the Tier I & Tier II forms. Goal of Changes • Make forms easier for teachers, • Without making such drastic changes that would require total retraining and • Maintain compliance

Tier I Changes

Tier I (Diagnostic Page)old page one • Took page and moved to Tier II. • Moving this page eliminates the extra checklists for hearing and vision. Hearing and vision would just be completed when the student begins receiving Tier II interventions. • Gathering student’s history data will be completed when the student begins receiving Tier II interventions. • It allows the teacher to put more thought into the needs assessment and identifying those initial interventions. • Parent Concerns remained.

Tier I (Needs Assessment)old page 2, new page 1 • This is now page one. • Check boxes were created for Define the Problem and Problem Analysis • Slight wording adjustments were made to Define the Problem and Problem Analysis • Moved comparison to peers to Tier II • Added starter statements in areas to assist teachers. • Simplified the Area(s) Concern • Added skip to page 2 to the end of the intervention program statement.

Let’s look at the new Page One

Quick Look

The Details & Examples

Parent Concerns • You need to make sure that you describe any parent concerns. • If the parent does not have any concerns, any comments provided by the parent need to be noted. • This is important, because parents are a big part throughout the model.

Define the Problem. • Consider the major areas of difficulty: • Reading • Math • Written Expression • Language • Behavior • Consider primary difficulty in behavior • Then think about the skills that are weak.

Components of Reading • Phonological Awareness • Phonics • Vocabulary • Fluency • Comprehension

Phonological Awareness Involves analyzing the sounds of language and how these sounds make up words and sentences.

Phonics “Phonics instruction teaches children the relationship between the letters of written language and the individual sounds of spoken language” “The goal of phonics is to help children learn and use the alphabetic principle…the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds.”

Vocabulary Vocabulary refers to the words we must know to effectively communicate Types of vocabulary: • Listening- words needed to understand what we hear • Speaking- words used when speaking • Reading- words needed to understand what we read • Writing- words used in writing

Fluency Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and with expression. Fluent readers: • Read aloud with little effort, and naturally as if they were speaking • Do not have to focus on decoding words • Recognize words and comprehend at the same time • Make connections with the text

Comprehension Reason for reading. It is both purposeful and active and can be developed by teaching various comprehension strategies.

Questions • If you have specific questions about any of these areas, you can contact Carlene White and/or Spencer Register. • You can also talk with the reading teacher and/or curriculum coach who works at your school.

Areas of Math • Conceptual Knowledge/Number Sense • Arithmetic Fluency (Computation) • Problem-Solving Skills • Reasoning Ability

Conceptual Knowledge/Number Sense • The understanding of why math operations function the way they do and the patterns. • Students with good conceptual knowledge understand math concepts and vocabulary.

Conceptual Knowledge/Number Sense • Refers to an intuitive feel for numbers and their various uses and interpretations. • Includes the ability to compute accurately and efficiently, to detect errors, and to recognize results as reasonable. • People with number sense are able to understand numbers and use them effectively in everyday living. • Good number sense is recognizing the relative magnitudes of numbers and establishing referents, or benchmarks, for measures of common objects and situations in their environments.

Arithmetic skill/fluency • Fluency is ability to express something effortlessly and clearly. • Math fluency would be the ability to compute math facts and problem solve with automaticity and confidence.

Problem-solving • Problem-solving is the process/procedure by which a new situation is analyzed and resolved. • It is the ability to use knowledge of arithmetic, concepts and reasoning to solve math problems, as well as the ability to make connections between one method and its application to a new situation.

Reasoning Ability • Relationship between procedural and conceptual knowledge • Critical skill that enables a student to make use of all other mathematical skills.

Questions • If you have specific questions about any of these areas, you can contact Carlene White and/or Spencer Register. • You can also talk with the curriculum coach who works at your school.

Language • Second Language • Communication Difficulties • Listening Comprehension • Oral Expression • Pragmatics/Social Language

Questions • If you have specific questions about any of these areas, you can contact: • The ESL teacher in your school • The Speech/Language specialist in your school

Behavior Function • To get something • What is the student trying to get? • To avoid something • What is the student trying to avoid?

Questions • If you have specific questions about any of these areas, you can contact the Student Support Person in your school.

Stop and Discuss

Baseline: • How is the student currently performing. • ____ is currently reading ___ wpm. • ____ is currently scoring a ____ on an eight minute math assessment. • ____ is currently scoring a ____ on a three minute MAZE comprehension assessment. • ____currently is only able to follow simple one step directions.

Benchmark • Two Parts • The growth that is anticipated after a reasonable amount of intervention time. • For example: • After six weeks of intervention, _____ will • Increase his reading from _____ wpm to _____wpm. • Increase his math score from a _____ to a _____ on an eight minute math (M-COMP) assessment. • Increase his reading comprehension from a _____ to a _____ on a three minute MAZE comprehension assessment. • Will increase his understanding of oral directions from a one-step simple direction to a three step direction. 2. The growth that is anticipated by the end of the year.

Relationship of Baseline, Benchmark, & Progress Monitoring You need a baseline and a benchmark using the same progress monitoring instrument.

Area(s) Concern • This section has been simplified. • You check all the areas affected by the identified need. • For example: • Reading may be affecting the student in all areas, so you would check all academic areas. • Math may be affecting the student in math and science, so you would check both of those areas.

EC Student • If the student is an EC student, complete the EC PEP plan. • Plan and directions can be found on the wiki.

Intervention Program • If you have more than 20% of your students having difficulty with the same area of need, you should design an intervention program. • REMEMBER: You must have administrative approval. • This could be a classroom plan, grade level plan, grade span plan, or school plan. • The plan, steps for completing, and examples can be found on the wiki.

Tier I (Intervention Page)Old page 3, new page 2 • Starter statements added to goal area. • Recommended timeframe for interventions is 3,6, or 9 weeks. • Otherwise, this page stayed the same.

Let’s look at the new Page Two

Quick Look

Intervention Design Criteria • Focus: Ongoing monitoring and adjustments of instruction are designed to meet the needs of students. • Design: • Specific to the student’s learning profile • Utilization of flexible grouping for differentiation of instruction based on skill level • Research-based classroom interventions designed to achieve grade-level content expectations • Minimum 2 to 3 intervention sessions per week • Interventionist: Primarily the classroom teacher and parent. Other school personnel may be involved in rare cases, when identified by need. • Setting: Intervention sessions should be occurring primarily in the general education classroom. • Progress Monitoring: Must take place a minimum of once a month

Timeframe • Recommended timeframe • Three • Six • Nine

Progress Monitoring • Progress Monitor each goal written. • Progress Monitor once a month • Use the same instrument each time. • Documentation of progress monitoring will be discuss in more detail later in the presentation. • How to complete the Periodic Evaluation will be discuss in more detail later in the presentation.

Tier II Page One

Hearing and Vision • For the hearing and vision screening, complete the observation checklists found on the wiki and refer to the appropriate person. • Vison - school nurse • Hearing - Speech/Language Specialist

Responsiveness to Instruction