Eligibility Decisions Within a Response to Intervention Framework

1. Eligibility Decisions Within a Response to Intervention Framework Presented by: Robert Pasternack, Ph.D., Senior Vice President Cambium Learning Group Kim Gibbons, Ph.D., Executive Director St.Croix River Education District

2. Number of students with disabilities in U.S. and outlying areas, age 6-21

3. Overview of Session • Describe the research base supporting the use of an RtI framework. • Describe critical elements of the RtI framework used at the St. Croix River Education District. • Share data documenting success of framework • Describe how the framework is used to make entitlement decisions through the use of a case study.

4. U.S. Public School Enrollment & Special Services All Students 49.5 Million Special Education Services 6.6 Million Title 1 Services 16.5 Million English Language Services 3.9 Million

7. Prevention of Special Education • President’s Commission (2002) Values and Outcomes: • Efficacy of special education is not universally documented—lowered expectations, reduced academic pressure • Later educational opportunities typically are better if learning and behavior problems can be resolved in early grades • Probable later career opportunities are better if students can complete general education programs • Prevention and early intervention enhance positive outcomes and expand educational and career opportunities Reschly SLD Identification

8. Definition of Response to Intervention • High-quality instruction/intervention is defined as instruction or intervention, matched to student need, that has been demonstrated through scientific research and practice to produce high learning rates for most students • Learning rate and level of performance are the primary sources of information used in ongoing decision-making. • Important educational decisions about intensity and likely duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction across multiple tiers of intervention. NASDSE, 2005

9. Response to Instruction (RTI) Few Some All

10. Response to Instruction (RTI) Students successfully receiving scientifically-based instruction Students successful receiving intensive research-based services Most Intensive

11. Core RtI Principles • We can effectively teach all children • Intervene early • Use a multi-tier model of service delivery • Use problem-solving method to make decisions within a multi-tier model • Use research-based, scientifically validated interventions/ instruction to the extent available • Monitor student progress to inform instruction • Use data to make decisions. A data-based decision regarding student intervention is central to RtI practices • Use assessment for three different purposes: • screening applied to all children • diagnostics • Progress monitoring NASDSE, 2005

12. This is a “process” that will take time • RtI is more about general education than special education • RtI is a component of problem-solving, not an independent process • “Response”-data based • “Intervention”-evidence-based • Strong basis in statute and rule

13. Changes in Legal RequirementsIDEA (2004) ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 607(b), when determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in section 602, a local educational agency shall not be required to take into consideration whether a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skill, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, or mathematical reasoning. Reschly SLD Identification

14. Response to Intervention (IDEA, 2004) • ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—In deter- mining whether a child has a specific learning disability, a local educational agency may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures described in paragraphs (2) and (3). • Does response to intervention appear in the law? Reschly SLD Identification

15. Implementing 3 Tier models • Tier 1: Enhanced Classroom instruction • Tier 2: Typically small group pull out instruction, but can represent additional dose in the classroom • Many approaches may work • Progress monitoring essential in order to gauge level of intensity and adjust instructional emphasis

16. Basic Instructional Principles (Tiers I, II, and III) • Instruction at the child’s skill level • Explicit, systematic, teacher directed, skills based • Strong curriculum: scope and sequence defined; skill hierarchy • Monitor progress, graph results in relation to goals • Formative evaluation rules and instructional changes Reschly SLD Identification

17. Reading Instruction Must be Integrated KG- G12 • If a critical component is missing, students who at risk will not develop the component • Success and failure in reading are opposite sides of the same coin- it’s the same theory, not two theories, one for success and another for failure • Instruction is the key

18. Problem Solving Process Problem Analysis Validating Problem Ident Variables that Contribute to Problem Develop Plan Evaluate Response to Intervention (RtI) Implement Plan Implement As Intended Progress Monitor Modify as Necessary Define the Problem Defining Problem/Directly Measuring Behavior

19. Why Problem-Solving ?BIG IDEAS • AYP and Disaggregated Data (NCLB) move focus of attention to student progress, not student labels • Building principals and superintendents want to know if students are achieving benchmarks, regardless of the students “type” • Accurate “placements” do not guarantee that students will be exposed to interventions that maximize their rate of progress • Effective interventions result from good problem-solving, rather than good “testing” • Progress monitoring is done best with “authentic” assessment that is sensitive to small changes in student academic and social behavior

20. Application of Tier II Principles • Focus on academics and behavior (e.g., point system for engagement, attention, task persistence, and gains) • Monitor progress 1 or 2 Xs per week • Graph progress against goals (benchmarks toward passing high stakes tests) • Use normative and other data to determine expected rate of progress Reschly SLD Identification

21. Tier II Academic Interventions (Vaughn et al., 2003 Exceptional Children) • Goals: Move performance to benchmark trajectories and, If needed, consider more intensive interventions • Example of Tier II academic intervention • Small group, N=4-5, pull out, similar needs • 30 to 35 minutes per day in addition to classroom instruction • Progress monitoring weekly or semi-weekly • Individual time series analysis graph • 10 to 20 weeks of instruction • 5-component reading interventions, with emphasis on weak components Reschly SLD Identification

22. Standard Protocol Reading Models for Tier II • http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/U Texas,Vaughn • http://www.fcrr.org/Florida State Torgesen • Reading five domains taught each day • Direct instruction • Weekly progress monitoring • Individual graphs, progress against goals referenced to benchmarks • Decisions determined by student response • Fade Tier II and return to general education • Consider Tier III based on insufficient response

23. Direct, Explicit, Systematic, Teacher-Directed • Varies with student prior learning • Explicit instruction (Vaughn & Linan-Thompson) • provide clear instructions and modeling • include multiple examples (& non-examples when appropriate) • Systematic instruction (Vaughn & Linan-Thompson) • break tasks into sequential, manageable steps • progress from simple to more complex concepts and skills • ensure students have prerequisite knowledge & skills Reschly SLD Identification

24. Direct, Explicit, SystematicTeacher-Directed Instruction, cont. • Teach all elements of the task • Break task into components—as far as needed • How explicit? Explicit enough for the student to make good progress • Teacher Models Skill, using multiple examples and non-examples • Teacher and student perform task together • Student performs task with feedback • Student independently practices task to automaticity • Integrate skills with prior skills and competencies Reschly SLD Identification

25. Direct, Explicit, SystematicTeacher-Directed Instruction, cont. • Ample practice opportunities (Vaughn & LinanThompson) • provide multiple opportunities for students to respond and demonstrate their learning • provide sufficient guided and independent practice • Immediate, specific feedback (Vaughn & Linan-Thompson) • provide positive reinforcement and elaboration • correct errors and provide clarification to prevent students from practicing misconceptions Reschly SLD Identification

26. Effective Features of Instruction • Targeted and explicit step-by-step lessons • Conspicuous strategies • Scaffolded support model • Active student engagement and participation • Ample, multiple practice opportunities

27. Effective Features of Instruction • Frequent, immediate feedback with additional opportunities to respond – specific error corrections • Continual and judicious review • Focus on skills struggling readers lack; teach less more thoroughly • Integrated assessment • Strategic integration of the five essential components of reading

28. What’s Happening in the Brain?

29. Child 1 Normal Reader Child 2 w/ Reading Difficulties Right Hemisphere Left Hemisphere

31. The Big Ideas of Intervention • Supplement — students receive intervention in addition to core reading instruction • Intensify — achieved through more time on task, smaller group size, or both • Differentiate — accomplished through choice of materials, entry points, deliberate instruction, and reteaching • Accelerate - progress to make up losses

32. What Are Interventions? • Targeted assistance based on progress monitoring • Administered by teacher or specialist • Provided additional instruction (individual or small group) • Match materials to instructional level • Modify modes of task presentation • Modify instructional time • Increase task structure • Increase task relevant practice J. McCook LRP Conference December 2005

33. What Are Interventions? • Mini-lesson on skills deficits • Decrease group size • Increase amount and type of cues and prompts • Teach additional strategies • Change curriculum • Change types and method of corrective feedback J. McCook LRP Conference December 2005

34. What Interventions are Not… • Preferential seating • Shortened assignments • Parent contacts • Classroom observations • Suspension • Doing more of the same assignments • Retentions J. McCook LRP Conference December 2005

35. Effective Features of Instruction • Small Groups • Coherent and consistent instructional routine • Targeted and explicit step-by-step lessons • Intense and deliberate direct instruction • Teacher Modeling • Active Student engagement and participation • Ample, multiple practice opportunities • Frequent, immediate feedback with additional opportunities to respond- specific error corrections • Continual and sufficient review • Focus on skills struggling readers lack

36. Response to Intervention at the St. Croix River Education District(SCRED)

37. Background • St. Croix River Education District has six member districts. • Total population is approximately 14,000 students. • Special Education child count is 1100 • SCRED was the first district to pilot Curriculum Based Measures (CBM) in 1979 when they were being field-tested. • Long history of over 30 years of data-based decision making.

38. St. Croix River Education District (SCRED) members: East Central Hinckley-Finlayson Pine City Rush City Chisago Lakes

39. SCRED RtI Model: Academics & Positive Behavior Support Tier 3: Intensive 5-10% Assessment Tier 2: Strategic 15-20% Instruction Tier 1: Universal 75-80% Problem-Solving & Organization

40. A few tips from Jim Ysseldyke • We need to move from sifting and sorting to multi-tiered serving. • We need to shift our focus from struggling students to making sure all students struggle. • The best place to start correcting learning problems is in the instructional process. • Keep our focus on assessment practices that matter! • Focus on Alterable Variables

41. If the water in the aquarium is dirty, don’t spend time diagnosing individual fish. • Students don’t learn in a vacuum. • They function in environments that include curriculum, specific instructional strategies, peers, and school organizations. Credit to Amelia VonName Larsen for this quote.

42. The Water… O I L C E

43. Water Domains

44. The question needs to change! • Shift the question we are asking from: “What about the student is causing the performance discrepancy?” to “What about the instruction, curriculum, & environment should be altered so that students will learn and be more successful?”

45. Guiding Questions for RtI Implementation • Is the core program sufficient? • If the core program is not sufficient, why isn’t it? • How will the needs identified in the core be addressed? • How will the effectiveness and efficiency of the core be monitored over time? • Have improvement to the core been effective? • For which students is the core program sufficient and not sufficient and why? • What specific supplemental and intensive instruction is needed? • How will supplemental and intensive instruction be delivered? • How will effectiveness of supplemental and intensive instruction be monitored? • Which students need to move to a different level of instruction? Sharon Kurns, Heartland AEA #11

46. Establishing a Measurement System • Core feature of RTI is identifying a measurement system • Screen large numbers of students • Identify students in need of additional intervention • Monitor students of concern more frequently • Monthly • Weekly

47. Characteristics of An Effective Measurement System ____________________________________ valid reliable simple quick inexpensive easily understood can be given often sensitive to growth over short periods of time

48. Screening Measures used at SCRED The Aimsweb program is used to manage data

49. Correlations with High-Stakes Tests • Letter sound fluency (Fall of K) to Oral Reading Fluency (Spring Gr.1) is .64** • Oral Reading Fluency to MCA-II ranges from .50** (grade 8) to .79** • Math Applications to MCA-II ranges from .51** to .79** • MAP Reading to MCA-II ranges from .72** - .78** • MAP Math to MCA-II ranges from .73**- .86**

50. Development of Target Scores • Logistical regression procedures used to predict performance on MCA-II • Tier 1 and Tier 2 Targets Developed