S tudent A ssistance T eams: Refinement and Rejuvenation

1. Student Assistance Teams: Refinement and Rejuvenation Raymore Peculiar School District August 9, 2012 with Beth Wood

2. How does the SAT process fit into an RtI framework? Cut Scores Tiers 1, 2, and 3 Benchmark Screening Diagnostics Rate of Improvement Goal Setting Data Consults SAT Survey Level Assessment Direct Instruction RtI Calendar Student Sort Progress Monitoring Data Based Decisions Intervention Block Fidelity of Implementation

3. Problem Solving in a Multi-Tiered System of Support In schools/districts where a standardized, multi-tiered system of support has been established, problem solving for students is a critical component. Even in a “standard treatment response” model, where screening, diagnostics, intervention and progress monitoring are in place, analysis and evaluation of that data will require us to problem solve effectively for individual students who are non-responsive to our initial efforts.

4. Benchmark screening Scoring and data entry Report generation Identification by cut scores Necessary diagnostics Survey Level Assessment Instructional ‘sort’ Intervention selection and implementation Plan progress monitor tool and schedule Plan and conduct pm data consults Use decision-making rules to determine sufficient or insufficient progress Plan and conduct SAT meeting for non-responsive students Make instructional changes! The Process

5. 10 Critical Attributesof Effective, Efficient, Elite Student Assistance Teamsas agreed upon by the Raymore Peculiar School District

6. Critical Attributes • The make up of the team meets district criteria. • Members of the team share a common vision or purpose. • The sole focus of the team is to target and improve academic and/or behavioral student achievement outcomes. • The team meets regularly during planned and protected times. • The team operates under established procedures.

7. Critical Attributes 6. The process results in an agreed upon plan of strategic intervention for students. 7. The team focuses on intervention plans with a strong research or evidence base. 8. The team uses a request for assistance and meeting summary that are teacher friendly; allowing for effective & efficient operation 9. All decisions made by the team are student- and skill-specific and are based on data. 10. Progress monitoring and follow-up data analysis are planned and executed.

8. Members of the Team… • Come together by application or invitation to form an elite group of multi-disciplinary strategists or problem solvers • Building administration • Grade level representation • Agreed upon ‘specialists’ • Aaron Moss, School Psychologist

9. Members of the Team… • Discuss with your team any changes you might need to make to the profile of your team in order to meet the district’s criteria for team selection. • How might this refinement increase the ‘value’ of your Student Assistance Team? • Later this afternoon you’ll have additional time and the opportunity to address any needed changes…more in-depth.

10. Common Vision/Purpose • The Student Assistance Team (Problem Solving Team) is based on the premise that classroom teachers, with the aid and support of colleagues within the building, have the ability to resolve most of the academic and behavioral issues their students may be experiencing. • The process is not meant to be a perfunctory hoop, a barrier, nor a fast track to Special Education. It’s problem solving!

11. Common Vision/Purpose • Discuss with your team members any work that may need to be done in order to inform building staff of the true purpose of the SAT process and plan any ‘marketing’ that may need to occur in order to get buy-in and encourage participation. • Consider the questions addressed earlier: • What services do we provide? • For whom do we provide them? • How do we excel / get better at it?

12. Focus: Improved Student Outcomes • Clearly identify and define the ‘problem’ • Hypothesize why previous intervention has not been successful (consider fidelity) • Consider intensifying or changing intervention; make recommendations • Plan instruction and grouping • Schedule progress monitoring and follow-up data analysis/evaluation • Make instructional changes based on data

13. Focus: Improved Student Outcomes • Discuss, as a team, a couple of the following questions: • Can we write problem statements with a number? • Did we target the right sub-skill and match the instruction? • Was intervention implemented with fidelity? • Have we appropriately intensified or changed the intervention? • Are we measuring what we’re teaching? • Can we evaluate trend lines against goal lines?

14. SAT Meetings Days & Times • Buildings should set aside a specific day (or days) of the week and sufficient time to conduct SAT meetings. • Teachers should not have to wait long periods of time to problem solve for their students. • SAT meetings should only be cancelled if there are no cases to discuss. • Teams should protect meeting days and times responsibly.

15. SAT Meetings Days & Times • Discuss with your team when you plan to conduct SAT meetings: before, during, or after school? • How much time will you allot for each session and how many problem solving cases can your realistically conduct per session? • What other logistics, in terms of time, need to be considered later this afternoon?

16. The SAT operates under established procedures… • Each team meeting is conducted using a formal problem solving process • Problem is clearly identified and defined • Problem and previously attempted solutions are analyzed • Intervention ideas are generated and a plan is developed • Progress monitoring is planned and executed • Data is evaluated regularly and instructional decisions made using that data cont…

17. The SAT operates under established procedures… • The team creates and utilizes a timed agenda • Sample: • 5 minutes for analysis of problem • 10 minutes for intervention idea generation and intervention selection • 5 minutes for closure; includes planning progress monitoring and data analysis, and assigning any follow-up tasks that need to be completed by adults cont…

18. The SAT operates under established procedures… • The team develops and adheres to group norms/process standards • Samples: • Members are prepared • Meetings begin and end on time • Everyone participates; no one dominates • Side bar conversations are eliminated • One person speaks at a time • Timed agenda is followed closely • All ideas are considered

19. The SAT operates under established procedures… • Discuss with your team which of these three areas (problem solving process, timed agenda, group norms) need your attention in order to conduct the most effective and efficient sessions • Consider how you will acquaint school staff with the formal problem solving process, your adherence to a timed agenda, and the group norms which will drive your sessions?

20. The process results in a prescriptive plan of intervention • At the culmination of the problem solving session, a well thought out, specific plan of intervention for the student is in place • There is an “instructional match” between the academic/behavioral skill deficit and the intervention recommended and provided • The teachers feel supported and hopeful

21. The process results in a prescriptive plan of intervention • Discuss, as a team, all available intervention resources for use with students (amount/frequency/duration, instruction, materials, assessment, etc.) • Consider how the team will go about ensuring that teachers will feel supported by colleagues and hopeful that the plan of intervention will have a positive impact on the student who is struggling

22. Research Based Intervention • Teams will focus on plans of intervention with a strong research (or evidence) base • It is a requirement by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that we use interventions that are instructional in nature (not accommodations) and have a basis in literature • But perhaps most importantly, they tend to work with students!

23. Research Based Intervention • Do you feel as though your school has a good handle on effective instruction for students who struggle? • Does your team feel confident in making recommendations for students who have been, thus far, inadequately responsive to what your school system has planned for students who have been ‘caught’ in the all school screening?

24. The Paper Trail • The school provides teachers a Request for Assistance form that is quickly and easily filled out by teachers and contains only critical and pertinent student information needed for problem solving • The team utilizes a Meeting Summary that effectively captures the essence of the planning meeting and serves as documentation of intervention, progress monitoring, and response to intervention.

25. The Paper Trail • Discuss whether there are or should be district approved SAT Request for Assistance and Meeting Summary forms? • How can your current Request for Assistance form be revised to be more teacher friendly and yet provide needed information to the team? • Is your current Meeting Summary a good reflection of the important discussion and decisions made during the meeting?

26. Instructional Decision-Making • All decisions made by the SAT team are student-specific; a result of comparing a student’s trend line (minimum of 6 points) to a well developed goal line and using the agreed upon decision making rules • Decisions are skill-specific; when needed screening is followed with diagnostic assessment or task/error analysis in order to plan sub-skill specific instruction.

27. Instructional Decision-Making • Do members of the team feel confident and competent in the areas of: • Interpretation of screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring data? • Goal setting • Use of decision-making rules to drive instructional decision-making? • Grade level target met • Individual goal met • Sufficient progress • Insufficient progress • Change PM level

28. Response to Intervention • Progress monitoring and follow-up data analysis are planned and executed to determine every student’s response to his or her intervention • The team plans PM to follow a reasonable number of intervention sessions • After a sufficient number of data points are collected, the team reevaluates the student’s response to intensified or new intervention

29. Response to Intervention • Does every problem session end with identifying the progress monitoring tool and schedule? Followed by the pinpointing of a date to reconvene and evaluate student progress toward his or her goal? • Discuss with your team your level of confidence in reading student PM data and making instructional decisions.

30. Later today… • You’ll have a chance to work together as a team to identify the critical attributes you wish to work on in order to improve on the effectiveness and efficiency of your SAT process • Observations will be conducted and feedback provided to your team later • Finally, a fishbowl activity will be facilitated at a later date; teams will model their process and will give feedback and receive feedback from colleagues’ teams