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Gain insights from John O'Connor, Director of Interventions at Henry County Schools, on implementing effective tier 2 and tier 3 interventions. Learn about the importance of GREAT instruction, defining effective tier 1 instruction, digging deeper into pedagogy, aligning the elements of tier 2 and tier 3 interventions, and the power of data talks.
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Lessons Learned from Implementing District-Wide Tier 2 & Tier 3 Interventions John O’Connor Director of InterventionsHenry County Schools john.oconnor@henry.k12.ga.us 678.243.8957
A Little About Me… • Around people with disabilities my entire life… • Teacher of students with orthopedic impairments • Georgia Department of Education • Assistant Director for Special Education • Executive Director for Special Services • Assistant Superintendent for Student Services • Director of Interventions
A Little About You… • Teacher • School-based Leader • Central Office Leader • IHE Personnel • CEEDAR • GLRS • Georgia DOE • Who else?
Henry County Schools • Director of Interventions • Lead the district’s Tier 2 & 3 interventions/processes • 50 schools • 53 sites • Finished the 4th year of this work
With so many schools… • Constant balancing act • Best Practice and Scaling Up • Precision vs. practicality
Pop Quiz • What is the most powerful thing we should do for students who struggle? • What is a critical feature that must be included in: instruction, interventions or specially designed for students with disabilities and other students who struggle? • What are the “Big 4 Elements” of Tiers 2 & 3? • How is high school MTSS different from elementary or middle?
Pop Quiz (Cont.) 5. What is this?
Raise your hand if you have been in the field of education for more than 16…
Big Idea/Lessons Learned #1What is the most powerful thing we should do for students who struggle?
Neither effective interventions nor powerful specially designed instruction can make up for ineffective Tier 1 instruction
You can’t intervene your way out of ineffective instruction. Joan Whitehead
What is GREAT instruction? • Work in pairs • 3 minutes – Write your answers on a blank sheet of paper • You only get 6 bullets
GREAT Instruction includes: • Standards Driven • Rigorous • Ongoing assessments that guide instruction (i.e., benchmarking, progress monitoring, student work, etc.) • Differentiation in Flexible Groups • Scientific or evidenced-based instructional practices • What piece is missing?
The missing piece Magic
How do you like this acronym?GREAT instruction is: Guided by the performance standards Rigorous with research-based practice (two parts) Engaging and exciting Assessed continuously to guide instruction Tailored (differentiated) in flexible groups
If you asked every teacher in your school what constitutes GREAT instruction, how many answers would you get?
Big Idea/Lesson Learned #2: Effective Tier 1 Instruction Must be Defined
Our students with disabilities and other students who struggle are more susceptible to ineffective instruction
GREAT Instruction includes: • Academic skills • Behavioral/SEL • Self Advocacy • Collaboration • Communication • Etc.
Big Idea/Lesson Learned #3Digging Deeper into Pedagogy • All students need explicit, systematic instruction at times • As we move up the Pyramid of Instruction & Interventions, our students need more of it, perhaps most of the time in their deficit area.
Unfortunately… • Exclusive constructivism keeps coming back around • From “general education” • Especially in mathematics right now • Sometimes called different things
Big Idea/Lesson Learned #4 • If exclusive constructivism is the prevalent philosophy for Tier 1 instruction, regardless of what it is called… You cannot overcome it
In Georgia • Almost all students who participate in Tier 2 or 3 interventions participate in the “general ed” classes for Tier 1 instruction • Almost all students with disabilities participate in “general ed” classes for all or some of their Tier 1 instruction
HLP for Special Education Use explicit instruction
Big Idea/Lesson Learned #5 • You must also define the elements of Tier 2 and 3 interventions
What are the four main components of Tier 2/Tier 3?(The world according to John) • Area of Weakness/Need • Research-based Intervention • Validated Progress Monitoring Tool • Ongoing Analysis of Data
Big 4 Elements of Tiers 2/3 • District should provide menus • Reading • Mathematics • Behavior • Attendance • Written Expression • Language/Articulation
Remember the balance? • Best Practices and Scaling Up • Pros and Cons to distilling into 4 main elements • Easy to scale up • May over-simplify the need for sophisticated problem solving
Big Ideas/Lessons Learned #7 • The backbone of Tiers 2 & 3 are “data talks” • Groups of teachers and leaders systematically discussing students’ needs
In our district… • In elementary and middle schools, our data talks look like… • Tier 2 & Tier 3 logs are projected on the wall • The grade level or middle school team discuss each child…moving across the chart • Big 4 Elements • Area of Weakness/Need • Research-based Intervention • Validated Progress Monitoring Tool • Ongoing Analysis of Data • Next Steps
HLP for Special Education • Collaborate with professionals to increase student success. • Organize and facilitate effective meetings with professionals and families. • Interpret and communicate assessment information with stakeholders to collaboratively design and implement educational programs. • Use student assessment data, analyze instructional practices, and make necessary adjustments that improve student outcomes.
Our High School 23/4 Initiative • Borrowed fundamental ideas from the GDOE GraduateFirst initiative, but applied it for Tiers 2 & 3 (and some students with disabilities) • Each school identifies at least 150 students who are at risk of not graduating • Build and implement systems of support/interventions for those students
Our High School 23/4 Initiative • A team from the central office visits each high school 1x a month to brainstorm with the high school team High School Team • Principal • Select Teachers • Counselors • Grad Coach • SSF • Others Central Office Team • Asst. Supt. • Director of Interventions • Lead Counselor • Secondary Coordinator • Special Education Rep • Others
Our High School 23/4 Initiative • If a student has significant core academic deficits, they need a “course” • Basic Reading and Writing I, II, III • Math Support • Foundations of Algebra • Tech School Math • Freshman Focus • There are also non-academic interventions and “supports”
A few months ago… • Observed in a Middle School Connections Reading Class • Students who had difficulty with reading • 18 students in the room • Their written assignment • Break the list of words into syllables • Two student’s work is on the next slide • All 18 students had similar work • What does the student work tell you? • What is their Area of Weakness?
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Big Idea/Lesson Learned #9: It is all about building Standard Intervention Protocols
What do you think about this scenario? (partner discussion) You take your child to the dentist for a routine cleaning. After you wait in the lobby, the dentist returns. “Your child has a cavity. We are going to pull a group of people together to problem solve what to do next. I will be there along with 3 dental hygienists. We are inviting you. We will all bring our ideas. Some of our ideas will come off of the internet. At that meeting, we will decide the next steps for your child.” As you gather your things, you hear other dentists having the same conversations with several other parents.
If you said… • Pyramid of Interventions – 1 point • Pyramid of Instruction – 1.5 points
If you said… School Improvement to increase the learning and achievement of all students 42,895 points
I want to add a few HLPs for Special Education… • Teach reading/literacy effectively, including for students with disabilities and other students who struggle • Teach mathematics effectively… • Shape students’ behavior effectively…