Responsiveness to Instruction

Responsiveness to InstructionPreparing Our Kids for a Future

Benefits of RTI

4The Importance of ReadingChildren who read well, read moreThey acquire knowledge in numerous domainsChildren with limited reading-related skills rarely catch-up to their peers without intensive interventionMany continue to experience difficulties throughout their school years and into adulthood

Christopher Lonligan (2004)Traditional RtIRtI is a set of systematic, increasingly intensive educational interventions designed to target an individual students learning challenges to provide supplementary interventions as necessary.Interventions Led by Schoolwide Teams

Tiers 1 & 2Students with motivational issuesStudents with attendance issuesStudents with behavior issuesTier 3Students in need of intensive remedial support in universal skills:Reading, writing, number sense, English language, attendance and behaviorInterventions Led by Collaborative Teacher Teams

Tiers 1 & 2Students in need of supplemental support in learning essential core standards and English languageAusten Buffum, Mike Mattos and Chris Weber, 2012What about PSRC Students?Often, students walk in with developmental delaysHow does this display in language, cognitive, and behavior?And over time, learning deficits compound and result in more students demonstrating increasing deficits in the higher grade levels; thus the percentages presented in the original RtI pyramid might be underestimates (Bender, 2012). Dropout Nation Frontline PBSActivity Describe students and external factors that impact our studentsYOUTUBE

Pyramid Response to Intervention: How to Respond When Kids Don't Learn

The Florida Center for Reading Research Student Center Activitieswww.fcrr.org/curriculum/SCAindex.shtm

Problem-Solving Process

12Essential RTI ComponentsScreeningSchoolwide, multi-level instructional prevention system: Primary (Level I)Secondary (Level II)Tertiary (Level III)Progress monitoringData-based decision making for:Instructional decision makingMovement within the multi-level systemDisability identification (in accordance with state law)Evaluating the effectiveness of the interventionAs noted in the definition, the National Center on Response to Intervention has identified four essential components that make up RTI.

Screening a system for identifying students at risk for poor learning outcomes. Multi-level prevention system at least three increasingly intense levels of instructional support. Primary, which is the core instruction and curriculum. Secondary, which is in addition to the primary level and provides supports targeted to students needs.Tertiary, also supplemental to primary, but more intense than secondary. Progress monitoring a system for monitoring the effectiveness of the supports provided to students. Data-based decision making for Instruction determining who needs assistance, what type of instruction or assistance is needed, whether the duration and intensity are sufficient.Movement within the multi-level system when to move students to something more or less intense, who is responding and/or not responding.Disability identification when to refer for special education evaluation, how the student compares to his or her peers, did he or she receive appropriate instruction. This, of course, is in accordance with the state law. Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention

13 Screening a system for identifying students at risk for poor learning outcomes. Multi-level prevention system at least three increasingly intense levels of instructional support. Primary, which is the core instruction and curriculum. Secondary, which is in addition to the primary level and provides supports targeted to students needs.Tertiary, also supplemental to primary, but more intense than secondary. Progress monitoring a system for monitoring the effectiveness of the supports provided to students. Data-based decision making for Instruction determining who needs assistance, what type of instruction or assistance is needed, whether the duration and intensity are sufficient.Movement within the multi-level system when to move students to something more or less intense, who is responding and/or not responding.Disability identification when to refer for special education evaluation, how the student compares to his or her peers, did he or she receive appropriate instruction. This, of course, is in accordance with the state law. Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention

Process of RtIProcess of RtITimely, Directive, System, Flexible Support-1) timely interventions at the first indication that they need more time and support, 2) directive rather than invitational, so that students get the extra help they need 3) extra support is not dependent upon which teacher the student has, but implemented systematically.

Shared Instructional Goals- 1) RtI will not be effective, if educators have not first collaborated to identify common instructional goals. 2) PLCs rely on frequent, timely common formative assessment data to determine which students need additional time and support, not last years summative assessment data.

P21Wiki SpaceBuffum, Mattos, Weber (2009)Process of RtIUniversal Screening- in both academics and behavior even before the school year has begun to identify who need additional time and support.1)Apply universal screening in a broader context that includes behavior as as literacy and numeracy skills, and 2) to explicitly base decisions upon highly specific data. 3)We commonly refer to universal screening as the process that schools use to identify students who are at risk for poor learning outcomes.

Frequent Progress Monitoring-1)measure the effectiveness of an intervention overall and for individual students. 2) Monitoring student progress as often as twice each week, using very short, specific probes to detect small changes in student learning.

Research-Based Interventions- research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs.

School Culture- 1)Embed the professional learning communities model. 2) Professional Learning community finds a way to provide students this additional time and support the staff brainstorms a series of interventions

Implementing Tier IPowerful classroom instruction begins with the adoption and use of an evidence-based curriculum, but effective teachers do not simply teach such a program page-by-page in the same way for all students. Rather, they differentiate instruction, providing instruction designed to meet the specific needs of students in the class.

Differentiating Instruction

http://si2013planning.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/P21+FrameworkOverview of the P21 Rainbow

YouTubea visit to a differentiated classroom

http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G4-5/45TRGPartOne.pdfResearchers strong recommend differentiated instruction as the essential basis for RtI.Factually, scholars now consider differentiated instruction the most effective basis for all instruction.

Tools for Differentiationhttp://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=9426

http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=9184 ----P21

Middle School Practices for Primary PreventionImproving the primary level of prevention (core instruction) This practice is pivotal to RTI implementation success.Engaging students in their learning Every student knows the learning goals.Using a standardized curriculum Mr. Xs 6th-grade math is the same as Ms. Ys 6th-grade math.

27Primary prevention is crucial because it supports the majority of your student population. All middle schools indicated that their most important RTI focus was solidifying their core instruction and that improving their core instruction was pivotal to RTI implementation successto have at least 80% of their students meeting proficiency standards. In middle school, the primary prevention is all content area instruction. Ways that the staff in our study suggested improving their primary instruction include Engaging students in their learning While important in every classroom, at every level of instruction, many middle schools emphasized their efforts to engage their students in the primary level of instruction. Some of the techniques were to review each section and lessons objectives with the class, write out the days objectives on the board, quickly review past lessons, and generalize information to the next objectives. Many of these techniques helped the students understand and generalize their learning goals. Every student knows the learning goals. Some schools invested heavily in a research-based core curriculum that aligned with their state standards and focused on fidelity of implementation to ensure that the curriculum was implemented with high quality. Implementing a districtwide standardized curriculum ensured that all students in all classes received the same lessons. Obviously, the school district has a role in providing a standardized curriculum and ensures that staff have the resources to provide schools with the support and scientifically research-based curriculum that is aligned to state standards. Schools also ensured that all their staff members received appropriate professional development in differentiated instruction and other instructional strategies. Many schools supported recently trained staff by providing modeling, coaching, and feedback until the staff members could successfully and independently use the instructional method. Once a schools staff thought that their primary level (core instruction) was solid, they began putting more emphasis on the secondary level of intervention. 27

SnapshotData: good assessmentsbenchmark and normativeand expert use of the dataIncreased direct instructional time; additional time for those behindQuality instruction in small, fluid, skill groupsTargeted accelerated growth; knowledgeable reading specialistsFielding, Kerr, Rosier, 2007Creating a Positive Learning EnvironmentBehavior and academic achievement are inextricably linked. A students academic success in school is directly related to the students attention, engagement, and behavior. The higher the expectation for scholarly behaviors and the better the supports for students experiencing difficultieswhether mild, moderate, or severethe more academic success can be achieved.Austin Buffum, Mike Mattos, and Chric Weber (2011)Using Data.http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practice_guides/dddm_pg_092909.pdfCollect and prepare a variety of data about student learning. -To gain a robust understanding of students learning needs, teachers need to collect data from a variety of sources. Interpret data and develop hypotheses about how to improve student learning.-Working independently or in teams, teachers should interpret the data they have collected and prepared.Modify instruction to test hypotheses and increase student learning. -After forming hypotheses about students learning needs, teachers must test their hypotheses by carrying out the instructional changes that they believe are likely to raise student achievement. Page 17 on document for Action Plan

Using Data..Teach students to examine their own data and set learning goals--Students are best prepared to learn from their own achievement data when they understand the learning objectives and when they receive data in a user-friendly format. Tools such as rubrics provide students with a clear sense of learning objectives, and data presented in an accessible and descriptive format can illuminate students strengths and weaknesses

Personalized Learner Assessment

35Problem-Solving Process

36Thinking and Learning Styles

37Multiple Intelligences

38Multiple Intelligences (continued)

39Examples of Screening Indicators and Tools

40Examples of MeasurableAcademic Skills andDiagnostic Assessments

41Progress Monitoring

4243Progress MonitoringConducted frequently at least monthlyDesigned to:Estimate rates of improvementIdentify students who are not demonstrating adequate progressCompare the efficacy of different forms of instruction Thereby design more effective, individualized instructional programs for struggling learners43Progress monitoring focuses on individualized decision making in general and special education with respect to academic skill development at the elementary grades. Progress monitoring is conducted frequently (at least monthly) and is designed toestimate rates of improvement, Identify students who are not demonstrating adequate progress and therefore require additional or alternative forms of instruction and/or compare the efficacy of different forms of instruction and thereby design more effective, individualized instructional programs for struggling learners.44What is the Difference Between Traditional Assessments and PM?Traditional assessments:Lengthy testsNot administered on a regular basisTeachers do not receive immediate feedbackStudent scores are based on national scores and averages

44Traditional assessments used in schools are generally lengthy tests that are not administered on a regular basis. Many times, traditional assessments are administered to students once per year, and teachers do not receive their students scores until weeks or months later, sometimes after the school year is complete. Because teachers do not receive immediate feedback, they cannot use these assessments to adapt their teaching methods or instructional programs in response to the needs of their students.

Another problem with traditional assessments is that student scores are based on national scores and averages. In fact, the students in a a teachers classroom may differ tremendously from a national sample of students. What About When It Isnt Enough?

Movement from Tier I to Tier II

46Tier IIAfter gathering accurate screening data on all students, schools must analyze the data, validate student needs, and match students that need support with an effective intervention. In other words, schools need the right interventions in place, the interventions must be intensive enough to accelerate student learning, and each intervention must be implemented with fidelity.

Culture:RTI = All Staff + All KidsSchools reported a cultural shift in language and thinking.Teachers think less about teaching content and more about ensuring that students learn.We [staff] all believe that all students can learn.All staff own all students; no more my student or his student. All teachers can teach reading and mathematics.48Shaping the school culture often began with administrators setting clear expectations that RTI was pivotal and necessary for meeting the needs of their students.

Culture changes progressed throughout implementation activities. For example, several schools practitioners (administrators and staff) reported that cultural change began as the staff worked together during team meetings and collaboration sessions and progressed and spread through the whole teaching staff during implementation activities. School staff reported perceptual changes. Some of the cultural shifts included developing a common knowledge around RTI, data collection, and student achievement.

For example, some of the common sentiments across schools were that every student can learn and all staff can teach all students.

For many schools, this shift in roles and responsibilities was a significant, difficult challenge to current practices. Staff saw that RTI implementation activities took focused attention, planning, and extra time and required change in everyday practices; but frequently, once the implementation practices began producing attributable student outcomes, the teaching staff was so enthusiastic and excited about what they were doing, and the changes they saw in the students, that they couldnt imagine going back to their traditional teaching methods.

48http://www.studentprogress.org/

CBM in Relation to RTI

There is no single, widely accepted model of the RTI process.In general, a school organizes its model into tiers. Each stagerepresents a continuum of increasing intensity of support.Tier 1: Universal screeningScreen all students. Students are identified at-risk early in the school year by reviewing progress (e.g., state tests, benchmarks). Given classroom support.Tier 2: Target interventionAdditional support is given to students not making adequate progress and is provided in individual or small group settings.Tier 3: Intensive interventionStudents whose needs are greater than general education can meet receive individualized, intensive support that targets the students skill deficits (e.g., special education).Tier IIPurposeful GroupingPurposeful Grouping allows you to provide personalized instruction in the general education setting. It can help you design lesson plans that set up all students for success, including those struggling with particular skills from the curriculum.Small-group instruction that relies on evidence-based interventions that specify the instructional procedures, duration, and frequency of instruction52CBM in Relation to RTIKey TermsCurriculum-based assessment (CBA):refers to a wide range of informal assessment procedures within the classroom to monitor student progress. The focus is on the instructional level of students.

Requirements of CBA:Measurement materials are aligned with school curriculum.Measurement is frequent.Assessment information is used in instructional decision-making.

55Progress MonitoringTeachers assess students academic performance, using brief measures, on a frequent basis

The major purposes areTo describe rate of response to instructionTo build more effective programs CBM in Relation to RTI

Question:Can assessments be valid and reliable if teachers grade testsdifferently?Answer: Assessments for the purpose of progress monitoring can be valid andreliable at the teacher level if teachers use a consistent manner ingrading. However, comparisons between teachers may not be validand reliable if different grading procedures are used.

57CBM in Relation to RTIKey TermsRole of curriculum-based assessment

Planning Instruction Assessment

Informal Formal 58CBM in Relation to RTIKey TermsCurriculum-based measurement (CBM):refers to a specific method of monitoring student progress through direct, continuous assessment of academic skills toward long-term goals. Typically schools use standardized assessments to monitor student progress.

Technically, CBM is a form of CBA because it meets all the requirements of CBA.

CBM is used to address the question:Is the student making progress towards a grade-level expectation or long-term goal?

59CBM in Relation to RTIAnswer:Informal:used to determine how well student performs compared to criteria for mastery, self, and classmates. Seeks to identify the strengths and needs of individual students without regard to grade or age norms. Formal:used to compare performance to others of the same age or grade. Have standardized procedures for administering, timing, and scoring.Assessments

Informal FormalClassroom assignments, State testing, WJ-III,journals, essays, reports, WRAT, CTBS, WIAT, discussion groups, reading logs benchmarks60CBM ResearchCBM research has been conducted over the past 30 years

Research has demonstrated that when teachers use CBM for instructional decision making:Students learn moreTeacher decision making improvesStudents are more aware of their performance60Research has demonstrated that when teachers use CBM to inform their instructional decision making, students learn more, teacher decision making improves, and students are more aware of their own performance (e.g., Fuchs, Deno, & Mirkin, 1984). CBM research, conducted over the past 30 years, has also shown CBM to be reliable and valid (e.g., Deno, 1985; Germann & Tindal, 1985; Marston, 1988; Shinn, 1989).

A more in-depth bibliography of CBM research is available in the CBM manual.

Resources:Deno, S.L. (1985). Curriculum-based measurement: The emerging alternative. Exceptional Children, 52, 219-232.

Fuchs, L.S., Deno, S.L., & Mirkin, P.K. (1984). Effects of frequent curriculum-based measurement of evaluation on pedagogy, student achievement, and student awareness of learning. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 449-460.

Germann G., & Tindal, G. (1985). An application on curriculum-based assessment: The use of direct and repeated measurement. Exceptional Children, 52, 244-265.

Marston, D. (1988). The effectiveness of special education: A time-series analysis of reading performance in regular and special education settings. The Journal of Special Education, 21, 13-26.

Shinn, M.R. (Ed.). (1989). Curriculum-based measurement: Assessing special children. New York: Guilford Press.61Progress MonitoringEvaluate effectiveness of instructionIndividual studentsEntire classIdentify goals, measure goals, adjust teaching as neededAccelerated learningTargeted instructionFaster attainment of state standards61Progress monitoring is a scientifically based practice that teachers can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction for individual students or their entire class. Teachers identify goals for what their students will learn over time, measure their students progress toward meeting these goals by comparing expected and actual rates of learning, and adjust their teaching as needed. The benefits of progress monitoring include accelerated learning for students who receive more appropriate instruction and more informed instructional decisions and higher expectations for students by teachers. Overall, the use of progress monitoring results in more efficient and appropriately targeted instructional techniques and goals, which, together, move all students to faster attainment of important state standards for their achievement. Movement from Tier II to Tier III

62Tier III

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Steps to applying what youve learned:Analyze CurriculumPrepare ProbesProbe FrequentlyGraph the DataYield to the Results

65Demonstrate Data Management TechniquesUnderstanding the Steps1. Analyze Curriculum:Identify realistic, measurable instructional objectives.Ask, What do I want the students to learn? 2. Prepare Probes to match curriculum:A probe is a structured assessment tool used to monitor askill related to the objective. Probes must match learningobjectives. A variety of probes should be used.Ask, How will I measure student learning?3. Probe Frequently:The more information you have, the more accurate your instructional decisions will be.

66Compare and Contrast Current Assessment PracticesUsing CBM for instructional decision-making:Pre Instruction (before instruction)Do learners possess pre-requisite knowledge/skills to achieve goal?

Formative (during instruction)Are learners progressing? If yes, are they being adequately challenged?If no, why not? Is it the pacing? The content? The instructional strategies?Summative (upon completion of instruction)Did learners achieve desired instructional goal?

Diagnostic (during or upon completion)Why arent/didnt students achieving the goal?

67Demonstrate Data Management TechniquesUnderstanding the Steps4. Graph the Data:Most dreaded, yet powerful, component of CBA. a. Record and establish baseline for each student.b. Construct the aimline to judge student progress.c. Enter results of each probe as it is administered and scored.5. Yield to the Results:Look for trends in student performance. Ask, What are thedata telling me? and How should instruction changebased on the data?

Lets get started with a demonstration.

68Demonstrate Data Management Techniques Sample of CBM module Title of Graph Students goal 90 80

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60 50

40 Aimline

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10Probes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

% Correct69Demonstrate Data Management Techniques Sample of CBA module Title of Graph Students goal 9080

70 Student 1

60 Student 250

40 Aimline

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10Probes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

% Correct70Demonstrate Data Management Techniques Step 3: Analyze data: aimlines and trendlinesNow what? How do I know what it means? How do I know when to revise instruction?You can make decisions based on:Recent consecutive scores orThe trendlines

71Demonstrate Data Management Techniques Step 3: Analyze data: aimlines and trendlinesDecision rules based on recent scores:Question: Are the 4 most recent scores above the aimline?

Yes No Increase students goalRevise instructional programPrimary prevention is crucial because it supports the majority of your student population. All middle schools indicated that their most important RTI focus was solidifying their core instruction and that improving their core instruction was pivotal to RTI implementation successto have at least 80% of their students meeting proficiency standards. In middle school, the primary prevention is all content area instruction. Ways that the staff in our study suggested improving their primary instruction include Engaging students in their learning While important in every classroom, at every level of instruction, many middle schools emphasized their efforts to engage their students in the primary level of instruction. Some of the techniques were to review each section and lessons objectives with the class, write out the days objectives on the board, quickly review past lessons, and generalize information to the next objectives. Many of these techniques helped the students understand and generalize their learning goals. Every student knows the learning goals. Some schools invested heavily in a research-based core curriculum that aligned with their state standards and focused on fidelity of implementation to ensure that the curriculum was implemented with high quality. Implementing a standardized curriculum ensured that all students in all classes received the same lessons. Once a schools staff thought that their primary level (core instruction) was solid, they began putting more emphasis on the secondary level of intervention.

http://www.rti4success.org/

Movement from Tier III to Tier II or I

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Additional ResourcesRTI Implementation Processes for Middle Schools (June 2011) http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0644MS_RTI_Implementation_Brief_d3.pdf RTI Scheduling Processes for Middle Schools (July 2011) http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0681MS_RTI_Rescheduling_Brief_d2.pdf RTI in Middle Schools: Frequently Asked Questions (August 2011)http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0572%20MS%20RTI%20FAQs%20d5[1].pdfMiddle School Essential Components report (Fall 2012)80http://www.rti4success.orgOn our website, we have several documents to provide more in-depth information and tools to further facilitate your implementation efforts.

If possible, it might be useful to have these documents handy, or link to the PDFs and illustrate the documents contents.

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