Implementation of Response to Intervention

(RtI)Michael R. Baysdell

Davison High School

How RtI fits into DHS

• RtI is not just “a new task to shove on teachers”

• It’s an integral component that interfaces with:

• Understanding by Design/Differentiated Instruction process

• Standards-based grading

• PBS process

Tiers of Intervention:Academic and Behavioral

So, How do we Actually do this?

• Give universal screeners (STAR reading)

• EPAS system”Mandatory Electives”

• Phase II and III are largely in place—Phase I is not

• RtI in high schools different from elementaries—especially semester classes

• Very little research—mandated by law—we are the pioneers!

• We have common assessments for semester/final exams..BUT

• If you wait until semester, it’s too late!

• What is to be done?

Unit Common Assessments

• In our classrooms/curriculum meetings:

• Develop common unit exams

• In this way, we will screen every 3-4 weeks.

• Give your assessments in each classroom

• Get together in teams or at least in your own classroom. Pick out the 20% of students who are not meeting benchmarks. They need more intensive help.

• If more than 20% of students are not achieving, then you have a classroom problem.

Brainstorm

• What are some of the reasons why 80% of students fail to achieve benchmarks?

• Which are beyond our control?

• Which can we have direct control over?

• We need to adopt the mindset that all students can learn and that we must reach at least 80% through classroom instruction.

• Classroom problems are widespread, even in the best schools. But this doesn’t mean we can just sit back and tolerate it.

• Common assessments for units will help us catch problems earlier.

Selected MI Schools w/Classroom Problems

Persevering to 80%

• Suppose you made a $10,000 investment in an airline in 1972.

• Multiple recessions, deregulation, 9/11, over 30 airlines failed 1972-2011

• Looks like a losing bet….except

• $10,000 invested in Southwest Airlines is worth $10,000,000 today.

• Southwest has prospered despite every possible disadvantage!

• There are schools with lower socioeconomic groups and more disadvantages than Davison that ARE getting to 80%.

There Are No Excuses!

• Some schools with higher FRL than Davison with higher rankings (Math-ELA for NCLB purposes):

• Davison #100 of 818 MI high schools

• #7: Mackinaw City HS, 24.6% FRL

• #49: Ravenna HS, 33.9% FRL

• #59: Cass City HS, 47.1% FRL

• #75: Cedarville HS, 34.9% FRL, up 300+ spots in 1 year

• http//www.schooldigger.com/go/MI/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10&level=3

Examples of Tier I Interventions

• Don’t have to be dramatic

• Simply keeping a student on task is one.

• Vocabulary Strategies

• Study guides

• Graphic Organizers (examples follow at end of presentation)

• COMMON ASSESSMENTS by UNIT

When you get to 80%...

• First, Celebrate!

• Decide on appropriate intervention(s) for the students not meeting benchmarks—these are Tier II interventions

• May consist of a variety of different formats

• Document what you’ve tried, what worked, and what didn’t work

Staying on Task: Documenting Interventions• Definition of up to two student academic or behavioral problems. The most significant

step in selecting an effective classroom intervention is to correctly identify the target student concern(s) in clear, specific, measureable terms (Bergan, 1995). The teacher selects no more than two student concerns to address on the intervention plan.

• Intervention description. The teacher describes the evidence-based intervention(s) that will be used to address the identified student concern(s).

• Intervention delivery. The teacher writes down details necessary for implementing the intervention in the classroom (e.g., where and when the intervention will be used; the adult-to-student ratio; how frequently the intervention will take place; the length of time each session of the intervention will last; materials needed for the intervention, etc.

• Checkup date. The teacher notes the date at which the intervention will be reviewed to determine whether it has been sufficiently effective. NOTE: For academic interventions, it is advisable to allow at least 4 instructional weeks before deciding whether the intervention has been effective.

• Assessment data. For each intervention, the teacher selects the type(s) of classroom data that will be collected formatively throughout the intervention period to judge its effectiveness. For each data source, in turn, the teacher collects baseline data on student performance—and calculates an outcome goal that the student is expected to attain if the intervention is successful. (During the period in which the intervention is in effect, the teacher collects ongoing data to judge student performance and attaches that data to the classroom intervention documentation form.)