RTI: 'Quality Audit' for School Leaders · 2013-01-29 · schedule follow-up meetings on the...

Response to Intervention

RTI: 'Quality Audit' for School Leaders Jim Wright, Presenter 1 February 2013 PNW BOCES/Yorktown Heights, NY

Jim Wright 364 Long Road Tully, NY 13159 Email: [email protected] Workshop Materials Available at: http://www.interventioncentral.org/rtiaudit

‘How RTI Works’ Series © 2013 Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org 1

Critical RTI Elements: A Checklist The elements below are important components of the RTI model. Review each element and discuss how to implement it in your school or district:

Tier 1 Interventions: Evidence-Based & Implemented With Integrity Tier 1: Classroom Interventions. The classroom teacher is the ‘first responder’ for students with academic delays. Classroom efforts to instruct and individually support the student should be documented. Adequately Documented?

RTI Element If this element is incomplete, missing, or undocumented…

YES NO

Tier 1: High-Quality Core Instruction. The student receives high-quality core instruction in the area of academic concern. ‘High quality’ is defined as at least 80% of students in the classroom or grade level performing at or above gradewide academic screening benchmarks through classroom instructional support alone (Christ, 2008).

Inadequate or incorrectly focused core instruction may be an explanation for the student’s academic delays.

YES NO

Tier 1: Classroom Intervention. The classroom teacher gives additional individualized academic support to the student beyond that provided in core instruction.

The teacher documents those strategies on a Tier 1 intervention plan.

Intervention ideas contained in the plan meet the district’s criteria as ‘evidence-based’.

Student academic baseline and goals are calculated, and progress-monitoring data are collected to measure the impact of the plan.

The classroom intervention is attempted for a period sufficiently long (e.g., 4-8 instructional weeks) to fully assess its effectiveness.

An absence of individualized classroom support or a poorly focused classroom intervention plan may contribute to the student’s academic delays.

YES NO

Tier 1: Intervention Integrity. Data are collected to verify that the intervention is carried out with integrity (Gansle & Noell, 2007; Roach & Elliott, 2008). Relevant intervention-integrity data include information about:

Frequency and length of intervention sessions. Ratings by the interventionist or an independent observer

about whether all steps of the intervention are being conducted correctly.

Without intervention-integrity data, it is impossible to discern whether academic underperformance is due to the student’s ‘non-response’ to intervention or due to an intervention that was poorly or inconsistently carried out.

Tier 1: Decision Point: Teacher Consultation/Team Meeting Decision Points: At Tier 1, the school has set up procedures for teachers and other staff to discuss students who need intervention, to analyze data about their school performance, to design intervention and progress-monitoring plans, and to schedule follow-up meetings on the student(s). Adequately Documented?


YES NO

Tier 1: Classroom Teacher Problem-Solving Meetings. The school has set up a forum for teachers to discuss students who need Tier 1 (classroom) interventions and to schedule follow-up meetings to evaluate progress. That forum takes one of two forms:

Consultant. The school compiles a list of consultants in the school who can meet with individual teachers or grade-level teams to discuss specific students and to help the teacher to create and to document an intervention plan.

Grade-Level Team. The school trains grade-level teams to conduct problem-solving meetings. Teachers are expected

If the school does not provide teachers with guidance and support in creating Tier 1 intervention plans, it cannot answer whether each teacher is consistently following recommended practices in developing those plans.

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Jim Wright, Presenter www.interventioncentral.org 2


to bring students to regularly scheduled team meetings to discuss them and to create and document an intervention plan.

Tier 2/3 Interventions: Evidence-Based & Implemented With Integrity Tiers 2 & 3: Supplemental Interventions. Interventions at Tiers 2 & 3 supplement core instruction and specifically target the student’s academic deficits. Adequately Documented?


YES NO

Tier 2/3 Interventions: Minimum Number & Length. The student’s cumulative RTI information indicates that an adequate effort in the general-education setting has been made to provide supplemental interventions at Tiers 2 & 3. The term ‘sufficient effort’ includes the expectation that within the student’s general education setting:

A minimum number of separate Tier 2/3 intervention trials (e.g., three) are attempted.

Each intervention trial lasts a minimum period of time (e.g., 6-8 instructional weeks).

A foundation assumption of RTI is that a general-education student with academic difficulties is typical and simply needs targeted instructional support to be successful. Therefore, strong evidence (i.e., several documented, ‘good-faith’ intervention attempts) is needed before the school can move beyond the assumption that the student is typical to consider whether there are possible ‘within-child’ factors such as a learning disability that best explain the student’s academic difficulties.

YES NO

Tier 2/3 Interventions: Essential Elements. Each Tier 2/3 intervention plan shows evidence that:

Instructional programs or practices used in the intervention meet the district’s criteria of ‘evidence-based.

The intervention has been selected because it logically addressed the area(s) of academic deficit for the target student (e.g., an intervention to address reading fluency was chosen for a student whose primary deficit was in reading fluency).

If the intervention is group-based, all students enrolled in the Tier 2/3 intervention group have a shared intervention need that could reasonably be addressed through the group instruction provided.

The student-teacher ratio in the group-based intervention provides adequate student support. NOTE: For Tier 2, group sizes should be capped at 7 students. Tier 3 interventions may be delivered in smaller groups (e.g., 3 students or fewer) or individually.

The intervention provides contact time adequate to the student academic deficit. NOTE: Tier 2 interventions should take place a minimum of 3-5 times per week in sessions of 30 minutes or more; Tier 3 interventions should take place daily in sessions of 30 minutes or more (Burns & Gibbons, 2008).

Supplemental intervention programs are compromised if they are not based on research, are too large, or include students with very discrepant intervention needs. Schools cannot have confidence in the impact of such potentially compromised supplemental intervention programs.

YES NO

Tier 2/3 Interventions: Intervention Integrity. Data are collected to verify that the intervention is carried out with integrity (Gansle & Noell, 2007; Roach & Elliott, 2008). Relevant intervention-integrity data include information about:

Without intervention-integrity data, it is impossible to discern whether academic underperformance is due to the

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Frequency and length of intervention sessions. Ratings by the interventionist or an independent observer

about whether all steps of the intervention are being conducted correctly.

student’s ‘non-response’ to intervention or due to an intervention that was poorly or inconsistently carried out.

Decision Point for Tier 2: Data Analysis Team Decision Points: At Tier 2, the school has set up procedures for teachers and other staff to discuss students who need intervention, to analyze data about their school performance, to design intervention and progress-monitoring plans, and to schedule follow-up meetings on the student(s). Adequately Documented?


YES NO

Tier 2: Data Analysis Team. The school has established a Data Analysis Team at Tier 2 to evaluate the school-wide screening data collected three times per year and to place students who need Tier 2 interventions. The Data Analysis Team is knowledgeable of all intervention personnel and evidence-

based programs available for Tier 2 interventions. knows how to identify students who have failed to meet

expected screening benchmarks can use the benchmarks to estimate the risk for academic

failure of each student picked up in the screening is able to match identified students to appropriate interventions

while providing students with sufficient instructional support. can document the Tier 2 intervention set up for each student

NOTE: It is also recommended that the Data Analysis Team meet at least once between each screening period to review the progress of students on Tier 2 intervention, to apply screening benchmarks, and to decide for each student whether to maintain the current intervention, change the Tier 2 intervention, move the student to more intensive Tier 3 intervention, or (if improved) discontinue the Tier 2 intervention and transition the student to Tier 1 support alone.

If the school lacks a functioning Data Analysis Team, there are likely to be several important questions left unanswered, such as the following: Are screening data being

used to bring consistency and objectivity to the selection of students who need Tier 2 intervention?

Are the intervention programs at Tier 2 'evidence-based'?

Is the progress of students receiving Tier 2 intervention reviewed every 6-8 instructional weeks to ensure that students don't remain in ineffective interventions and don't continue to occupy intervention 'slots' after they have closed the academic gap with peers?

Decision Point for Tier 3: RTI Problem-Solving Team Decision Points: At Tier 3, the school has set up procedures for teachers and other staff to discuss students who need intervention, to analyze data about their school performance, to design intervention and progress-monitoring plans, and to schedule follow-up meetings on the student(s). Adequately Documented?


YES NO

Tier 3: RTI Problem-Solving Team. The school has established an 'RTI Problem-Solving Team' to create customized intervention plans for individual students who require Tier 3 (intensive) interventions. The RTI Problem-Solving Team: has created clear guidelines for when to accept a Tier 3 student

referral. follows a consistent, structured problem-solving model during its

meetings. schedules initial meetings to discuss student concerns and

follow-up meetings to review student progress and judge whether the intervention plan is effective.

The RTI Problem-Solving Team is the 'decision point' in the school that ensures that students with Tier 3 academic or behavioral needs receive interventions that are well-documented, well-implemented, and sufficiently intensive to match the student's serious deficits. Most Special Education Eligibility Teams use Tier 3

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develops written intervention plans with sufficient detail to ensure that the intervention is implemented with fidelity across settings and people.

builds an ‘intervention bank’ of research-based intervention ideas for common student academic and behavioral concerns.

Problem-Solving Teams as a quality-control mechanism and gate-keeper that prevents students from being referred for possible special education services until the school has first exhausted all general-education service options.

School-Wide Academic Screenings: General Outcome Measures and Skill-Based Measures Peer Norms: The school selects efficient measures with good technical adequacy to be used to screen all students at a grade level in targeted academic areas. Adequately Documented?


YES NO

Selection of Academic Screening Measures. The school has selected appropriate grade-level screening measures for the academic skill area(s) in which the target student struggles (Hosp, Hosp & Howell, 2007). The selected screening measure(s):

Have ‘technical adequacy’ as grade-level screeners—and have been researched and shown to predict future student success in the academic skill(s) targeted.

Are general enough to give useful information for at least a full school year of the developing academic skill (e.g., General Outcome Measure or Skill-Based Mastery Measure).

Include research norms, proprietary norms developed as part of a reputable commercial assessment product, or benchmarks to guide the school in evaluating the risk level for each student screened.

Academic screening measures provide a shared standard for assessing student academic risk. If appropriate gradewide academic screening measure(s) are not in place, the school cannot efficiently identify struggling students who need additional intervention support or calculate the relative probability of academic success for each student.

YES NO

Local Norms Collected via Gradewide Academic Screenings at Least 3 Times Per Year. All students at each grade level are administered the relevant academic screening measures at least three times per school year. The results are compiled to provide local norms of academic performance.

In the absence of regularly updated local screening norms, the school cannot easily judge whether a particular student’s skills are substantially delayed from those of peers in the same educational setting.

References Burns, M. K., & Gibbons, K. A. (2008). Implementing response-to-intervention in elementary and secondary schools. Routledge: New York. Christ, T. (2008). Best practices in problem analysis. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 159-176). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Fuchs, L. (2003). Assessing intervention responsiveness: Conceptual and technical issues. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 18(3), 172-186. Gansle, K. A., & Noell, G. H. (2007). The fundamental role of intervention implementation in assessing response to intervention. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 244-251). New York: Springer Publishing.

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Hosp, M. K., Hosp, J. L., & Howell, K. W. (2007). The ABCs of CBM: A practical guide to curriculum-based measurement. New York: Guilford Press. Howell, K. W., Hosp, J. L., & Kurns, S. (2008). Best practices in curriculum-based evaluation. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.349-362). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Roach, A. T., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Best practices in facilitating and evaluating intervention integrity. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.195-208). Shapiro, E. S. (2008). Best practices in setting progress-monitoring monitoring goals for academic skill improvement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 141-157). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Witt, J. C., VanDerHeyden, A. M., & Gilbertson, D. (2004). Troubleshooting behavioral interventions. A systematic process for finding and eliminating problems. School Psychology Review, 33, 363-383.

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Tier 1: Academic: Resources

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Documenting Tier 1 (Classroom) Interventions: A Sample Form When general-education students begin to struggle with academic or behavioral issues, the classroom teacher will typically select and implement one or more evidence-based intervention strategies to assist those students. But a strong intervention plan needs more than just well-chosen interventions. It also requires 4 additional components (Witt, VanDerHeyden, & Gilbertson, 2004): (1) student concerns should be clearly and specifically defined; (2) one or more methods of formative assessment should be used to track the effectiveness of the intervention; (3) baseline student data should be collected prior to the intervention; and (4) a goal for student improvement should be calculated before the start of the intervention to judge whether that intervention is ultimately successful. If a single one of these essential 4 components is missing, the intervention is to be judged as fatally flawed (Witt, VanDerHeyden, & Gilbertson, 2004) and as not meeting minimum RTI standards. Teachers need a standard format to use in documenting their ‘Tier 1’ (classroom) intervention plans. The attached form, Tier 1/Classroom Intervention Planning Sheet, is designed to include all of the essential RTI elements of an effective intervention plan. The form includes space to document: 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.)

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While a Tier 1/classroom intervention documentation form is a helpful planning tool, schools should remember that teachers will need other resources and types of assistance as well to be successful in selecting and using Tier 1 interventions. For example, teachers should have access to an ‘intervention menu’ that contains evidence-based strategies to address the most common academic and behavioral concerns and should be able to get coaching support as they learn how to implement new classroom intervention ideas. References Bergan, J. R. (1995). Evolution of a problem-solving model of consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 6(2), 111-123. Witt, J. C., VanDerHeyden, A. M., & Gilbertson, D. (2004). Troubleshooting behavioral interventions. A systematic process for finding and eliminating problems. School Psychology Review, 33, 363-383.

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Intervention Description Intervention Delivery Check-Up Date Assessment Data Describe each intervention that you plan to use to address the student’s concern(s).

List key details about delivery of the intervention, such as:; (1) where & when the intervention will be used; (2) the adult-to-student ratio; (3) how frequently the intervention will take place; (4) the length of time each session of the intervention will last;.

Select a date when the data will be reviewed to evaluate the intervention.

Note what classroom data will be used to establish baseline, set a goal for improvement, and track the student’s progress during this intervention.

Type(s) of Data to Be Used: Baseline Goal by Check-Up

Type(s) of Data to Be Used: Baseline Goal by Check-Up

. Type(s) of Data to Be Used: Baseline Goal by Check-Up

Teacher/Team: ______________________________________ Date: __________________ Student: _______________________________ Student Problem Definition #1: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Student Problem Definition #2: ________________________________________________________________________________________ [Optional] Person(s) assisting with intervention planning process: _____________________________________________________________

Interventions: Essential Elements (Witt et al., 2004) Clear problem-

definition(s) Baseline data Goal for improvement Progress-monitoring

plan

Tier 1/Classroom Intervention Planning Sheet

Witt, J. C., VanDerHeyden, A. M., & Gilbertson, D. (2004). Troubleshooting behavioral interventions. A systematic process for finding and eliminating problems. School Psychology Review, 33, 363-383.

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Methods to Monitor Tier 1 (Classroom) Interventions NOTES

Teacher Directions: Review the methods below for collecting progress-monitoring data to evaluate Tier 1 (classroom) interventions. Select one or more of these methods to monitor your student.

Existing data. The teacher uses information already being collected in the classroom or school that is relevant to the identified student problem. Examples of existing data include grades, attendance/tardy records, office disciplinary referrals, homework completion. NOTE: Existing data is often not sufficient alone to monitor a student on intervention but can be a useful supplemental source of data on academic or behavioral performance.

Global skill checklist. The teacher selects a global skill (e.g., homework completion; independent seatwork). The teacher then breaks the global skill down into a checklist of component sub-skills--a process known as ‘discrete categorization’ (Kazdin, 1989). An observer (e.g., teacher, another adult, or even the student) can then use the checklist to note whether a student successfully displays each of the sub-skills on a given day. Classroom teachers can use these checklists as convenient tools to assess whether a student has the minimum required range of academic enabling skills for classroom success. Teachers or tutors may also want to review these checklists with students and encourage them to use the checklists independently to take greater responsibility for their own learning.

Behavioral Frequency Count/Behavioral Rate. In a behavioral frequency count, an observer (e.g., the teacher) watches a student’s behavior and keeps a cumulative tally of the number of times that the behavior is observed during a given period. Behaviors that are best measured using frequency counts have clearly observable beginning and end points—and are of relatively short duration. Examples include student call-outs, requests for teacher help during independent seatwork, and raising one’s hand to make a contribution to large-group discussion.

Teachers can collect data on the frequency of observed student behaviors during a class period in several ways: (1) by keeping a cumulative mental tally of the behaviors; (2) by recording behaviors on paper (e.g., as tally marks) as they occur; or (3) using a golf counter or other simple mechanical device to record observed behaviors.

When multiple observations are made of student behaviors, those observations often last for differing periods of time. One method to standardize the results of observations conducted over varying timespans is to convert the results of each observation to a behavioral rate (behaviors divided by the length of the observation). To compute a behavioral rate, the observer (1) sums the total number of behaviors observed and (2) divides the total number of behaviors observed by total minutes in the observation period. The resulting figure represents a standardized ‘behaviors observed per minute’ and can be compared directly to student behavior rates observed at other times. For example, an observer may have noted that a student engaged in 5 call-outs during a 10-minute observation period. The observer then divides the 5 callouts by the 10 minute observation timespan to compute a standardized behavior rate of 0.5 callouts per minute.

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Teacher-Friendly Methods to Monitor Tier 1 (Classroom) Interventions (Cont.) NOTES

Rating scales. A scale is developed with one or more items that a rater can use to complete a global rating of a behavior. Often the rating scale is completed at the conclusion of a fixed observation period (e.g., after each class period; at the end of the school day). Here is an example of a rating scale item: Brian focused his attention on teacher instructions, classroom lessons and assigned work. 1=Poor; 2=Fair; 3=Good. NOTE: One widely used example of rating scales routinely used in classrooms is the daily behavior report (DBR) (Chafouleas, Riley-Tillman & Sugai, 2007). The teacher completes a 3- to 4-item rating scale each day evaluating various target student behaviors. Teachers can also create their own customized Daily Behavior Reports online. The Behavior Reporter is a free web-based application that allows educators to select and edit existing behavior rating items from a database or to write their own. This application can be accessed at: http://www.interventioncentral.org.

Academic Skills: Cumulative Mastery Log. During academic interventions in which the student is presented with a specific and limited pool of items (e.g., vocabulary terms for a biology course or entries in the Periodic Table of the Elements for a chemistry course), the instructor can track the impact of the intervention by recording and dating mastered items in a cumulative log.

First, the instructor defines the set of academic items to be taught or reviewed during the intervention. Next, the instructor sets criteria for judging when the student has mastered a particular item from the academic item set. (Example: “A biology vocabulary item is considered mastered when the student supplies the correct definition within 3 seconds of being shown the term on a flashcard.”). To collect baseline information, the instructor reviews all items from the academic-item set with the student, recording items the student already knows. Then, throughout the intervention, the instructor logs and dates additional items as they are mastered by the student.

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Work Products. Student work products can be collected and evaluated to judge whether the student is incorporating information taught in the course, applying cognitive strategies that they have been taught, or remediating academic delays. Examples of work products are math computation worksheets, journal entries, and written responses to end-of-chapter questions from the course textbook. Whenever teachers collect academic performance data on a student, it is recommended that they also assess the performance of typical peers in the classroom. Peer performance information allows the teacher directly to estimate and to track the skill gap that separates the target student from others in the class who are not having academic difficulties. Teachers should select students to serve as ‘comparison peers’ whose skills represent the class average. Work products can be assessed in several ways to yield objective numeric data, depending on the nature of the identified student problem. The teacher can estimate the percentage of work completed on an assignment, for example, as well as the accuracy of the work actually completed. Additionally, the instructor may decide to rate the student’s work for quality, using a rubric or other qualitative evaluation approach.

Behavior Log. Behavior logs are narrative ‘incident reports’ that the teacher records about problem student behaviors. Behavior logs are most useful for tracking problem behaviors that are serious but do not occur frequently. The teacher makes a log entry each time that a behavior is observed. An advantage of behavior logs is that they can provide information about the context within which a behavior occurs.(Disciplinary office referrals are a specialized example of a behavior log.) A behavior log would typically note the date, start time, and end time of a behavioral incident, a brief narrative of the incident (including people involved, the activity, possible triggers to the student problem behavior, a description of the student problem behavior, and the outcome of the incident).

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Curriculum-Based Measurement. Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) is a family of brief, timed measures that assess basic academic skills. CBMs have been developed to assess a considerable number of academic competencies, including oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, math computation, and written expression. Among advantages of using CBM for classroom assessment are that these measures are quick and efficient to administer; align with the curriculum of most schools; have good ‘technical adequacy’ as academic assessments; and use standard procedures to prepare materials, administer, and score (Hosp, Hosp & Howell, 2007). NOTE: Schools can find a comprehensive web directory of free or low-cost Curriculum-Based Measurement resources on CBM Warehouse at: http://www.interventioncentral.org/index.php/cbm-warehouse

References

Chafouleas, S., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & Sugai, G. (2007). School-based behavioral assessment: Informing intervention and instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Hosp, M. K., Hosp, J. L., & Howell, K. W. (2007). The ABCs of CBM. New York: Guilford Press.

Kazdin, A. E. (1989). Behavior modification in applied settings (4th ed.). Pacific Gove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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Student Self-Directed Interventions Sheet: Guidelines for Use This worksheet is an organizer that teachers, counselors, and other educators can use to develop a student-directed intervention. The framework is flexible. A single teacher, or guidance counselor, or entire instructional team can use the form when conferencing with a student. This form can also be very helpful to structure parent-teacher-student meetings to make them more productive and to document the intervention plans developed there. Below are educator guidelines to help the student complete the Student Self-Directed Interventions: Planning Sheet (attached).

Section 1: Defining Your Goals Student Directions: Define 1-2 intervention goals that you would like to work on:

The student is likely to need your assistance to select 1-2 specific goals to be the focus of the intervention. The defined goal(s) may include basic academic skills, cognitive strategies, and/or more general 'academic enabling' skills. NOTE: If the presenting student problem stems from deficits in basic academic skills or cognitive strategies, you may want to review the appropriate reading or math Common Core State Standards for ideas on how to word the goal statement in standards-based form.

Section 2: Selecting Student-Directed Interventions Student Directions: List up to 4 strategies that you will take on your own to reach your goal(s).

The goal is for the student to take initiative in selecting several strategies that he or she is responsible for doing to reach the goal. As you assist the student in selecting and writing down self-help strategies, specify how frequently or under what conditions the student will use each strategy (e.g., "At the start of each class period, the student will review a checklist to ensure that she has all work materials."). The student form also allows you to meet with the student for follow-up sessions and to check off whether he or she is consistently using the self-help strategies. NOTE: The student may need training before he or she can use some strategies independently. Several sample student-directed solutions appear below:

Self-monitor preparation for class using a student-created checklist

Bring all work materials to class Write complete lecture notes Maintain a clear, uncluttered work space Create a structured work plan before

completing larger assignments Complete additional readings to reinforce

understanding of course concepts, content Take practice tests to prepare for actual

class or state tests

Write down homework assignment and double-check for accuracy and completeness before leaving class

Ensure that all work materials for homework go home Study course material on a regular review

schedule Prepare nightly homework plans, check off completed

tasks Use 'self-help' Internet sites (e.g., algebrahelp.com) to

find answers to questions

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Section 3: Selecting Interventions Supported by Others Student Directions: List up to 4 types of assistance that you will obtain from others to reach your goal(s):

In this section are listed those student supports that require assistance from others. As you help the student to choose and document strategies involving others, specify how frequently or under what conditions the student will use each strategy (e.g., "When the student has a question about lecture content or an assignment, he will bring that question to the teacher during her free period."). The student form also allows you to meet with the student for follow-up sessions and to check off whether he or she is continuing to use these 'other-assisted' strategies. Several sample 'interventions supported by others' appear below:

Use teacher-supplied guided notes in class Seek instructor help during free periods Receive tutoring services from peer or adult Be assigned an adult mentor Set up regular 'check-in' sessions with a

school staff member to monitor student's intervention follow-through

Have the teacher review and sign off on homework assignments written in the student's notebook/course agenda

Create a study group with other students Have parent(s) assist as 'homework coaches' to help

the student to organize, get started with, and complete homework

Meet with the teacher for brief weekly conferences to review course performance (e.g., grades, missing work, etc.)

Section 4: Measuring Progress Toward Your Goals Student Directions: Select up to 2 ways that you will measure progress toward your intervention goal(s):

The task in this section is to select one or more ways that you and the student can track whether the intervention(s) being tried are actually effective in helping the student to achieve his or her goal(s). As you help the student to choose each method for monitoring progress, specify how frequently the data is to be collected (e.g., 'daily', 'weekly', 'after each tutoring session'). The student form also allows you to meet with the student for follow-up sessions and to check off whether the data is being collected consistently. Several sample methods for tracking student progress on intervention appear below:

'Academic Enabler' Skills Checklist Behavior Report Card: To be completed by

the teacher and/or student

Homework Log School/Home Note Evaluation of Work Products

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Section 5: Setting an Intervention 'Check-Up' Date

Directions: Decide how many instructional weeks your intervention will last. Write in the intervention 'end date' (the calendar date when you will review progress to see if your current intervention plan is effective):

The student must allocate sufficient time for the intervention to accurately judge whether it is a success. Generally, student interventions should last between 4 and 8 instructional weeks. You can assist the student in both setting a reasonable timespan for the intervention and (by consulting a school calendar) writing down the end-date to mark the conclusion of the intervention.

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Student Self-Directed Interventions: Planning Sheet

Student: __________________ Date: ___________ Teacher/Course: _______________

Section 1: Defining Your Goals Directions: Define 1-2 intervention goals that you would like to work on. Try to be specific.

1

2

Section 2: Selecting Student-Directed Interventions Directions: List up to 4 strategies that you will use on your own to reach your goal(s).

Check-in Date: __________



1

Strategy still in use? Y N



2




3




4




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Section 3: Selecting Interventions Supported by Others Directions: List up to 3 types of assistance that you plan to obtain from others to reach your goal(s):




1




2




3




Section 4: Measuring Progress Toward Your Goals Directions: Select up to 2 ways that you will measure progress toward your intervention goal(s).




1

Monitoring still in use? Y N



2




Section 5: Setting an Intervention 'Check-Up' Date

Directions: Decide how many instructional weeks your intervention will last. Write in the intervention 'end date' (the calendar date when you will review progress to see if your current intervention plan is effective):

Number of instructional weeks the intervention will last: _____________ End Date: _____/_____/_____

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Tier 2/3: Academic: Resources

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Tier 1, 2, 3: Internet Sources for Research-Based Interventions Listed below are Internet sources to help schools to find or evaluate academic and behavioral intervention programs and strategies appropriate for Tiers 1, 2, and 3.

Internet Intervention Source

Best Evidence Encyclopedia (http://www.bestevidence.org/). This site provides reviews of evidence-based reading and math programs. The website is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (CDDRE).

Evidence-Based Intervention Network (http://ebi.missouri.edu/). Sponsored by the School Psychology program at the University of Missouri, this site contains academic and behavioral intervention scripts suitable for classroom use.

Florida Center for Reading Research (http://www.fcrr.org). This website contains a search tool to find lesson plans to teach the five components of reading: http://www.fcrr.org/FAIR_Search_Tool/FAIR_Search_Tool.aspx

Instructional Intervention Tools Page (http://www.rti4success.org/instructionTools). Sponsored by the National Center on RTI, this page provides ratings to intervention programs in reading, math, and writing. Users can streamline their search by subject and grade level.

Intervention Central (http://www.interventioncentral.org). The site includes a range of academic and behavioral intervention ideas suitable for classroom use.

What Works Clearinghouse (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/). Sponsored by the US Dept. of Education, this website has two major sources of intervention information: (1) Practice Guides: These free 60-100 page guides summarize current research for teachers on intervention topics such as math instruction, reading interventions, and behavior management; (2) Program Reviews: This website reviews core instruction and intervention programs in reading/writing, math/science, and other academic areas. The site reviews existing studies and draws conclusions about whether specific intervention programs show evidence of effectiveness.

RTI: Screening & Progress-Monitoring ToolsCheck out these 'tools' pages to evaluate

RTI screening and progress-monitoring assessments:

Internet Assessment Source

National Center on RTI (http://www.rti4success.org/). This site includes two 'tools' pages that offer descriptions and ratings for assessments:

RTI School-Wide Screeners (http://www.rti4success.org/screeningTools). RTI school-wide academic screeners are administered at least 3 times per year to compare local students to research-derived benchmark norms. The results are used to identify students who need Tier 2/3 intervention services.

RTI Progress-Monitoring Mastery Measures (http://www.rti4success.org/progressMonitoringMasteryTools). Students on RTI interventions are monitored (2x per month for Tier 2; 1x per week for Tier 3). This Tools page compares sets of RTI progress-monitoring tools.

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Intervention Contact Log Students in Group: (Note: Supplemental intervention groups generally should be capped at 6-7 students.)

Date: _________ Time Start: ___ : ____ Time End: ___ : ____

Students Absent: _________________________________ Comments: ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________

AM PM

AM PM

To what degree were you able to carry out the intervention as designed? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Not at all Somewhat Fully


Students Absent: ________________________________ Comments: ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________

AM PM

AM PM





AM PM

AM PM





AM PM

AM PM





AM PM

AM PM





AM PM

AM PM





AM PM

AM PM



G. ____________________________

H. ____________________________

I. ____________________________

D. ____________________________

E. ____________________________

F. ____________________________

A. ____________________________

B. ____________________________

C. ____________________________

Staff Member(s) Implementing Intervention: ___________________________________________________________ Classroom/Location: ______________________ Intervention Description: _________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Tier 3: RTI Problem-Solving Team

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RTI Problem-Solving Team Meeting 'Quality Indicators': A Checklist

School: _____________________________ Date: _______________________ Student (Initials): _____________ Directions: Use this checklist at the conclusion of your initial RTI Team meeting to compare your actual process against the 'quality indicators' listed below. Note your RTI Team's relative strengths / areas in need of improvement.

RTI Team Meeting 'Quality Indicator' NOTES 1. Introductions/Statement of Purpose Stated. The meeting opened with

introductions (e.g., names of those attending and their 'RTI Team' roles); statement about purpose, goal(s), and expected length of time for the meeting

2. Problem(s) Clearly Defined in Advance. The student problem(s) were already defined in clear and specific terms at the start of the RTI Team meeting (because the Case Manager had met in advance with the teacher(s)). Also, if necessary, teacher concerns were prioritized and limited to no more than two.

3. RTI Team Roles Assigned. Team members effectively assumed the following roles: Case Manager (Pre-Meeting) Facilitator Recorder Time-Keeper Coordinator

4. RTI Team Meeting Structure Followed. The RTI Team meeting followed this problem-solving structure: Step 1: Assess Teacher Concerns Step 2: Inventory Student Strengths/Talents Step 3: Review Background/Baseline Data Step 4: Select Target Teacher Concerns Step 5: Set Academic and/or Behavioral Outcome Goals and Methods

for Progress-Monitoring Step 6: Design an Intervention Plan Step 7: Plan How to Share Meeting Information with the Student’s

Parent(s) Step 8: Review Intervention & Monitoring Plans

The meeting progressed with few interruptions or digressions.

5. Sufficient Data Collected. There was sufficient academic and behavioral data presented at the meeting to allow the RTI Team to adequately understand the student problem(s). (This data included existing information from the school database and/or additional data such as direct observations or student academic assessment collected prior to the meeting.)

6. Intervention Plan Built from Research-Based Elements. The intervention programs and/or ideas recommended by the RTI Team to address the student concern are supported by research.

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RTI Team Meeting 'Quality Indicator' NOTES 7. Progress-Monitoring Plan Developed. A plan was developed to monitor

the student's progress while on intervention. The plan required at least weekly progress-monitoring. It also incorporated source(s) of data that are reliable and valid—and included both a baseline reading of student performance and a clear post-intervention goal for student improvement.

8. Student Input Solicited. If appropriate, the school collected information from the student to better understand the presenting problem(s) by: interviewing the student at a pre-meeting (e.g., with the teacher or

school counselor), and/or inviting the (middle or high school) student to participate in the RTI

Team meeting.

9. Teacher Participation Encouraged. At least one teacher who works with the student attended the RTI Team meeting. Referring teacher(s) at the meeting were made to feel welcome, clearly understood the purpose of the meeting, were encouraged to share their views, and fully participated in the RTI problem-solving process.

10. Meeting Information Recorded. All relevant intervention information shared at the RTI Team meeting was accurately recorded. The RTI Team expected to get a completed copy of the intervention plan by the end of the day to all educators participating in the student's RTI intervention plan.

11. Follow-Up Meeting Scheduled. At the conclusion of the initial RTI Team meeting, the team and referring teacher(s) scheduled a follow-up meeting within a reasonable span of time (e.g., 6-8 weeks) to review the student's intervention progress.

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RTI Quality Audit: 'Next Steps' Planning Tool

Participant: __________________________ School/District: ______________________ Date: _________________

Tier 1: Academic: Core Instruction & Intervention: Review the quality indicators shared at this workshop for Tier 1 (Teacher consultation/team meeting to develop plans for classroom interventions). Based on your knowledge of your school or district, use this planning sheet to highlight your essential 'next steps' to improve this RTI Tier.

List the 'next steps' that you plan to follow to accomplish this goal: 1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________

Who in your school or district will you need to enlist to help you with this goal?: 1. _________________________________________

2. _________________________________________ What resources will you need beyond those supplied in this training to accomplish the goal? 1. _________________________________________

2. _________________________________________

Additional Notes: _______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Tier 2: Academic: Core Instruction & Intervention: Review the quality indicators shared at this workshop for Tier 2 (Data Analysis Team). Based on your knowledge of your school or district, use this planning sheet to highlight your essential 'next steps' to improve this RTI Tier.


2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________



2. _________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Tier 3: Academic: Core Instruction & Intervention: Review the quality indicators shared at this workshop for Tier 3 (RTI Problem-Solving Team). Based on your knowledge of your school or district, use this planning sheet to highlight your essential 'next steps' to improve this RTI Tier.


2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________



2. _________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Academic Screenings: General Outcome Measures and Skill-Based Measures. Review the quality indicators shared at this workshop for selection & use of school-wide academic screening tools. Based on your knowledge of your school or district, use this planning sheet to highlight your essential 'next steps' to improve this RTI element.


2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________

5. __________________________________________



2. _________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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RTI: 'Quality Audit' for School Leaders · 2013-01-29 · schedule follow-up meetings on the...

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