Transcript A Chicagoland School District RTI

Response to Intervention (RtI) in
Chicagoland School District
*This is a small school district of fewer than
1000 students located in northern Illinois.
*The district consists of:
an Elementary School (Pre-K--4th grades) and
a Junior High School (5th-8th grades)
RtI Training
*Approximately 14 individuals from the school district
attended training in RtI during the 2007-2008 school
year.
*Those 14 individuals (principals, classroom teachers,
one special education teacher, reading specialists,
school psychologist) became the core RtI team, and
provided training to others in both schools.
*The core RtI team developed the District RtI Plan,
which was submitted to the state in December, 2008.
*The District began implementing RtI in grades Kdg-8
during the 2008-2009 school year.
Elements of RtI at the Elementary School
*RtI team consists of: Principal, 2 literacy specialists, school
psychologist, and one teacher at each grade level
Tools used for decision making:
*AIMSweb- ALL students are Benchmarked in fall, winter and
spring
*NWEA/MAP test-Students in 1st-4th grades are given this
achievement test in fall and spring (reading, writing, math).Tier
2 and 3 students also given the reading test in the winter
*ISAT scores- 4th grade students’ previous year’s ISAT reading
score considered
*Classroom performance in reading (teacher judgment of need)
Decision Making Process
After Benchmarking, each grade level team
meets with members of the RtI team.
Determination of students needing Tier 2
intervention is made using the AIMSweb,
NWEA/MAP, ISAT (if taken) and classroom
performance data. Groups are formed.
Determination of non-special education Tier 3
students is also made at this meeting.
Tier 1
All students at the elementary school
receive core reading instruction in their
regular education classroom. If 80% of
the students do not meet the ‘cut
scores’ established by the AIMSweb and
MAP data, then the core curriculum is
considered less than adequate, and is
supplemented with other materials.
Tier 2
RtI time (additional 30 minutes of reading
instruction daily) is given to students
identified as Tier 2.
Classroom teachers provide intensive
additional instruction in one of the 5
major reading areas during this time,
using research based interventions
(Read Naturally, Making Connections,
Jolly Phonics/Grammar, Michael
Hegarty, Study Island)
Tier 2 continued
Non-special education students identified as Tier
2 with the greatest needs may receive their
RtI intervention time (30 minutes daily) with
one of the literacy/reading specialists in small
groups, or 1:1.
Tier 2 continued
Students receiving Tier 2 support are progress
monitored weekly or biweekly using the
AIMSweb probe(s) appropriate for their area(s)
of intervention.
Progress monitoring is completed by the teacher
providing the intervention. Data is entered into
the AIMSweb program by the same teacher.
Example of Tier 2 Intervention
Kindergarten students who fall below the
identified ‘cut scores’ in letter naming,
sounds, or phoneme segmentation fluency
receive their core reading instruction in class
PLUS an additional 30 minutes daily of small
group instruction with a literacy assistant
using Jolly Phonics and Michael Hegarty
(which are both used as part of the core
kdg. curriculum in the regular classroom)
Example of Tier 2 Intervention
Students in 2nd grade identified as needing support are
grouped according to area of need (comprehension,
fluency, decoding) and receive their core reading
curriculum PLUS an additional 30 minutes daily of
intensive instruction using research based
interventions.
Intensive interventions are delivered by regular
education teachers trained in the particular
intervention they are delivering.
(students not needing intervention are grouped in one
or two classrooms during RtI time, and work on
materials at their level)
Tier 3
*The majority of these students are those identified as
eligible for special education services and receive
reading instruction from the special ed. teacher as
indicated on their IEP.
*Students not in special education with the greatest
identified needs will receive additional time daily
(either small group or 1:1) with the literacy/reading
specialists or in small groups with the special ed.
teachers. These students are considered to be in Tier
3 (lowest 5-10%) and may be referred for special
education at some point.
Tier 3 continued
Students receiving Tier 3 support are progress
monitored weekly or biweekly using the AIMSweb
probe(s) appropriate for their area(s) of
intervention.
Progress monitoring is completed by the teacher
providing the intervention. Data is entered into the
AIMSweb program by the same teacher.
Monitoring of Progress
Every six weeks, each grade level team meets
with members of the RtI team to review
progress of each student in Tier 2 and Tier 3.
At these meetings, decisions are made to:
-continue current intervention
-change the intervention
-increase time or individualization of
intervention
Monitoring of Progress, cont.
A referral for special education services is made
when a student has shown very minimal
progress after at least 12 points of AIMSweb
data are gathered.
At that time, additional classroom testing (DRA2) or screening by special education teacher or
school psychologist may be made to gather
additional information for the referral.
Elements of RtI at the Junior High
All students in grades 5 through 8 are Benchmarked
3x/year using AIMSweb, and 2X/year using
NWEA/MAP achievement testing.
The decision making process for identifying Tier 2 and 3
students is also made taking AIMSweb universal
screening, NWEA/MAP scores, ISAT scores, and
classroom performance into consideration.
The Junior High delivers Tier 2 intensive reading and
math intervention for students during “Strategic
Reading” and “Strategic Math” periods.
Strategic Reading and Math Classes
ALL students, except the most needy special
education students, receive core reading and
math instruction in general ed. classes.
Students identified as needing Tier 2 support
have an additional Strategic Reading or Math
(or both) class in place of one of their
electives.
Intensive reading and math interventions are
delivered by the Strategic Reading and Math
teachers, one class at each grade level.
Intensive intervention at the Jr. High
The amount of intervention needed is
determined by the RtI team. All Tier 2
students receive at least two periods of
reading daily. Some Tier 3 students receive
three periods of reading daily--Grade level
Core instruction, Strategic Reading, and a
Special education reading period.
Monitoring of Progress
All students receiving Tier 2 (Strategic reading)
or Tier 3 (special education) are progress
monitored weekly or biweekly using the
AIMSweb probes. Progress monitoring is
completed by the Strategic Reading teacher, or
the literacy assistant. Data is entered into the
AIMSweb program by the person who is
progress monitoring that student.
Monitoring of Progress
Approximately every two months, the Jr. High RtI
team meets to discuss all students who are being
progress monitored.
At these meetings, decisions are made to:
-discontinue Strategic reading if student shows six
data points above the grade avg. ‘trend’ line.
-continue current intervention if progress is shown
-change the intervention if it isn’t working
-increase time receiving the intervention
Student Involvement
At the Junior High, all students in Strategic
Reading are shown their AIMSweb graphs, and
are made aware of their progress and what
they need to attain to exit Strategic Reading
and return to their elective. This provides
strong motivation.
We are attempting to involve parents in our
progress meetings and show them the graphs
of their child’s progress regularly.
What is expected of the regular education teacher?
At elementary level:
*Benchmark entire classroom with AIMSweb
3X/year
*Provide intensive, research based reading
instruction to Tier 2 students 30 minutes/day
*Progress monitor weekly or biweekly using
AIMSweb probes
*Enter data from progress monitoring into
AIMSweb program
*Attend RtI meetings every 6 weeks for
planning and discussion of your students
What would a new teacher need to know?
*Basics of RtI (what these might look like):
Universal screening
Progress Monitoring
Implementing intensive interventions WITH INTEGRITY
Making data-based decisions
What training is provided to a new teacher?
How to Benchmark and Progress Monitor
How to enter data into the AIMSweb program
How to deliver the intervention they are to deliver with
integrity!
Should NCC be teaching the particular
interventions to undergrads?
It would be important for undergrads to know
what research-based interventions are
available. (www.fcrr.org is a must read)
It would be very important for undergrads to
know which research-based intervention can
be used to address deficiencies in each of
the five areas of reading (vocabulary,
phonics, fluency, comprehension, phonemic
awareness)
Implications for ELL students
In this school district, ELL students usually are
given Tier 2 interventions related to
vocabulary and comprehension.
They are often progress monitored several
grades lower than their current grade, and
move up as their language progresses.