NORTH BERGEN SCHOOL DISTRICT: EXPLANATION OF ELA INSTRUCTIONAL TIME: DEPARTMENTALIZED SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADES Edmund C. Garrison, ELA K-12 District Supervisor

Explanation of the RTI (Response to Intervention) Model

Albert Einstein once said… “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Essential Components Tiered Instruction / Intervention Family Involvement High Quality Classroom Instruction Ongoing Student Assessment

Goals of RTI Address the academic needs of students Not a static program Increase self-awareness of the students (e.g. skill breakdown on Assessments) To empower the IST (Instructional Support Team) (i.e. Resource Teacher) to make a difference Address emotional needs of students

Tier I: What is It? Quality classroom instruction: -Within the general education classroom -High quality program incorporating Common Core State Standards -Research-based instructional strategies or materials (i.e. RAP, QAR, Non-Fiction Pyramid, Inferencing) -On-going assessment of strengths and needs -On-going professional development

Tier II: What is It? Small Group Intervention: Small Group (Ideally 4 students) that have been grouped based on ability Should be homogeneously grouped so that the Title I and Resource Teacher can work with their students Centers or project based work—Open-ended and meaningful. Opportunity for teacher(s) to “roll-up their sleeves and address their students’ differentiated needs.” Instruction should be differentiated—based on student need Guided Reading (6th Grade)

Examples of Tier II Literacy Centers Reading: -Book Review/Independent Reading -PARCC Test Prep -Reading Informational Text (i.e. “Article of the Week”) -Lit Circles Writing: -Grammar Center -Vocabulary Center -Utilizing the Writing Process

North Bergen Departmentalized 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Tier I and II Model Whole Group Instruction Teach standards-based topics that are grade level appropriate, generally new to a majority of the class population. Instruction should include Treasures, Glencoe, and Triumph Learning Common Core Coach, and Online Materials Strategies are chosen from analyzing the CCSS, North Bergen ELA Curriculum, and assessments administered (i.e. Unit Tests, Marking Period Exams, PARCC Assessments, SGO Assessments) Although whole group time is when all students learn the same concepts, the teacher should incorporate cooperative, student centered instruction. Assessments should be created to determine student needs (i.e. Wonders Assessments; Glencoe Assessments; Triumph Learning Common Core Coach “Read on Your Own” Independent Practice; Common Core Coach Benchmark and Summative Assessment; Linkit Assessments.)

Elementary Schools with 40 minute Reading and 40 minute Writing Blocks Since most of our 6 th to 8 th grade elementary schools have 40 minutes to teach reading and 40 minutes to teach writing, we cannot utilize the same Tier I and Tier II structure that we use in the lower grades. In the lower grades, teachers have 80 minutes to teach reading. Tier II incorporates Guided Reading and Literacy Groups. The teacher must incorporate both Tier I and Tier II teaching strategies within a 40 minute period.

GRADUAL RELEASE OF LEARNING

Introduction/ “I Do” (~5-15 minutes) Begin with the skills/content standards that you will be addressing in your lesson Address the Tier I knowledge and comprehension that students must have to be successful with the new topic. MODEL what you expect students to be able to do.

13 Guided Practice/“We Do” ~10-15 Minutes Students should be moving into Tier 2— application and analysis. Be precise with vocabulary and use “think aloud” techniques to show them the process necessary to move ahead. Students should still be solving problems on their own. You just want to give them the tools they need to be successful.

Independent Practice/ “You Do” (~10-20 minutes) Teachers should be working just as hard as the students during this time by moving from group to group and observing how students are progressing. Here is where the Title I and Resource Teachers work with their students. If many students are doing the work incorrectly, stop the class and do a 5 minute “reteach” to put everyone back on the right track.

“ Assessment/Comprehension Check” (~5 minutes) IN ADVANCE you must prepare a handout/put on the board 1/2 questions that will tell you very quickly if students are “getting it” or not. You should be able to correct these handouts very easily the SAME DAY so you can MODIFY TOMORROW’S LESSON ACCORDINGLY. The “Comprehension Check” can also be conducted orally. However, the teacher must be careful to not just pick the student(s) who raise their hands first to give the answer.

Homework (Continues from Independent Practice) Students should not be practicing different skills for homework from the ones introduced in class today. This is an important opportunity to continue reinforcing the skills and concepts presented today. Think carefully about what you will do with this homework so you don’t feel obligated to spend precious class time going over each and every question if that is not helpful to the majority of your students.

Notes on Differentiation How will you extend and differentiate your teaching to reach every student in the classroom? -There are AT LEAST three levels of students in your classroom on any given day and who falls into each group depends upon the particular content and skills being addressed. -Using the data from the previous day’s assessment to determine which students are “on level,” which ones are “advance,” and which ones need “strategic” support. -Prepare in advance how you will meet each cohort’s needs.