Ingham RtI District Leadership Team November 4, 2009

Overview of Response to Intervention (RtI)

What is Response to Intervention (RtI)? A multi-tiered, collaborative approach to providing academic and behavioral supports to all students A well integrated, seamless system of instruction and intervention directed by student data and matched to student needs with increasing levels of intensity (RtI Action Network)

What is RtI? (cont.) RtI is the practice of (1) providing high- quality instruction/intervention matched to student needs and (2) using learning rate over time and level of performance to (3) make important educational decisions. (Batsche, et al, 2005)

What is a Tiered Service Delivery Model? Each tier represents increasingly intense services associated with increasing levels of learner needs Tiered interventions provide a set of curricular/instructional processes to improve student response to intervention and student outcomes

What are the Goals of RtI? Ensure that all students have access to high- quality instruction and learning opportunities Struggling/accelerated learners are identified, supported and served early and effectively Provide information as part of a comprehensive assessment for determining whether a student has a specific learning disability (RtI Action Network)

Essential Components of RtI High-quality scientifically-based instruction All students are screened to establish academic and behavioral baselines and to identify struggling/accelerated learners who need additional support (RtI Action Network)

Essential Components of RtI (cont.) Provision of increasingly intensive supplemental instruction/intervention in a multi-tiered model to struggling or accelerated students  Matched to student needs  Intensity varies across group size, frequency and duration of an intervention (RtI Action Network)

Essential Components of RtI (cont.) Student progress is monitored frequently to analyze student achievement and effectiveness of the instruction/intervention (RtI Action Network)

Essential Components of RtI (cont.) Data-based decisions are made re: student’s instructional needs  Use of a structured problem-solving model  Multiple data points taken in context over time (RtI Action Network)

Factors Critical to the Success of RtI Leadership to build internal capacity and sustainability for implementation Consensus of all stakeholders around ensuring success for all students through an RtI approach Ongoing professional development to ensure staff have knowledge and skills necessary to implement RtI (RtI Action Network)

Core Principles of RtI 1. We can effectively teach all children 2. Intervene early 3. Use a multi-tier model of support 4. Use a problem-solving method for decision making 5. Implement research-based interventions/ instruction to the extent available 6. Monitor student progress to inform instruction 7. Use data to make instructional decisions 8. Use assessment for different purposes: screening, diagnostics, progress monitoring

Making Connections Think about and share with an elbow partner how the core principles of RtI connect with current district work

Connecting the Data No Child Left Behind Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act RtI and School Improvement Successful Student Outcomes

Shifting Paradigms Access/Participation Progress/Success Legal/Compliance Performance/Results Teaching Content Ensuring Student Learning Separate/Parallel Collaborative/Unified

School Improvement Curriculum Assessment Instruction Leadership Professional Development Data Management and Use

RtISI RtI creates an effective system to support School Improvement efforts

District Level School Improvement Infrastructure Funding Visibility Political Support District School Improvement Leadership Team: Managing RtI TrainingCoachingResourcesEvaluation Building Level School Improvement Implementation Adapted from Horner, Sugai

Reflection… Identify strategies for helping your schools connect their prior work to the key components of RtI and School Improvement

School-Wide Support Systems for Student Success (RtI) Universal Intervention Core Instruction, all students Preventive Intensive Intervention Individualized, functional assessment, highly specific Targeted Intervention Supplemental, some students, reduce risk BehaviorAcademics 80% 15% 5%

Establishing an RtI Framework Three stages  Consensus Building  Infrastructure Building  Implementation District and building blueprints (NASDE, 2008)

Consensus Building RtI concepts are communicated broadly to implementers Foundational “whys” of RtI are shared, discussed and embraced (NASDE, 2008)

Infrastructure Building Examine current district initiatives/practices against the critical components of RtI Find aspects being implemented well and gaps that need to be addressed district-wide District planning to close practice gaps (NASDE, 2008)

Implementation Structures and supports are put in place at the district level to support, stabilize and institutionalize RtI practices (NASDE, 2008)

District Level Blueprint Outlines components of a district level strategy to:  implement RtI district-wide provide ongoing support to each school (NASDE, 2008) and

District Leadership Structures and Activities

District Leadership Team (DLT) Purpose Overarching, ongoing management team for facilitating, support and evaluating implementation of RtI schools across the district

District Leadership Team (DLT) Membership Superintendent Assistant Superintendent Curriculum Director Special Education Director Principals Human Resource/ Personnel Director GE teachers SE teachers Title I/ELL staff G/T staff Parents

District Leadership Team (DLT) Roles Assess needs Building Consensus and Commitment Allocate Resources and Build Infrastructure Support Systems Change and Implementation Components

District Leadership Team (DLT) Specific Responsibilities Provide clear expectations for RtI implementation Provide supports to ensure sustainability of RtI district-wide Develop a multi-year district implementation plan Monitor progress of and adjust implementation of RtI

Reflection… Expectations your district has re: RtI What district supports are in place for RtI implementation What district supports need further development re: RtI implementation Take a moment to reflect on and discuss with a partner:

District Leadership Team (DLT) Activities 1. Establish/reconstitute your district leadership team  Team members/meeting schedule  Responsibilities  Norms  Vision  Core beliefs

DLT Activities (cont.) 2. Develop a district-wide RtI Communication Plan

DLT Activities (cont.) 3. Complete the “Braiding District Initiatives” worksheets, recommendations and action plan

DLT Activities (cont.) 4. Complete the Consensus Building section of the “Blueprints for Implementation” self- assessment tool

Questions re: DLT Activities/Assignments ?

RtI Implementation Update

District Suggestions/Needs re: RtI Implementation Issues your district is working through Questions/clarifications Input