Statewide Expectations Presenter: Christine Spear Alabama Department of Education

“RtI is going to look different in different school districts, and different states, …RtI helps you focus in on what do your students actually need. By definition, you can’t take a cookie-cutter approach.” Darren Woodruff, Co-Director, What Works Clearing House

1. “Each LEA will develop its own RtI plan based on the framework provided in the Response to Instruction: Alabama’s Core Support for all Students …document. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ requirement, as LEAs have unique strengths and challenges that can only be determined and addressed through your LEA plan development process.”

High-Quality Curriculum Research- Based Instruction Problem Solving Team(s) in Place Levels of Intervention Identified Survey of Available Resources Intervention Resources Allocated Intervention Time Included in Schedule Ongoing Professional Development Job- Embedded Support for Teachers

(20) Problem Solving Teams (PST). By August 15, 2011, all public schools in Alabama will be required to implement the Problem Solving Team process. (a) Definitions. Problem Solving Teams (PST) is a model to guide general education intervention services for all students who have academic and or behavioral difficulties. The PST is central to the school’s successful implementation of the RtI framework. (b) Decisions regarding number of PSTs needed by a school should be determined at the school level; however, a minimum of one PST per school is required. (c) The documentation requirements for a referral to special education found in the AAC, Chapter (2) and (4) [Child Identification] and Chapter (10)(b)1., (10)(c) 2. (ii), 10(d)2. (I)(II)(ii) and (10)(d)4. [Disability Definitions, Criteria, and Minimum Required Evaluative Components] must be collected and provided by the PST. (d) Any student who is reevaluated and determined not eligible for special education services must be referred to the PST to determine the appropriate supplemental services to facilitate successful transitions to the general education program.

Problem-solving Data-driven Decision Making  School  Classroom  Individual Student Shared Responsibility Focus on Student Outcomes Peer Collaboration Parents as Partners Varied Timeline Plan Carries Over Problem- Solving Team

2. “Documentation of student progress will be determined at the local level using the tools that LEAs determine best fit their individual needs.” 3. “To assist LEAs that may not have a strong professional learning community (PLC) process active in their system, the Problem-Solving Team Process document may be used as a guide to the development of this process and may be adapted to meet the individual needs of your schools and school system."

4. “In the development of your LEA plan, keep in mind the documentation requirements for a successful referral to special education …should that need occur after unsuccessful Tier I and Tiers II and III interventions.”

1. If the PST is designed to guide general education services why are we required to do paperwork for special education services? 2. What is the difference between accommodations and intervention strategies? 3. At what point should parents be notified using the letter in the PST manual? 4. When does the PST begin documenting what is required for a referral for evaluation for special education services?

If the PST is designed to guide general education services why are we required to do paperwork for special education services? In order to monitor and sustain increased student achievement, procedures have to be put in place for regular examination of student performance. Data should be collected and reviewed on a regular basis and instructional decisions should be made based on the data. In the event that a student does not respond to the instruction and is suspected of having a disability, the data collected, then, becomes valuable to Special Education staff.

What is the difference between accommodations and intervention strategies? Accommodations are designed to "level the playing field" and are not designed to improve student skills.  A student may make a better grade on a reading assignment because accommodations were implemented by the teacher (i.e. text was shortened; text was read to the student; extra time was allowed for the student to complete the reading assignment, etc.)  A student may receive a better grade on a math test because accommodations were implemented by the teacher (i.e. fewer math problems were presented to the student; extra time was allowed for the student to complete the math assignment; etc.)

What is the difference between accommodations and intervention strategies? Interventions are designed to improve student skills.  The student who struggles with reading may become more proficient in reading as the result of effective reading interventions (i.e. systematic, sequential multi- syllabic word phonics exercises which emphasize segmenting and blending syllables; systematic practice in chunking text to facilitate reading with proper inflection and rhythm; structured practice in summarizing text and identifying main ideas and details; etc.).  The student who struggles with math may become more proficient in math as the result of effective math interventions (i.e. structured daily practice in building fluent retrieval of basic arithmetic facts; guided practice in working with visual representations of mathematical ideas; daily guided practice in identifying common underlying structures in word problems; etc)

At what point should parents be notified using the letter in the PST manual? This is a local decision; however, consider contacting parents if the student exhibits chronic academic or behavioral difficulties and/or is in need of intensive intervention.

When does the PST begin documenting what is required for a referral for evaluation for special education services? This is a local decision. When you refer a student for special education evaluation you are indicating that the student has not responded to intensive intervention over a certain period of time. You must have data that illustrate this.

Documentation of: Type of Intervention(s) Student Received How Much Time Devoted to Intervention How Student Responded Qualifications of Interventionist Recommendations of the Team Observation of Classroom Environment Proof of Parent Notification Notification of Parents’ Right to Request Evaluation

I in RtI for Instruction Strengthen the Core School Wide All Students (Tier I) Early in Learning Process Remain Faithful Intervention High- Quality Curriculum Research- based Instruction

Determine Needs Based On: Statewide Assessments Formative Assessments Diagnostic Assessments Identify Lack Of Proficiency: Basic Skills Content Standards Levels of Interventions Identified

School System Community State Survey of Available Resources

Qualified Teachers Schedule Materials Teacher Training Allocate Resources

Ongoing Training Job-Embedded Peer Coaching Learning Community Support for Teachers

High-Quality Curriculum Research- Based Instruction Problem Solving Team(s) in Place Levels of Intervention Identified Survey of Available Resources Intervention Resources Allocated Intervention Time Included in Schedule Ongoing Professional Development Job- Embedded Support for Teachers