1. OSEP State Personnel Development Grant for NJTSS in Early Reading Key Components and Considerations for Assessing District Capacity Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, OSEP

2. Rationale for New Jersey Tiered System of Supports for Early Reading (NJTSS-ER) Majority of students with reading difficulties in 3 rd grade continue to be poor readers in 9 th grade (e.g., Francis et al., 1996) Identifying all students’ needs and intervening early is critical to ensuring students’ success in school (Torgesen, 2009; Wanzek & Vaughn, 2007) and to promoting social justice Multi-tiered systems of reading support have been found to reduce student reading difficulties and increase reading performance (Glover, 2016; Wanzek & Vaughn, 2007)

3. Multi-Tiered Service Delivery for Early Reading A multi-tiered service delivery system for early reading involves… o Implementing a systems approach to integrating complementary programs and interventions within a school based on a continuum of student needs o Using student data to identify the effectiveness of programs and additional intervention needs o Regularly evaluating students’ progress and implementing a plan for adjusting instruction/programming based on needs

4. Multi-Tiered Service Delivery System for Student Support Student data are used to… o Evaluate the effectiveness of programs/ instruction o ID students’ needs o Determine placement into intervention o Monitor students’ progress in response to intervention Leadership is provided via teams with multiple stakeholders (e.g., Administrators, Teachers Interventionists) A continuum of research-based practices are provided across tiers of service

5. Systems Levels for Training & Implementation State-Level PD/CoachingDistrict Leadership (Team-based)/CoachingSchool Leadership (Team-based)Teacher/Staff ImplementationIncreased Student Achievement

6. Cohort Progression for Professional Development Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5 Cohort 1: 20 Schools Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3 Sustain Practices Cohort 2: 20 Schools Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3 Sustain Practices Cohort 3: 20 Schools Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3

7. Stage 1 Professional Development Foundations for NJTSS-ER o Early prevention, MTSS, stakeholder roles, team leadership, promoting positive school climate & engagement Introduction to early reading supports o Research-based components of reading, review of MTSS research, data-based decision making framework Initial student screening o Selection of screening approaches, administering & interpreting screening, instruction grouping Core reading considerations o Application of consumer guides, instructional differentiation, classroom management, fidelity of core instruction

8. Stage 2 Professional Development Student assessment and data-based decisions o Screening & skill-based grouping, establishing student goals, monitoring implementation & student performance, adjusting instruction based on students’ progress Targeted & intensive reading interventions o Characteristics of effective interventions, intervention selection, personnel involvement/scheduling

9. Stage 3 Professional Development Full NJTSS-ER implementation o Data review, core considerations, & student intervention grouping o Refinement of assessment & intervention inventories o Monitoring fidelity & student progress o Maximizing students’ response to intervention

10. Systems Levels for Training & Implementation State-Level PD/CoachingDistrict Leadership (Team-based) /CoachingSchool Leadership (Team-based)Teacher/Staff ImplementationIncreased Student Achievement

11. 11 Guided by principals of behavior & social learning theory (e.g., Bergan & Kratochwill, 1990;Erchul & Sheridan, 2014; Reddy et al., 2001; Sheridan et al., 2012; Skinner, 1953) New skills are acquired, refined, & maintained through practice, monitoring, and reinforcement contingent on demonstration of desired behaviors Consultation/coaching involves understanding & arranging environmental conditions so that effective practices are reinforce Applies several problem-solving steps: Needs identification Needs analysis/goal setting Plan development Practice implementation Progress monitoring/evaluation Coaching Based on Behavioral Consultation Framework

12. Data-Driven Instructional Coaching Model

13. Five-Phase Sequence for Data-Driven Instructional Coaching Model

14. Launching NJTSS-ER It will be a collaborative effort with multiple stakeholders! It will involve building capacity at multiple system levels Full implementation will not occur immediately Progress monitoring over time will inform implementation Student performance will be a key focus in gauging success

15. Self-Assessment of NTSS-ER Capacity Consideration of District/School Capacity Assessment of Core Implementation Components

16. District Capacity Assessment Developed by National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) Provides a means of determining the capacity of district implementation teams (DITs) to implement innovations Facilitates data collection to drive district action planning (NIRN, 2015)

17. District Capacity Assessment Respondents: District leaders District implementation team (DIT) members Other staff supporting innovations (e.g. professional development staff or data management personnel) DCA Administrator Leads the discussion and adherence to the DCA Administration Protocol Facilitator Supports the Administrator by helping to contextualize items for respondents or provide examples of work in which the district has engaged Note Taker Records ideas shared for action planning and any questions and issues that are raised during administration Respondents Conduct ratings (typically are District Implementation Team (DIT) members and other staff selected for implementation knowledge and experience with implementation Observer Learn about the DCA process or the activities in the district (NIRN, 2015)

18. District Capacity Assessment – Key Foci (adapted from NIRN, 2015) Leadership active involvement in facilitating and sustaining systems change to support implementation through strategic communication, decisions, guidance, and resource allocation Action Planning development of implementation/scaling action plans for building implementation teams that are aligned with district plans Competency Performance Assessment use of a measurement system to inform whether teachers or staff members are able to use practices as intended Selection enactment of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring or reassigning staff to support high quality implementation Training use and assessment of training for teachers and staff in acquiring the skills and information needed to begin using an innovation Coaching provision of embedded professional development designed to help teachers and staff use an innovation as intended Organization Decision Support Data System use of a system for identifying, collecting, and analyzing data that are useful to the teacher, school, and district for decision making to improve implementation Facilitative Administration use of processes, policies, and structures to create and maintain hospitable environments to support new ways of work Systems Intervention consideration of external variables, policies, environments, systems or structures that influence or have impact on the district and schools and the barrier busting strategies to address them

19. District Capacity Assessment Administration Schedule/Duration January/February Initial capacity assessment conducted with a trained administrator July/August Re-administered to refine action planning Administration takes about 1-1.5 hours

20. District Capacity Assessment Key Data Sources Roles & job descriptions (list of implementation team members, written job descriptions) Team process materials (meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, attendance) Guidance documents (intervention selection documents, policy documents) Budget (Professional development and/or grant budgets) Plans (implementation plans, coaching plans, communication plans, district professional development schedule) Data & assessments (implementation fidelity assessments, coaching effectiveness data, performance feedback, sample data reports, sample board status reports )

21. District Capacity Assessment Administration Implementation team rates by voting together (“Ready, set, vote...”): 0 = not in place 1 = partially in place 2 = fully in place (NIRN, 2015)

22. District Capacity Assessment Administration Use a scoring guide… (NIRN, 2015)

23. Reporting & Planning Total score and subscale scores Used for action planning… (NIRN, 2015) SubscaleActionWhoWhenNext Update

24. District Capacity Assessment Administration Training Administrators can be certified to use the DCA via quick 1-hour tutorial module at the SISEP.org : http://implementation.fpg.unc.edu

25. Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Important to examine readiness for implementation Self-assessment tools use rubrics and ratings based on sources of evidence Example assessments: RTI Essential Components Worksheet & Rubric (Center on Response to Intervention (http://www.rti4success.org/)http://www.rti4success.org/ Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports - Intervention Configuration Matrix (http://www.kansasmtss.org/)http://www.kansasmtss.org/

26. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Screening Are skill-focused assessments in place that are reliable and valid for the purpose of screening all students to determine skill needs? Do staff understand how to administer and score screening assessments? Is screening consistently completed for all students? Are there clearly defined cut scores for determining performance relative to benchmarks? Does screening following the administration and decision-making guidelines?

27. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Progress Monitoring Are assessments in place that are reliable and valid for the purpose of monitoring students progress at regular and frequent intervals? Do staff understand how to administer and score progress monitoring assessments? Is student performance monitored frequently enough to gauge performance in response to interventions? Does administration follow the developer’s guidelines?

28. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Data-Based Decision Making Are data-based criteria specified for determining instructional/intervention decisions? Is there a system for collecting and organizing students’ screening and progress monitoring data? Are instructional/intervention decisions for students tracked in the system? Are decision rules implemented accurately and consistently for all students?

29. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Multi-tiered Instruction Is a research-based core program in place that allows the majority of students to reach benchmark expectations? Is the core program implemented consistently and accurately? Do Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions address the full range of data-identified skill needs? Are they research based and appropriate for small student groups? Is the intensity of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions adjusted based on students’ needs?

30. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Infrastructure and Support To what extent are school personnel trained in the MTSS framework? Is there an team composed of key stakeholders (school leaders, classroom teachers, special educators, interventions) that guides implementation? Is there a process to guide effective team leadership? Does scheduling allow for additional time beyond core instruction to provide intervention? Are adequate materials, programs, and resources available to support instruction, assessments, professional development and staffing?

31. Guiding Questions for Initial Assessment of Core Implementation Components Fidelity Monitoring Are procedures in place to monitor fidelity of instruction at each tier? Are there designated personnel who can monitor implementation fidelity? Is a plan in place for making adjustments based on implementation data?

32. Closing Considerations Systems work takes time! Important to focus on the quality of implementation rather than checking practices off of a list Important to provide staff support in the use of data and intervention implementation Critical to consider both implementation and student performance Important to be strategic and to continually self- evaluate

33. Questions?