1. RtI Coordinator Conference Kim St. Martin November 3, 2011
RtI Coordinator Conference
Kim St. Martin
November 3, 2011

2. Key Points for Today Take a walk down memory lane…
ISD and district infrastructures to support RtI implementation
Defining RtI Coordinator and Liason
Distinctions between RtI coordination in building specific implementation model vs. district model

3. Let’s Take a Walk Down Memory Lane…

4. Then… Compass District:
Excited principal hears about MiBLSi and wants to implement RtI in his/her building
Principal asks superintendent if it would be a problem if his/her building applies to participate with the project…answer “go ahead”
Grant application is downloaded and completed by principal and teacher(s)

5. Then… Compass District:
Assistant Superintendent or Curriculum Director approach the ISD to see if they can identify a coach to support the building who is applying…answer, “sure.”
Letter of commitment written by central office administrators and ISD administrators…We are committed!

6. Then… Compass District:
One year later another building in Compass District wants to participate.
Three years later, all the elementary buildings have gone through training and now it is time to add the middle school.
Four years later…what about the high school?
We will have everyone “doing RtI once the high school is trained.”

7. Then… RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district:
“East Elementary wants to stop using SWIS but the North and West still use it and like it.”
The principal at North has retired and the new principal doesn’t support MiBLSi and is not regularly attending training.” North is done with MiBLSi!

8. Then… RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district:
All of the buildings say their core program is not working but none of this information seems to be getting to the Curriculum Director”

9. Then… RtI Coordinator and coaches hear in the district:
Buildings consolidate and two of the buildings that consolidated were MiBLSi buildings…staff are all separated and in other buildings with no MiBLSi participation…we are starting from scratch!
You go to your other buildings and hear the same things!

10. Sound Familiar?

11. Infrastructures to Support District RtI Implementation

12. Implementation Structures
ISD Level
District Level
Building Level

13. Implementation Supports Implementation Supports
ISD Cabinet
ISD Implementation Planning Team
Vision
Policy
Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation)
Barrier busting
Create materials
Collect and summarize data
Identify barriers to implementation
ISD Liaison
Coordination
ISD RtI Coordinator
Implementation Supports
Direction
Training
Coaching
Content Expertise
Materials
Evaluation
LEA Cabinet
LEA Implementation Planning Team
Vision
Policy
Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation)
Barrier busting
Create materials
Collect and summarize data
Identify barriers to implementation
LEA Liaison
Coordinations between the Cainet and the Implementation Planning Team includes communication around four variable:
Need to know
Nice to know
Don’t need to know
Need to act on
Coordination
LEA RtI Coordinator
Implementation Supports
Schools

14. What is a Liaison?
Someone who has executive level (e.g. cabinet level) decision making authority and sits on an executive level administrative team
Holds the vision for RtI implementation
Ensures the vision for implementation is translated into action via the “Implementation Team”

15. What is a Liaison? Ensures policy aligns with the vision
Ensures the Implementation Team is developing and actively implementing a work plan to ensure implementation of RtI with fidelity across districts

16. What is a RtI Coordinator?
Individual(s) who work closely with the Liaison to ensure the work plan for RtI implementation across districts is being implemented with fidelity
Conduit between district-level infrastructures to support implementation (e.g. Implementation Team, Building Leadership Teams) and the ISD Implementation Team

17. What is a RtI Coordinator?
Someone who has
Successful experience implementing MiBLSi/RtI practices
Ability to deepen knowledge and develop capacity necessary for a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS)
Data savvy (process and outcome)
Successfully applied the problem-solving process at multiple levels

18. What is a RtI Coordinator?
Someone who has
Knowledge of the School Improvement Process
Facilitation skills necessary to lead small and large group meetings
Ability to manage multiple projects at once
Willingness to engage in continuous improvement to enhance skills (knows what (s)he knows and doesn’t know and fills the gaps)

19. What is a RtI Coordinator?
Someone who has
Systems thinking (must move beyond the practices that are being implemented to systems to support implementation)
Willingness to accept feedback from stakeholders, colleagues and supervisors
Timeliness
Effective organizational skills
Effective communication skills

20. What is a RtI Coordinator?
Someone who has
Trust and respect from others (this is accomplished by demonstrating competency and integrity)
Ability to manage ambiguity (this work is not cut/dry or black/white…there is a lot of GRAY)

21. Flavors of ISD/RESA Support to Local Districts

22. Flavors Large urban districts (e.g. Detroit, Grand Rapids)
Stand alone districts
Large districts with 5,000-10,000 students
Mid-sized districts with 2,000-4,000
Small districts/Charter school academies

23. How the ISD supports the different flavors of districts….

24. Large District Support
(Med)
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Mid-Size District Support
There may be a limited number homegrown staff who can support coaching functions (Reading Interventionists, Behavior Interventionists) but training support may need to be directly provided by the ISD staff. If training capacity can be developed, it would probably be a small number.
Large District Support
ISD support to build local capacity to support RtI implementation (training capacity, coaching capacity, developing the capacity for a RtI Coordinator).
Remember, a large district has more staff availability to use “homegrown” people to lead implementation
District
(Small)
Small District Support
One elementary and a middle/high school. Principal may also be curriculum director and limited staff availability to provide coaching and especially training support. ISD support would be to assign external coaches and to provide training of RtI practices.
Building
Building

25. Let’s unpack the functions of the cabinet and Implementation Team!
Implementation Planning Team
Vision
Policy
Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation)
Barrier busting
Create materials
Collect and summarize data
Identify barriers to implementation
Liaison
Coordination
RtI Coordinator
Let’s unpack the functions of the cabinet and Implementation Team!
Coordinations between the Cainet and the Implementation Planning Team includes communication around four variable:
Need to know
Nice to know
Don’t need to know
Need to act on

26. Key Distinctions Between ISD and District Focus
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
District
District
District
District
District
District

27. Defining the “Cabinet”

28. Defining the Cabinet
Individuals who are responsible for the vision and have the decision making authority to:
Determine policies for the ISD
Allocate resources (e.g. position can be funded to support RtI coordination, coaching, training, etc)
Remove barriers and obstacles impacting the ISD’s support to the local districts

29. Cautionary Note about the “Cabinet”
Do not create a separate cabinet for the purpose of supporting RtI
When possible, this work should be embedded into existing infrastructures
If your district does not call the group of key administrators the “Cabinet” don’t worry!
(Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Finance, Director of Special Education, Curriculum Director, or some alterations to the titles listed)

30. Defining the “Implementation Team”

31. Implementation Team “Create materials”:
Develops a work plan to support local district implementation efforts around three focus areas (see next slide)
This does not mean a separate plan to support every single district…the focus areas are a way to categories the buildings within districts
Three possible implementation tracks is better than 12!

32. Stages of Implementation
Focus
Stage
Description
Exploration/Adoption
Decision regarding commitment to adopting the program/practices and supporting successful implementation.
Installation
Set up infrastructure so that successful implementation can take place and be supported. Establish team and data systems, conduct audit, develop plan.
Initial Implementation
Try out the practices, work out details, learn and improve before expanding to other contexts.
Elaboration
Expand the program/practices to other locations, individuals, times- adjust from learning in initial implementation.
Continuous Improvement/Regeneration
Make it easier, more efficient. Embed within current practices.
Should we do it!
Work to do it right!
Implementation is not an event
A mission-oriented process involving multiple decisions, actions, and corrections
Work to do it better!

33. Thinking about Two Layers of Implementation Support
Building Level
District Level

34. Unpacking the Functions of an Implementation Team
Cabinet
Implementation Planning Team
Vision
Policy
Providing for implementation supports (coaching, training, evaluation)
Barrier busting
Liaison
Create materials
Collect and summarize data
Identify barriers to implementation
Coordination
RtI Coordinator
Coordinations between the Cainet and the Implementation Planning Team includes communication around four variable:
Need to know
Nice to know
Don’t need to know
Need to act on

35. Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?
Implementation Team
“Create materials”:
“Should we do it/Why are we doing it?”:
Awareness activities, overviews for districts, buildings within districts
Provide a process for gap analysis (what is implementation/performance gap
Develop a process to determine staff commitment for implementation
Provide a process for resource mapping (do we have necessary resources to implement successfully?)
Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?

36. Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?
Implementation Team
“Create materials”:
“Should we do it/Why are we doing it?”:
Provide information about defined roles and responsibilities regarding implementing RtI/MTSS
Provide information and materials: blueprints for implementation, evaluation, training)
Establish meeting cycle for a team who is in Exploration
Should we do it!/Why are we doing it?

37. Implementation Team “Create materials”: “Work to do it right!”:
Provide resources for setting up staff structures (district-level staff structures for the Implementation Team and building level staff structures for Leadership Teams)
Provide processes/resources for setting up information systems
Provide process/resources for setting up implementation
Work to do it right!

38. Implementation Team “Create materials”: “Work to do it right!”:
Provide process/resources for managing the change process
Provide process/resources for staff (two layers) to prepare for implementation (e.g. selection for first implementers, identify and develop trainers, identify and develop coaches, develop training schedule, provide training)
Provide process/resources to support implementation
Work to do it right!

39. Implementation Team “Create materials”: “Work to do it better!”:
Emphasize through each replication, implementation efforts become more clearer
Actively engage in learning how to do and support the doing of RtI/MTSS. The work is implemented and sustained by local stakeholders and is well-integrated into policy/written documentation
Work to do it better!

40. Common Assumptions
Assumptions about the current stage of implementation buildings within the district/county are functioning
Perception data is primarily used to assess implementation: “X Building is go gang buster with implementation!”

41. Common Assumptions
Assumptions about how to organize the stages of implementation for local districts
If we have 12 local districts does that mean we have 12 individualized implementation plans

42. ISD Implementation Team
“Collect and Summarize Data across the county/region”:
Fidelity/process data:
Team Implementation Checklist (TIC)
Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ)
Self Assessment Survey (SAS)
Schoolwide Evaluation Tool (SET)
Planning and Evaluation Tool-Revised (PET-R)
Reading Team Implementation Checklist (R-TIC)
Are the local districts doing what they said they were going to do?

43. ISD Implementation Team
“Collect and Summarize Data across the county/region”:
Outcome Data:
SWIS
DIBELS/AIMSweb
If our local districts are doing what they said they were going to do well, is it having an impact on student outcomes?

44. If the answer is “no” to either of those questions, the Implementation Team needs to determine why?

45. Implementation Team “Identify implementation barriers”:
Teams and principals are attending PD that (although it is aligned with the research base) staff hear different terms, phrases and think the district’s direction is changing
Effective meeting structures are not in place and the team is not completing the necessary tasks that need to be accomplished

46. Implementation Team “Identify implementation barriers”:
Data is not a part of the meeting
Principal is not supportive
District PD is not related to the RtI work and now the team does not have time to work with their staff in RtI practices and data analysis

47. How does the work of the Implementation Team interface with the cabinet?

48. Cabinet and Implementation Team
Allocates resources to support work
Identifies Liaison and RtI Coordinator
Provides political support
Provides visibility for the work accomplishments
Removes implementation barriers identified by the Implementation Team
RtI is a standing agenda item for Liaison to report progress (data outcome and process are shared)
Collaborates with MiBLSi staff to develop work plan to support implementation
Develops internal and external capacity to support RtI
Develops organizational structures for good communication and to quickly identify challenges (continuous monitoring and adjustments)
Ensures the Liaison has the talking points necessary to update the cabinet about implementation progress

49. RtI Coordinator Participation on Implementation Teams

50. Key Distinctions Between ISD and District Focus
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
District
District
District
The district RtI Coordinator keeps a pulse on building level implementation and communicates with the ISD RtI Coordinator what is going well and what needs improvement
District
District
District

51. Important Considerations
Do not jump in too quick! Learn how to establish well-functioning implementation teams that have feedback loops to the cabinet and up and down all layers of the system
Build capacity NOT dependency…ISD RtI Coordinators are supporting the district RtI Coordinators to function independently (and still successfully)

52. Important Considerations
Selection, selection, selection of the right people to support implementation is critical…and commonly overlooked
ISD Liaison
RtI Coordinator
Implementation Team members
Building team members

53. Important Considerations
MiBLSi actively supports the Implementation Teams (ISD and District)
The project is also providing support to RtI Coordinators, Trainers, Coaches through providing materials, training, and technical assistance

54. Important Considerations
More than ever, there is more joint decision making about training needs, leadership supports, and the timeline for implementation

55. The SB-CEU code for the RtI Coordinator Keynote Presentation is
___________
Please visit the survey station in the lobby during lunch, breaks, or after the last conference session.

56. Thank You!
Kim St. Martin