1. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI for Middle and High Schools: Cohorts 1 & 2 Update Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

2. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Workshop Goals… RTI Planning Time Sharing With Other Secondary Schools Updates Regarding NYS RTI Expectations: Guidance Document Updates Regarding RCSD District Implementation of RTI Technical Assistance: Reading Comprehension Fix- Up Skills; Defensive Behavior Management; Data Collection

3. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Key RTI Challenges 1.Promoting Staff Understanding & Support for RTI 2.Verifying that Strong ‘Core Instruction’ and Interventions Are Being Delivered in Classrooms 3.Using Screening Data to Identify Students at Risk for Academic or Behavioral Problems 4.Establishing a Strong RTI Team for Students Who Need a Problem-Solving Approach 5.Developing & Implementing Effective Tier 2/3 Intervention Programs 6.Ensuring That Interventions Are Carried Out With Fidelity

4. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI for Cohorts 1 and 2: What Are Your Questions? At your tables: Discuss the key questions that you still have about RTI implementation in your school. Write down the TOP 1-2 questions that you would like to have answered (or discussed) at today’s workshop. 4

5. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 5 RTI Assumption: Struggling Students Are ‘Typical’ Until Proven Otherwise… RTI logic assumes that: –A student who begins to struggle in general education is typical, and that –It is general education’s responsibility to find the instructional strategies that will unlock the student’s learning potential Only when the student shows through well-documented interventions that he or she has ‘failed to respond to intervention’ does RTI begin to investigate the possibility that the student may have a learning disability or other special education condition.

6. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 6 Secondary Students: Unique Challenges… Struggling learners in middle and high school may: Have significant deficits in basic academic skills Lack higher-level problem-solving strategies and concepts Present with issues of school motivation Show social/emotional concerns that interfere with academics Have difficulty with attendance Are often in a process of disengaging from learning even as adults in school expect that those students will move toward being ‘self-managing’ learners…

7. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 7 Overlap Between ‘Policy Pathways’ & RTI Goals: Recommendations for Schools to Reduce Dropout Rates A range of high school learning options matched to the needs of individual learners: ‘different schools for different students’ Strategies to engage parents Individualized graduation plans ‘Early warning systems’ to identify students at risk of school failure A range of supplemental services/’intensive assistance strategies’ for struggling students Adult advocates to work individually with at-risk students to overcome obstacles to school completion Source: Bridgeland, J. M., DiIulio, J. J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Seattle, WA: Gates Foundation. Retrieved on May 4, 2008, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf

8. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 8 School Dropout as a Process, Not an Event “It is increasingly accepted that dropout is best conceptualized as a long-term process, not an instantaneous event; however, most interventions are administered at a middle or high school level after problems are severe.” Source: Jimerson, S., Reschly, A.L., & Hess, R. (2008). Best practices in increasing the likelihood of school completion. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds). Best Practices in School Psychology - 5th Ed (pp. 1085-1097). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.. p.1090

9. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 9 Student Motivation & The Need for Intervention “A common response to students who struggle in sixth grade is to wait and hope they grow out of it or adapt, to attribute early struggles to the natural commotion of early adolescence and to temporary difficulties in adapting to new organizational structures of schooling, more challenging curricula and assessment, and less personalized attention. Our evidence clearly indicates that, at least in high-poverty urban schools, sixth graders who are missing 20% or more of the days, exhibiting poor behavior, or failing math or English do not recover. On the contrary, they drop out. This says that early intervention is not only productive but absolutely essential.” Source: Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., MacIver, D. J. (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist,42, 223–235..

10. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 10 What Are the ‘Early Warning Flags’ of Student Drop-Out? A sample of 13,000 students in Philadelphia were tracked for 8 years. These early warning indicators were found to predict student drop-out in the sixth-grade year: Failure in English Failure in math Missing at least 20% of school days Receiving an ‘unsatisfactory’ behavior rating from at least one teacher Source: Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., MacIver, D. J. (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist,42, 223–235..

11. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 11 What is the Predictive Power of These Early Warning Flags? Source: Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., MacIver, D. J. (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist,42, 223–235.. Number of ‘Early Warning Flags’ in Student Record Probability That Student Would Graduate None56% 136% 221% 313% 47%

12. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 1: Promoting Staff Understanding & Support for RTI Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

13. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 13 “ ” “The tipping point is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” (Gladwell, 2000; p. 12) Sources: Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. Little, Brown and Company: NY. Tipping point (sociology). (2010, February 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:52, March 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tipping_point_(sociology)&oldid=344548179 “ ” Tipping point: “any process in which, beyond a certain point, the rate at which the process increases dramatically.” (Tipping Point, 2010).

14. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 14 Q: What Conditions Support the Successful Implementation of RTI? : Continuing professional development to give teachers the skills to implement RTI and educate new staff because of personnel turnover. Administrators who assert leadership under RTI, including setting staff expectations for RTI implementation, finding the needed resources, and monitor ingthe fidelity of implementation. Proactive hiring of teachers who support the principles of RTI and have the skills to put RTI into practice in the classroom. The changing of job roles of teachers and support staff (school psychologists, reading specialists, special educators, etc.) to support the RTI model. Input from teachers and support staff (‘bottom-up’) about how to make RTI work in the school or district, as well as guidance from administration (‘top-down’). Source: Fuchs, D., & Deshler, D. D. (2007). What we need to know about responsiveness to intervention (and shouldn’t be afraid to ask).. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 22(2), 129–136.

15. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: 7 Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Interventions

16. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 16 Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: 7 Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Interventions Lack of Skills. Teachers lack the skills necessary to successfully implement academic or behavioral interventions in their content-area classrooms (Fisher, 2007; Kamil et al., 2008). Not My Job. Teachers define their job as providing content-area instruction. They do not believe that providing classwide or individual academic and behavioral interventions falls within their job description (Kamil et al., 2008).

17. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 17 Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: 7 Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Interventions (Cont.) No Time. Teachers do not believe that they have sufficient time available in classroom instruction to implement academic or behavioral interventions (Kamil et al., 2008; Walker, 2004). No Payoff. Teachers lack confidence that there will be an adequate instructional pay-off if they put classwide or individual academic or behavioral interventions into place in their content-area classroom (Kamil et al., 2008).

18. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 18 Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: 7 Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Interventions (Cont.) Loss of Classroom Control. Teachers worry that if they depart from their standard instructional practices to adopt new classwide or individual academic or behavior intervention strategies, they may lose behavioral control of the classroom (Kamil et al., 2008). ‘Undeserving Students’. Teachers are unwilling to invest the required effort to provide academic or behavioral interventions for unmotivated students (Walker, 2004) because they would rather put that time into providing additional attention to well-behaved, motivated students who are ‘more deserving’.

19. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 19 Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: 7 Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Interventions (Cont.) The Magic of Special Education. Content-area teachers regard special education services as ‘magic’ (Martens, 1993). According to this view, interventions provided to struggling students in the general-education classroom alone will be inadequate, and only special education services have the power to truly benefit those students.

20. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 20 Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: Seven Reasons Why Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI Literacy Interventions 1.Lack of Skills. Teachers lack the skills necessary to successfully implement academic or behavioral interventions in their content-area classrooms. 2.Not My Job. Teachers define their job as providing content-area instruction. They do not believe that providing classwide or individual academic and behavioral interventions falls within their job description. 3.No Time. Teachers do not believe that they have sufficient time available in classroom instruction to implement academic or behavioral interventions. 4.Insufficient Payoff. Teachers lack confidence that there will be an adequate instructional pay-off if they put classwide or individual academic or behavioral interventions into place in their content-area classroom. 5.Loss of Classroom Control. Teachers worry that if they depart from their standard instructional practices to adopt new classwide or individual academic or behavior intervention strategies, they may lose behavioral control of the classroom. 6.‘Undeserving Students’. Teachers are unwilling to invest the required effort to provide academic or behavioral interventions for unmotivated students because they would rather put that time into providing additional attention to well-behaved, motivated students who are ‘more deserving’. 7.The Magic of Special Education. Content-area teachers regard special education services as ‘magic’. According to this view, interventions provided to struggling students in the general-education classroom alone will be inadequate, and only special education services have the power to truly benefit those students.

21. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Promoting Staff Understanding & Support for RTI Discuss the degree to which your staff currently understand the RTI model and support it. What are some positive steps that your school has taken to improve staff understanding and support? What are significant challenges that must still be addressed in the area of staff understanding and support to reach a positive RTI ‘tipping point’? 21

22. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 2: Verifying that Strong ‘Core Instruction’ and Interventions Are Being Delivered in Classrooms Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

23. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 23 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p. 12

24. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 24

25. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Verifying that Strong ‘Core Instruction’ and Interventions Are Being Delivered in Classrooms Discuss the capacity of general-education teachers in your school to provide ‘appropriate instruction and research-based instructional interventions’ in their classrooms. What are some positive steps that your school has taken? What are significant challenges that must still be addressed in helping teachers to understand and support their role as classroom interventionists? 25

26. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 3: Using Screening Data to Identify Students at Risk for Academic or Behavioral Problems Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

27. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 27 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p. 8 …

28. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 28 Middle and High School: Debate About the Utility of Basic Academic Screening Tools “At middle and high school…, academic deficits are well established. …at middle and high school, it no longer makes sense to allocate scarce resources to screening for the purpose of identifying students at risk for academic failure. It makes more sense to rely on teacher nomination or existing assessment data to identify students with manifest academic difficulties…” Source: Fuchs L. S., Fuchs, D., and Compton, D. L. (2010). Rethinking response to intervention at middle and high school. School Psychology Review, 39, 22-28.

29. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Creating a School-Wide Screening Plan: Recommendations for Secondary Schools 1.Create a plan to review at least quarterly existing data (e.g., grades, attendance, behavior) to identify students at risk. 2.Analyze your student demographics and academic performance and select academic screeners matched to those demographics. 3.Consider piloting new screening tools (e.g., at single grade levels or in selected classrooms) before rolling out through all grade levels. 29

30. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Creating a School-Wide Screening Plan: Recommendations for Secondary Schools (Cont.) 4.Establish a school-wide or grade-level Data Team (Tier 2) to review screening information and decide on appropriate interventions for at-risk students. 5.Allow sufficient time (e.g., 3-5 years) to adopt and implement a full implementation plan. 30

31. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Creating a School-Wide Screening Plan: Recommendations for ALL Schools 1.Ensure that any discussion about grade- or school- or district-wide adoption of RTI screening tools includes general education and special education input. 2.When adopting a screening tool, inventory all formal assessments administered in your school. Discuss whether any EXISTING assessments can be made optional or dropped whenever new screening tools are being added. 3.If possible, use screening tools found by the National Center on RTI to have ‘technical adequacy’. 31

32. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Adopting Schoolwide Screening Measures Discuss your school’s current status in identifying and adopting screening tools to proactively identify students at risk for academic or behavioral problems. (Remember that existing data—grades, attendance, behavior—can be analyzed periodically and used to ‘screen’ students at risk.) What are some positive steps that your school has taken? What are significant challenges in the identification and use of screeners that must still be addressed? 32

33. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 4: Establishing a Strong RTI Team for Students Who Need a Problem- Solving Approach Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

34. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 34 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p25

35. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Step 1: Assess Teacher Concerns 5 Mins Step 2: Inventory Student Strengths/Talents 5 Mins Step 3: Review Background/Baseline Data 5 Mins Step 4: Select Target Teacher Concerns 5-10 Mins Step 5: Set Academic and/or Behavioral Outcome Goals and Methods for Progress-Monitoring 5 Mins Step 6: Design an Intervention Plan 15-20 Mins Step 7: Plan How to Share Meeting Information with the Student’s Parent(s) 5 Mins Step 8: Review Intervention & Monitoring Plans 5 Mins RTI Team Consultative Process

36. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 36 RTI Team Roles Coordinator Facilitator Recorder Time Keeper Case Manager

37. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Establishing a Strong RTI Team for Students Who Need a Problem-Solving Approach Discuss the current functioning of your RTI Problem-Solving Team. What are some positive steps that your school has taken to improve this team? What are significant challenges that must still be addressed to equip your RTI Team to work with teachers to create intensive and effective interventions? 37

38. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 5: Developing & Implementing Effective Tier 2/3 Intervention Programs Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

39. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 39 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p. 13

40. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 40 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p. 14

41. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 41 Supplemental Interventions in Secondary Schools: The Challenge Research indicates that students do well in targeted small-group interventions (4-7 students) when the intervention ‘treatment’ is closely matched to those students’ academic needs (Burns & Gibbons, 2008). However, in secondary schools: 1.students are sometimes grouped for remediation by convenience rather than by presenting need. Teachers instruct across a broad range of student skills, diluting the positive impact of the intervention. 2.students often present with a unique profile of concerns that does not lend itself to placement in a group intervention. Source: Burns, M. K., & Gibbons, K. A. (2008). Implementing response-to-intervention in elementary and secondary schools: Procedures to assure scientific-based practices. New York: Routledge.

42. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 42 Caution About Secondary Supplemental Interventions: Avoid the ‘Homework Help’ Trap Group-based interventions are an efficient method to deliver targeted academic support to students (Burns & Gibbons, 2008). However, students should be matched to specific research-based interventions that address their specific needs. RTI intervention support in secondary schools should not take the form of unfocused ‘homework help’ or test preparation.

43. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier 2/3 Interventions: Scheduling Strategies 43 RTI Scheduling StrategyConsiderations Schoolwide RTI Period. The school sets aside one period per day (e.g., 35-45 minutes) during which all students have the opportunity to receive appropriate academic support. Tier 2/3 students are provided with interventions during this period. Non-RTI students may use this time as a study hall or for other academically relevant activities. Ideas for scheduling a schoolwide RTI period: (1) Trim a brief amount of time (e.g., 5 minutes) from each class period in the daily schedule to free up time for a stand- alone period. (2) In schools whose staff by contract must report before students or remain for a period after student dismissal each day, the school might lengthen the student day to overlap with the additional AM or PM staff time, perhaps freeing up at least some of the minutes needed to cobble together an RTI period.

44. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier 2/3 Interventions: Scheduling Strategies 44 RTI Scheduling StrategyConsiderations Zero Period. The school creates an optional period before the official start of the school day. During that ‘zero period’, students can elect to take core or elective courses. Those students needing RTI support can take an essential class during zero period, freeing up a time-slot during the school day to receive their RTI assistance. This option requires that staff teaching zero-period classes receive extra compensation or adjustment of their school-day teaching schedule. Also, parents and students must make a firm commitment to attend zero-period classes, as these course entail additional work and potential inconvenience—including an earlier wake-up time and home responsibility for transportation.

45. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier 2/3 Interventions: Scheduling Strategies 45 RTI Scheduling StrategyConsiderations Core Course with Extended Time. The school creates two-period sections of selected core-area classes (e.g., English, Introductory Algebra). Students are recruited for these extended-time sections who need additional time to master course concepts and/or complete assigned work. The two-period course allows the teacher time to provide core instruction and provide supplemental interventions in such areas as literacy. Students placed in an extended-time core course (two class periods) may have to give up or postpone the opportunity to take another course. The extended-time course can be made more effective if the school can assign additional staff (e.g., co- teacher; trained paraprofessional) to push into the setting for at least part of the class to provide individualized support.

46. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier 2/3 Interventions: Scheduling Strategies 46 Study Hall Schedule Coordinated with RTI Services. Using academic screening and/or archival records, the school identifies students who require RTI support. These students are scheduled as a bloc in a common study hall. The school then schedules RTI services at the same time as the study hall. Reading teachers, other trained interventionists, and/or tutors run short-term (5-10 week) Tier 2/3 group or individual sessions. Students are recruited from the study hall and matched to the appropriate RTI service based on shared need. They are discharged from the RTI service and rejoin the study hall if they show sufficient improvement. (NOTE: If the study hall meets daily, students in RTI groups who are in less-intensive interventions may be scheduled for alternate days between study hall and RTI groups.) This model is fluid: After each 5-10 week period, new RTI groups or tutoring assignments can be created, with students again being matched to these services based on need.

47. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier 2/3 Interventions: Scheduling Strategies 47 RTI Scheduling StrategyConsiderations Credit Recovery. A school that has access to online ‘credit recovery’ courses offers a struggling student the option to take a core course online (via credit recovery) on his or her own time. This option frees up a time-slot during the school day for that student to get RTI assistance. The credit-recovery option requires that a student be self-motivated and willing to take on extra work in order to access RTI help. While this option may be s good fit for some students, many may lack the motivation and skill-set necessary for success in an online course taken outside of the school day.

48. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Developing & Implementing Effective Tier 2/3 Intervention Programs Discuss the current range of Tier 2/3 supplemental intervention programs that your school currently has in place to address the most frequent student academic problems. What are some positive steps that your school has taken to develop and implement Tier 2/3 interventions? What are significant challenges that still remain? 48

49. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Challenge # 6: Ensuring That Interventions Are Carried Out With Fidelity Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

50. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 50 Source: New York State Education Department. (October 2010). Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oct10.pdf; p 42 …

51. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Assessing Intervention Integrity

52. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 52 Why Assess Intervention Integrity? When a struggling student fails to respond adequately to a series of evidence-based interventions, that student is likely to face significant and potentially negative consequences, such as failing grades, long-term suspension from school, or even placement in special education. It is crucial, then, that the school monitor the integrity with which educators implement each intervention plan so that it can confidently rule out poor or limited intervention implementation of the intervention as a possible explanation for any student’s ‘non-response’.

53. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 53 Intervention Integrity Check: Direct Observation Intervention integrity is best assessed through direct observation (Roach & Elliott, 2008). –The key steps of the intervention are defined and formatted as an observational checklist. –An observer watches as the intervention is conducted and checks off on the checklist those steps that were correctly carried out. The observer then computes the percentage of steps correctly carried out.

54. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 54 Limitations of Direct Observation as an Intervention Integrity Check Direct observations are time-consuming to conduct. Teachers who serve as interventionists may at least initially regard observations of their intervention implementation as evaluations of their job performance, rather than as a child-focused RTI “quality check”. An intervention-implementation checklist typically does not distinguish between--or differentially weight--those intervention steps that are more important from those that are less so. If two teachers implement the same 10- step intervention plan, for example, with one instructor omitting a critical step and the other omitting a fairly trivial step, both can still attain the same implementation score of steps correctly completed. Source: Gansle, K. A., & Noell, G. H. (2007). The fundamental role of intervention implementation in assessing response to intervention. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 244-251).

55. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Intervention Script Builder ‘Yes/No’ Step- by-Step Intervention Check Each Step Marked ‘Negotiable or ‘Non- Negotiable’

56. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 56 Supplemental Methods to Collect Data About Intervention Integrity Teacher Self-Ratings: As a form of self-monitoring, directing interventionists to rate the integrity of their own interventions may prompt higher rates of compliance (e.g., Kazdin, 1989). However, because teacher self- ratings tend to be ‘upwardly biased (Gansle & Noell, 2007, p. 247), they should not be relied upon as the sole rating of intervention integrity. One suggestion for collecting regular teacher reports on intervention implementation in a convenient manner is to use Daily Behavior Reports (DBRs; Chafouleas, Riley-Tillman,, & Sugai, 2007). Sources: Chafouleas, S., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & Sugai, G. (2007). School-based behavioral assessment: Informing intervention and instruction. New York: Guilford Press. Gansle, K. A., & Noell, G. H. (2007). The fundamental role of intervention implementation in assessing response to intervention. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 244-251). Kazdin, A. E. (1989). Behavior modification in applied settings (4th ed.). Pacific Gove, CA: Brooks/Cole..

57. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 57 Intervention Contact Log Teacher Intervention Integrity Self-Rating

58. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 58 Supplemental Methods to Collect Data About Intervention Integrity Intervention Permanent Products: If an intervention plan naturally yields permanent products (e.g., completed scoring sheets, lists of spelling words mastered, behavioral sticker charts), these products can be periodically collected and evaluated as another indicator of intervention integrity (Gansle & Noell, 2007). Source: Gansle, K. A., & Noell, G. H. (2007). The fundamental role of intervention implementation in assessing response to intervention. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 244-251).

59. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 59 Intervention Integrity: Verify Through a Mix of Information Sources Schools should consider monitoring intervention integrity through a mix of direct and indirect means, including direct observation and permanent products (Gansle & Noell, 2007), as well as interventionist self-ratings (Roach & Elliott, 2008). Source: Gansle, K. A., & Noell, G. H. (2007). The fundamental role of intervention implementation in assessing response to intervention. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.), Response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 244-251). Roach, A. T., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Best practices in facilitating and evaluating intervention integrity. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.195-208).

60. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org ‘Selecting Methods to Track Intervention Integrity’… 60

61. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org ‘Selecting Methods to Track Intervention Integrity’… 61

62. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org ‘Selecting Methods to Track Intervention Integrity’… 62

63. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org ‘Selecting Methods to Track Intervention Integrity’… 63

64. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Challenge: Ensuring That Interventions Are Carried Out With Fidelity Discuss your school’s current ability to track the quality/fidelity of interventions. What are some positive steps that your school has taken to track intervention fidelity? What are significant challenges that still remain? 64

65. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Promoting Student Reading Comprehension ‘Fix- Up’ Skills Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

66. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit Good readers continuously monitor their understanding of informational text. When necessary, they also take steps to improve their understanding of text through use of reading comprehension ‘fix-up’ skills. Presented here are a series of fix-up skill strategies that can help struggling students to better understand difficult reading assignments… 66

67. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Core Instruction] Providing Main Idea Practice through ‘Partner Retell’ (Carnine & Carnine, 2004). Students in a group or class are assigned a text selection to read silently. Students are then paired off, with one student assigned the role of ‘reteller’ and the other appointed as ‘listener’. The reteller recounts the main idea to the listener, who can comment or ask questions. The teacher then states the main idea to the class. Next, the reteller locates two key details from the reading that support the main idea and shares these with the listener. At the end of the activity, the teacher does a spot check by randomly calling on one or more students in the listener role and asking them to recap what information was shared by the reteller. 67

68. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Accommodation] Developing a Bank of Multiple Passages to Present Challenging Concepts ( Hedin & Conderman, 2010; Kamil et al., 2008; Texas Reading Initiative, 2002). The teacher notes which course concepts, cognitive strategies, or other information will likely present the greatest challenge to students. For these ‘challenge’ topics, the teacher selects alternative readings that present the same general information and review the same key vocabulary as the course text but that are more accessible to struggling readers (e.g., with selections written at an easier reading level or that use graphics to visually illustrate concepts). These alternative selections are organized into a bank that students can access as a source of ‘wide reading’ material. 68

69. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Promoting Understanding & Building Endurance through Reading-Reflection Pauses (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). The student decides on a reading interval (e.g., every four sentences; every 3 minutes; at the end of each paragraph). At the end of each interval, the student pauses briefly to recall the main points of the reading. If the student has questions or is uncertain about the content, the student rereads part or all of the section just read. This strategy is useful both for students who need to monitor their understanding as well as those who benefit from brief breaks when engaging in intensive reading as a means to build up endurance as attentive readers. 69

70. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Identifying or Constructing Main Idea Sentences (Davey & McBride, 1986; Rosenshine, Meister & Chapman, 1996). For each paragraph in an assigned reading, the student either (a) highlights the main idea sentence or (b) highlights key details and uses them to write a ‘gist’ sentence. The student then writes the main idea of that paragraph on an index card. On the other side of the card, the student writes a question whose answer is that paragraph’s main idea sentence. This stack of ‘main idea’ cards becomes a useful tool to review assigned readings. 70

71. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Restructuring Paragraphs with Main Idea First to Strengthen ‘Rereads’ (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). The student highlights or creates a main idea sentence for each paragraph in the assigned reading. When rereading each paragraph of the selection, the student (1) reads the main idea sentence or student-generated ‘gist’ sentence first (irrespective of where that sentence actually falls in the paragraph); (2) reads the remainder of the paragraph, and (3) reflects on how the main idea relates to the paragraph content. 71

72. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Summarizing Readings (Boardman et al., 2008). The student is taught to summarize readings into main ideas and essential details--stripped of superfluous content. The act of summarizing longer readings can promote understanding and retention of content while the summarized text itself can be a useful study tool. 72

73. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Linking Pronouns to Referents (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). Some readers lose the connection between pronouns and the nouns that they refer to (known as ‘referents’)—especially when reading challenging text. The student is encouraged to circle pronouns in the reading, to explicitly identify each pronoun’s referent, and (optionally) to write next to the pronoun the name of its referent. For example, the student may add the referent to a pronoun in this sentence from a biology text: “The Cambrian Period is the first geological age that has large numbers of multi-celled organisms associated with it Cambrian Period.” 73

74. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) Student Strategy] Apply Vocabulary ‘Fix-Up’ Skills for Unknown Words (Klingner & Vaughn, 1999). When confronting an unknown word in a reading selection, the student applies the following vocabulary ‘fix-up’ skills: 1.Read the sentence again. 2.Read the sentences before and after the problem sentence for clues to the word’s meaning. 3.See if there are prefixes or suffixes in the word that can give clues to meaning. 4.Break the word up by syllables and look for ‘smaller words’ within. 74

75. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Compiling a Vocabulary Journal from Course Readings (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). The student highlights new or unfamiliar vocabulary from course readings. The student writes each term into a vocabulary journal, using a standard ‘sentence-stem’ format: e.g., “ Mitosis means…” or “A chloroplast is…”. If the student is unable to generate a definition for a vocabulary term based on the course reading, he or she writes the term into the vocabulary journal without definition and then applies other strategies to define the term: e.g., look up the term in a dictionary; use Google to locate two examples of the term being used correctly in context; ask the instructor, etc.). 75

76. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Encouraging Student Use of Text Enhancements (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). Text enhancements can be used to tag important vocabulary terms, key ideas, or other reading content. If working with photocopied material, the student can use a highlighter to note key ideas or vocabulary. Another enhancement strategy is the ‘lasso and rope’ technique—using a pen or pencil to circle a vocabulary term and then drawing a line that connects that term to its underlined definition. If working from a textbook, the student can cut sticky notes into strips. These strips can be inserted in the book as pointers to text of interest. They can also be used as temporary labels—e.g., for writing a vocabulary term and its definition. 76

77. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Reading Comprehension ‘Fix-Up’ Skills: A Toolkit (Cont.) [Student Strategy] Reading Actively Through Text Annotation (Harris, 1990; Sarkisian et al., 2003). Students are likely to increase their retention of information when they interact actively with their reading by jotting comments in the margin of the text. Using photocopies, the student is taught to engage in an ongoing 'conversation' with the writer by recording a running series of brief comments in the margins of the text. The student may write annotations to record opinions about points raised by the writer, questions triggered by the reading, or unknown vocabulary words. 77

78. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org ‘Defensive Behavior Management’: The Power of Teacher Preparation Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

79. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 79 Defensive Management: A Method to Avoid Power Struggles ‘Defensive management’ (Fields, 2004) is a teacher- friendly six-step approach to avert student-teacher power struggles that emphasizes providing proactive instructional support to the student, elimination of behavioral triggers in the classroom setting, relationship-building, strategic application of defusing techniques when needed, and use of a ‘reconnection’ conference after behavioral incidents to promote student reflection and positive behavior change. Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

80. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 80 Defensive Management: Six Steps 1. Understanding the Problem and Using Proactive Strategies. The teacher collects information--through direct observation and perhaps other means--about specific instances of student problem behavior and the instructional components and other factors surrounding them. The teacher analyzes this information to discover specific ‘trigger’ events that seem to set off the problem behavior(s) (e.g., lack of skills; failure to understand directions). The instructor then adjusts instruction to provide appropriate student support (e.g., providing the student with additional instruction in a skill; repeating directions and writing them on the board). Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

81. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 81 Defensive Management: Six Steps 2. Promoting Positive Teacher-Student Interactions. Early in each class session, the teacher has at least one positive verbal interaction with the student. Throughout the class period, the teacher continues to interact in positive ways with the student (e.g., brief conversation, smile, thumbs up, praise comment after a student remark in large-group discussion, etc.). In each interaction, the teacher adopts a genuinely accepting, polite, respectful tone. Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

82. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 82 Defensive Management: Six Steps 3. Scanning for Warning Indicators. During the class session, the teacher monitors the target student’s behavior for any behavioral indicators suggesting that the student is becoming frustrated or angry. Examples of behaviors that precede non-compliance or open defiance may include stopping work; muttering or complaining; becoming argumentative; interrupting others; leaving his or her seat; throwing objects, etc.). Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

83. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 83 Defensive Management: Six Steps 4. Exercising Emotional Restraint. Whenever the student begins to display problematic behaviors, the teacher makes an active effort to remain calm. To actively monitor his or her emotional state, the teacher tracks physiological cues such as increased muscle tension and heart rate, as well as fear, annoyance, anger, or other negative emotions. The teacher also adopts calming or relaxation strategies that work for him or her in the face of provocative student behavior, such as taking a deep breath or counting to 10 before responding. Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

84. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 84 Defensive Management: Six Steps 5. Using Defusing Tactics. If the student begins to escalate to non-compliant, defiant, or confrontational behavior (e.g., arguing, threatening, other intentional verbal interruptions), the teacher draws from a range of possible descalating strategies to defuse the situation. Such strategies can include private conversation with the student while maintaining a calm voice, open-ended questions, paraphrasing the student’s concerns, acknowledging the student’s emotions, etc. Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.

85. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 85 Defensive Management: Six Steps 6. Reconnecting with The Student. Soon after any in-class incident of student non-compliance, defiance, or confrontation, the teacher makes a point to meet with the student to discuss the behavioral incident, identify the triggers in the classroom environment that led to the problem, and brainstorm with the student to create a written plan to prevent the reoccurrence of such an incident. Throughout this conference, the teacher maintains a supportive, positive, polite, and respectful tone. Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.