Brenda B. LeBrasse

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Are You Ready to Get Serious About Implementing
RtI at the Secondary Level?
presented by Brenda B. LeBrasse Executive
Director Achievement and Accountability Project
Director RtI / PBS
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• Colorado Springs School District 11

Holmes Middle School 2455 Mesa Road Colorado
Springs, Colorado 80904
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• Holmes Middle School

Our Vision Holmes Middle School community
fosters a positive environment of responsible
learners Our Mission The mission of Holmes
Middle School is to provide opportunities for
students To obtain a quality education and
develop a commitment to learning, To increase
skills for academic, fine and practical arts,
technological and social success, and To gain
understanding of their potentially positive role
in society
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• Holmes Middle School

Colorado Springs School District Eleven
Year built 1968 Square Footage 79,293 Campus
Size 35 acres Enrollment6th Grade 266 7th
Grade 222 8th Grade 230 TOTAL 718
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• Holmes Middle School

Demographic Information American
Indian 1 Free/Reduced Lunch 29 Asian
American 2 English Language Learners 1 African
American 5 Students with Disabilities 8 Hispanic
/Latino 15 Gifted Talented 20 European
American 77 Stability Rate 95.5 Attendanc
e Rate 93.6
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• Holmes Middle School

Administrators 3 Counselors 2 Teachers 42 Res
ource Staff 7 Support Staff 19 35 Teachers
hold a Masters degree or higher 100 of teachers
are Highly Qualified according to NCLB Average
of 10 years of teaching experience
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• Holmes Middle School

Recognition of Achievement

• Commissioner Challenge School 1994
• John J. Irwin School of Excellence 1996, 1998
• Colorado Trailblazer Schools to Watch 2006
• John J. Irwin School of Excellence 2006, 2007
• Top 8 of middle schools in the state 2007

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• Holmes Middle School

Process of Change

• In 1993 District 11 mandated a transition from 7,
  8, 9 to a 6, 7, 8 model
• Holmes converted from a junior high to a middle
  school
• Implemented middle level practices and concepts
• Within 2-3 years fully institutionalized

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• Holmes Middle School

• From 2002 2004, Holmes did not meet AYP
  placing us on Academic Watch
• One subgroup (SPED), three years in a row, did
  not meet AYP standards
• Gaps still existed regarding other minority
  subgroups (Hispanic, African American, FRL)
• Success is the only option

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• Holmes Middle School

• Holmes began providing supplemental, supportive
  tutorials second semester of the 2004-05 school
  year.
• Students were identified by academic achievement
  data, NOT by socioeconomic status, ethnicity,
  gender, etc.

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Response to Intervention RtI
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IDEIA Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004

• The local educational agency shall not be
  required to take into consideration whether the
  child has a severe discrepancy between
  achievement and intellectual ability

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IDEIA Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004

• Local agencies may use a process that determines
  if a child responds to scientific, research-based
  intervention as part of the evaluation procedure

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IDEIA Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004

• Local agencies may use up to 15 of its federal
  funding to develop and implement coordinated,
  early intervening services for students K-12 who
  have NOT been identified as needing special
  education services but who need additional
  academic and/or behavioral support to succeed in
  the general education environment

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IDEIA Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004
Proposed new regulations indicate the following
major ideas

• Appropriate, high quality, research-based
  instruction in regular settings
• Data-based documentation of repeated assessments
  of achievement at reasonable intervals
• Student progress data provided to parents
• Program change when the student is not making
  adequate progress as indicated by the data

AIMSweb 05
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RtI

• A philosophy to be used in the general education
  classroom
• A uniform system of education where general
  education and special education work together
• Identifying and working with struggling learners
  in all settings
• Data driven decision-making that better
  identifies which students should be referred for
  targeted, supplemental supports

NASDSE CASE 06
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Six Major Components of Response to Intervention

• Leadership
• Curriculum Instruction
• School Climate Culture
• Problem-Solving Process
• Assessment and Use of Data
• Family Community Involvement

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Percent Proficient/Advanced on CSAP - Reading/Math
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Average PA in Math and Reading/FRL
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Average PA in Reading Compared to Area Middle
Schools
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Average PA in Writing Compared to Area Middle
Schools
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Average PA in Math Compared to Area Middle
Schools
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Average PA in Science Compared to Area Middle
Schools
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Percent of Students on Free/Reduced Lunch
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Academic Excellence

• Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation is a teachers reacting
responsively to a learners needs. A teacher who
is differentiating understands a students need
to express humor, or work with a group, or have
additional teaching on a particular skill, or
delve more deeply into a particular topic, or
have guided help with a reading passage-and the
teacher responds actively and positively to that
need. Carol Ann Tomlinson Susan Demirsky Allen
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Academic Excellence

• Extended Learning
• Essential Skills class
• Acceleration or remediation
• Interventions in reading, math, writing science
• Notebook organization
• Test-taking strategies
• Tutorials in math reading (SuccessMaker)
• Structured after school homework help

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Academic Excellence

• Assessment
• Appropriate and diverse
• Student portfolios
• Quarterly common assessments in core content
  areas
• School-wide writing rubric
• CBMs (Curriculum Based Measurements) used by
  teachers

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Academic Excellence

• Flexible Block Schedule
• Autonomy to adjust the schedule based on student
  learning planned activities
• Two planning periods
• Time for extended projects, hands-on experiences,
  inquiry-based learning

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Academic Excellence

• CQI Principles/Data Driven Decision Making
• Student Data Folders
• Systematically analyze personal data
• Set goals
• Devise a plan of action
• Monitor progress adjust accordingly
• Analysis of Data by Teachers
• Goal Setting w/ Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
• Getting to the Root Cause

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Data Folder Contents
Academic Excellence

• Student Friendly State Assessment Indicators
• Student Continuous Quality Goal Sheet
• Student State Assessment Data
• Action Plan Sheet or Plan/Do/Study/Act Chart
• Continuous NWEA-MAP Testing Quarterly
  Assessments
• State Assessment Prediction Sheet
• State Assessment Testing Rubric

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Academic Excellence
Collection Disaggregating Analysis Reflections
Awareness Problem Solve Adjustments Monitoring
Getting to the Root Causes
The Data Cycle
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Organizational Structure Processes
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Organizational Structure Processes

• Professional Learning Community
• Collaboratively developed widely shared
• Mission, vision, collective commitment goals
• Collaborative teams
• Time built in the schedule
• Four levels that meet on regular basis
• Focus on results
• What do we expect students to learn?
• How will we know if they are learning?
• What do we do differently if they are not
  learning?

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Organizational Structure Processes

• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Systematic systemic problem-solving approach
• All school programs, activities processes are
  aligned to common goals that are focused on
  results
• Problem-solving process PDSA (plan, do, study,
  act)
• CQI tools used in all classrooms team meetings
• Issue Bin Plus/Delta Consenogram
  Affinity Diagram
• Stakeholder involvement

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Organizational Structure Processes

• Design of Instructional Minutes
• Organized around essential middle school
  components
• Team teaching
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Flexible scheduling
• Academic core block of time
• Shorter Exploratory periods
• Time for Essential Skills class in all grades

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Organizational Structure Processes

• Professional Development
• Aligned to School Improvement Plan (SIP)
• Differentiated to meet staff needs
• Embedded at bi-monthly grade level team meetings
  monthly staff meetings
• Peer Observation model used by teachers
• Building level mentorship program
• Teachers look at student work to enhance their
  practice

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Organizational Structure Processes

• Response to Intervention
• Provides all students performing below grade
  level with interventions supports
• A well-integrated system connecting general,
  compensatory, gifted special education
• Provides high quality, standards-based
  instruction interventions to match student need
• Proactive, 3-tiered approach to address academic
  behavioral difficulties

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3-Tiered Philosophy Framework

• Universal, aligned best practices
• Supplemental, level-appropriate interventions
• Short-cycle assessment progress monitoring
• Data Driven Decision-making
• Part of School Improvement Plan

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TIER I UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTION
Focus
All students grades 6 - 8
Scientific-based instruction and curriculum
emphasizing mastery of content standards
Program
Grouping
Differentiated Instruction w/ flexible grouping
Time
60 minutes per day
Baseline Spring CSAP NWEA-MAP Tests (Measures
of Academic Progress), Quarterly Short-Cycle
Assessments
Assessment
Interventionist
General education teacher
General education classroom
Setting
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Tier One

• Data Folders
• Plan-Do-Study-Act
• McRel Strategies
• Pre-AP Strategies
• Differentiation
• Cornell Notes
• Socratic Seminar
• Common Writing Rubric
• Looking at Student Work
• Extended Time
• Individual Literacy Plan
• 504 Accommodations

• Root Causes
• TEST READY Materials
• CSAP Released Items Anchor Papers
• Interactive Readers/ Daybooks
• Six Trait Step Up to Writing
• Word Walls
• Extended Writing
• IVF Summaries
• Math Mates
• Double Accelerated
• Study Island
• Algebraic Thinking

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TIER II STRATEGIC INSTRUCTION
Students not proficient with Tier I efforts as
documented by assessment
Focus
Specialized, scientifically based program(s)
targeting area of need and ability level.
Program
Homogeneous small group instruction (16 to 112)
Grouping
45 minutes per day in addition to regular 60
minutes of core instruction
Time
Progress monitored biweekly (or more) on target
skill to ensure adequate progress
Assessment
Classroom teacher, SPED teacher, specialized
reading/math tutor, etc.)
Interventionist
May be the regular classroom, computer lab
dependent upon intervention available resources
Setting
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Tier Two

• Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID)
• Success Maker
• 9 Good Habits
• 504 Accommodations
• Individual Literacy Plan
• Academic Improvement Plan

• Read 180/Read About
• Jamestown Critical Reading
• Study Island
• Scholastic Reading XL
• Proficiency by Design (Gifted Talented)
• Summer School
• Moving with Math
• Manipulatives
• APXD Science

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When Do Interventions Occur?

• Essential Skills
• Exploratory Periods
• Before/After School

Sample Schedule
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TIER II SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION

• When should Tier II instruction start?
• ASAP after student identification via
  assessments
• Students scoring U or PP on CSAP (Reading
  and/or Math)
• Quarterly/Common/Short-cycle Assessments
• All new students
• Recommendation by Problem Solving Team
• How long is a round of Tier II instruction?
• One round 10 weeks (50 sessions)
• After each round
• Exit Tier II ?
• Another round of Tier II ?
• Entrance to Tier III ?
• Referral to the Problem Solving Team?

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TIER III INTENSIVE INTERVENTION
Students with marked difficulties - have NOT
responded adequately to Tier I and Tier II efforts
Focus

Sustained, intensive, scientifically-based
reading/math program(s) emphasizing the critical
elements for students with difficulties or
disabilities
Program
Grouping
Homogeneous small group instruction (15)
Minimum of two 30 - 45 minute sessions per day in
addition to 60 minutes of core instruction.
Time
Weekly progress monitoring on target skill to
ensure adequate progress and learning
Assessment
Specialized personnel (SPED teacher, specialized
reading/math teacher, school psychologist, etc.)
Interventionist
May be the regular classroom, computer lab
dependent upon intervention available resources
Setting
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Tier Three

• Reading / Writing
• IEPs/ ALPs
• ILPs
• Corrective Reading
• Success Maker
• Barbara Wise Linguistics
• Academic Improvement Plan
• Promotion/Retention

• Mathematics
• IEPs/ALPs
• Success Maker
• Corrective Math
• Academic Improvement Plan
• Promotion/Retention
• Go Solve
• FASST Math

• Language!
• Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)

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TIER III INTENSIVE INTERVENTION

• How are students selected for Tier III?
• After two rounds of Tier II instruction and
  sufficient progress not attained.
• After one round of Tier II instruction if student
  shows a marked lack of progress
• Previous Tier III instruction
• Recommendation of the Problem Solving Team

• When do students exit Tier III?
• A student is ready to exit the intervention when
  he or she has reached benchmark on the targeted
  skill

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Problem Solving Process

• What does it look like?

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The Problem-Solving Process
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The Problem-Solving Team

• Vision
• To assure academic and behavioral success for all
  students.
• Mission
• To help students succeed at school. Through a
  systematic process, we will provide assistance to
  students, teachers and parents using a pyramid of
  interventions.

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The Problem-Solving Team

• Comprised of, but NOT limited to
• Administrators
• Counselors
• Social worker
• Psychologist
• Classroom teachers
• Special Education teachers

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The Problem-Solving Team

• Meets every other week
• Evaluating and refining RtI processes
• Discussion Problem-solving regarding specific
  students that have been referred to the team
• Individual plans for students are devised,
  revised, communicated, monitored, etc.
• Recommendations for altering Tier II
  interventions or consideration for Tier III

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Traditional vs. Problem Solving

• Focus on problems within child
• Causes presumed to be largely due to internal
  variables
• Unexpected underachievement (relative to ability)
  
• IQ-Achievement discrepancy
• Assumes better classification leads to better
  treatment

• Focus on outcomes
• Causes presumed to be largely due to external
  variables
• Unexpected underachievement (relative to good
  instruction)
• Failure to respond to empirically validated
  instruction or interventions
• Decisions about students based on progress
  monitoring data

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Problem Solving Team CD

• Holmes Middle School
• Colorado Springs District 11

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What drives RtI?

• Professional Learning Communities
• Changes in roles and role clarification
• Professional Development Alignment
• On-going Data Analysis
• Data (results/responses) determines interventions
  and the educational experience for each student
• At all levels, specific benchmarks are
  identified, progress is charted, and a trajectory
  is tracked
• RtI Process and Effectiveness is systematically
  monitored, analyzed adjusted
• Recognition Celebration of Successes

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Ongoing/Next Steps

• Continue to improve interventions assessments and
  processes for RtI
• Looking at Student Work to Align Assessment
• Curriculum Based Measurements
• Positive Behavioral Supports

• Differentiated Instruction
• Problem Solving Team
• Tier II III Tutorials
• Vertical Horizontal Alignment Collaboration
• Common Assessments
• Sharing Best Practices
• Principal Walk Through
• Peer Observations

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Second semester of the 2005-06 school year, it
became apparent that the majority of the
students referred to the Intervention Team were
motivational and/or behavioral concerns
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PBS

• Positive Behavioral Supports

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Behavioral Support Assumptions

• Most behaviors are learned
• Most problem behaviors are learning errors
• Students get what they want or need
• Students avoid what they dont want to do
• Has a communicative intent
• Effective instruction - for managing both
  academic and social behavior

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PBS School-Wide Features

• Expectations for student behavior are
• Defined, taught, practiced, re-taught, monitored
  and praised
• Implemented consistently by all staff and across
  all settings
• Positive behavior is acknowledged
• Clear and consistent consequences
• Decisions are data driven

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Expectations for Student Behavior are Defined

• 3 to 5 positively stated expectations
• Linked to school mission statement
• Written in school handbook
• Communicated to all stakeholders
• Posted across school setting

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Student Behavior is Monitored

• Adults are available across settings
• Adults (and peers) prompt students to engage in
  the expected conduct
• Adults catch students being good or doing it
  the right way
• Leadership team reviews data frequently

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Decisions are Data Driven

• Efficient data collection, manipulation
  summarization
• Leadership team uses data to guide decision
  making
• Data is shared with faculty and staff frequently

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• HAWKS

• Welcome to
• Holmes Middle School

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Tier One Behavioral

• Positive Behavioral Supports
• Primary Expectations taught, practiced,
  re-taught, monitored, praised rewarded
• Token Economy
• Earned Privileges
• Set Consequences

• High Expectations
• Project Wisdom
• Holmes Life Skills
• Bully Proofing
• 504 Accommodations
• Conflict Resolution

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• SOARing Bracelets
• Hat Day
• BINGO Day
• Blooper Day

• VIP Lunch
• Table Service
• Sparkling Cider

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Tier Two Behavioral

• High Expectations
• Re-Teaching Holmes Life Skills
• Progressive Discipline
• Behavior Contracts
• Attendance/Truancy Procedures

• Peer Mediation
• Why Try? (PBS)
• Youth Assessment Center Referral (YAC)
• AP Counselor Classroom Visits

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Tier Three - Behavioral

• Re-teach Holmes Life Skills
• Why Try?
• Staff/Student Mentor Program
• Youth Assessment Center Referral (YAC)
• Attendance/Truancy Procedures Court Referral
• Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP)
• Remedial Discipline Plans (RDP)

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Next Steps for PBS

• Increase frequency consistency of adult
  availability re-teaching in all settings
• Expanded student staff recognition
• Office Referral Clarification PBS Forms
• Implementation of Zangle Behavior Data System
• Increased utilization of enhanced behavioral data
  to guide decision making
• Parental Education Involvement
• Community Partnerships

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Basic Questions to Ponder

• What systems are currently in place in your
  school for providing incoming students with a
  continuum of support?
• Who will provide the intervention?
• What about staff development for the
  interventionists?
• Where will you get funding?
• What about IEPs, ILPs and GT students?
• How do we choose materials/programs to implement?
• What about progress monitoring tools?
• Who will coordinate the intervention program?
• How do we schedule students?
• How long will interventions last?

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• 3-2-1
• Reflection
• Table-talk Share

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I feel the great thing in this world is not so
much where we stand as in what direction we are
moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes
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• Questions Comments

Contact Information Brenda LeBrasse lebrabb_at_d11.
org Executive Director
Achievement and Accountability
Program Director RtI / PBS