RTI: A RESPONSE TO ENGLISH LEARNER

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RTI A RESPONSE TO ENGLISH LEARNERS ACADEMIC AND
LINGUISTIC NEEDS
Magdalena Ruz Gonzalez Project Director
III Multi-Lingual Academic Support Gina
Koency Project Director III Curriculum Support
Assessment
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IDEA

• In the newly reauthorized Individuals With
  Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), eligibility
  and identification criteria for children with
  disabilities have changed 614(b)(6)(A)-(B)
• When determining whether a child has a specific
  learning disability
• The local education agency (LEA) is not required
  to consider a severe discrepancy between
  achievement and intellectual ability.
• The LEA may use a process that determines if a
  child responds to scientific, research-based
  intervention as part of the evaluation.

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NCLB
IDEA
Rti
Response to Intervention is the intersection
of the two federal laws governing our work.
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EIS and Disproportionality
Any LEA identified as having significant
disproportionality based on race and ethnicity
must reserve the maximum amount of funds under
section 613(f) of the Act to provide
comprehensive coordinated early intervening
services to serve children in the LEA,
particularly, but not exclusively, children in
those groups that were significantly
over-identified 300.646(b)(2).
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What is Rti?

• A process of determining specific student
  need(s), designing interventions to address
  need(s), assessing the effectiveness of that
  intervention making adjustments accordingly.
• Rti should be used as a framework for ensuring
  instructional effectiveness. Practice of
  providing high-quality instruction/intervention
  matched to student needs.
• Using learning rate over time and level of
  performance to make important educational
  decisions.
• National Association of State
• Directors of Special Education
• Policy Guide

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Rti is A Way of

• Using data to examine the system in relation to
  most important results
• Structuring thinking so that we dont miss
  anything
• Identifying strategies with a high probability of
  improving student performance and knowing if they
  work
• Keeping our attention focused on the most
  important things
• Source California Department of Education
• Specialized Programs, Special Education

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GROUP DISCUSSION

• What do you currently have in place for students
  who are struggling to learn?
• How is this working?
• What is the evidence of success?

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Features of Rti that Benefit ALL Students

• High quality classroom instruction
• Research-based instruction
• Classroom performance
• Universal screening
• Continuous progress monitoring
• Research-based interventions
• Progress monitoring during intervention
• Fidelity measures

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What does Rti implementation look like?

• Students receive high quality, research-based
  instruction by qualified staff in their general
  education setting
• General education instructors and staff assume an
  active role in assessment in the core curriculum
• School staff conduct universal screening of both
  academics and behavior
• School staff implement specific, research-based
  interventions to address the students
  difficulties

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GROUP DISCUSSION

• Examine your list of activities that support
  students.
• Identify Intervention or Prevention.

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What are the Implications of RtI for English
Learners (ELs)?
educators must ensure that students
socio-cultural, linguistic, racial/ethnic and
other relevant background characteristics are
addressed at all stages Without such
examination, even pre-referral intervention
practices may not result in improved student
outcomes and may continue to result in
disproportionate representation in special
education. (Ortiz, 2002)
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Research says

• Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, Higareda (2005)
• Special education placement odds increased as
  language support was reduced.
• ELs in English Immersion were almost three times
  as likely to be placed in RSP than ELs in
  Bilingual Education.
• Vulnerable EL subgroup Limited proficiency in
  both L1 and L2.
• Figueroa Newsome (2006) School psychologists
  do not use extant legal or professional
  guidelines for making nondiscriminatory
  assessments of bilingual children.

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High Intensity- Special Education Placement
Levels of services provided prior to special
education referral
INTENSIVE- 5
Intensive
Tier III
Rti MODEL
Time Program Group Size
Core replacement
Intensive
SBE Adopted Intervention Programs used with
fidelity
Tier II
Teacher Dialogue
Strategic
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Differentiated Instruction
Rapid Response-Problem Solving Approach
CORE SUPPLEMENTAL
Strategic
Tier I
CORE with Differentiated Instruction
In class-Preventive
All students
Benchmark
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Effective Classrooms
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Strengths of Rti Teacher Dialogues

• Professional conversation
• Collaboration
• Reflective dialogue
• Collective focus on student learning
• Spirit of shared responsibility for the learning
  of all students
• - Dufours PLC

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Strengths of Rti Differentiated Instruction

• Creates respect for individual learning styles
• Respect culture and language are seen as
  additive approach
• Develops a learning environment that is safe
• Learning environment develops competency
  bilingualism
• Multiple ways for students to show what they know
• Opportunities for practice develops capacity
  for learning
• Eliminates factors that interfere with capacity
  to demonstrate proficiency
• Factors Student failure is a result of a
  mismatch between learning environment and
  student learning needs/characteristics
• -Tomlinson, Differentiated Instruction
• -Garcia, Wilkinson Ortiz, 1995

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Strengths of Rti Problem-Solving/Solution-Focused
Approach

• Assessment becomes an ongoing process not a point
  in time event
• Focus on difference between what student is doing
  and expectations of environment
• Multiple measures of assessment
• Seek information to help find solutions
• Assessments focus on gathering information that
  will inform instruction

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Tier I Effective Classrooms Attend to Four
Elements

• Who They Teach (Students)
• Where They Teach (Learning Environment)
• What They Teach (Content)
• How They Teach (Instruction)

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Strength of Tier I Instruction for Benchmark
and Strategic

• Creates respect for individual learning styles
• Creates learning experiences that uncover the
  content
• Creates an environment for systematic change
• Aligns instruction with desired learning results
• - Ligue Wiggins, Understanding by Design

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Levels of services provided prior to special
education referral
High Intensity-Special Education Placement
INTENSIVE- 5
Intensive
Tier III
Rti TIER MODEL
Time Program Group Size
Some students
SBE Adopted Intervention Programs used with
fidelity
Intensive
Tier II
Teacher Dialogue
Strategic
15
Differentiated Instruction
Rapid Response-Problem Solving Approach
CORE SUPPLEMENTAL
Strategic
Tier I
CORE with Differentiated Instruction
Preventive
All students
Benchmark
80
Effective Classrooms
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Strengths of Tier II Strategic and Intensive
Problem-Solving Process

• Identifying what the student knows, what they
  should know, and areas to target for instruction
• Developing an intervention plan
• Implementing the plan
• Monitoring student progress
• Evaluating, reviewing, and revising the plan

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Problem-Solving Approach

• General education instruction and screening for
  all students
• Identify students needing additional support
• Develop and implement an intervention designed
  for the individual needs of the student
• If response is not adequate, modify intervention
  and continue implementation (problem solving)
• If response continues to be inadequate, student
  may need special education support

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Implementation Issues

• Professional roles
• Beliefs about role of culture and language in
  learning
• Structural inequities
• Assumptions built in current infrastructures
• Level of instruction
• Transition beliefs, procedures, and practices
• Instructional differentiation
• Expertise in team
• Program fidelity issues
• Program validity ELs

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GROUP DISCUSSION

• Examine your Intervention/Prevention list again.
• Determine if I in your control
• P Partial Control
• N Not in your control
• Determine if you are to Keep because you have
  excellent results or Modify or Eliminate the
  activity.

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EXAMINING Rti CHARACTERISTICS FOR ELs

• Read the sections from the Handout.
• What questions do you have?
• What Ahas do you have?
• Are foundational issues the core reasons for ELs
  not having success?
• (Foundational issues such as Leadership,
  Systematic Plan, Accountability, Trust,
  Communication)

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Language Modifications for English Language
Learners
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Language Modifications for ELs

• Purpose of the research.
• Research findings on language factors in testing.
• Linguistic features which complicate test items.
• Making language modifications.
• Rating the items.

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What is Language Modification

• Maintaining the intention of the test item.
• Retaining essential content words.
• Reducing the length of paragraphs, sentences,
  words.
• Improving the directness and clarity of sentence
  structure.
• Adding pictures and re-formatting to improve
  comprehension.

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Perspective
Why Language Modification?

• Language load can threaten the validity and
  reliability of content-based assessments.
• A student cannot demonstrate content knowledge
  (i.e., math, science) if language is a barrier.
• Language modifications have been shown to reduce
  the language barrier for ELs.

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Study 1

• Abedi, J., Lord, C. (2001). The language factor
  in mathematics tests. Applied Measurement in
  Education, 14(3), 219-234.
• 1031 grade 8 students NAEP mathematics
• Two test booklets
• Original English version
• Modified English version

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Results

• Significant improvements for students in low and
  average-level math classes who took the modified
  English version.
• ELs and low-performing students benefited the
  most from the modified versions.
• Language features with the greatest impact
• Unfamiliar/infrequent vocabulary
• Passive voice constructions

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Study 2

• Abedi, J., Lord, C., Hofstetter, C., Baker, E.
  (2000). Impact of accommodation strategies on
  English language learners test performance.
  Educational Measurement Issues and Practice,
  19(3), 16-26.
• 946 grade 8 students NAEP mathematics
• Conditions
• No accommodation
• Modified English version
• Extra time only
• Glossary only
• Extra time glossary

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Results

• Extra time glossary improved all scores
• Only the modified English version helped narrow
  the gap between ELs and non-ELs
• Helped reveal content knowledge of ELs by
  reducing the language barrier

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Study 3

• Abedi, J., Courtney, M., Leon, S. (2001).
  Language Accommodation for Large-Scale
  Assessment Assessing English Language Learners.
  Los Angeles University of California,
  CSE/CRESST.
• 1,594 grade 8 students science items from NAEP
  and TIMSS
• Conditions
• No accommodation (standard)
• Customized English dictionary
• A bilingual glossary
• Modified English version

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Results

• ELs performed highest under the computer testing
  accommodation
• Again, accommodations did not benefit non-ELLs

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Item 11
Original A theory in geology says that huge
sections of the earths crust move around very
slowly. Does this theory help us answer the
following question? Modified A theory in geology
says that large parts of the earths crust move
around very slowly. Does this theory help us
answer the following question? Percentage of ELL
students who answered the item correctly Origi
nal Modified Difference 35.6 46.6
11.0
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Item 13 - Original

• On cold days, snakes usually lie very still and
  eat little or nothing, while birds usually move
  around and eat a lot of food. Which statement
  best explains this?
• Both animals are cold-blooded, but without
  feathers to keep warm, snakes get too cold to
  move.
• Unlike birds, snakes are warm-blooded they must
  hibernate during cold weather.
• Unlike snakes, birds are cold-blooded they are
  less affected by the cold than snakes.
• Unlike snakes, birds are warm-blooded they must
  eat food to maintain a constant temperature.

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Item 13 - Modified

• On cold days, snakes usually lie very still and
  eat little or nothing. But, birds usually move
  around and eat a lot of food. Which one best
  explains this?
• Both animals are cold-blooded. With no feathers
  to keep warm, snakes get too cold to move.
• Snakes are warm-blooded, and birds are
  cold-blooded. On cold days, snakes must
  hibernate.
• Snakes are warm-blooded, and birds are
  cold-blooded. Cold affects birds less than it
  affects snakes.
• Snakes are cold-blooded, and birds are
  warm-blooded. On cold days, birds must eat food
  to keep a regular body temperature.

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Item 13
Percentage of ELL students who answered the item
correctly Original Modified Difference 31.0
48.3 17.3
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Item 28 - Original

• In two different places in a museum of natural
  history, you might find the following
  combinations
• Place 1 Aspen trees, beaver, blue jays and deer
• Place 2 Rattlesnakes, alligators and turtles
• The things in Place 1 are probably grouped
  together because
• They are found in the same areas in nature.
• People enjoy looking at them.
• They were collected at about the same time.
• They were all alive once.
• I dont know.

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Item 28 - Modified

• In a museum of natural history, you might find
  this group
• Aspen trees, beaver, blue jays and deer
• These things are shown in the same place in
  nature.
• People like looking at them.
• They were found at about the same time.
• They were all alive once.
• I dont know.

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Item 28
Percentage of ELL students who answered the item
correctly Original Modified Difference
39.1 51.7 12.6
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Which language features complicate test items?
unfamiliar words (idioms, words from unfamiliar
contexts, long words) X Circle the clumps of
eggs in the illustration. ? Find groups of eggs.
Draw circles around the groups.
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Which language features complicate test items?
False cognates Examine the pie chart below to
answer the question. Interference between pie
in Spanish (foot) vs. pie in English
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Which language features complicate test items?
Overuse of synonyms / indefinite pronouns missing
or unclear antecedents X Marie had 10 marbles
in a bag. It weighed 1 pound.Then she added some
more until it weighed two pounds ? Marie had 10
marbles in a bag. The bag weighed 1 pound. Marie
added more marbles. Then the bag weighed 2 pounds
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Which language features complicate test items?
derivatives of content words Three cylindrical
containers were filled half-way. A single
magnetic force drew three different coins towards
it.
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Which language features complicate test items?
words with tech and no-tech meanings The main
product of the Acme Metal Company is nails. If
their fastest machine produces If an average
math student scores 72 on the final exam
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Which language features complicate test items?
math keywords misinterpreted On Monday, the
milkman brought 7 bottles of milk. That was 4
bottles less than he brought on Sunday. How many
bottle did he bring on Sunday? Six times a number
is equal to a second number. second 2?
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Which language features complicate test items?
other word interpretation challenges Dwayne
finished the game with 10 marbles. He had lost a
total of 5 marbles. How many marbles did Dwayne
have at the start? At the start of the
question? Lila and Keisha have 5 yards of blue
fabric altogether altogether interpreted as
each
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Which language features complicate test items?
Abstract (vs. concrete) presentation X The
weights of two objects were measured. ? The
clerk weighed two suitcases.
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Which language features complicate test items?
Long problem statements unnecessary expository
material Mrs. Brown brought an aquarium into
class one day. Our class project will be raising
tadpoles into frogs, she told the fourth
graders Two weeks later the first tadpoles
hatched out of the eggs
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Which language features complicate test items?
complex sentences(subordinating clauses) X
Because the box was a cube with six equal sides,
Don calculated the area by ? The box is a cube
with six equal sides. Don finds the area of the
cube by
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Which language features complicate test items?

• compound sentences(coordinating conjunctions,
  conjunctive adverbs)
• Joe said that angle ABC was obtuse however, Ella
  said it was acute
• Jim lost three marbles and went home with five,
  so how many did he start with?

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Which language features complicate test items?
logical connectorsconditional clausesadverbial
clauses X Given that a is a positive number,
what is a? X If rulers cost 0.85 each,
including tax, and Tom has 7.00. How many rulers
can Tom buy? ? Rulers cost 0.85 each, including
tax. Tom has 7.00. How many rulers can Tom buy?
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Which language features complicate test items?
prepositional phrase between subject and
verb ? multiple prepositional phrases Which of
the following is the best approximation of the
area of the shaded rectangle in the figure above
if the shaded square represents one unit of area?
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Which language features complicate test items?

• long noun phrases
• A loaded trailer truck weighs 25,533 kilograms
• Of the following number pairs, which is the
  dimension of a 50-square-foot hallway?
• To become next semesters volleyball team
  captain, how many votes will she need?

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Which language features complicate test items?

• comparative structures
• From which bag is he more likely to pull out a
  green marble?
• If Jorge runs 100 yards per hour faster than
  Peter
• Stella underbid the contract by 10. (implied)
• The price of flour isnt as high as that of sugar.

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Which language features complicate test items?
phrasing that confuses the order of math
operations There are four times as many English
teachers as math teachers in the school. Common
wrong answer. 4EM
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Which language features complicate test items?
unfamiliar tenses(conditional perfect tenses,
modals) If Lee had won three more marbles, would
she have beaten Rodney in the game? What length
other than the original estimate could have been
the actual length of this dinosaur?
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Which language features complicate test items?
passive voice X Which comparisons were made,
the amounts in each jar had been reduced 10... ?
Julio compared the water level in each jar.
They were 10 lower
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Which language features complicate test items?
complex arrangement of parts of speech Why did
Robert answer x0? (question word do or
did) The seedlings were measured after three
days. (object-verb) A Jedi knight you will
be. (object-subject-verb)
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Which language features complicate test items?
negation(especially negative questions, negative
terms, grammatical double negatives) X Which
student will not finish in time? X Its not true
that all basketball players are not short. ?
Some basketball players are short.
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Language Modification Practicum
Its your turn to modify test items. Rewrite the
test item assigned to you. Make it easier for an
EL to understand what is being asked. (Dont try
to solve the math problem.) Call on us for
questions or concerns.
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Summary
Language hurdles can interfere with assessing the
content knowledge of ELs. Language aids have been
shown to accommodate ELs without changing the
construct. To assess ELs content in
subjects/disciplines, creating items with less
language demand should be a goal.
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To access this workshop for the 09-10 school
year, please check http//mas.lacoe.edu