Response to Intervention

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Response to Intervention

• Grand Rapids Public Schools
• August 18, 2009

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Contact information

• Terri Metcalf
• MiBLSi Regional Coordinator for Kent and Ottawa
  ISDs
• tmetcalf_at_oaisd.org
• 738-8940 ext 4112
• www.cenmi.org/miblsi

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What to expect . . .

• What is response to intervention or RtI?
• History and background
• RtI and Behavior
• Overview of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support
• Resources and next steps

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What is RtI?

• Background knowledge and importance

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What is response to intervention?

• Response to intervention is . . .

• Response to intervention is not . . .

• Special education eligibility
• Pre-referral model
• Tier 2 pull-out
• Just for reading
• Just for learning disabilities
• DIBELS

• RtI
• RTI
• Three-tier model
• Problem solving model
• The Triangle model

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RtI is . . .

• . . .the practice of providing high-quality
  instruction and interventions matched to student
  need, monitoring progress frequently to make
  decisions about changes in instruction or goals
  and applying child response data to important
  educational decisions.
• NASDSE, RtI Policy Considerations and
  Implementation, 2005 (emphasis added).

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Core Principles of an RtI Framework

• We can effectively teach all children.
• Intervene early.
• Use a multi-tier model of support.
• Use a problem-solving method for decision making.
• Research-based interventions/instruction to the
  extent available.
• Monitor student progress to inform instruction.
• Use data to make decisions.
• Use assessment for different purposes.
• NASDSE, RtI Policy Considerations and
  Implementation, 2005

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How does this tie into POL?
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Why change, why now?

• Research
• Legislation

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Research
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Converging evidence shows that most children
can be taught to read at grade level

• 201 randomly selected children from five
  elementary schools serving children from mixed
  SES and ethnic backgrounds were followed from the
  beginning of first grade to the end of fourth
  grade.
• Children who scored low on phonemic awareness and
  letter knowledge at the beginning of first grade
• Started with lower skills
• Made less progress
• Fell further and further below grade level as
  they progressed from first through fourth grade.

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Early Screening Identified Children At Risk
5
4
High Score (low risk) on Screening
Reading grade level
3
2
Low score (high risk) on Early Screening
1
1 2 3 4
Grade level corresponding to age
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Instruction is What Matters!

• Four years later, the researchers went back to
  the same school.
• Two major changes were implemented
• First, a research-based comprehensive reading
  program was implemented for all students, and
• Second, children at risk for reading difficulty
  were randomly assigned to a control group(no
  special intervention) or to a group receiving
  substantial instructional intervention.

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Four years
5.2
5
4
Low Risk on Early Screening
3
Reading grade level
2.5
2
At Risk on Early Screening
1
1 2 3 4
Grade level corresponding to age
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Legislation
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Legislation

• Reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities
  Act (IDEA)
• Became effective October 13, 2006
• Incorporated new requirements for identifying
  students with learning disabilities
• Allow districts to consider a childs response
  to scientific, research-based intervention as
  part of evaluation process 300.309(a)(2)(i)
• Shortened to response to intervention or RtI

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RtI is a Well-Child Program for Education

• Health Care
• Infant screenings
• Annual check-ups
• Comparison to developmental standards
• Immunizations
• Use of research-based standard protocol
  treatments for common problems
• Hypothesis testing as part of evaluation
• Referral for specialist care if needed

• Education
• Standardized screening
• Three yearly check-ups
• Comparison to local and national benchmarks
• Use of research-based instruction for general
  education instruction
• Hypothesis testing as part of curriculum and
  assessment practices
• Referral to special education only if progress in
  other instruction is not made

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Where did this come from???

• We have been using components of RtI for a long
  time e.g. progress monitoring measures,
  differentiated instruction, etc.
• Flipping systems from everyone is assumed to be
  ok until they arent to screening and
  intervening right away

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Multi-Tiered Support
All Students in School
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What has been the national impact of RtI and
schools?

• 32 of districts expect full implementation of
  RtI by 2010
• 47 of districts have a defined RtI process
  53 do not
• 71 of districts report that implementation is
  led by general education or a joint general
  ed/special ed effort
• 84 of districts report implementation for
  reading, 53 for math and 44 for behavior
• CASE Survey, 2008

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ELEVATOR TEST What is RtI?

• Write a brief (30-60 second) description of RtI
• Share with a partner

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What about behavior?
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Relationship between behavior and reading

• Children of the Code A Social Education Project
• http//www.childrenofthecode.org/

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Big Ideas to Improve Behavior

• Specify appropriate behavior
• Teach appropriate behavior
• Monitor behavior
• Encourage appropriate behavior
• Correct inappropriate behavior
• Use data to problem solve

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Identifying Behavior Expectations

• Big Ideas
• People need to know what is expected of them
• Identify small number of expectations that are
  comprehensive that reflect the schools values
• Make the expectations observable

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Consider your impressions of this school
School Rules NO Food NO Weapons NO Backpacks NO
Drugs/Smoking NO Bullying
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Defining Behavior Expectations

• Behavior expectations must be defined in each
  setting
• Definitions should be positively stated
• Definitions should be observable
• Use simple, concrete language
• NEVER assume that the students will understand
  what we mean

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Portage Community High School
South Range
Holland Heights Elementary
Westwood School
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Transform broad school-wide Expectations into
specific, observable behaviors.
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Teaching Behavior Expectations

• Big Ideas
• Learning what to do socially is just like
  learning what to do academically
• Proactively teach pro-social behaviors
• Create opportunities for reviewing expectations
  throughout school year

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Process for Teaching Behavioral Expectations

• Define the Expectation
• Provide a Rationale
• Teach the Critical Discrimination
• Demonstrate Appropriate Behavior
• Demonstrate Unacceptable Behavior
• Practice telling the difference with multiple
  examples
• If there is a signal teach the signal (when
  should the appropriate behavior occur?)
• Have everyone practice the appropriate behavior
• Acknowledge students for demonstrating
  appropriate behavior

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Teaching Behavior Expectations in HallwayEast
Elementary
Presentation By grade, students will file into hallway. Facilitator will announce expectation to the group, define it, and discuss the rationale. Volunteers will then demonstrate the incorrect way to act safe and respectful in the hallway (e.g., touching and pushing others, looking around and not paying attention, talking in line, and turning around looking and talking to other students.) Students that are observing will rate the performance by holding up pre-made signs that either say, wrong way or right way. A set of students will then demonstrate the expectation the right way (e.g., walking with hands at sides and feet to self, watching where class is going, no talking, looking straight ahead.) Students will then be asked to hold the signs up again. Volunteers will be acknowledged with reinforcers (pencils/erasers). Practice Each individual class will be asked to demonstrate. The remaining class(s) will rate the demonstrating classroom with performance cards. Reinforcement Provide specific verbal praise to students after practice session. After completion of training, each student will get a punch on the card with the school-wide settings listed 1) hallway, 2) bathroom, 3) lunchroom, 4) bus, 5) playground, 6) LMC, 7) Assembly. When all settings have been trained, the card will be worth a snow cone or free popcorn. Follow-up Plan Daily, for the first three weeks of school, teachers provide precorrections (reminders about what the hallway expectations are as part of transition to specials, re-entry after recess, and dismissal). Weekly, next four weeks of school. Students will be reinforced with tickets. A video will be created to show students as needed for reinforcement.
Materials Needed Facilitator for lesson, Volunteers to do skit (classroom teachers for particular grade levels, Kim, Miriam, Special teachers), Performance cards, Video recorder, tickets, punch cards, and reinforcers.
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Build Reward Systems

• Systems for Acknowledging Appropriate Behavior.
• Students should be acknowledged regularly (at
  least every 2 weeks)
• 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative
• Always build toward independence
• move from other delivered to self-delivered
• move from frequent reward to infrequent
• move from concrete to natural
• Build on person-to-person relationships

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Many schools use a ticket system
Cherokee High School

• Tied into school
• expectations
• Specific feedback on
• students behavior
• Provides visible acknowledge of appropriate
  behavior for student
• Helps to remind staff to provide acknowledgements

High School Students involved in Colorado PBS
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Effective Discipline System

• Use negative consequences to
• Minimize natural rewards for problem behavior
• Prevent escalating interactions
• Allow instruction to continue
• Build predictable, consistent negative
  consequences
• Do not expect negative consequences alone to
  change behavior.

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Data Tools

• Big Ideas
• Data should be easy to collect and use
• Evaluate and regularly act on student behavior
  outcome data
• Regularly collect process data and use this to
  guide and improve implementation efforts

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The School-Wide Information System

• Web-based information system designed to help
  school personnel to use office referral data to
  design school-wide and individual student
  interventions.
• Provides school personnel with accurate, timely
  and practical information for making decisions
  about discipline systems

www.swis.org
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Example from Mulick Park
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Teaching Tolerance article

• Article on school using Positive Behavior Support
  model

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RtI Resources and next steps

• How can I find additional information on the
  components of RtI?

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Additional Resources

• MiBLSi (Michigans Integrated Behavior and
  Learning Support Initiative) Webpage
• www.cenmi.org/miblsi
• OAISD Early Intervention Webpage
• www.oaisd.org/earlyintervention
• RtI resources page
• Links to additional websites on RtI screening
  and progress monitoring assessments intervention
  ideas and lesson plans

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Helpful websites

• The RtI Action Network
• www.rtinetwork.org
• National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI)
• www.rti4success.org
• Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support
• www.pbis.org