Response to Intervention (RTI) in Fresno Unified School District

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Response to Intervention (RTI) in Fresno
Unified School District

• Presentation for SELPA Directors
• December 1st 2005
• By
• Sue Pellegrino, FUSD SELPA Director
• Deeds Gill, School Psychologist

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What do we need for the 3 Tier Model to be
successful?

• We need to know and learn the science of reading
  and then pass it on to others.
• Reid Lyon (IDA Conference, 2003) states that
  anyone who is involved with the instruction of
  children needs to be able to answers four basic
  questions before they can effectively intervene
  with children
• How do children learn to read?
• Why do some children have difficulties learning
  to read?
• How can we prevent reading difficulties?
• How can we remediate reading difficulties?

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What do we need for the 3 Tier Model to be
successful?

• Need to have a culture change at the school
  level that emphasizes an ownership of all kids.
• Need to have significant support and leadership
  from the administration at the school site and at
  the district level.

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FUSD Three Tier / RTI

• Some elementary schools in FUSD have already
  begun to implement early intervention models, for
  example
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Jackson Elementary School
• Bullard Talent K-8 School
• These schools have been able to help many
  children early on in their schooling so that they
  do not have to endure years of failure.

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Jackson Elementary RTI

• Jackson Elementary has used a deployment model
  known as GATOR Time to deliver leveled reading
  instruction to all students at the school.
• During specified periods during the day, students
  are deployed to reading groups at their level so
  that instructional time can be more focused and
  effective.
• The Special Education staff serve the lowest
  deployment groups at each grade level.

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Jackson Elementary RTI

• For first grade, all of the students are screened
  using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
  Literacy Skills (DIBELS).
• Those students who fall in the Intensive
  Intervention category are placed in the
  deployment groups staffed by the Special
  Education teachers and assistants.

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Jackson Elementary RTI

• Jackson Sped Intervention
• Staffing
• Two Special Education Teachers
• Two 3-Hour Special Education Assistants
• Four Gen. Ed. Assistants (Provided by School
  Principal)
• Intervention Programs Utilized
• SRA Reading Mastery
• SRA Corrective Reading
• Barton Reading Spelling System
  (Orton-Gillingham Based Program)
• Great Leaps Reading Program

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Jackson Elementary RTI

• Number of students receiving reading intervention
  (2004-2005) 53
• Number of Non-Identified 17
• Number of Identified Sped 36
• Intervention times vary but are typically at
  least 200 minutes per week
• Groupings are typically 1 teacher to 4 students,
  but can be as low as 12 or 11

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Jackson Elementary RTI

• Collaboration
• Weekly collaboration meetings occur between Sped
  and Gen. Ed. Staff to talk about students and
  their progress.
• Weekly collaboration meeting between Sped
  Teachers, Gen. Ed. Assistants and Sped.
  Assistants to review student progress, concerns,
  and provide professional development for
  assistants.

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Examples of student progress at different schools
in FUSD

• (Data reported using the DIBELS
• Data System)

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District Fresno Unified School Bullard Talent
Grade First Class All Assessment End Academic
Year 2003-2004

Odds of being Established with ORF in April of
First Grade when Established with PSF in
September of First Grade is 14 out of 16, or 88
Odds of being Established with ORF in April of
First Grade when Deficit with PSF in September
of First Grade is 4 out of 14, or 29
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District Fresno Unified School Bullard Talent
Grade Second Class All Assessment End
Academic Year 2003-2004

Odds of being Low Risk with ORF in April of
Second Grade when Low Risk with ORF in April of
First Grade is 29 out of 34, or 85
Odds of being Low Risk with ORF in April of
Second Grade when At Risk with ORF in April of
First Grade is 0 out of 6, or 0
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District Fresno Unified School Bullard Talent
Grade Third Class All Assessment End Academic
Year 2004-2005
Odds of being Low Risk with ORF in April of Third
Grade when Low Risk with ORF in April of Second
Grade is 36 out of 39, or 95
Odds of being Low Risk with ORF in April of Third
Grade when At Risk with ORF in April of Second
Grade is 1 out of 12, or 8
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District Fresno Unified School Bullard Talent
Grade Second Class All Assessment End
Academic Year 2004-2005
Odds of being above benchmark with CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS TEST in Second Grade when low risk
with ORF in April of Second Grade is 25 out of
33, or 76
Odds of being above benchmark with CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS TEST in Second Grade when at risk with
ORF in April of Second Grade is 0 out of 8, or 0
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District Fresno Unified School Bullard Talent
Grade Third Class All Assessment End Academic
Year 2004-2005
Odds of being above benchmark with California
Standards Test in Third Grade when low risk with
ORF in April of Third Grade is 34 out of 49, or
69
Odds of being above benchmark with California
Standards Test in Third Grade when at risk with
ORF in April of Third Grade is 0 out of 8, or 0
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Individual Student Growth on PSF

• This student (first grade) made substantial
  growth in his ability the correctly segment
  phonemes after receiving intense early
  intervention using a research based reading
  intervention program

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Individual Student Growth on NWF

• Growth was also seen in the ability to use
  alphabetic principal or phonic skills.

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Individual Student Growth on ORF

• The gains made on the previous skills translated
  into this students ability to read connected
  text at over 60wpm by the end of the year.

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Recommended Parameters for Establishing RTI
Implementation

• This is a system change. Must have top-down
  support in order to make it work!
• All members of the school team (including both
  general and special education) must understand
  the philosophy
• Need to continue to monitor and meet frequently
  to discuss change process
• Consistent and focused collaboration is key to
  the success of the program and to keep the
  children moving toward reading success.
• Need to identify Tier Model at your school How
  many levels? What fits into each level? How is
  success monitored?

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Conclusions

• Each schools program may look different, but the
  basic premise is the same
• Screen Early
• Identify those at risk for reading failure
• Intervene using research based programs
• Monitor students progress frequently (at least
  every 2 weeks)
• Refer those students who do not respond for
  further assessment and possible Special Education
  Eligibility. These students are likely to have
  true disabilities rather than being
  instructional casualties.

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THE END

• Questions / Comments