Response to Intervention Old Bridge Township Public Schools

Response to Intervention Old Bridge Township Public Schools

A little about Old Bridge…. • Over 9, 000 students • 12 Elementary Schools K-5 • Full Day Kindergarten • Two Middle Schools 6 -8 • OBHS • Grade Nine Center

Suggested Implementation Plan (RTI Action Network) • Year 1: Analyze/select resources; begin training on model • Year 2: Begin initial implementation with Tier-2 for Grades K-1 • Year 3: Add Tier-3 for K & 1; Add Tier-2 for Grades 23 • Year 4: Add Tier-2 to Grades 2 -3; Tier-2 for Grades 45 • Year 5: Add Tier-3 to Grades 4 -5 (Fully Implementation across all grade levels)

Our RTI Journey… • District decision to implement RTI: 20132014 • Creation of Supervisor of Intervention Services position • 2014 -2015 Year-1 Implementation: K-5 all 12 elementary schools Tiers 2 & 3 ELA and Math • 2015 -2016 Year-2: • K-5 Changes to Master Schedule, expansion of knowledge and resources • 6 -8: Need-assessment & building of Tiers Math 6 -8; ELA grade 6 • 2016 -2017 Year-3: • K-5: Building on expertise • 6 -8: Full implementation- changes to model, from 55 sections to 78; classroom teachers as Tier-2 interventionists

Where to begin? • Prior to implementation there must be a thorough need-assessment/program evaluation conducted • Staff Survey to assess overall knowledge of RTI and intervention services • Current Assessments: are they sufficient? • Current Interventions: evidence-based? • Master Schedules: Intervention and meeting needs • Staff • Budget • Professional Development Needs

Building the Framework “No one has the right to hold a critical opinion without speaking up about it. ” CEO of Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio • Success of Old Bridge RTI due to collaboratively building the framework. Staff feedback was incorporated into plans. People who think independently can enrich the framework.

Let’s Discuss Pre/Post RTI Implementation… • Basic Skills and I&RS • Impact on Special Education • Collaboration between departments • Professional Development

Before: Basic Skills and I&RS (Survey Results) Basic Skills • Lack of fidelity • Little respect for the program • Inconsistent intervention scheduling • No data-based practice or use of evidence-based interventions I&RS • Paper and pencil based initial request forms and intervention plans • No consistency among buildings • Lack of baseline collection or progress monitoring data • Interventions did not typically match target area, if area was identified accurately • Both programs ran independently from each other

Needs-Assessment: Survey Results • “I do not know enough yet about RTI, but I am hoping it will result in less referrals and greater interventions within the classroom. ” • “I believe it is a good practice but feel that responsibility of the work load cannot be completely on the general education teacher and the roles need to be clearly defined. ” • “I feel like we are struggling to helps students with no real framework to guide us right now. ” • “I do believe it would be extremely beneficial not only for the students but for the educators involved if there is universal training on RTI to ensure success. ” • “I do not always participate in I&RS meetings due to scheduling conflicts. It would be beneficial for the members to be able to block out time for these meetings. ” • “If ongoing, effective and relevant professional development is provided to all staff, RTI is very beneficial for both educators and learners. ”

Post-RTI Outcomes • Basic Skills and I&RS operate as one cohesive unit under a multi-tiered framework • Teachers, administrators, counselors all utilize data to guide decisions with various types of reports • Universal screening to identify student strengths and weaknesses early on • Appropriate use of assessment tools (highly predictive, valid and reliable) • More accurate identification of target areas for intervention plans • Use of “intervention vocabulary” (i. e. ABC data, baseline, target goal, interventionist) Branding

Assessment • Selecting a tool: Must align to your districts goals and assessed needs • Must take into account training timeline prior Old Bridge: • Elementary: easy. CBM- Math and ELA (Big Five of Reading); partnership with Journeys; reliable and valid; affordable; easy to use • Middle School: Edmentum- aligned to standards and PARCC; also provides a diagnostic; provides teachers with lessons and prescriptions; affordable

Sample Student Data tells us a story

Other District Data tells us a story Math: • Overall decrease from 200 students falling into the High Risk Range to 154 students from Fall to Winter Reading: • • • 1 st grade: 13% of students moved from high risk or some risk range in reading to low risk (average range) 2 nd grade: 7. 6% of students moved from high risk or some risk range in reading to low risk (average range) Grades 3 -5: we began the year with low percentages of students falling into high risk (2. 4%; 3. 3%; 3. 1%) and were able to maintain the low percentage

Evidence-Based Intervention • Must be aligned with district goals and needs Old Bridge: consistency between MS, IS and Sp. Ed • Project Read • Orton Gillingham • Florida Center for Reading Research • Intervention Central • Reflex Math • Achieve 3000 • Edmentum • Learning A-Z

Collaboration Pre-RTI • Lack of collaboration among department • No forum to discuss challenges, individual student needs, gradelevel or building trends • I&RS meetings did not always addressing student and staff needs; often resulting in referrals to CST Post-RTI • Data-team meetings • Interventionists Meetings • Significant Building Principal involvement

Pre-RTI: Ineffective Problem Solving Meetings Actual descriptions from staff… • Redundant • Repetitive • Indecisive • No end point • No data • Biased opinions • No resolution • Time waster

Post-RTI Data Team Meetings 1. Team members have specified roles during meetings such as facilitator, referring teacher, note taker, timekeeper, and researcher. 2. All team members participate fully, feel valued and are responsible for results. The motto of RTI is that “all students are our students. ” Collaboration is essential to this process. 3. All providers come prepared with necessary information and data for meetings. 4. The Collaborative Problem Solving process and team meeting agendas are implemented with fidelity.

RTI Data Team Meetings- Sample Time Grade Data Team Meetings Level Prep 9: 10 -9: 53 5 Interventionist A 9: 54 -10: 37 4 Interventionist A 10: 38 -11: 21 2 Interventionist B 11: 22 -12: 12 12: 17 -1: 01 - 1: 02 -1: 45 3 Interventionist A 1: 46 -2: 29 1 Interventionist B 2: 30 -3: 13 K Interventionist B Interventionist Meetings Parent meetings as needed Interventionists meet together, building principal, RTI team, CST member Parent meetings as needed

Staff Survey: Data Team Meetings and Collaboration • “The teamwork is the highest level I have ever experienced in 21 years. ” • “It's helpful to the teacher to have the observations of another teacher regarding a particular child that needs extra assistance. It's also helpful to come up with ideas together. ” • “Everybody does a great job to include ESL in all data team meetings” • “I love how my colleagues and I collaborate and support each other's efforts with our mutual students. ” • “It is a wonderful time to be able to share opinions and insights about students. It is also helpful to know what each teacher is doing with the student and learning about what works with each child. ”

What do you like most about our RTI Framework? • “The data follows the child from grade to grade and building to building” • “Proactive efforts toward student growth and improvement” • “I like tracking the students through the tiers and the data. Much more concrete way to look at struggling students and helping them succeed. ” • “I like how easy it is to get a baseline for students and also how easy it is to collect data. ” • “What I like most is the ability to gather information is a team effort and that we can seek help for children who need it quicker and we are able to easily see if a child is making progress with the interventions provided”

Pre-RTI Impact on Special Services • Approximately 120 Initial CST referrals K-5 per year • CST as “Testing machines” • Little to no consultation with school staff from CST or related service providers • Triage and reactive approach to helping struggling learners • High classification of ELLs and students with behavior problems

Post-RTI Impact on Special Services • Collaboration through Data Team Meetings and Interventionist Meetings • Request for Consultation forms • Combined trainings • Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis • Importance of defining SLD; Exclusionary Factors, Supplemental Instruction • Reduction in initial referrals to CST

Special Education Referrals Data tells us a story Grade Date Range: 9/1/13 -4/15/14 Date Range: 9/1/14 -4/15/15 Date Range: 9/1/15 -4/15/16 1 25 24 21 2 24 17 11 3 32 18 10 4 24 8 8 5 14 6 11 Total 119 73 61

Professional Development • Lack of knowledge in the following areas: • Intervention • Accommodation vs Modifications • Data-based decision making • Intervention and ELLs • Behavior intervention • Evidence-based interventions • Problem solving approach • Definitions of classifications! • Parental involvement

Commitment to Ongoing Professional Development • Over 40 presentations and trainings each year for the past two years • Lead Teachers • 21 st Century Instruction (Our world today is becoming technologically oriented and multi-lingual) • Guided reading/guided writing • Professional Learning Academy • PBIS and Character Education • Two years of voluntary RTI Summer Boot Camp

A Few PD Topics RTI Background and Basics Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports Selecting Evidence-Based Interventions Data-Based Decision-Making Tier-1: Reading and Math Interventions; Differentiating Instruction; Co-Teaching • Utilizing Orton-Gillingham Strategies in Small Groups • Project Read • Effective Use of Easy. CBM Data • • •

District Drop. Box • https: //www. dropbox. com/sh/z 5 qms 69 iqkdtbmj/AA B 5_ks 1 a-S 37 y. JEy 5 OGI 50 Fa? dl=0 • Interventions • Reading, Mathematics, Writing, Differentiated Instruction • Forms • PLCs and Faculty Meetings • Fact Sheets- Disabilities • Leveled Reading Charts • Parent Resources • Strategies • Progress Monitoring • Positive Behavioral Supports • Other Resources

Pre-RTI Master Schedule Elementary • Lack of Tiers for services • No set intervention block for students • Students were pulled for basic skills during new instruction • No consistency of services across buildings

Post-RTI Master Schedule Elementary • • Three Tiers of services for both Math and ELA 45 minutes of intervention daily Consistent format for all buildings Students receive intervention in addition to core instruction

Pre-RTI Master Schedule Middle School Lack of Tiers for services No consistency of services across buildings Only Math Basic Skills instruction 55 sections of Basic Skills between both middle schools Limited communication between general education and interventionist teachers • Intervention only offered on two blocks • • • Students required to change schedule if needing services

Post-RTI Master Schedule Middle School • Three Tiers of services for both Math and ELA across all three grade levels and all three blocks • 45 minutes of intervention daily • Consistent format for both buildings • Students receive intervention in addition to core instruction • Increase to 78 sections across both middle schools • Tier-2 and Tier-3 offered during the same time • Increased collaboration

Important Implementation Tips 1. Support from Central Administration is essential 2. Must be a full commitment to implementation by the district for five years 3. Overlaps with ALL departments 4. RTI takes time! 5. It’s all about what is best for the students

Questions?