October 25, 2012 Greg Llewellyn, PaTTAN

1. 2012-2013 Special Education Paraprofessional After-School Training SeriesResponse to Instruction and Intervention: What Paraprofessionals Need to Know October 25, 2012 Greg Llewellyn, PaTTAN

2. The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education working in partnership with families and local education agencies to support programs and services to improve student learning and achievement. PaTTAN’s Mission

3. Our goal for each child is to ensure Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams begin with the general education setting with the use of Supplementary Aids and Services before considering a more restrictive environment. PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

4. District, IU, Preschool Agency Policy Your local district or agency’s policies regarding paraprofessional job descriptions, duties, and responsibilities provide the final word!

5. Agenda • Overview of RTII • Let’s Focus on Reading • Universal Screening • Using Data to Increase Achievement • Multi-tiered Intervention System

6. Learner Outcomes • Identify the key characteristics of an RTII framework • Identify how an RTII framework supports effective instruction for all students • Understand how data is used to provide effective instruction • Understand the role of the paraprofessional in RTII

7. A Definition of Response to Instruction and Intervention • A comprehensive, multi-tiered intervention strategy to enable early identification and intervention for students at academic or behavioral risk. • The intent of RTII is to improve learning as efficiently, effectively and equitably as possible for ALL students,including English language learners and students with disabilities.

8. A Multi-tiered Strategy… to Intervention Framework Tier 3: Interventions for A Few Students Percentage of Students Requiring Intensive Supports Decreases Continuum of Time, Intensity and Data Increases Tier 2: Interventions for SomeStudents Tier I: Foundation Standards Aligned Instruction for All Students

9. Wouldn’t it be nice if… • We had a building-wide plan to assist all students? • We had a way to assess all students quickly a few times a year, so we knew who was on target and who wasn’t? • We had a solid core program for all students? • We had interventions that we knew produced results for struggling readers and math students? • We could use all resources of time, personnel, and money towards one helping students learn.

10. Key Characteristics of RTII Universal Screening of academics Multiple tiers of increasingly intense interventions Use of scientifically research-based interventions Continuous monitoring of student performance Benchmark/Outcome assessment

11. Poll #1 In which of the following activities related to RTII do you participate? • Provide small group reading intervention • Support individual students during classroom instruction • Administer DIBELS or Aimsweb probes • Participate in grade level data analysis meetings • Participate in building level data analysis team meetings

12. Let’s Look at Reading

13. Reading 5% of children learn to read effortlessly 20-30% learn relatively easily once exposed to reading instruction For 60% of children learning to read is a much more difficult task For at least 20-30% of children, reading is one of the most difficult tasks that they will have to master. For 5% of students even with explicit and systematic instruction, reading will continue to be a challenge. MacKenzie (2000), citing statistics from Lyon, Kamme’enue, Simmons, et al.

14. Which students are poor readers at the end of first grade? • Poor readers at the end of first grade are at very significant risk for long term academic difficulty. “The probability of remaining a poor reader at the end of fourth grade, given a child was a poor reader at the end of first grade, was .88 .... the probability of remaining an average reader in fourth grade, given an average reading ability in first grade, was .87.” (Juel, 1988) • Poor readers at the end of first grade are likely to require intensive instructional support to reach third grade reading outcomes. Early Childhood Research Institute

15. Growth of Middle and Low Readers Words per minute Good, R. H., Simmons, D. C., & Smith, S. B. (1998). Effective academic interventions in the United States: Evaluating and enhancing the acquisition of early reading skills. School Psychology Review, 27, 740-753.

16. Variation in Amount of Independent Reading Minutes Per Day Words Read Per Year Percentile Rank Books Text Books Text 98 65.0 67.3 4,358,000 4,733,000 90 21.2 33.4 1,823,000 2,357,000 80 14.2 24.6 1,146,000 1,697,000 70 9.6 16.9 622,000 1,168,000 60 6.5 13.1 432,000 722,000 50 4.6 9.2 282,000 601,000 40 3.2 6.2 200,000 421,000 30 1.8 4.3 106,000 251,000 20 0.7 2.4 21,000 134,000 10 0.1 1.0 8,000 51,000 2 0 0 0 8,000 Adapted from Archer, Thompson, and Ross (Anderson, 1992)

17. How can we change first grade reading outcomes? • We can improve reading outcomes by focusing on the big ideas of early literacy. • Focus on intermediate goals or benchmarks in kindergarten and first grade with a sense of urgency. • Focus on outcomes for students. • Whether students reach goal levels of skills is more important than the particular educational method or approach. Early Childhood Research Institute

18. What do you need to know? • The Five Big Ideas of Reading • How the Big Ideas are assessed at school-wide level • How decisions are made based on those assessments • How instruction and intervention are aligned to those decisions

19. Reading Instruction Must Address: Key elements of scientifically-based core programs includes explicit and systematic instruction in the following: Phonological Awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension

20. What are the instructional priorities? Kindergarten: Letter-sound knowledge Phonemic awareness First Grade: Phonemic awareness Word decoding and reading Second Grade: Comprehension Oral reading fluency Third Grade: Comprehension Oral reading fluency Vocabulary is a priority at all grade levels!!

21. Making Accurate Reading Intervention DecisionsPhonemic Awareness * Phonics * Fluency * Vocabulary * Comprehension Measure of Reading Skill Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) ORF-Adequate Comprehension-Poor Implement Vocabulary and Comprehensions Strategies ORF-Poor Accuracy-Poor Instructional Adjustments Phonemic Awareness at Benchmark? ORF –Acceptable Comprehension-Good (at instructional level) Check Instructional Level Keep it up! ORF-Poor Accuracy-Good Check Instructional Level Implement fluency-building strategies NO YES Explicit Phonemic Awareness Instruction Young Students-Explicit Phonics Instruction Adolescents-Word Study

22. Poll #2 What does a successful first grade reader look like? • Reads text for meaning, analyzes story elements, uses phonics to decode new words • Hears the sounds in spoken words, decodes words using phonics, increases number of sight words, reads simple stories • Learns new vocabulary words, increases rate of reading, improves reading comprehension • Writes stories, decodes multi-syllabic words, reads text for meaning

23. PA’s Response to Instruction and Intervention Framework Tier 3: Interventions for A Few Students Continuum of Time, Intensity and Data Increases Percentage of Students Requiring Intensive Supports Decreases Tier 2: Interventions for SomeStudents Tier I: Foundation Standards Aligned Instruction for All Students

24. Tier 1 Prevention Definition: Students who are making expected progress in the general education curriculum and whodemonstrate social competence Benchmark also describes those schoolwide strategies that are available to all students Effective instruction Universal prevention Data-based decision making Periodic benchmark assessments

25. Tier 1 Activities • Effective instruction • Universal screening • Data analysis teaming • Whole group teaching

26. Tier 1: Effective Instruction • Tier I instruction consistently: • Provides high expectations for all and ensures access to a standards-aligned curriculum. • Incorporates effective, engaging instructional strategies • Applies the principles of differentiated instruction • Incorporates flexible small group instruction. • A process must be in place to monitor fidelity of instruction and provide feedback to classrooms.

27. Universal Screening

28. Why Screen? First graders in the bottom quartile in reading have an 88% likelihood of placing in the bottom quartile in 4th grade and a 78% likelihood of remaining there through 8th grade. Juel 1988 Measures such as DIBELS can predict potential reading difficulty as early as kindergarten.

29. All students assessed 3 times a year in reading Screening tools should be predictive of future performance Data display should be graphed for easy analysis and interpretation Grade level teams should meet to discuss universal screening data within a week of assessment Universal Screening

30. Assists in identifying grade-wide deficits in curriculum and instruction. Provides a baseline for grade-wide goal setting. Identifies students at risk of academic or behavioral difficulties. Universal Screening

31. What will you see? All students are screened a minimum of three times per year Screenings are research-based, predictive of future performance on standards and benchmarked Administration fidelity is monitored. Screening data is maintained in a database User-friendly summaries of data with graphs for easy display, analysis and interpretation. Grade level teams analyze screening data in a timely manner (within one week of administration) to design and adjust instruction using a structured team facilitation process and format.

32. Data Analysis Teaming

33. Data Analysis Teaming Teams of teachers working together to… Access critical data on all students’ performance related to achievement of grade level benchmarks Analyze data and find which students have which gaps in attainments Set measurable goals to close the gap Identify and implement research-based instructional strategies **Paraprofessionals are on the team!

34. Sample DIBELS Histogram (Pederson, 2005) 34

35. Identify current performance of grade level • How many (%) students have attained skill (established/low risk/proficient)? • How many (%) students are developing the skill (emerging/some risk/basic)? • How many (%) students are deficient in the skill(deficit/at risk/below basic)?

36. Grade Level Data Analysis Total Students = 152 DIBELS First Grade Winter At Risk Emerging Benchmark PSF 16 (11%) 54 (36%) 82 (53%) NWF 30 (20%) 45 (30%) 77 (50%) ORF 35 (23%) 38 25%) 79 (52%)

37. Set measurable goal (s) By June, 80% of students will score at or above the benchmark for Oral Reading Fluency. By June, no more than 5% of students will score in the intensive or high risk range for Oral Reading Fluency.

38. Team Selects Intervention Identify specific strategies for teaching to target skill. Keep focused on scientifically validated interventions. Maximize the effectiveness of core reading instruction.

39. Team Analyzes Suggested Strategies Analyze each strategy according to: • Should be research-based • Should be practical • Curricular materials should be available to implement strategy (or easily made).

40. Team Plans Logistics of Intervention • Team identifies instructional materials • Time to create/adapt materials • Strategies for teaching interventions to novice teachers • Team assists all teachers in learning interventions using • peer modeling and coaching • grade-level discourse regarding implementation • assistance by specialists (for demonstration of strategies only).

41. Poll #3 The paraprofessionals role in RTII is to • Provide input to the teachers you support • Provide Supportive Interventions to students • Interpret the results of assessments • Decide which skills to teach to students • Both a and b

42. Tier 2 Prevention • Definition: Academic and behavioral interventions and supports designed for students not making expected progress in the general education curriculum and/or have mild to moderate difficulties demonstrating social competence. These students are at risk for academic failure.

43. What are interventions? • Specific skill building for at risk students • Assistance based on progress monitoring information • Provided by a trained instructor • Provide additional instruction (individual or small group) • Match materials to instructional level McCook, J., LRP Conference, December 2005

44. What are interventions? • Mini-lesson on skills deficits • Decrease group size • Increase amount and type of cues and prompts • Teach additional strategies • Change curriculum • Change types and method of corrective feedback McCook, J., LRP Conference, December 2005

45. Interventions are NOT • Preferential seating • Shortened assignments • Parent contacts • Classroom observations • Suspension • Doing more of the same assignments • Retention McCook, J., LRP Conference, December 2005

46. Tier 2: Strategic Interventions • Use of standard protocol interventions • Scientifically research-based interventions • Core instruction with supplemental materials • Differentiated instruction in general education • Specialists assist with strategic instruction in regular classroom

47. Tier 2: Strategic Interventions (cont.) • Increased opportunity to learn • Increased instructional time • Increased assessment • Assess progress twice per month • Data-based decision-making Supplement, Enhance and Support Tier 1

48. Phonics Advanced Tier Interventions Phonological Awareness • Early Reading Intervention • Road to the Code • Ladders to Literacy • Phonemic Awareness for Young Children • Phonics for Reading • Fundations • Road to the Code • REWARDS • Wilson Reading • Corrective Reading

49. Vocabulary Advanced Tier Interventions Fluency with Text • Read Naturally • Six Minute Solution • REWARDS PLUS • Building Vocabulary Skills  • Language for Thinking • Comprehension • Soar to Success • Comprehension Plus

50. Poll #4 Of the following “standard protocol” interventions, which of the following are being used in your school? • Road to the Code • Fundations • Read Naturally • REWARDS • Wilson Reading