Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

Angela Kirby-WehrDirector

PaTTAN-Harrisburg

RtII in Pennsylvania: What We’ve Learned!

PaTTAN’s Mission

The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance

Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the

Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local

educational agencies to serve students who receive special

education services.

PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Recognizing that the placement decision is an Individualized

Education Program (IEP) team decision, our goal for each child

is to ensure IEP teams begin with the general education setting with the use of supplementary

aids and services before considering a more restrictive

environment.

Session Objectives

1. Explicitly define the connection between SAS and RtII.

– What we’ve learned!

2. Identify robust instructional strategies and interventions.

– What we’ve learned!

3. Apply characteristics of successful implementation in order to close the “what-how” gap.

Instruction

Use of Student Data

Continuous Staff Development

Leadership

Policy Support

Cross Role Learning

Time

Technical Assistance

Sustained Effort

Comprehensive School Reform Models…

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Objective #1:

Define the connection between SAS and RTII.

Essential Question #1:

How would you explain the SAS/RtII connection to a colleague?

Define the connection between SAS and RtII

Tier I of the RtII framework provides access to high quality standards based

curriculum and instruction for all students. RtII organizes assessment

practices and requires schools to use the four types of assessments to determine

the effectiveness of curriculum/intervention and

drive instructional adjustments. Examples,

Summative: PSSA, PVAASBenchmark: 4 Sight

Diagnostic: GRADE, GMADEFormative: Formal and

Informal (progress monitoring, ticket out the

door)RtII organizes curriculum and instruction to

ensure all students receive the standards

aligned core curriculum. ALL staff (Gen, Sp Ed,

Title, ESL) assume responsibility and an

active role in instruction in the core curriculumHigh quality instruction is at the heart of RtII.

The framework organizes instruction to ensure the use of high leverage, research-based

instructional practices at each Tier. Processes are in place to ensure instructional fidelity.

RtII requires the selection and use of materials and resources that align with

standards based curriculum and research based standard protocols to address

specific skill acquisition.

Research-validated interventions are implemented based on the type, level and

intensity of student need.

SAS and RtII: The Connection

The RtII Framework

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In PA, RtII has dual meaning

• A comprehensive standards-aligned school reform strategy that enables early identification and intervention for students needing additional opportunities to learn high level content -- while providing benchmark students the opportunity to enrich and “grow” their skills and talents

• An alternate to the aptitude-achievement discrepancy model for the identification of students with learning disabilities

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Tier 3: Supplemental Small

Group Instruction/Intervention Period for

a FEW Students (5-10%)

Daily for an extended period of time

Instructional Focus: Basic Skill Deficiencies

Tier 2:Supplemental Instruction/ Intervention Period for SOME Students (15-20%)3-5 times per week or cycleLower class sizeInstructional Focus: Extended core instruction in subject area content and/or targeted instruction/intervention

Tier I:High Quality Standards-Aligned Core Instruction for ALL students (100%)English and Math Courses aligned to PA/Common Core standards and KeystonesESL Core Instruction aligning ELP and Content Standards Content literacy focus within all courses & use of evidenced-based strategies

Instructional Focus: Subject Area Content (e.g., 9th grade Algebra I &9th grade English Composition)

Pennsylvania’s Secondary RtII Framework

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Examples of Relevant DataCurrent/Projected Academic Performance Data:*PVAAS Projections*Performance: PA Keystone exams*ACCESS for ELLs Data*Performance: Classroom Diagnostic Tools*4Sight*Common Summative Assessments*STAR*Formal instruments or informal observations used to inform instruction and enhance student learning outcomes. *Individually and/or group administered diagnostic measuresExisting Data (Use to establish career and college risk and readiness)*PSSA* End of Year (EOY) Failing Grades in core subjects as early as 4th grade*Failing Grades in beginning and end of 9th grade fall semester courses*Earning Fewer than 2 credits; lack of promotion to 10th grade* <70-80% Attendance (5 weeks or more of missed school)(>10 days in first month of 9th grade)*Mobility between 8th and 10th grade*Retention in elementary or middle grades*Intervention history*Poor final grades in behavior/disengagement*Abuse/neglectProgress-Monitoring Tools: Maze passages, written expression prompts, vocabulary matching, ORF, Test of Contextual Silent Word Reading Fluency (TOCSWRF); Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE); CORE Phonics Survey. CORE Phoneme Segmentation Test

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Model

2010-2011 Work Scope

Where We’ve Been

• Elementary School• Middle School RtII

Learning Sites• ESL/ELL/RtII• SLD/RtII• Statewide Workgroup• Parent Engagement• Statewide Training• On-site Support• Colleges/Universities• Administrator Series

Present

• Algebra • English Composition• Elementary and

Secondary Data-Analysis & Instructional Matching

• Background Knowledge• Role & Function• Colleges and

Universities• ESL/ELL RtII • Middle School Learning

Sites• Partners & Research

Elementary Pilots

• Largest amount of movement occurs in the earliest grades

• Largest amount of movement occurs from the BOY to MOY.

• Reinforce the importance of early intervention and the need to attend to improving literacy skills at the youngest grades

• Still change possible at higher grades as well as from MOY to EOY, the stabilization of student performance over grades and time is the predominant finding from these data

Background: PA’s Secondary RtII Subgroup• Secondary Subgroup Membership

– Listed in the Framework document• Year I – 2007-08

– RtII Framework (Guidelines and Recommendations; Initial Training)

• Year II – 2008-09– Update/refine the Secondary RtII Framework– Development of Secondary RtII Toolkit

• Three sub-committees – Assessment– Interventions– Tier I: High Quality Core Instruction

• Year III – 2009-10– Six Learning Sites (middle school level)– Data based decision making, Infrastructure– Tier I (high leverage instructional strategies i.e. active

engagement)• Year IV – 2010-11

– Five Learning Sites (middle school level)– Training of Trainer of Secondary RtII Overview– Statewide Secondary Training Events

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Essential Question

Why do we need RTII at the secondary level?

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Pennsylvania Statistics

• About 22% of 9th graders in Pennsylvania fail to graduate from high school in 4 years

• Of these, many lack the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in post-secondary education and careers that pay family sustaining incomes (PDE Ensuring Success for All High School Graduates, 2007).

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The RtII Framework at Secondary

• The RtII framework allows schools to:– identify students at risk for poor

learning outcomes, – monitor student progress, – provide evidence-based

interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2008).

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RtII Holds Promise…

…for middle and high schools by aligning curriculum, instruction and interventions, assessment, social/emotional and behavioral supports, and infrastructure to increase learning opportunities and improve achievement and

outcomes for secondary students.

2020

2010-11 Learning Sites

Five Middle School RtII Learning Sites:

1.Eastern Region– Drexel Hill Middle School – Upper Darby SD– Roosevelt Middle School – Bristol Township SD

2.Central Region– Swatara Middle School – Central Dauphin SD

3.Western Region– Chartiers Valley Middle School – Chartiers Valley

SD – Clairton Middle School – Clairton City SD

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Project Objective for MS Learning Sites

Pennsylvania will scale up RtII efforts to include five middle school learning sites. The purpose of the Learning Project is to study the implementation of the RtII Framework in middle schools and to disseminate findings from the learning sites across the state. Schools will customize the RtII Framework to design an assessment and instructional system to provide tiered intervention supports to middle school students prior to academic failure. Increased student achievement and improved student engagement in the learning process are the expected outcomes of this longitudinal project.

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Lessons Learned…

• Implementing the RTII Framework takes several years to implement. It’s not a “quick fix” or “magic bullet” but rather a process based on evidence-based research and practice.

• The infrastructure has to be in place in order for it to be successful (changing the schedule, flexible grouping, time for teachers to meet and collaborate, etc.).

• What are two or three things we can target or focus on that will really make an impact on increasing student achievement? This can be a very overwhelming process for all involved and it is easy to get off-track when everything becomes a priority or there isn’t any follow through with administrators.

• Focusing on Tier 1 core instruction in which all of the content area teachers consistently use and embed effective instructional practices.

• Professional development throughout the year needs to be consist with the priorities and areas of focus.

• As Don Deshler says, “Students should leave their Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention classes sweating.” It’s not slowing down but working to close the achievement gap.

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Lessons Learned…

• Schools have become proficient in having data team meetings, but what is happening in the classroom between data team meetings? Formative assessment and progress monitoring are critical on an ongoing basis.

• Leaders come in many forms from the superintendent, the principal, to team leaders of teachers.

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Fidelity of SAS and RTII: A Barometer for Inclusive Practices

What We’ve Learned? An “all-ed” Standards Aligned Service Delivery Framework

Objective #2:

Identify robust instructional strategies and interventions-

What We’ve Learned- INSTRUCTION MATTERS

MOST!!!!!

Data-Based Instruction and Intervention- Why?

Essential Question #2:What instructional strategies and

interventions do you currently have in place?

Critical Focus Area-Instruction: Identifying Robust Instructional

Strategies and Interventions

Successful teaching accounts for up to 45% of the variance in student achievement.

(Brophy, 1986; Hattie, 2003; Rowe, 2003)

Let’s TALK ABOUT A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR INSTRUCTION!!!!!

Effective Instruction and Learning Theory

• Instructional Design and Delivery- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT …..– Impacting Theories

• Behavioral• Cognitive• Constructivist

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Instructional Design

• …The systematic development of instructional specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction. It is the entire process of analysis of learning needs and goals and the development of a delivery system to meet those needs. Includes:– development of instructional materials and

activities; and – tryout and evaluation of all instruction and learner

activities. www.umich.edu/~ed626/define.html

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Purposes of Instructional Design

• To identify the outcomes of the instruction

• To guide the developing the instructional content (scope and sequence)

• To establish how instructional effectiveness will be evaluated.

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Contextual Variables

• Behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism - what works where and how…we must allow circumstances surrounding the learning situation to help us decide which approach to learning is most appropriate.

• It is necessary to realize that some learning problems require highly prescriptive solutions, whereas others are more suited to learner control of the environment. (Schwier, 1995)

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• A behavioral approach can effectively facilitate mastery of the content of a profession (knowing what)

• Cognitive strategies are useful in teaching problem solving tactics where defined facts and rules are applied in unfamiliar situations(knowing how)

• Constructivist strategies are especially suited to dealing with ill-defined problems through reflection-in-action. (Ertmer P. & Newby, T., 1993)  

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Behavioral

• Tasks requiring a low degree of processing (e.g., basic paired associations,discriminations, rote memorization) seem to be facilitated by strategies mostfrequently associated with a behavioral outlook (e.g., stimulus-response, contiguityof feedback/reinforcement).  – For example: word reading skills, math

computation (basic and advanced), learning facts and terminology in the content areas, social skills, other?

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Cognitive

• Tasks requiring an increased level of processing (e.g., classifications, rule orprocedural executions) are primarily associated with strategieshaving a stronger cognitive emphasis (e.g., schematic organization, analogicalreasoning, algorithmic problem solving).– For example: identifying the main idea,

summarizing, problem solving, learning to write (e.g., paragraph writing strategy, writing persuasive text), other?

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Constructive

• Tasks demanding high levels of processing (e.g., heuristic problem solving,personal selection and monitoring of cognitive strategies) are frequently learned with strategies advanced by the constructivist perspective (e.g., situated learning, cognitive apprenticeships, social negotiation).– For example: comprehension monitoring,

Questioning the Author (Beck & McKeown, 2006), conducting a science experiment, “interviewing” a historic figure, other?

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Research-based Components of Effective Teaching

• Teach essential skills and strategies.• Provide differentiated instruction based on assessment

results• Provide explicit and systematic instruction with lots of

practice—with and without teacher support and feedback including cumulative practice

• Provide opportunities to apply skills and strategies in reading and writing meaningful text with teacher support.

• Don't just "cover" critical content; be sure students learn it—monitor student progress regularly and re-teach as necessary.

 (Denton, Fletcher, Simos, Papanicolaou, & Anthony, 2007; Simos et al., 2002) 37

High Yield Instructional Strategies

CategoryCategory AverageAverage

ESESPercentile Percentile

GainGainIdentifying similarities and Identifying similarities and differencesdifferences

.52.52 2020

Summarizing Summarizing .49.49 1919

Tracking student progress and Tracking student progress and scoring scalesscoring scales

1.001.00 3434

Building vocabularyBuilding vocabulary .51.51 2020

Haystead, M.W. &Marzano, R,. J. (2009). Meta-analytic synthesis of studies conducted at Marzano Research Laboratory on instructional strategies. Marzano Research Laboratory. Engelwood, CO.

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High Yield Instructional Strategies

CategoryCategory AverageAverage

ESESPercentile Percentile

GainGainInteractive gamesInteractive games .53.53 2020

Setting goals/objectivesSetting goals/objectives .66.66 2525

Note-takingNote-taking .44.44 1717

Nonlinguistic Nonlinguistic representationsrepresentations

.44.44 1717

Student Student discussion/chunkingdiscussion/chunking

.43.43 171739

Where are We Now?

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Where are We Now?

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Shawn:

“I used to do a lot of explaining, but now I do a lot of questioning. I used to do a lot of talking, but now I do a lot of listening. I use to think about teaching the curriculum, but now I think about teaching the student.”

(Heritage, 2010, p. 4).

A Focus on Instruction

• Are the curriculum and supports all focused on the same mission and outcome?

• Are all services to students based upon performance data?

• Can a parent take a student any building in the district and realistically expect the same positive outcome for their child?

• Is the curriculum integrated across the tiers?

• Are students engaged?

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Clarify Theory-based Instructional Practices/Strategies – What

We’ve Learned!

• Common Language– General Education, Special Education, Title

I, ESL, Reading Coaches, Leadership exc..

• FOCUS ON CORE INSTRUCTION FIRST!• Application and Discussion Activity

– Tools for Secondary Response to Instruction and Intervention- Tier 1 Core Instruction

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Objective #3:

Apply characteristics of successful implementation in order to close the “what-how” gap.

Source:

Essential Question #3: Do you think that these are common

practices?

1. Think deeply about the standards students need to meet and what content they need to learn.

2. Collaborate about how to teach those standards .3. Create/use formative assessments to tell whether

students have learned the material. 4. Look at the data to see who didn’t learn.5. Collaborate about what they need to do differently

in order to intervene with students who didn’t learn.

Please talk with a partner. Agree on those activities that are usually accomplished when teachers get

together.

Critical Focus Areas for Improvement: Continuous Professional Development

1.A Focus on Instruction2.Continuous Professional Development

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Professional Development

Training Steps

Knowledge Acquisition

Skill Acquisition

Classroom Application

Theory Medium

50%

Very Low

5%

Very Low

0%

Theory & Demonstration

High

85%

Low

15%

Very Low

0%

Theory, Demonstration & Practice

High

85%

High

80%

Very Low

5%

Theory, Demonstration, Practice & Coaching

High

90%

High

90%

High

95%

Joyce, B. & Showers, B. 2002 48

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Reflection

Evaluate your school’s current professional development model.

Are there any action steps you could take to continue to enhance and

positively influence future PD opportunities?

Closing the Science to Practice Gap

Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M. & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network (FMHI Publication #231).

Rethinking the Implementation Challenge

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How do we build organizational and relational

trust?

Trust and Organizational Values

Strongest Level Of Trust: • 1 in 2 chances of making significant improvements in student

learning

Weakest Level of Trust: • 1 in 7 chances of making significant improvements in student

learning

- Bryk and SchneiderTrust in Schools: A Core Resource for

Improvement

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Science to Service

Closing the What-How Gap:What Doesn’t Work

1. Information dissemination alone (researchliterature, mailings, promulgation of practiceguidelines) is an ineffective implementationMethod

2. Training (no matter how well done) by itself is an ineffective implementation method.

What Doesn’t Work

3. Implementation by edict does not work4. Implementation by “following the

money” does not work5. Implementation without changing

supporting roles and functions does not work

(Paul Nutt, 2002)

Core Components of Evidenced Based Practices

1.Clearly described (who/what)2.Practical measure of fidelity3.Fully operationalized (do/say)4.Field tested (recursive revision)5.Contextualized (org./systems fit)6.Effective (worth the effort)

Critical Focus Areas: Cross Role Learning

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The Power of PLC’s

Professional Learning Communities

The most promising strategy for sustained and substantive school improvement is building capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community. The path to change in classrooms lies within and through professional learning communities.

Dufour & Eaker

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A Learning Community is Characterized by

1. Shared Mission, Vision, and Values2. Collaborative Teams 3. Collective Inquiry4. Action Orientation/experimentation5. Commitment to Continuous school

improvement6. Results Oriented7.SMART goals

Dufour, Dufour & Eaker

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Collaboration

“Even the best professionaldevelopment may fail to create

meaningful and lasting changes inteaching and learning – unless

teachers engage in ongoingprofessional dialogue to developa reflective school community.”

Regie Routman, 2002

Spoof on Collaborative-Planning

DuFour - PLCs 59

Stages of Implementation

• Exploration• Installation• Initial Implementation (2-4

Years)• Full Implementation

• Innovation• Sustainability

(Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005)

Implementation

What do we need to know about successful

Implementation methods?

Implementation is not an event.

Source:

“I knew achievement wouldn’t be a problem once we got the structures in place.”

Terri Tomlinson, principal,

George Hall Elementary School,

2004

What We’ve Learned….

• Alignment, Implementation Capacity and Leadership MATTER (Fixen, 2005)– practitioners are the intervention, new

notions of distributed leadership that are challenging historic bureaucratic conceptions of schools

– Skills, collaboration, coordination and stamina

“ Some of our children live in pretty dire circumstances. But we can’t dwell on that, because we can’t change it. So when we come here, we have to dwell on that which is going to move our kids.”

• --Barbara Adderley, former principal,M. Hall Stanton Elementary, Philadelphia

Professional Development

Training Steps

Knowledge Acquisition

Skill Acquisition

Classroom Application

Theory Medium

50%

Very Low

5%

Very Low

0%

Theory & Demonstration

High

85%

Low

15%

Very Low

0%

Theory, Demonstration & Practice

High

85%

High

80%

Very Low

5%

Theory, Demonstration, Practice & Coaching

High

90%

High

90%

High

95%

Final Essential Question: What resources are available on the Standards Aligned System to close the “what-how” gap?

Web Sites – Framework References

21st Century Skills• http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/Gates Foundation• http://www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/high-

schools.aspxCenter on Instruction• http://www.centeroninstruction.org/International Reading Association-Response to Intervention• http://www.reading.org/Libraries/Resources/

RTI_brochure_web.sflb.ashxNational Center on Response to Intervention• http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?

option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=8&Itemid=110PA Standards Aligned System Portal• http://www.pdesas.org/RtI Action Network• http://www.rtinetwork.org/Learn/Why/ar/RadarScreen

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Web Sites – Framework References

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessmenthttp://www.wida.us/The IRIS Centerhttp://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/Institute of Educational Scienceshttp://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/index.htmlFlorida Center for Reading Researchhttp://www.fcrr.org/National High School Centerhttp://www.betterhighschools.org/topics/

dropoutprevention.aspAchievehttp://www.achieve.org/

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References

Contact Information www.pattan.net

Angela Kirby-WehrDirector-PaTTAN-Harrisburg

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Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaTom Corbett, Governor

Pennsylvania Department of EducationRonald J. Tomalis, Secretary

Carolyn C. Dumaresq, Ed. D., Deputy Secretary

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

John J. Tommasini, DirectorBureau of Special Education

Patricia Hozella, Assistant DirectorBureau of Special Education