Response to Intervention in Primary Grade Reading

1 BEST PRACTICES. FOR BETTER SCHOOLS . Early Childhood Education Response to Intervention in Primary Grade Reading National Association of Elementary School Principals Early Childhood Education Response to Intervention in Primary Grade Reading 2. About NAESP About This White Paper The mission of the National Association The content of this issue of Best Practices for of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Better Schools is excerpted with permission is to lead in the advocacy and support for from Doing What Works (DWW), a website elementary and middle-level principals and sponsored by the Department of other education leaders in their commitment Education.

2 The goal of DWW is to create an for all children. online library of resources to help principals and other educators implement research- Gail Connelly, Executive Director based instructional practice. DWW is led Michael Schooley, Deputy Executive Director by the Department's Office of Planning, National Association of Evaluation & Policy Development (OPEPD), Elementary School Principals which relies on the Institute of Education 1615 Duke Street Sciences (and occasionally other entities that Alexandria, Virginia 22314 adhere to standards similar to those of IES).

3 800-386-2377 or 703-684-3345 to evaluate and recommend practices that are supported by rigorous research. Much of the DWW content is based on informa- NAESP members receive access to this white tion from IES' What Works Clearinghouse paper as a member benefit. Learn more at (WWC), which evaluates research on practices and interventions to let the education community know what is likely About BEST PRACTICES FOR BETTER SCHOOLS . to work. Best Practices for Better Schools , an online publications series developed by the National NAESP was the only national education Association of Elementary School Principals, association awarded a grant to widely is intended to strengthen the effectiveness disseminate highlights of best-practice of elementary and middle-level principals content from the DWW website.

4 Readers are by providing information and insight about encouraged to visit the website to view all of research-based practices and by offering the resources related to this best practice and guidance for implementing them in schools. to share this online resource with colleagues, This series of publications is intended to teachers, and other educators. No additional inform discussion, strategies, and implemen- permission is required. tation, not to imply endorsement of any NAESP cares about the environment. This specific approach by NAESP.

5 White paper is available from NAESP as an online document only. NAESP members and other readers are encouraged to share this document with colleagues. Deborah Bongiorno, Editor Donna Sicklesmith-Anderson, Designer Published 2011. 3. Reponse to Intervention in Primary Grade Reading P. PRINCIPALS KNOW that achievement in team can help coordinate the staff and Reading is critical to the future success of resources needed to implement a schoolwide students. Response to Intervention (RtI) is a screening process. comprehensive early detection, prevention, and support system approach to help ACTIONS.

6 Students before they fall behind. This white Create a building-level RtI team to help paper outlines implementation of an RtI implement universal screening. framework along with these three Universal screening requires schoolwide recommended practices: coordination of staff members and resources. A building-level RtI team can address Universal screening;. logistical issues ( , scheduling and Progress monitoring and assigning staff members to administer differentiation; assessments), select screening measures to identify at-risk students, and establish Systematic skill instruction.

7 Progress monitoring procedures. The team Summaries of these practices follow. may include teachers, administrators, Reading specialists, school psychologists, ELL. Screen all students for potential Reading specialists, and special education staff. problems in the beginning and middle Select a set of screening measures to identify of the year. at-risk students. Effective RtI begins with universal student Select a set of screening measures to identify screenings. Research shows that teachers can at-risk students. Screening instruments need use beginning- and middle-of-the-year to be efficient, reliable, and valid measures of screenings in the Primary grades to appropriate Grade -level Reading skills, such accurately predict future Reading as phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, performance.

8 Accurate identification of vocabulary, decoding, word identification, at-risk students requires efficient, reliable, and text Reading . Using at least two screening and valid measures of appropriate Grade - measures can enhance the accuracy of the level Reading skills. Setting cut-point scores process. Schools should consider a screening allows schools to identify an initial pool of measure's ability to correctly identify students who may require interventions . students at risk for Reading difficulties Because no single assessment is perfectly (sensitivity) and students at low risk for such reliable, schools should engage in regular difficulties (specificity).

9 Progress monitoring to track at-risk students'. achievement. A building-level Intervention Progress monitoring is critical for regrouping students based on changing skill levels. Teachers will need professional development to learn how to collect and use data to differentiate instruction. 4. Use benchmarks and set cut-point scores in record student performance, goals and student screenings. strategies. Schools can use benchmarks and set School Leadership Team Process: Worksheet cut-point scores to identify children at low, to outline team processes for interventions .

10 Moderate, or high risk for developing Reading difficulties. Each district or school Screening Decision Rules: Rules for Reading can develop its own benchmarks and in kindergarten through Grade five. cut-point scores for screening students;. Schoolwide Screening Guidelines, Resources, however, it may be more feasible to use Examples: Ouline with the features of guidelines from national sources or universal screening and guidance for instrument developers, especially during the implementation. early phases of implementation.