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. 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).

2 800-386-2377 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. 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.

3 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. 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.

4 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. 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.

5 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. 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 .

6 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). 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 . 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.

7 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. Setting cut-point scores allows schools to identify an Screening Tools Chart: Chart rating a variety initial pool of at-risk students, but no one of screening tools based on accuracy, assessment measure is perfectly reliable. reliability and more. Therefore, schools should engage in regular progress monitoring to track student Monitor progress and differentiate achievement. instruction (based on assessed Reading skills for all students). what principals say Differentiated instruction is essential for all Principals can see how these actions are students, not only those receiving Tier two implemented in schools by viewing these and Tier three interventions .

8 Teachers can web-based interviews with teachers and vary instruction by changing content focus, specialists: amount of instructional time, and degree of scaffolding. In Tier one, differentiation can Screening All Students be provided during independent work or Implementing a Screening Program small groups. In Tiers two and three, teachers should use progress monitoring and Conducting Universal Screening analyze data to assess Reading proficiency The Power of Data growth, differentiate instruction, and to determine if students need additional help. Creating a Building-Level Team Progress monitoring is critical for Tools regrouping students based on changing skill The following tools are designed to help levels. Teachers will need professional principals and teachers implement this development to learn how to collect data, best practice in their school. Each tool is a interpret results, and use data to differentiate downloadable document that principals instruction.

9 Staff members might want to can adapt to serve their particular needs. work collectively to develop guidelines for grouping students for instruction. Teachers Universal Screening Establishing District need strong classroom management skills to Benchmarks: PowerPoint describing the use provide Tier one differentiated instruction. of universal screening measures. Some teachers will need help developing Screening and Intervention Record Forms: classroom routines that allow them to lead Forms used by teams in Pennsylvania to small groups with selected students while others work independently. Schools need to establish decision rules to ensure that screening and progress monitoring data guide student placement. 5. Actions administering assessments, collecting Use screening and other assessment data to data, interpreting the results, and using differentiate instruction in Tier one for all the information to differentiate students.

10 Instruction. Tier one Reading instruction is high-quality, evidence-based instruction provided to the what principals say whole class. Differentiated instruction at Principals can see how these actions are Tier one is vital, and teachers should use implemented in schools by viewing these Reading measures data to identify the skills web-based interviews with teachers and students need to target for improvement. specialists: Differentiation can occur by varying the Tier One Differentiation time, content, and degree of teacher support and scaffolding and might be carried out Progress Monitoring at Tier Two during independent work time or small Managing Progress Monitoring in the group instruction. Classroom Use progress monitoring to differentiate Differentiation Within the Kindergarten instruction for at-risk students receiving Tiers Core two and three interventions . RtI uses progress monitoring data to Managing Differentiation With Small differentiate instruction for at-risk students.