Integrating  RTI:    Pulling  it  all  Together  

George  Batsche  Judy  Elliott  

Kevin  Feldman  Randy  Sprick  

 January  29,  2012  

Alaska  RTI  Conference  

Implementa)on,  Leadership,    Obstacles  and  Resources:  Focus  of  the  Ques)ons  

•  How  to  implement  when  administra)ve  departments  are  not  on  the  same  page?  

•  How  do  you  monitor  implementa)on  across  a  district?  

•  How  is  ASD  going  to  develop  a  common  language  or  template  for  RtI  Implementa)on?  

•  How  do  you  get  the  district  office  to  understand  “what  is  happening  in  the  trenches”?  

•  What  is  the  role  of  special  educa)on,  school  psychology,  speech  pathologists?  

•  What  does  parent  involvement  look  like?  •  How  do  you  get  buy-­‐in  at  the  school  level?  

Themes  that  Emerged    From  the  Ques)ons  

•  Is  RtI  a  “school  reform  process”  or  just  an  “overlay”  on  what  we  are  doing  now?  

•  Do  we  “fit”  into  the  RtI  process  based  on  “what  we  do  now”  or  will  this  require  a  change  in  roles  and  responsibili)es?  

•  If  it’s  a  change  in  roles  and  responsibili)es—that  is  SCARY!    Will  I  be  needed?    Will  my  skills  be  valued  or  useful?    If  my  role  will  change,  will  I  get  the  support  to  develop  that  new  role  and  be  successful  in  that  new  role?  

•  Will  there  be  a  place  for  everyone  at  the  table?  •  Will  this  be  less  of  a  top  down  model  and  more  of  a  flat,  

collabora)ve  model?  •  Just  how  DO  we  move  from  Silos  to  a  new  way  of  work  and  

organiza)on?  

Implementa)on  Decisions  •  RtI  IS  a  school  reform  process  

–  Taking  what  the  district/school  is  doing  and  striving  for  beYer  outcomes  through  a  data-­‐based  delivery  system  

–  Roles  and  responsibili)es  will  align  with  the  skill  sets  of  the  RtI  model  –  Its  more  a  change  in  “how”  we  work  rather  than  “what  we  do”  –  More  collabora)ve,  focused  on  student  outcomes,  integrated  instruc)on/

interven)on  –  Less  “expert  "model  more  “solo”  work  –  This  is  NOT  “doing  something  different  the  same  way.”    

•  The  district  level  organiza8on  and  the  school  level  organiza8on  should  mirror  each  other:  –  DBLT  and  SBLT  –  You  CAN  do  this  at  the  school  level  without  district  support  but  it  will  not  last  –  The  school  COULD  operate  as  its  own  “district”—but  the  school  would  be  

doing  things  differently  that  what  the  district  supports  

     

Implementa)on  Issues  

•  The  district/school  mission  state  should  focus  on  student  outcomes  –  The  district  at  post-­‐secondary  outcomes  –  The  school  on  outcomes  related  to  student  readiness  for  the  next  “level”  

•  District  provides  support  for  school  implementa)on:  –  Policies  –  Flexibility  –  Staffing  )ed  to  student  need  –  Professional  Development  –  Expecta)on  for  implementa)on  )melines  –  Principal  held  accountable  for  school-­‐level  implementa)on  

     

Gedng  Buy-­‐In  

•  Must  begin  at  the  district  level  to  sustain  implementa)on  – Adopt  RtI/MTSS  framework  to  align  and  integrate  the  work  of  all  departments/units  

– MTSS  IS  the  district  delivery  system  –  Consensus  building  work  at  the  district  level  

•  School-­‐Level  Consensus  Building  – www.RtInetwork.org            “Gedng  Started”  – www.nasdse.org          “School  Blueprint”  – www.floridar).usf.edu    “Technical  Manual”  

Gedng  Buy-­‐In  

•  SBLT  is  primary  unit  to  facilitate  consensus  •  Use  data  and  feedback  with  staff  •  Include  parent  representa)on  on  SBLT  during  this  phase  

•  On-­‐going  monitoring  of  staff  beliefs/prac)ces/sa)sfac)on  

•  Strong  professional  development  PLAN—actually  laid  out  for  all  to  see  

Roles  and  Responsibili)es  •  Everyone  uses  data-­‐based  decision-­‐making  and  problem  solving  

•  Everyone  is  focused  on  the  agreed  upon  goals  for  the  student/students/class/grade/school  

•  Problem-­‐solving  process  is  inclusive  and  collabora)ve  

•  Plan  is  iden)fied  

•  ALL  personnel  are  resources  for  the  implementa)on  of  the  plan  

•  Personnel  ac)vi)es  are  determined  based  on  what  is  NEEDED  to  implement  the  plan—not  only  what  the  “tradi)onal”  role  of  the  personnel  might  be  

•  Expanded  roles  will  be  determined  based  on  actual  needs  of  students/parents/staff—this  will  occur  slowly  over  )me  

•  District  policies  and  prac)ces  on  personnel  assignments  will  change  slowly  over  )me  and  role  changes  and  expansion  are  indicated  

•  Professional  development  must  focus  on  the  skills  that  staff  need  to  improve  student  performance  outcomes  

Roles  and  Responsibili)es  

•  WHAT  IS  NEEDED  TO  IMPROVE  STUDENT  PERFORMANCE?  

•  WHO  HAS  THE  SKILLS  TO  DO  THAT?  

•  WHAT  ARE  THE  BARRIERS  TO  ASSIGNING  THE  “WHO”  TO  THE  “WHAT”?  –  Policies?  –  Regula)ons?  –  Skill  Sets?  

•  HOW  DO  WE  PROBLEM-­‐SOLVE  THE  BARRIERS  –  THIS  IS  ESSENTIAL  TO  THE  SUCCESS  OF  THIS  PROCESS  

TABLE  TOP  ACTIVITY  

1.  Iden)fy  3  obstacles  to  the  implementa)on  of  this  model  

2.  For  each  obstacle,  iden)fy  possible  solu)ons  to  that  obstacle  

 -­‐-­‐    Be  sure  to  consider  resources  that  you  have  now  

Behavior  &  Instruc)on:  Chicken  &  Egg  

•  Integration of behavior and academics for teachers and all staff

•  Behavior Leadership Team/Instructional Leadership Team OR—Behavior Task Force as a subset of RTI Team

•  Tier 1: Schoolwide and classroom level best practice – Climate, safety, discipline, bullying reduction,

motivation, and so on •  A major roadblock to RTI for behavior:

“GET THIS KID OUT OF MY ROOM!”

“Which  prom  are  you  going  to?”  

From  the  Dallas  Morning  News  April,  2004  

The  most  popular  ques)on  at  _____High  School  this  month  won’t  be  “Who  are  taking  to  the  prom?”  or  “What  are  you  wearing?”      The  most  pressing  ques)on  will  be,  “Which  prom  are  you  going  to?”  

Irked  by  a  school  rule  that  bars  many  of  their  classmates  from  the  school-­‐sponsored  prom,  a  group  of  students  is  planning  an  alterna)ve  prom  to  compete  with  the  official  prom  on  April  24th.  

High  school  principal  Mr.  ____,  to  encourage  classroom  aYendance,  decreed  that  students  who  collected  eight  absences  between  November  10  and  March  31,  excused  or  not  ,  can’t  aYend  the  prom.  

That  didn’t  sit  well  with  seniors  Ian  ___  and  Peter  ____,  who  launched  the  alterna)ve  prom  idea  with  the  help  of  friends.  

   

“It  was  a  joke  at  first,  “  said  Ian,  17.  “Then  we  just  said,  ‘Let’s  do  it.  They  can’t  stop  us,’”  added  Peter,  18,  

 “We’re  teenagers  with  )me.”  

Disrup've  Behaviors  By  Grade:    Lee  County  Middle  Schools  

0  20  40  60  80  

100  120  140  160  180  

6th Grade   7th Grade   8th Grade  

112  

86  

170  

Year 1  

21  

56   48  

Year 2  

7  

39  

12  

Year 3  

Behavior  &  Instruc)on:  Chicken  &  Egg  

•  Integration of behavior and academics for teachers and all staff

•  Behavior Leadership Team/Instructional Leadership Team OR—Behavior Task Force as a subset of RTI Team

•  Tier 1: Schoolwide and classroom level best practice – Climate, safety, discipline, bullying reduction,

motivation, and so on •  A major roadblock to RTI for behavior:

“GET THIS KID OUT OF MY ROOM!”

Table  Discussion:  

•  What can be done to reduce the “get this kid out of my classroom” mentality?

•  What can be done to improve Tier 1 behavior--both schoolwide and in all classrooms?

Issues/Ques8ons  raised:  

 

Effec8ve  Tier  1  instruc8on...  

Differen8a8on  instruc8on...  

Scaffolding  instruc8on....  

Fidelity  of  Tier  2  &  3...    

Best  first  teaching...  

True-isms for Improving OUR Schools

It is impossible to improve student achievement unless we improve our teaching...

How well we teach = how well they learn - email stamp, Dr. Anita Archer

Effective Teaching Can ONLY Be Determined by Student Results* !!

their  R      to  our  I  

“Successful schools are places where teams of teachers meet regularly to focus on student work through assessment and change their instructional practice accordingly to get better results”

(Michael Fullan, 2000)

Instructional Collaboration

* the heart of RTI2

Collaboration at Your Site... Reflect on last time you experienced this collaborative process

1)  What was the team? (PLC, Grade Level, Dept. etc.) 2)  What was the assessment data being analyzed? 3)  What were the instructional strategies discussed/tried to get better results? Did anyone help you learn these tactics (video, demo, observation, co-teaching?) 4) Did students improve? How was this assessed? 5) Is this process routine at your site? Are you

continuing to grow/improve as a teacher by being part of this team?

Decades of Research Indicates Most Professional Development Does NOT Impact Teacher Performance:

WHY?

We Have a Metaphorical “Berlin Wall” in Education

“I’ve been teaching high school math for 6 years and, student teaching aside, I have NEVER observed a colleague teaching.”

- Adam, Central OR Literacy Project Participant, 2011

“Actionable Feedback” is at the very heart of human learning – including teachers learning to teach more effectively!

What is the quantity & quality of teacher feedback re: the specific effects of their instruction on their students? (or in RTI lingo, their I to our R)

√ how often? √ who provides it? √ how specific/actionable? – what form (video? observational?) √ framed in what model or approach to instruction? √ opportunities to learn specific skills tied to

the feedback (video, observe, co-teach)? √ do teachers routinely provide feedback to

other teachers in collaborative teams?

1)  Classroom Learning Walks/Learning Pairs – using “LW tool” to clarify how our teaching is causing student engagement/thinking/etc.

2) Classroom Video Clips – analyze student response data - using same LW observation tool – a “virtual learning walk”...

3) Mini-lesson demonstration – 3-10 min. modeling some portion of a recent lesson – debrief using same LW tool.

   Breaking  Down  “the  wall”  –  3  Essen8al  Prac8ces  to  Promote  Improved  Instruc8on  

Table  Talk  Ques8on:      How  could  our  system  rou8nely  provide    “ac8onable  feedback”  to  teachers  re:  the  effects  of  their  instruc8on  (the  I  in  RtI)  on  student  learning  (or  the  students’  R  in  RtI)  ?    

•   Learning  Walks/Instruc8onal  Tours  •   Learning  Pairs  •   Video  +  debriefing  •   Barriers  &  possible  solu8ons  

If you held the Scepter...

It’s About

LEADERSHIP

It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders among those who may do well under the new.

Machiavelli

A leader is a person you will follow to a place you would not go by yourself.

Joel Barker, Future Edge,

It is about Leadership…

35

Two basic questions…

Are you happy with your data? Is every classroom one you would put your own flesh and blood?

Every system is perfectly aligned for the results it gets.

Work to Date {  

{  Work Remaining

There Is A Lot of Work To Be Done…

Consensus

Infrastructure Implementation

•  Multi-tiered framework •  Problem-solving process •  Data-based decision-making •  Academic engaged time •  Professional development  

RtI² Essential Components

The Vision

•  All students at or above proficiency

•  Students have the social and emotional behaviors that support engaged learning

•  An integrated system of educational services for ‘Every Ed’

•  Support Services perceived as a necessary component for successful schooling

The Outcomes   Good First Teaching for all students!   Targeted instruction and interventions for learners, both at-

risk and highly able   Significant improvements in pro-social behaviors   Reduction in over-representation of diverse student groups

in low academic performance, special education, suspension/expulsion, and alternative education

  Growth and overall improvement in achievement rates   Maximize and realign resources for a maximum return on

investment

Alterable vs

Unalterable Variables

Some Issues… •  Does there need to be a core program that all teachers

follow? •  What is our district curriculum and what do our

instructional leaders believe is our core instruction for Language Arts at Elementary?

•  How do you define core – is it standards, purchased curriculum or something else?

•  Attendance and truancy laws are not enforced… •  If I am busy assessing and collecting data – won’t it take

away from instruction/learning time? •  What does high quality instruction look like, supported and

sustained?

Remember…

It’s not the falling down, but the getting up that matters…

Table Top If you held the Scepter, what would you do differently to develop a plan for implementation for RtI2 at your school or district? (e.g., who will be involved, what data you would use, calendars, schedules, professional development, roles responsibilities of staff…) How will you plan to evaluate as to whether or not what you are doing is improving the outcomes for students over multiple measures?