starting upstream: improving achievement through rapid intervention for acsa every child counts...

Starting Upstream: Improving Achievement through

Rapid Interventionfor ACSA Every Child Counts

Build the Future Today SymposiumJanuary 14, 2015

Presenters: Dr. Lee FunkDirector – Special EducationSchool Innovations & Achievement

Gary SanchezDirector of Special EducationCutler-Orosi Joint USD

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Introducing Cutler-OrosiA Unified District of approximately 4,100 in the Central Valley

Source: CDE, Ed-Data, http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/

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This Morning’s Topics The trouble with “normal” Why standard practices persist Why strategies are more relevant than ever Why pre-referrals matter for rapid interventions Interventions and perceptions Uniform vs. prescriptive approach Pre-referral systems that works Making prescriptive interventions accessible Leveraging 504 Diagnostic instruction and universal design Changing problems in practice

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The Trouble with “Normal”

Source: CDE, 2011-12 presented by Tom Parish for AIR and WestEd to SBE, March 2013, 0.1% of the total population are not included in the data; TEA, Extrapolated from “Pocket Edition”, 2012; New York State Report Card 2011-12, NYSEd.gov, reportcards.nysed.gov/ IDEA Data, U.S. Department of Education, IDEAData.org, Ed.gov, www.ed.gov/open/plan/ideadata-org

http://www.ed.gov/open/plan/ideadata-org

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Why the Standard Practices Persist

• New Staff Members are Unprepared, Schools Ill-Equipped and Teachers Feel Unsupported

o 95% of new teachers feel unprepared about critical classroom management strategies

o NCTQ survey “I found when I entered the classroom on my own that I was inadequately prepared in the day-to-day, immediate management techniques that would have made my first few years successful.”

Source: National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) Teacher Prep Review Survey, 2013

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• Personnel enter the profession with inadequate trainingo Professional Development time and funding vary by

district and by state o Most districts lack the resources to provide comprehensive

training to correct the deficiencies of teachers ill-prepared for the diversity of the classroom

o Staff turnovers and the retirement of seasoned teachers compound the difficulty

Why the Standard Practices Persist

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“The standards … are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs. The Common Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and

analytical skills students will need to be successful.”

Why Strategic Interventions Are More Relevant than ever

Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative, http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/

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Key Shifts in English Language Arts

• Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language

• Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational

• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

Key Shifts in Mathematics

• Greater focus on fewer topics

• Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades

• Rigor: Conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application

Why Strategic Interventions Are More Relevant Than Ever

Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative, http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

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Forty-three states, the District of Columbia, four territories and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the standards.


Source: Common Core State Standards Initiativehttp://www.corestandards.org/standards-in-your-state/

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• Very few teachers feel their students are highly prepared to master the common standards or the assessments linked to them.

• Teachers believe that their schools are more prepared to put the common standards into practice than they are to implement aligned assessments.

• Educators feel moderately prepared to teach the common core to their students as a whole. However, their confidence drops for certain student groups, particularly English-language learners and students with disabilities.

Source: Education Week Research Center,From Adoption to Practice: Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core, October 2013

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75% of students referred into Special Education are considered Mild to Moderate

7.5-16% exit rates back to General Education

Students who remain in special education throughout their school career are less successful in adult life by almost every measurable indicator

Did you know?

Why ‘Pre-Referrals’ Matter

Sources: • Scull, J. & Winkler, A., “Shifting Trends in Special Education,” Fordham Institute (2011); Anderson, P.,

“Prevalence Estimates for Autism Disorder Now Exceed 1%,” Medscape Multispeciality (2009), accessed October 24, 2013, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/710009; Heward, W. L., Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e, Pearson Education, Inc. (2006)

• Michigan Department of Education, National Center of Education Statistics• U.S. Department of Ed, NCSER, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), 2009 Wave 5

Interviews

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/710009

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“The primary purpose of the pre-referral intervention, especially when used as a team model, is to solve problems collectively, at the same time as develop strategies for student success in effort to reduce inappropriate referrals for special education assessment.”

Source: Kovaleski, Gickling, Morrow, & Swank, 1999

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In a project involving 1,700 schools in 500 districts throughout Pennsylvania, 85% of students receiving assistance through pre-referral teams DID NOT need any further evaluation for special education

Pareto Principle adapted

Source: Testimony of Dr. Joseph Kovaleski before the subcommittee on Education Reform, U.S. House of Representatives; June 6, 2002

1/5

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Interventions & Perceptions

Most remedial efforts, which tend to be uniform, focus on academics

Attendance Behavior Emotional

Physical

Speech & Language

Social

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Uniform vs. Prescriptive ApproachStandard treatment protocol approach (usually remedial):

Definition: Use of consistent interventions, selected by the school that can address multiple students’ needs.

Fixed Oriented towards Academics Skill based Practice and more practice

Problem Solving Approach (diagnostic in intent):

Definition: Use of interventions, selected by a team, that targets student’s individual needs.

Personalized Oriented toward Strengths and

Weaknesses Based on traits Interventions and Measurement

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Organizational & instructional factors

Tier 2-At Risk Tier 3-High Risk

Time allotted 30 minutes, 3–5 days/week 45–120 minutes, 5 days/week

Grouping 5–8 students 1–3 students

Duration < 20 weeks 20+ weeks

Staffing General education teacher, intervention specialist

Intervention specialist, content specialist, special education teacher

Assessment type Group Individual

Progress monitoring

Biweekly or monthly At least weekly

Instructional focus Use of core and supplemental programs

More strategically structured with intervention programs

Behavioral expectations

Structured systems to reinforce and correct challenging behavior

Use of functional behavioral assessment to plan and individualized intervention

Scaffolding Utilize “I do, we do, you do together, you do alone” framework

Provide more intensive guided practice during “we do”

Uniform vs. Prescriptive Approach: Beyond Tier 1Note: Tier 1 usually applies to strategies utilized in the core program.

Source: Table adapted fromRtI Action Network,a program from the National Center forLearning Disabilitieshttp://www.rtinetwork.org/

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Pre-Referral Systems that Work

FINAL REVIEWFormal Evaluation for Special Education ServicesParent PermissionDocumentationNext Steps

TEAMSCollaborative

Problem SolvingCommunication

Intervention Strategies

Reviews

Over the years, the number of Special Education referrals

have spiked – we’re over identifying mild to moderate students while seeing a drop

in their academic performance and graduation rates.

The purpose of this program is to address the

root cause; reducing the referrals to Special Education

by managing effective interventions well before a

formal evaluationtakes place.

Partnering4StudentSuccessSM delivers immediate support

in the General Ed classroom with easy-to- use

software, guiding teachers and Pre-Referral teams

throughresearch-based

intervention strategies.

CLASSROOMResearch-based help for teachers in the classroomConcernsIntervention StrategiesReviews

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Make Prescriptions Accessible by Targeting Concerns

Possible teacher concernsfor struggling students

Types of issues

• Academic• Attendance• Behavior• Emotional• Physical• Social• Speech & Language

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Make Prescriptions Accessible Through A Portfolio Of Intervention Strategies

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Component of the Legislation IDEA Section 504

Purpose

To ensure free and appropriate education services for children with disabilities who fall within one of the categories defined by the law.

A broad civil rights law that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in any agency, school or institution receiving federal funds providing persons with disabilities to the greatest extent possible, an opportunity to fully participate with their peers.

Who Is Protected

Covers eligible students ages 3-21 whose disability adversely affects the child's educational performance and/or ability to benefit from general education.

Covers all persons with a disability from discrimination based solely on their disability. Section 504 defines a person with a disability as:• Having a physical or mental

impairment which limits one or more major life activity;

• Have a record of such an impairment; or

• Are regarded as having an impairment.

Leveraging 504

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Services

Individual supplemental educational services and supports in addition to what is provided to students in the general curriculum to ensure that the child has access to and benefits from the general curriculum.

Requires schools to eliminate barriers that would prevent the student from participating fully in the programs and services offered in the general curriculum.

Requirements for Delivering Services

Requires a written Individualized Education Program (IEP) documentation with specific content addressing the disability directly and specifying educational services to be delivered, mandating transition planning for students 16 and over, as well as a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) for any child with a disability that has a behavioral issue.

Requires a documented plan with reasonable accommodations, supports and auxiliary aides to allow the child to participate in the general curriculum.

Funding Additional funding to states for eligible students

Does not provide additional funds.

Leveraging 504

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/understanding-individualized-education-programs

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/behavioral-intervention-plans-what-you-need-to-know

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Evaluation Procedures

Multiple assessment tools must be used to assess the child in all areas of the suspected disability. Written consent is necessary by parent or guardian before an initial evaluation is conducted Requires a reevaluation every three years by IEP team to determine if services are still needed to address student disability unless the parent and other members of the IEP team agree it is not necessary.

Evaluation draws on information from a variety of sources in the area of concern. A group decision is made with persons knowledgeable about the student, evaluation data, and available educational placement options. Written consent is not necessary before completing an evaluation; however, notice must be provided to parent or guardian. Requires yearly re-evaluations or periodic review.

Procedural Safeguards

Requires written notice to parent/guardian prior to identification, evaluation and/or placement of childor changes of services or placement. Requires due-process rights to be followed at all times and manifestation determination hearing for discipline procedures.

Does not require written notice. Requires notice before a "significant change" in placement — requires due-process rights if referred for formal evaluation under IDEA, and the team determines not to evaluate.

Leveraging 504

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Placement Decisions

Information from a variety of sources with team approach to make decisions. Members are identified under IDEA and must be knowledgeable about the child, evaluation data, and the continuum of placements and services available. A free and appropriate education with his/her non-disabled peers in the least restricted environment.

Information from a variety of sources with a team approach to make decisions. Team members must be knowledgeable about the child, evaluation data, and the continuum of placements and services available. The student must receive a free and appropriate education with his/her non-disabled peers. Students are served in general education with or without modification. • Repeated or simplified instructions• Behavior management or

intervention strategies• Modified testing procedures- small

group; oral testing; extended time; test read to student

• Tape recorders, spell checkers, calculators, computers, word processor, etc.

• Modified or adjusted homework, workbooks, second set of textbooks

• Textbooks on tapeMany accommodations and modifications used on an IEP can be included in a 504 accommodation plan.

Leveraging 504

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Leveraging 504

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Overal

l SW

D Identificati

on Rate

Intelle

ctual

Disabilit

y

Speech

or Lan

guag

e Impair

ment

Emotional

Disturb

ance

Other H

ealth Im

pairment

Specifi

c Learn

ing Disa

bility

Autism

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

11.2%

6.3%

23.4%

3.6%

9.6%

40.2%

11.3%

7.2%

18.9%14.9%

2.3%

14.2%

36.5%

8.0%

6.1%

19.4%

15.1%

0.8%

10.7%

38.5%

8.3%

State TotalCounty TotalDistrictwide

Disability

Perc

ent o

f Tot

al S

tude

nts w

ith D

isabi

lities

Note: Districtwide includes students who are served by the COE or SELPA and reside within the district.Data Source: (Educational Demographics Unit, 2013)

Leveraging 504

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Pre-assessment, formative and summative assessment are essential for diagnostic instruction

Train all teachers in progress monitoring, error analysis, and the use of formative assessments.

Embed formative and interim assessments into the instructional program

Interim Assessments were purchased through the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium membership fees paid by the CDE, and will be available to all K-12 teachers at no cost. Information regarding login and access will

be provided in fall of 2014..

Formative Assessment Gets Us Where We Want to Go

Diagnostic Instruction

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Start making universal design a reality in standard classroom instruction and school culture!

Multiple means of representationMultiple means of action & expressionMultiple means of engagement Individualized interventions employed

Accessible supports and accommodationsConsistent use of prompts & tools

Diagnostic Instruction & Universal Design

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Changing Problems in Practice

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Changing Problems in Practiceat the District Level

1) Develop a district-wide plan for a pre-referral process that is systematic.

2) Set up structures & schedules for administrators and teachers to use the process to personalize instruction

3) Train teachers and principals in how to analyze student data.

4) Emphasize evaluation for individual student progress and results districtwide.

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Evaluating Practicesat the District Level

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1. Identify struggling students by areas of concern, such as attendance, reading, or behavior.

2. Offer accessible intervention services towards critical outcomes.

3. Monitor frequently and consistently at the classroom level.

Changing Problems in Practiceat the Site Level

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Changing Problems in Practiceat the Classroom Level

1. Use pre-assessment, formative and summative assessment routinely in the teaching/learning cycle.

2. Assess student readiness, interest and learning preferences.

3. Chart information and share it with students and parents.

4. Differentiate assessment when it is appropriate.

5. Plan based on assessment data, not grades.

starting upstream: improving achievement through rapid intervention for acsa every child counts...

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