Changing Roles and Teaming Process

Rhode Island RTI Initiative

Module #4

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RTIBuilding the RI Model

What is it?• A problem-solving process• A school-wide instruction and intervention

system• A way to make data-based decisions using

screening and progress monitoring data• A shared responsibility• Part of the special education and personal

literacy plan process

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RTI

Goals of this Module

1. To develop awareness of the RTI team process and the changing roles and responsibilities for staff under an RTI approach.

2. To consider and discuss with your colleagues your current systemic problem solving team process for effectively implementing RTI.

3. To develop next steps for an RTI team and re-structured roles in your school and district.

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RTI Intervention Teams and Roles of Staff

I. PurposeA. Differences between teams: TST vs. ITB. Expanding Circle of Support: What does that

mean for TST and ET teams?

II. Intervention Team ProcessA. Problem solving steps (review)B. CompositionC. Roles and responsibilitiesD. Sample meetingE. Considerations

III. Changing Roles of the StaffIV. Planning Next Steps

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RTI RI’s Expanding Circles of Support

Special education

Reading specialist Other specialists

Counselor Teacher assistants

Students

Parents

Teachers

Intervention Team

EL Teacher Special Educators

School Psychs-DPT’s

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RTIRTI vs. Pre-Referral The two differ primarily in purpose and intent.

• A RTI Team develops valid interventions designed to resolve a student's academic or behavioral difficulty in a general education setting if possible. The emphasis in problem solving is to meet the student's needs first and produce positive learning outcomes.

• Conversely, Pre-Referral Teams typically move a child through one or more interventions as a prelude to a traditional psycho-educational assessment for consideration of special education placement.

• A Pre-Referral Team is often used as a mechanism to collect all the necessary referral information in order to get a student evaluated.

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RTI Problem Solving Approach

1. Problem Identification

2. Problem Analysis

3. Plan Development4. Plan Implementation

5. Plan Evaluation

ReviseModify

IntensifyWith Expanding Support

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RTITST IT

• Work with at risk students in general education identified by referral

• Analyze student strengths and needs by reviewing existing records and information

• Identify the challenge --pinpoint underlying reasons for academic or behavioral difficulty

• Synthesize information• Develop recommendations

• Work with at risk students in general education identified by referral or universal screening

• Analyze student strengths and needs by reviewing existing records and information

• Identify the challenge --pinpoint underlying reasons for academic or behavioral difficulty

• Synthesize information• Develop recommendations

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RTI Expanding Circle of SupportRI’s Model of Teaming

Grade-Level Meeting

Analyze grade-level dataSupport teachers in PLP process

Design Core and strategic interventions to support teacher and student learning

Intervention Team Meeting

Consultation with other professionalsSupporting Teacher and Student to Improve Student Learning

Problem Solving Process to Plan and Evaluate Strategic and Intensive Interventions

Special Education Team Meeting

Determine EligibilityDevelop and Monitor IEP

New Thing

Evolved TST

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RTI Expanding Circle of SupportRI’s Model of Teaming

ExpandedTST to ITPurpose:

Problem-solve to support student learningDevelop interventions and monitor progress

Consult with variety of professionals

Evaluation TeamPurpose:

Determine Special Education EligibilityRe-evaluation

EX

AM

PL

E:

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RTI Expanding Circle of SupportRI’s model of teaming

Intervention TeamPurpose:

Problem-solve to support student learningDevelop interventions and monitor progress

Consult with variety of professionals

Evaluation TeamPurpose:

Determine Special Education EligibilityRe-evaluation

EX

AM

PL

E:

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RTIReadiness to be an RTI team

What does the research say…

– Team Format

– Assignment of Staff

– Professional Development

– Development of Interventions/ Progress Monitoring

– Fidelity of Implementation

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RTIRe-Structuring Roles and

the Team Process

Questions being asked~

• How do we do it? Professional develop-ment to understand rationale behind RTI, embrace the philosophy, understand change process

• What does it look like? How will current duties and the team process change?

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RTI I don’t want to hear it…

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RTIMore Money or Staff???

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RTIUh…..sorry

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RTIActivity 1: Reflection

Reflect on your personal experience with students performing below standard and the team approach used.

• What roles and components of the RTI process does your team already incorporate?

• What RTI roles and components are NOT part of your team’s work?

• What steps could your team take to incorporate these roles and components?

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RTIRe-Structuring Roles and

the Team Process

• How do we do it? Professional develop-ment to understand rationale behind RTI, embrace the philosophy, understand change process

• What does it look like? How will current duties and the team process change?

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RTI What Skills and Training Are Needed to Implement

Problem-Solving Teams?

• Training• Good listening and collaboration

skills • Interventions and measurement• Start slowly• All school personnel will need to be

familiar with the process

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RTIExample of Team

Composition

• Core group– Standing Members: administrator, instructional

specialist, psychologist– Case-specific Members: parent(s), teacher(s),

student (if appropriate)

• Members as appropriate/needed– ESL, speech/language, reading, TA, social worker,

nurse, special education teacher, guidance counselor, etc.

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RTIIntervention Team

Duties

• Establish meeting day, time, & place

• Establish a close ended time period for intervention to work

• Assign responsibilities to team members for materials or training on interventions, contacting outside resources, and for monitoring and documenting progress

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RTI Team Members & Responsibilities (example)

Chairperson Facilitator Taskmaster Recorder Case Mgr

Schedules meeting Purpose, intros, ground rules. Timekeeper Document

discussionGathers information

Meeting starts on time & members are prepared

Comments are elicited, empathy, respect, positive tone

Follow agenda- no interruptions

Complete forms

Presents info

Confidential storing of info Everyone participates

Discussion limited to student

Organizes info/data

Monitors inter-ventions

Sends notice for time, date, and place for follow up

Team reviews status, develops recommendations

Open-minded non-judgmental

Plots progress

Commu-nicates

Ensures records are followed & documented –oversees & supervises

Doesn’t unduly wait to refer for 504 or ET

Purpose of the meeting is met

Persons responsible have done what is expected

Assigns follow up responsibility

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RTIActivity 2: Mock Meeting

Ms. Jones is concerned about the lack of third grader Johnny Smith’s reading progress. She was not concerned in the fall but he didn’t meet benchmarks in January.

• Having tried everything she can think of to help this student, including working with Johnny in a small group, Ms. Jones goes to the IT for assistance late in January. Cumulative records indicate reading skills have always lagged behind classmates’. Spelling and written language skills are also lagging. Math skills are average. Social studies and science grades are suffering because of the greater emphasis on reading. Ms. Jones brings work samples of a social studies project with nice artwork and creativity.

• Absences in K and gr. 1 were <10 each year, 15 in gr. 2, and 18 in gr. 3

• Ms. Jones has had contact with Ms. Smith who explained Johnny moved from Rocksville, RI to Rhodesville, RI when she and Mr. Smith divorced in gr. 2.

• The Guidance Counselor has observed Johnny & concurs w/Ms. Jones that Johnny is well liked by his peers and although eager to please the teacher, tends to be very social.

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RTISchool Personnel Roles

• As a school-wide prevention approach, RTI includes changing instruction for struggling students to help them improve academic skills and behaviors.

• RTI calls for early identification of learning and behavioral needs, close collaboration among teachers, special education personnel, parents, and related service providers to ensure students make progress in the general education classroom.

• To meet the needs of all students we must utilize our collective resources to intervene early and provide appropriate interventions and supports to address learning and behavioral problems.

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RTIChanging Responsibilities

RTI will require changes ….

in terms of assessment approaches …as well as models of intervention and instructional support.

• Staff must engage in new and expanded roles that incorporate prevention and identification of at risk students prior to special education referral.

• Provide direct and indirect services to support struggling students, children with disabilities, school personnel, and families.

• Expand their professional “tool kit” to include more instructionally relevant and contextually based procedures for evaluations, especially progress monitoring assessments.

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RTI

This will likely require a change in roles for everyone!

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RTIKey Roles

• School personnel play a number of important roles in using RTI to provide needed instruction, assessment, collaboration, and intervention activities for struggling students.

1. Program-System Design

2. Collaboration & Consultation

3. Serving Individual Students

School Personnel Key Roles/Responsibilities (Examples)

School Personnel Program Design Collaboration Serving Individual Students

Reading Specialist

Assist to select, design, implement, and interpret whole school screening programs that provide early intervening services for children to be considered “at risk.”

Create and supervise a long-term staff development process that supports the development and implementation of a district wide literacy program

Observe students in the instructional environment in order to help identify barriers to intervention, and to collect RTI data.

Speech –Language/OT

Plan and conduct professional development on the language basis of literacy and learning.

Assist general education classroom teachers with universal screening.

Assist staff in interpreting data as part of the decision-making process.

General Ed. Teachers

Communicate and consult with administration, school board members, service providers and parents.

Help parents understand the new model and how it impacts their children, and encourage parent input in each tier of intervention

Set realistic goals, design appropriate instructional strategies and progress monitoring procedures, and evaluate student progress, all with the help of team members.

Special Ed. Teachers

Translate the results of assessments into recommendations to inform instruction, develop behavioral change programs, and implement learning supports.

Leading member of the IT team providing intervention strategy assistance.

Individualize instruction in an inclusive, small group, or one-to-one setting based upon the student’s needs and progress.

Psychologist Conduct needs assessment to identify potential obstacles, concerns, and initial training needs.

Collaborate to develop team procedures. These procedures may include: referral, monitoring/evaluation at each tier, measurement of RTI, observation and interview protocol, etc.

Train staff in progress monitoring strategies for individual students and how to interpret the resulting data.

Teaching Assistants

Active member of problem-solving intervention team

Administer reading or math curriculum based measurements (CBMs). Enter and communicate results of data.

Recording observations of behavior and learning strategies.

Social Workers Assist in the design of instructional assessment models

Work collaboratively with private and community employed practitioners who may be serving an individual child.

Consult with professionals and parents regarding early intervention.

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RTIChanging Roles

Challenges

• Me

• Fellow colleagues

• Profession

Opportunities

• Me

• Fellow colleagues

• Profession

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RTIMeeting the challenges…

• On-going Professional Development

• Reallocation of time

• Systemic approach to service delivery – consultation, collaboration and short-term interventions in general education

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RTINext step…

What can your school reasonably begin to focus on?

• Examine status regarding effectiveness and efficiency of teaming process for staff and parents

• Examine the effectiveness of the staff to meet all students' needs in reading, writing, math, or emotional/behavioral skills.

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RTICongratulations!