Leader’s Guide
Providing inclusive classroom interventions and differentiated instruction to meet the
needs of struggling learners.
Session Preparation. Prior to the session, the facilitator may request that the attendees
read the following articles as orientation to the topic:
"A tale of two languages"
http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2007/070925/f070925b/
"The complexities of being bilingual"
http://www.pediastaff.com/resources-the-complexities-of-being-bilingual--featuredapril-29-2011
"Becoming bilingual"
http://leader.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleID=1921109
Handouts/Materials: Pen, paper, iPad/tablet, computer
Slide number
1. Title: Providing inclusive classroom interventions and differentiated instruction to
meet the needs of struggling learners.
2. What is response to intervention/instruction? RtI/I was started by the general
education movement to monitor student progress through multi-tiered intervention
strategies. The purpose was to apply accountability to education on programs rather
than those that appear to be efficacious on the surface (i.e., "look good"). RtI/I focuses
on a number of core assumptions:
1. All children can learn;
2. Early intervention is crucial;
3. Delivery of multiple tiers of intervention is necessary;
4. Problem solving by professionals at each level is required;
5. Interventions based on research should be tried;
6. Progress needs to be monitored;
7. Data must be gathered at each intervention level.
3. The strength of RtI/I is that it focuses on learning in the student's environment.
Discuss ways of measuring learning with speech and language students.
4. Discuss weaknesses of tests. Where are tests weak and why does the profession
depend on them so exclusively? Role play with audience on how to convince school
administrators on the benefit of using RtI/I.
5. Specifically. What is Response to Intervention/Instruction (RtI/I)? One strength of
RtI/I is that it consists of a consultation-team model approach. Discuss how to work with
other professionals and how to "let-go" of preconceived notions of what each team
member should do.
6-10. The ultimate goal is that all students learn and that no student is "left behind."
What does this mean for classroom teachers? Discuss how SLPs can assist in this
process.
11. Discuss how we need to stop always blaming the student in their learning and
speech and language difficulties. How is the system at fault and what are solutions at
the school/teacher/SLP end of the continuum?
12. This slide presents information on intervention at the school, classroom, and student
levels of intervention. Please note that only 5% of students truly need assessment and
intervention targeted for students with possible speech-language difficulties.
13. Barbara Ehren provides tiers of intervention applicable for both speech-language
students and English learners.
14-15. As SLPs what are basic accommodation issues for students in the general
education classroom? Examples may include: (a) Provide written copies of instructions;
(b) Ask prediction questions; (c) Teach self-study skills; (d) Encourage students to ask
questions; (e) Model correct language forms; (f) Increase interactions with students; (g)
Expand vocabulary use (Brice, Miller, & Brice, 2006).
16. More English is not the answer for EL students and more of the same type of
instruction is not the answer for students with language learning disabilities. Why are
students having difficulties? Micro-analyze the situation. Discuss with the audience
some typical "road blocks" for students.
17-18. Conditions for English learning can also be applied to students with language
learning disabilities. Some accommodations may include: (a) Social language use is
important for students; teach a variety of purposes for language use (i.e., pragmatics);
(2) Allow children to communicate in their vernacular outside of the school, e.g., African
American English, Spanish influenced English. Teach children to code switch to
classroom English in school; (3) A well developed school English is essential for success
(e.g., reading is a crucial skill for students); (4) Oral and written opportunities for using
language are important; (5) Provide ample opportunities for students to interact with
proficient language users; (6) Support students' use of language; and, (8) Provide
feedback and instruction.
19. Conditions under which English is likely to become a subtractive process. Discuss
the pressure on students to become English proficient as soon as possible. How does
this go against the research of maintenance bilingual programs? Do we expect deaf and
hearing impaired children to be thrust into all oral classrooms after one year of speechlanguage intervention?
20. What are strategies to teach asking questions, agreeing/disagreeing, commenting,
and/or asking for help?
21. Bilingual students are unique learners and their use of both languages must be
considered at all times.
22. Discuss conceptual scoring in assessing bilingual students. How do the two
languages continually interact within the bilingual learner? How are ambidextrous
individuals similar to bilingual speakers?
23. Common writing errors for English learners.
24-25. Factors contributing to English acquisition. What strategies can SLPs employ to
provide greater instruction in L1? What supportive roles can SLPs play for ESL/ESOL
teachers?
26-28. Tier 3. Intensive strategy instruction. Elicit from the audience the strategies most
commonly used with their speech-language students. What worked? What did not
work? Why were certain strategies successful?
29. Zoom in lessons are specific targets needed at a particular moment, e.g., focusing
on how to ask questions (get the listener's attention; wait for acknowledgment; ask
question using appropriate register) when a student inappropriately uses a mistaken
form.
30. Discuss use of probes and running records.
31-32. Steps to success: RtI/I requires collaboration with other professionals.
Educate- Volunteer-Commit. Ask for audience examples.
33. Differentiating differences versus disorders. Advance organizer for slides 35-81. This
is what is covered in the remaining slides.
34. Advance organizer. Identifying at-risk children.
35. Norm-referenced tests. What are they?
36. Criterion-referenced tests and assessments (CRTs). What are they? Please note that
norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced tests can both be "standardized tests".
The term "standardized" refers to how a test is administered, in a "standard" (i.e., same
way repeatedly) fashion to ensure validity. It does not refer to how the results are used
(i.e., compared to norms or a criterion).
37. What are other examples of criterions?
38. Advantages of CRTs for speech and language students: Discuss other advantages
with audience.
39. Major criticisms of NRTs: Discuss why the SLP profession is obsessed with use of
norm-referenced tests.
40. Adaptations of tests. How far can a SLP diagnostician adapt a test before it
becomes irrelevant and invalid? Discuss with audience.
41. What is reliability and validity? Reliable and accurate. What do these terms mean?
42. Reliable and valid (consistent and correctly measuring). What are some examples
of each? Name consistency examples and correct measurement examples.
43. Reliable (consistent) and invalid (incorrectly measuring). Provide some examples.
For example, a clock that is consistently 5 minutes behind. Think of test examples. What
items are consistently biased?
44. Unreliable and valid. Something that is inconsistent but measures correctly.
Something that works only with a certain population (it measures consistently with X
population, but does not work with other populations). Hence, the "flip" side of this is a
test that is also unreliable and invalid with Y populations.
45. Reliability and validity. Concepts re-examined. When tests are mediated through
language and language is the barrier; then are the results truly measuring the concept
or measuring the language abilities of the student?
46. A word problem. Have someone read it in French without translating.
47. A word problem: Now you have an accommodation, the translated version; again,
what class is Jean in? The translated language accommodation has been provided.
48. Correct answer. Why is the audience's answer wrong if they gave 8th grade?
49. Educational Systems: US vs. France. A cultural difference has caused your answer
to be incorrect. Cultural differences can slip into test questions.
50. Alternative methods of assessment for SLP and EL students: These have already
been documented in the literature, but are worth repeating.
51. Venn diagrams. Discuss how SLPs can make use of similarities and differences in
student abilities and difficulties.
52. Venn diagrams: Activity. BICS are oral language skills; CALP are academic language
skills.
53. Concept definition map. Definition of concept map.
54. Example of concept map. Definition, concept, examples.
55. Assessment: Points to ponder. Advance organizer.
56. Assessment: Points to ponder. How can a test be made better? Discuss with
audience.
57. Differential diagnosis. Discuss the purpose of differential diagnosis.
58-59. Examples of modifying the task.
60. Double scoring or conceptual scoring definition.
61. Real example of conceptual scoring.
62. Why direct translation of tests do not work.
63-65. Language disorders. Bilingual caveats.
66. Language loss. What is it and how language loss may mimic a language disorder.
67. Code switching is normal behavior. If I were speaking academically like I am now.
Then, I wanted to tell ya'll to chill and no worries when it comes to testing these
bilingual kiddos. I would be code switching from a formal English to an informal,
regional English. Do we all, do this? Why? Did I want establish common ground and
solidarity with you?
68. Example of code mixing. Note the word "click" in the heading. Note the words "online" and "campus" in the message.
69. What words are code mixed? Please note that after a period of time code mixed
words can become so frequent in the 2nd language that they become permanent
"borrowed" ("loaned") words, n'est pas, es verdad?
70. Developing a performance based rubric. Steps in developing a grading rubric for
performance based assessment.
71. Guidelines for developing a new rubric. This is not as hard as it initially may seem.
72. Example rubric. Rubric development for Spanish phonemic awareness probe.
73. The Chicago Schools Office of Accountability Kindergarten Assessment Tools for
Phonemic Awareness rubric is available from the web site; however, only a poor black
and white copy is currently available.
74. Example of beginning consonants for English.
75. Example of phonemic awareness rhyme for English. Note the first item is a Chicago
type house (regional bias?).
76. Example of phonemic awareness rhyme for Spanish.
77. Example of phonemic awareness identification of initial sounds for English.
78. Example of phonemic awareness identification of initial sounds for Spanish.
79. Example of phonemic awareness task for phoneme addition/deletion in English.
80. On cannot assess bilingual children if the SLP does not know characteristics of the
other language. We are not saying that the SLP has to be bilingual, but she/he must
know how the other language is similar and different than English.