Could a Standard Protocol of Computer Assisted Technology be a Valuable Tool
in the RtI Process?
Purpose
Instructional technology is often used to present information that we want students to
know. However, instructional technology is also a great resource to assess students’
progress and to identify and report students’ learning needs. It is an invaluable tool in a
district’s RtI repertoire.
The purpose of this presentation is to report how Waterford has been used in a large
district as a standard reading Tier 2 protocol for all K-1 students. It is the expectation
that this presentation will track a group of students that have had access to Waterford,
version 5.0, since June 2011 and follow their progress through the RtI process. It will
illustrate how embedded reports document continual growth by utilizing data points to
graphically represent student progress.
Background
The implementation of the RtI process has brought change to the way we use data to
place students in the proper interventions. At the district level, we have been charged
with the responsibility of providing a uniform process to track student mastery of core
skills, while adapting instruction to meet individual needs and efficiently allocate
intervention resources. Our design for RtI has built a scaffolding to facilitate important
educational decisions that will help prevent academic failure. This has been a challenge
as our district serves 41,000 students at 52 facilities, all with shrinking budgets.
Our well-designed RtI model for reading uses instructional technology as its core tool,
especially at the elementary level. We have embraced instructional technology as an RtI
solution because it engages the learner, monitors mastery, and adapts the instruction to
meet individual needs.
More recently, the robust data collection component of this technology has become
equally important. It is now our expectation that technology solutions not only include
intervention components, but that appropriate student performance data is collected and
graphed to help direct decision making.
Our district has chosen the software program, Waterford, as its primary Tier 2 standard
reading protocol for K-1 students. As such, Waterford is provided across the district as a
reading intervention for all low-performing students. Each of these identified students
receives the same well-balanced, research-validated intervention, while their teachers
and administrators are easily able to monitor their progress using the embedded
reports. We know that Waterford’s continuum of instruction aligns to our state’s reading
benchmarks and also aligns to the Common Core Standards. We know that Waterford
provides implicit instruction of the foundational skills that are vital for successful
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achievement, which is why we embraced Waterford long before RtI. Once RtI came into
play, we quickly realized how valuable a robust data collection piece is and how
imperative it is that teachers and administrators are provided easy to interpret reports so
that effective educational decisions can be made. Waterford is now the cornerstone of
our K-1 interventions.
Description of Application and Its Uses within Our District
In addition to our district’s core reading series, we provide all of our 6200 K-1 students
access to Waterford at least 4 days a week for 25 minutes each day. At the
kindergarten level, Waterford begins as a supplement to the core curriculum and
students are placed at the appropriate level in the software based on an initial
assessment. If the data identifies a less than satisfactory trajectory of learning as
students progress through the software, those at-risk students are moved to a Tier 2.
Students are then provided greater access to the software, while teachers and
administrators are able to use the embedded reports to monitor fidelity, identify deficient
skills, and group students with similar needs. As the kindergarten students enter first
grade, they are reassessed using the placement assessment within the Waterford
software and they are also assessed using the state’s universal reading screener. The
results of both assessments are used to identify the appropriate intervention. For most
students, Waterford continues to be the standard protocol with its usual implementation.
For an additional few, a more blended standard protocol is required that adds a
customized need based intervention on top of the Waterford software.
The Evolution of the RtI Process within the Instructional Technology
In June 2011, our district piloted Waterford, version 5.0, during our summer Voluntary
Pre-Kindergarten program. 210 students took the short assessment embedded within
the software and proceeded to work throughout the summer. This new version of the
software also launched RtI in a way that gave teachers and administrators immediate
access to data for decision making about instruction and achievement for each student.
No student was placed at the Tier 2 level during the summer program.
This fall, these same students will be rescreened using the Waterford assessment and
will once again be placed at their appropriate level. Throughout this school year the data
will be closely monitored and those students presenting a trajectory of learning that is
below expectation will be placed at Tier 2, a progress monitoring plan will be written,
and ongoing progress monitoring conducted. It is our intent to conduct ongoing progress
monitoring using the data points within the Waterford software.
By February 2012, each student will have completed a semester of Kindergarten. It will
be possible to match student achievement and the level of intervention support that
each student required. At this point, there are two possible outcomes for consideration.
The first possible outcome reduces the number of Tier 2 students by providing
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comprehensive core reading instruction alongside a comprehensive adaptive
technology piece, so that less than 15% of the students will be moved to a Tier 2 status.
The other possible outcome is that students moved to Tier 2 will be provided with such
levels of comprehensive data points, that deficient skills can be promptly remediated
and achievement levels will move to a positive learning trajectory.
Evaluation of Our Implementation
The blend of instructional technology and RtI within our district continues to evolve.
Not only is the RtI process new for everyone, so is the utilization of instructional
technology as a district wide standard protocol of intervention.
The acceptance of computer assisted interventions has not come easily to everyone.
There are some that still believe that the use of technology to provide an intervention is
not the most effective approach. They feel the best intervention is one that is delivered
by an adult. They further believe that instructional technology is too broad in its design
and does not effectively remediate identified deficient skills. Concern has also been
expressed that reports are not always as detailed as they should be to satisfy RtI
reporting requirements.
Despite these challenges, our district has chosen to supplement our existing
intervention resources by adding computer assisted technology to our RtI toolbox. We
have used focus groups within the district to discuss how to best implement the
instructional technology to compliment our RtI design. As it is imperative that all
stakeholders believe in our RtI process, these conversations drive our overall plan.
Because of our proactive approach, we have been invited to offer feedback and
suggestions for improvements to the software developers. The continued refinement of
the software and the inclusion of more standardized components of the RtI process
have also assisted with the transition. While there is still not complete agreement, there
has been a noticeable shift in our district over the past few years in the acceptance of
instructional technology as a key component of RtI.
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