Tiered Instruction and Interventions:
Experiences of the Vail (AZ) and
Mahtomedi (MN) Districts
Denise Waalen - Mahtomedi School District, MN
Lynne Viker - Mahtomedi School District, MN
Laurie Emery - Vail School District, AZ
May 20, 2009
Overview of Webinar
• Setting the Stage for RTI
– District Support
– District Beliefs
– Logistical Considerations
• Interventions and Tiered Instruction
– Integrated Model in the Mahtomedi District
– RTI in Old Vail Middle School
• Lessons Learned
• Resources
District Support
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Curriculum
Data collection and storage
District calendar for curriculum and data
Personnel
Autonomy and innovation at school level
Adoption of proven practices
District Support
• State-aligned, curriculum-calendared
performance objectives
• Reteach/Enrich Model
• Use of data to drive instruction
• Professional development
• Universal screening- K-5 (2003)
• Universal screening three times/year- K-8,
Math, Reading, and Writing (2004)
District Beliefs
• Leadership Philosophy: Primary focus on student
outcomes while supporting teachers’ needs
• Identifying a “shared” vision and developing a plan
to support staff with the skills they need to get there
• Equal may not be Fair
• Responsibility is SHARED, not shifted
• There are certain non-negotiable factors that must
be acknowledged regardless of personal philosophy
or inclination
Some Reasons a district may want to
consider RTI:
• Students are not making desired academic
or social emotional growth
• Collaboration amongst staff could improve
• Staff feeling dissatisfied with traditional
model for seeking help for kids
• The staff is not able to address the wide
range of needs for all students in a
classroom
• Data is being collected, but nobody really
knows what to do with it…
Implementing RTI: Logistical
Considerations
• Reorganized Building Schedules (Literacy
and Math blocks with flexible grouping of
students)
• Restructure the use of Support Staff (e.g.,
Paraprofessionals, Title Teachers, Reading
Teachers)
• Plan Assessment Schedule
• Set up Academic Data Management (AIMS
web)
Implementing RTI: Logistical
Considerations
• Behavioral Data Management System –
SWIS (School Wide Information System)
• Obtain at least 80% Commitment of Staff
• Trust-Building Activities
• Identified one staff person to manage RtI
logistics and one to manage PBIS logistics
Interventions and Tiered
Instruction
in Mahtomedi School District
System-Wide Intervention Model
(SWIM): Combination of Big Ideas
• RtI = Response to Intervention (where interventions address
specific concerns, progress is monitored, and changes made based
on data)
• PBIS = Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (building
school-wide capacity to support all kids, but especially those with
challenging behaviors)
• Problem-Solving for intensive concerns and Standard Treatment
Protocols for less intensive concerns (and “focused” treatment
protocols for intermediate concerns)
• 3-Tiered Model for:
– Data/Assessment Systems
– Problem-Solving Structures
– Intervention – fluidly increasing intensity of support and/or
increasing allocation of resources
Face 1: Data and Assessment Systems
Tertiary: Individual, Intensive
(~5% of students)
Secondary: Targeted
(~10-15% of students)
Primary: Universal
(80-85% of students)
How we Determine how our Tiers are
Populated: Reading and Math
• The Correlation between performance on
NWEA-MAP tests (i.e., district-wide formative
assessments) and performance on state-wide
high stakes / accountability tests (per
logistical regression analyses from TIES)
• Tier 1 = High probability (~90% chance of proficiency)
• Tier 2 = Moderate probability (~40%-50% chance of
proficiency)
• Tier 3 = Low probability (~90% chance of non-proficiency)
TIES Data Helped Create
Target/Cut-Score Table
Grade
2
3
Fall
Tier
MAP
CBMMath
Facts
Tier 1+ >200
Tier 1 176-200
8+
Tier 2 164-175
---
Tier 3
<164
Tier 1+ >212
Tier 1 191-212
--11+
Tier 2 180-190
---
Tier 3
---
<180
Winter
MAP
CBMMath
Facts
>205
18413+
205
173--183
<173
-->218
19813+
218
188--197
<188
---
Spring
MAP
CBMMath
Facts
>210
190-210 16+
179-189
---
<179
>224
203-224
--16+
194-202
---
<194
---
How we Determine how our Tiers are
Populated: Social/ Emotional/ Behavioral Skills
• SWIS Referrals:
– 0-1 ODR’s = Tier 1
– 2-6 ODR’s = Tier 2
– 6+ = Tier 3
• ODR’s (Office Discipline Referrals)
• SWIM List Referrals: Generate Tier 2 needs
and intensive health/mental health needs
• Health office visit and attendance
information: generate add’l Tiers 2 & 3 needs
– Nurse visits – good source of internalizing data!!
Face 2: Instructional Practices and Interventions
Tertiary: Individual, Intensive
(~5% of students)
Secondary: Targeted
(10-15% of students)
Primary: Universal
(80-85% of students)
Tier 1 Intervention Menu – Academics
• Literacy
• Core = Houghton-Mifflin
• Supplements =
– Flexible grouping at
instructional level
– Tucker Signing
– Guided Reading
– Add’l supplements per
data
• Math
• Core = Everyday Math
• Supplements =
– Math Minutes
– Yearly Progress Pro
– Vertical/developmental
alignment of outcomes:
Committee alignment of
standards and curriculum
(e.g., aligning MCA II
expectations with class)
Tier 1 Intervention Menu – Behavior
• Responsive Classroom
• Bullying Prevention (buildingwide antibullying plan)
• All-School Morning Meetings
• Take-a-break
• Social Conferencing
• Buddy Teacher
• Problem-Solving Class
Meetings
• Role Play
• Corrective Teaching
• Pre-Referral manual
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Peer Mentor
Teacher Support Plans
Student Strengths Plan
Structured Response Plan
Access to fidgets or other
sensory items
Visual Schedule
Conflict Resolution
Parent information
Secure 4:1 ratio of Positives
to Corrections in classroom
Classroom organization
(environment)
Tier 2 Intervention Menu – Academics
• Core = Houghton-Mifflin
• Core = Everyday Math
• Supplements:
• Supplements:
– Sonday System
– Math Minutes
– Read 180
– Yearly Progress Pro
– Repeated reading
(assessment and instruction –
– Six Minute Solution
in progress)
– Incremental Rehearsal
– Intervention Central
– Error correction procedures – Everyday Math – games and
– Word Study
core concepts
– Additional time with
– Math notebooks
Reading Specialists
– Additional time with Math
engaging in specific dataSpecialists engaging in specific
driven intervention
data-driven intervention
Tier 2 Intervention Menu – Behavior
• Check-In-Check-Out (M&M
club)
• Social Skills Group (targeted)
• Targeted Classroom
Intervention
• Mini-FBA w/PBSP
• School-based group
counseling
• Mentor program
• Need-a-break cards
• Instruction in selfmonitoring strategies
• Work systems
• First/Then cards
• Sensory breaks – preventive
• Morning run-through of
visual schedule
• Parent conference and
targeted support
• Peer mediation
• Access to calming space – as
needed
• Modifying academic
expectation
• What Am I Working For?
Cards
Tier 3 Intervention Menu – Academics
Literacy
Math
• Core = Houghton-Mifflin
• Core = Everyday Math
• Supplements = Small Group or • Supplements = Small Group or
1-1 Instruction
1-1 Instruction
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Reading Mastery
Orton-Gillingham
Tucker Signing
Word Study
Repeated reading
Six Minute Solution
Incremental Rehearsal
Error correction procedures
individually-designed
instruction based on multiple
curricula
– Math Minutes
– Yearly Progress Pro (assessment
and instruction – in progress)
– Intervention Central
– Everyday Math – games and
core concepts
– Math notebooks
– Additional time with Math
Specialists engaging in specific
data-driven intervention
Tier 3 Intervention Menu – Behavior
• One-on-one or direct skills
instruction w/task analysis
• FBA w/full Behavior
Intervention Plan
• Pull-out behavioral
instruction
• Pull-out instruction in
schedule strategies, social
stories, etc.
• Wrap-around, personcentered planning
• Crisis intervention plan
• School-based individual
counseling
• Instruction in self-monitoring
strategies
• Instruction in conflict
resolution
• Access to calming space – as
needed and
strategic/planned use
• Special education resource
room
• Frequent sensory
experiences planned
throughout day
(preventative)
• Intensive teaching of how to
run a schedule and
implement changes
• Parent training
• Out of building placement
Face 3: Problem-Solving Structures
Tertiary: Individual, Intensive
(~5% of students)
Secondary: Targeted
(10-15% of students)
Primary: Universal
(80-85% of students)
Face 3: District-Wide Solutions-Based Structures
Tertiary: Few staff
Secondary: Some staff
Primary: All staff
General Outcomes
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Increased collaboration between staff
Increased sharing of concerns
More appropriate matching of concerns to intervention
Efficiency has increased for meeting needs
Literacy skills have improved!!
Better understanding of needs system-wide
Better direction regarding data needs
Doors have opened for more opportunities:
– Alt. Delivery Award
– Reapplication for RtI grant
– Additional Participation in PBIS Cohorts
Impact of “shared responsibility”
on Special Education
• Impact on referrals
– Referrals are for SOLUTIONS, not special education
– We are assessing the RIGHT students – long-term Tier 3
– 2007-08: 15 Total K-2 Initial evaluations (non DD to
Categorical)
– 3 driven by poor response to academic intervention
– 5 were Private School referrals
– Zero parents at WW insisted on pursing eval rather than
interventions where academics were only concern
• Two parents wanted eval for Health reasons (both students qualified – OHD or
TBI)
– Results: 14 Qualified (4 ASD, 3 EBD, 2 SLD, 4 OHD, 1 TBI, 2
DNQ)
Questions
If you have a question please submit it using
the Q&A tab at the top of your screen.
Interventions and Tiered
Instruction in Old Vail Middle
School
Big Picture: Data Sources
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STEEP - general outcome
ATI - mastery - formative and summative
AIMS - summative - state test
Teacher made tests - formative and
summative
Big Picture: Personnel
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Principal
Student Achievement Teacher
Psychologist
Classroom Teacher
Special Education Teacher
Tier 1 School-wide
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Curriculum
Formative use of data
Data team meetings
Professional development
Leadership
Tier 2 Classroom
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Identification of struggling students
Materials for intervention
Progress Monitoring
Scheduling intervention
Personnel
Tier 2 Beyond the classroom
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Identification of struggling students
Materials for intervention
Progress Monitoring
Scheduling intervention
Personnel
Tier 2 In Detail
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Standard Protocol Model
Universal Screening-3 times a year
Classwide vs. individual problems
Classwide = full class intervention
Individual = Can’t Do/Won’t Do
Individual interventions with peer coach
Progress Monitoring for Generalization
Moving from Tier 2 to Tier 3
• Child Study Team
– Via data team meetings
• Inadequate response to peer coaching
intervention
– Via psychologist monitoring for generalization
• Each of these avenues may result in
Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team
Meeting
Tier 3 Special Education
• Special Education services provided in
co-teach setting
• Basic skills groups are scheduled on an
as needed basis
• Progress toward special ed goals is
closely monitored.
Maintaining the Tiers
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Part of District and School culture
Consistent, knowledgeable leadership
Personnel has training and ongoing PD
Investment in tools
– Curriculum
– Data collection and management
• School and district level problem solving
• Monitoring of integrity
Questions
If you have a question please submit it using
the Q&A tab at the top of your screen.
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
• Systems Change is hard!
– Rely on systems change ideas; don’t let the initiative
be the reason you’re changing
• Intervention Integrity Checks / Fidelity
• Grade Level PLC Teams
– Consistency; differences in perceptions of purpose
• Implementation in new buildings – using “what works”
vs. allowing new staff to go through the process
– Pacing; funding; training; etc.
• Staff changes
Lessons Learned
• Diverse training needs within and between grade levels,
buildings, etc.
• S/ST – Responsiveness to staff needs
• Staff roles – balancing expertise, flexibility, funding, etc.
– Re-framing vs. re-specializing (a new title with the
same duties doesn’t cut it!)
– Conflicts can arise when people don’t understand
why someone isn’t doing what they’ve always done
before!
• Perceptions of what’s “fair”
• Philosophical differences (e.g., Bottom-up skills vs.
Whole Language instruction, fluency as instructional
objective; Punishment vs. skill-building orientation)
Humble Suggestions –
1: Start with What You’ve Got!
1) START WITH CONSENSUS BUILDING
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The best way to kill an initiative is to have it lead the change!
Let the need for change guide the initiative!
Inventory what you’ve got! (i.e., Look in your closet
before you buy those new shoes!)
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Current core curricula and interventions (Tier? Eligibility?
Who Delivers?)
Data sources (does your data tell you the story you need for
making decisions? Where are there holes? Do you have a
district/building Assessment Plan including screening,
diagnostic eval, etc.?)
Problem-Solving Structures (system or individual level? i.e.,
grade level teams, PLC’s, Collaboration Groups, Houses,
lateral teams, TAT/SAT/SIT/PAT, etc.; eliminate duplicative
efforts)
Humble Suggestions - 2
3) Arrange available data to create a picture of your
building’s “pyramid” (who’s “responding”?)
– If you can’t tell who’s responding, identify what
information you’re missing
– If your non-responders are >20%, evaluate core
curriculum
4) For those who are NOT “responding,” are there
common needs?
– If you can’t tell from your data, what’s missing?
5) Do you have Standard Treatment Protocols to address
non-responders? Are you relying solely on an
individual referral model to address non-responders?
Humble Suggestions – 3: Fill in the Gaps
6) Consider what additional needs remain “unmet” given available
interventions
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Use caution and discretion when “shopping” for interventions:
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“expensive” does not equal “good”; “free” does not equal “bad”
Match evidence-based interventions with IDENTIFIED NEEDS (if you
can’t accurately identify the need, examine your data sources
before leaping to intervention selection)
Set building –wide and district goals pertaining to interventions,
data, and problem-solving systems – identify a timeline for
reaching goals, support needed from administration and RtI
coordinator, and staff development needs
For the interventions you have or acquire, make sure ALL staff
being asked to implement them have needed training to do so
Encourage a culture that CELEBRATES SUCCESSES (assume
nothing – teach everything: some buildings don’t know how to
CELEBRATE)
Things to Think About…
• If we had to do it over. . .
- We would lead with data and consensus, not the
initiative
• If we were to coach another site. . .
- We would focus on building sustainability
structures and problem solving structures
• Integration of Initiatives: Our focus is on providing an
increasingly fluid continuum of academic and
social/emotional/behavioral supports – one
support should pick up where the other leaves off
(we want kids’ needs to be met regardless of
funding source – kids shouldn’t feel the difference)
Questions
If you have a question please submit it using
the Q&A tab at the top of your screen.
Intervention Resources
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Big Ideas in Beginning Reading (U of Oregon):
reading.uoregon.edu
What Works Clearinghouse (US Dept of Education):
http://www.w-w-c.org
Intervention Central:
www.interventioncentral.org
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports:
http://www.pbis.org/main.htm
Promising Practices Network:
http://www.promisingpractices.net/default.asp
SCRED RtI Center:
http://www.scred.k12.mn.us/RTI/RTIcontact.htm
FCRR Interventions for Struggling Readers
http://www.fcrr.org/Interventions/index.htm
Data Resources
• Northwest Evaluation
Association
– http://www.nwea.org/
• Aimsweb (GOM’s):
– http://www.aimsweb.com/
• IGDI’s homepage:
• U of Oregon DIBELS homepage:
– http://www.igdi.ku.edu/
– http://dibels.uoregon.edu/
• PBIS Surveys:
• School-Wide Information System
– http://www.pbssurveys.org
(SWIS):
• CBM Warehouse:
– http://www.swis.org
• Kids Zone Create-a-Graph:
– s.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph
/default.aspx
• The Behavior Reporter (Behavior
Report Card Generator):
– http://www.jimwrightonline.co
m/php/tbrc/tbrc.php
– www.interventioncentral.org/
htmdocs/interventions/cbmw
arehouse.shtml
RTI Resources
• St. Croix River Education District
• RtI readiness survey:
– http://www.scred.k12.mn.us/RTI/RTIcontact.htm
• Progress monitoring info:
– http://www.studentprogress.org/chart/chart.asp
• Intervention Programs (academic and behavior)
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http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/reportslist.htm
http://oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu/
http://www.bestevidence.org/
http://www.pbis.org/main.htm
Thanks!
If you have any questions please e-mail
them by May 27, 2009 to
rtiwebinars@air.org