Creative Scheduling for Elementary Intervention Instruction

1
Creative Scheduling for Elementary Intervention
Instruction

• Beth McMichael, M.Ed, NBCT
• Pioneer RESA Leadership Conference
• June 2008
• bethmcmichael_at_bellsouth.net

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Rationale

• Response to Intervention has become an integral
  part of the SST process in the state of Georgia
• Effective scheduling and use of personnel can
  have a huge impact on the success of RtI
  implementation at your school
• RtI is more than a qualification procedure for
  SPED. It is a practice of providing high quality
  instruction and interventions based on data.

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What is your level of expertise?

• Crawler?
• Toddler?
• Walker?
• Marathon Runner?

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Background

• Myers Elementary School
• K-5 Title I school in South Hall county
• 88 Free/Reduced lunch
• 69 Hispanic
• 52 Limited English proficient
• Received a 3 year Reading First grant in 2006

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Common Principles of Reading First and Response
to Intervention

• Universal screening helps to prevent kids from
  falling through the cracks
• Multi-tiered instruction meets the needs of all
  learners
• Emphasis on scientifically research-based
  strategies
• Reliance on progress monitoring to determine
  effectiveness of interventions (Data driven)
• Struggling students need intervention in addition
  to, rather than replacement of, grade level
  instruction
• Early intervention more effective than later
  remediation

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Universal Screening with DIBELS

• Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills
  (A series of 1 minute assessments that measure
  phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency)
• Every K-3 child screened by SWAT team 3xs per
  year
• Students classified by scores as intensive,
  strategic, or benchmark
• Teachers use this data to form intervention
  groups and as a basis for gathering additional
  data

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Example of a Mid-Year Data Wall
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What are some potential screening assessments for
your school or district?
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Scheduling for Multi-Tiered Instruction

• Tier I On grade level and standards based. Whole
  group or small group. All students have access
  to this segment.
• Tier II Small group interventions. Struggling
  students are grouped by like skill deficit and
  may be smaller and more focused than Tier I
  groups.
• Tier III Additional small group interventions
  for students with greatest needs who are not
  making adequate progress in Tier I and II.

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The Tiers at Myers

• Tier I (60-75 minutes) Mostly whole group,
  on-grade level, standards based with a core
  reading program
• Tier II (45-60 minutes) Small group
  interventions or acceleration (Push in model)
• Tier III (30-40 minutes) Intervention
  instruction for students with the greatest needs
  (Pull out model)

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Create the Master Schedule

• Separate intervention segment outside the reading
  block
• Intervention blocks staggered to allow
  intervention teachers to travel to different
  grade levels for intervention
• Intervention time also serves as Science/Social
  Studies time on our schedule

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Add an Intervention Block to the Master Schedule

• Adding an intervention block to the master
  schedule communicates that the principal values
  this activity. When the time for intervention is
  not explicit, it is harder to monitor whether
  each teacher is actually dedicating 30 minutes to
  intervention groups. Susan L. Hall, author of A
  Principals Guide, Implementing Response to
  Intervention

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How can you modify your existing master schedule
to provide multiple tiers of instruction?
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Develop Instructional Schedules for Individual
Teachers

• Generating individual instructional schedules
  within the framework of the master schedule
  ensures that teachers get additional assistance
  for Tier II interventions if needed.

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Sample Instructional Schedules- Grade 3

• Teachers 1 2
• 750-900 Tier I Reading
• 900-1005 Tier II Reading
• 1005-1045 Intervention
• 1050-1115 Lunch
• 1115-1135 Recess
• 1135-1240 Math
• 1240-120 Writers Workshop
• 120-210 Specials

• Teachers 3 4
• 750-900 Tier II Reading
• 900-1005 Tier I Reading
• 1005-1045 Intervention
• 1053-1118 Lunch
• 1118-1138 Recess
• 1140-1240 Math
• 1240-120 Writers Workshop
• 120-210 Specials

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Sample Instructional Schedules- Grade 3

• Teachers 5 6
• 750-900 Tier I Reading
• 900-1005 Math
• 1005-1045 Intervention
• 1047-1112 Lunch
• 1112-1132 Recess
• 1132-1240 Tier II Reading
• 1240-120 Writers Workshop
• 120-210 Specials

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Consider Use of Personnel

• Additional personnel for Tier II push-ins
• Reading intervention/EIP teacher
• Reading intervention paraprofessional
• Kindergarten paraprofessionals
• ESOL teachers
• SPED teachers

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Where will interventions take place?

• Push in model? Two teachers delivering
  interventions in the classroom while students
  complete independent work/literacy centers?
• Pull out model? (Not during grade level
  instruction!)
• A walk to intervention model in which students
  switch classes for intervention instruction?
• Modified walk to intervention model in which
  teacher partners exchange only a few students for
  intervention?
• A combination of these?

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Tier II Intervention Schedule- Classroom Teacher
with Paraprofessional Assistance

• Kindergarten
• 750-850 Tier I Reading (Para travels to two
  1st grade classes for 30 minutes each)
• 850-950 Kindergarten Tier II Reading (Teacher
  and para both take intervention groups)

• 1st Grade
• 750-820 Teacher A Tier II
• (Teacher and para both take intervention groups)
  
• 820-850 Teacher B Tier II
• (Teacher and para both
• take groups)

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Sample of a 3rd Grade Tier III Intervention
Schedule
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Example of Teacher/Partner Intervention with ESOL
Push in Assistance
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What personnel can be utilized for Tier II and
III interventions? How will they be utilized?
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Next Steps/Questions to Consider

• How will we screen our students?
• When will the interventions take place? How can
  we create designated times in the master schedule
  for Tier II and III interventions?
• Who will deliver the interventions?
• Where will the interventions take place?

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Congratulations!

• If you can answer the previous questions, you
  have the framework of your RtI plan.
• Remember that once your RtI schedule is
  completed, you will most likely have to make
  changes on a periodic basis in response to your
  data. As students make progress, the focus of
  intervention groups (and possibly the number of
  groups) will change.

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Helpful Tips

• Make sure everyone is speaking the same RtI
  language.
• Common planning time is essential.
• Regularly schedule time for teacher teams to
  analyze data and regroup students if needed.
• Cultivate the philosophy that the students belong
  to everyone. They are not yours or mine.
  They are ours. Helping them make progress is a
  team effort.

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Outcomes for Myers- CRCT Reading Scores ( of
students meeting or exceeding)