Montgomery County MD Public Schools MCPS Collaborative Action Process CAP: Multitiered prevention, e

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Montgomery County ( MD) Public Schools (MCPS)
Collaborative Action Process (CAP)Multi-tiere
d prevention, early intervention and
identification
Educational Reform Getting from here to there
Matthew J. Kamins, Supervisor of Psychological
Services Brent Myers, School Psychologist CAP
Team Leader
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MCPS Facts Figures

• Montgomery CountySize 497 square
  milesPopulation 942,000Approximately one of
  every seven residents is a public school student.
  Schools2004-05 total 192Elementary
  (preK-5) 125Middle (6-8) 36High (9-12)
  24Special or Alternative 6Career/Technology
  Center 1 Transportation1,202 buses
  transported 97,000 students EmployeesTotal
  19,951Teachers 10,63278.5 percent of teachers
  have a Masters degree or equivalent.

• EnrollmentLargest in Maryland17th largest in
  U.S.Projected, 2004 140,492Projected, 2008
  145,622
• 2004-05 total 139,203PreK 2,287Kindergarten
  8,889Grades 1-5 52,861Grades 6-8
  32,314Grades 9-12 42,834Special Schools
  656Alternative Programs 236
• DemographicsAfrican American 22.1American
  Indian 0.3Asian American 14.3Hispanic
  18.7White 44.6
• Additional Demographics
• Students receiving free reduced meals (FARMS)
  22.3English for speakers of other languages
  (ESOL) 11,961
• International students from more than 163
  countries
• Over 120 languages spoken
• Students receiving special education services
  17,013

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Brief History MCPS Educational Reform

• Critical Events
• Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Partnership
  Agreement Goal Reduce Disproportional
  Representation of African-American males in ED/MR
  categories
• Action MCPS Advocacy Review Committee
• Outcomes
• ED/MR procedures
• Reforming the EMT process
• Montgomery Countys Childrens Agenda
• School Psychologists Labor Management Committee
• Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grant Initiative
• MCPS Strategic Plan - Our Call to Action Goal
  Improve student achievement for all students, and
  close the gap in student performance by race and
  ethnicity
• Baldrige Guided School Improvement Process

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Problem solving practices and response to
intervention models work

• By creating the time, structures, and
  opportunities for teachers to engage in inquiry,
  and collegial dialogue, and to learn and practice
  effective problem solving
• By passionately focusing on collecting and
  analyzing evidence of student learning and
  celebrating student success
• By creating opportunities for universal
  prevention and early intervention activities
• By having high, but achievable, developmentally
  appropriate expectations for all students

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One key question determines when, where, how to
intervene.
Is it the Fish or the Water?
Adapted from Beth Doll, University of Colorado
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The Prevention/Intervention Triangle
80 able academic emotional learners
Intensive Intervention Evidence-based
interventions that are comprehensive,
coordinated, interagency supported, culturally
competent, family focused, of high quality, and
sustain help
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Evaluate Effects
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Early Intervention Provide proven structured
and targeted remedial academic mental/emotional
support to students placed at-risk
Primary Prevention(School-wide) Promote
academic mental/emotional wellness for all
students through family involvement, positive
school climate, social skills, teacher training,
individualized instruction, team consultation,
collaborative problem solving
Adapted from Dwyer, K. Osher, D. (2000)
Safeguarding Our Children An Action Guide.
Washington DC U.S. Departments of Education
and Justice, American Institutes for Research.
(page 3)
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CAP assumptions and beliefs

• All students can learn and when they are not
  learning we must find out why.
• Learning is a unique interaction between the
  student and the instructional environment.
• We must focus on understanding resolving the
  causes of problems why learning is not
  occurring.
• Passionately seeking authentic information about
  each child's unique skills and needs will result
  in academic/behavioral improvement.
• Assessment activities must be multidimensional
  linked directly to intervention.
• All students must be served early and often.
• Time during the school day is needed for teachers
  to meet, engage in inquiry, and positively
  reflect on and facilitate student learning.
• Family involvement is critical, desired, and
  encouraged.

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CAP Expectations

• Strategic analyses will help identify the assets
  and needs specific to each unique learning
  community
• Schools will restructure so that teams of
  teachers can meet regularly to problem solve and
  share instructional strategies
• Teachers problem solving skills will be enhanced
• Staff will learn what to look for when students
  are having difficulty and be able to collect
  authentic information to guide focused
  interventions
• Inappropriate special education referrals will
  occur less frequently, thus limiting the
  possibility of disproportionality
• CAP results will support improvements in student
  achievement and reductions in behavioral
  transgressions.

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Who is involved in the CAP?

• All school staff, parents, and community supports
  are involved as needed.

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At what point in the educational system is CAP
most commonly used (pre-K, elementary, etc.)?

• CAP is used as soon as a problem is suspected.
  
• CAP is not an eligibility process so all
  students can benefit.
• CAP is effective at all levels, across special
  education populations and alternative programs.
• It comes into play when the teachers routine
  interventions and strategies are no longer
  successful.

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How does CAP affect general ed and special ed
students respectively?

• Since it is a strength-based problem solving
  process, the focus is on problem resolution.
  Therefore, it can be applied effectively for both
  special education and general education students.
  
• The process looks at all classroom factors (the
  classroom ecology) to link supports with needs.
• Once a student is identified in need of special
  education services, CAP is useful in determining
  effective IEP goals and objectives, related
  services, assessment of goal attainment, and
  functional analysis.

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How can the CAP process improve a student's
educational performance?

• The CAP is designed to specifically identify
  solutions - the instructional, behavioral and
  social adjustments that lead to student success.
• CAP relies on evidence to support interventions.
  
• Teachers are supported by staff skilled in
  counting behavior and measuring student
  achievement (e.g., DIBELS).
• Benchmarks are established that indicate current
  performance. These signposts monitor our work
  and demonstrate progress toward skill attainment.

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Heres a snapshot of how CAP and RTI work at one
of our elementary schools

• Gaithersburg ES Demographics
• 53.1 Hispanic
• 29. 6 African American
• 11.2 Caucasian
• 5.9 Asian
• 0.2 Am Ind
• Free reduced lunch 77.7
• Title I school
• Focused Academic Support

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Phase One CAP Strategic AnalysisActive Format
(Kovaleski, 2004)

• Students at risk were referred for problem
  solving and progress monitoring at each grade
  level by the building level Collaborative Action
  Process (CAP) Team
• Using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
  Literacy (DIBELS)
• All K- 4th grade students were screened
• (Nonsense word fluency, oral reading fluency)
  10/2004
• Students grouped in three groups
• LOW RISK
• SOME RISK
• AT RISK (10/2004)
• Students in all groups were given 1 hour of
  focused reading in combination with their
  regular reading block.

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Phase Two - Problem Solving Process

• The SOME RISK and AT RISK students were
  assessed every two weeks
• The DIBELS data along with other relevant
  information was used for problem analysis (CAP
  building level problem solving)
• Instruction was matched to assessment outcomes
  (AT RISK group)

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Phase Three Multidisciplinary Team

• The AT RISK Students were tracked for low
  academic performance and poor response to
  appropriate instruction
• The IEP team is charged with determining whether
  the student meets the qualifications for special
  education

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Exploratory data!

• Hit rate
• From 50 to 86

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How has this changed my role as the school
psychologist

• Expansion of the assessment role for the school
  psychologist beyond the traditional
  norm-referenced testing model
• Prevents pressure on the school psychologist to
  provide expert answers promotes
  trans-disciplinary teaming and collaboration
• Increases direct time consulting with and
  engaging students, parents and teachersin
  teaching and learning
• Allows for a thorough analysis of student
  skills, knowledge, and tasks within the classroom
  instructional context

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Lessons learned

• Problem-solving at the local school level begins
  with analyses of the instructional and behavioral
  needs and successes at each grade level
• The Collaborative Action Process provides a
  unique format for trend analysis
• Early intervention approaches (aka RTI) that
  drill-down and look for why students are not
  achieving is an efficient and effective use of
  staff time
• For RTI approaches to be successful attention
  must be focusing on three critical criteria
• Was the intervention delivered with fidelity?
• Did the intervention have sufficient power?
• Did we give the intervention enough time?
• Documentation is the road map to success
• Who does what for whom, when, where, and for how
  long.
• Communicate, document, evaluate and monitor
• More time (testing the right students) for school
  psychologists to work with teachers and develop
  academic strategies for all students.

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Lessons Learned

• When students displayed little progress in
  Phase 2 of the RTI format,
• the CAP team, with the help of the school
  psychologist, was able to develop promising
  strategies. These strategies/interventions were
  utilized to identify accurate goals and
  objectives for students later identified for
  special education services.
• Phase three program options summer school,
  after school tutorials, 504 plan, or evaluation
  for special education.

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Lessons Learned

• Complex diagnostic procedures are not always
  necessary to make relevant instructional change.
  (Nevertheless, dont count out norm referenced
  assessments in stage three to answer or clarify
  other questions you may have about
  characteristics of how the student learns
  relative to special education considerations.)
  Comprehensive assessments may include, Record
  review, Interview, Observation, and Test (RIOT).
• Phase II Intervention - Prevent the development
  of significant academic deficiencies by
  intervening in the early grades.
• 15 Kindergarten students were identified during
  team problem-solving meeting as needing
  additional repetitions with letter ID and or
  letter sounds
• 12 out of the 15 are English Language Learners
• 11 third grade students were trained by the
  school psychology intern to do the drill sandwich
  technique. The intervention is implemented 3
  times per week during recess for 15 minutes each
  time.
• Assessments are conducted weekly in order to
  determine progress of learned letters/letter
  sounds
• The intervention has been implemented for 5 weeks
• Data has indicated gains. Students learned an
  average of 3 letters/letter sounds per week.

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More lessons learned

• Grade level problem- collaborative teams were
  effective when a skilled service provider (e.g.,
  the school psychologist) coached the team
• RTI and CAP incorporate problem solving,
  prevention activities and focused early
  intervention before consideration of special
  education eligibility. (Therefore the focus of
  the referral is on problem solving and finding
  out why )
• Skills in Curriculum-based Measurement and
  Curriculum-based assessment are essential
• There is no set of universal interventions that
  will be universally effective.
• Observations and data show that interventions
  must be monitored and much depends on the context
  and classroom environment
• Learn as much as possible about your school
  culture, curriculum and instruction
• Change is difficult. Develop a good working
  relationship with your school principal and your
  director of psychological services. It is all
  about relationship building

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Challenges

• Progress monitoring
• Implementation of specific targeted interventions
  
• Time and competing responsibilities
• School-wide implementation
• Personnel changes
• A litigious and rule driven environment
• Systemic issues
• Political will

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Thank You
LOUD APPLAUSE !