Writing Coach: An Approach to RTI in Writing with UDL Software

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Writing Coach An Approach to RTI in Writing with
UDL Software

• Karen Erickson, PhD, Director
• Center for Literacy Disabilities Studies
• Chapel Hill, NC

www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds
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Writing Coach and Project SOLO

• Research collaboration resulting in solutions
  for schools and students who struggle.

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What is SOLO?
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SOLO

• A Universally Designed Literacy Software Suite
  that includes
• Word Prediction (CoWriter)
• Graphic Organizer (DraftBuilder)
• Talking Word Processor (Write OutLoud)
• Text Reader (Read OutLoud)

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As a UDL solution, SOLO supports

• Tier I interventions by offering
• high quality, differentiated instruction
• multiple means of representation, expression and
  engagement
• Tier II interventions by offering
• a means to customize assignments
• additional supports (e.g., Topic Dictionaries)
• Tier III intervention by offering
• extensive personal preferences instructional
  scaffolds

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What is Self-Regulated Strategy Development?
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Self Regulated Strategy Development
(SRSD, Graham Harris, 2005)

• SRSD is a method for providing explicit, focused
  writing instruction.
• SRSD assumes that some children require more
  specific teaching in order to be able to
  understand and use effective writing strategies.
• SRSD is supported by numerous research studies
  with children who experience difficulty writing
  (d 1.15, Graham Peren, 2007)
• SRSD is typically a Tier III individualized
  intervention

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Six Recursive Stages of SRSD Instruction

• Background Knowledge
• Discuss It
• Model It
• Memorize It
• Support It
• Independent Performance

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Three Strategies

• Summary
• PLANS A Goal Setting Strategy
• PLEASE Paragraph Writing Strategy

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Project SOLO

• Combing UDL Software with Research-Based Writing
  Interventions
• Funded by the National Center for Technology
  Innovations
• Technology in the Works

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Design

• Random assignment of 6 teachers to two treatment
  conditions
• SRSD Only
• SRSD plus SOLO
• Six weeks of intervention (18, 45 min. lessons)
• Ongoing classroom observations and collection of
  observational data including fidelity checklists.

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Research Measures

• Pretest/Posttest Measures
• Test of Written Language3
• (TOWL-3, Hammill Larsen, 1996)
• Writing Attitudes Survey
• (Kear, Coffman, McKenna, Ambrosio, 2000)
• Focus Group Interviews
• Observation of instruction (Fidelity)

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Participants

• Six teachers, 3 each in grades 3 and 4.
• 5 teachers hold a masters degree
• 3 teachers hold National Board Certification.
• Average of 12 years of experience (range 3-30
  years).
• 53 students in grades 3 (n23) and 4 (n30).
• Additional children took either the pre or
  posttest but not both.
• 1 child did not speak English well enough to
  understand the directions.
• 11 had identified disabilities, 14 identified as
  gifted

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The Intervention

• Teachers selected a strategy to teach using SRSD
  instruction.
• 3rd Grade Summary Writing
• 4th Grade Narrative
• 18 lesson plans for each writing strategy were
  developed.
• No information regarding the implementation of
  SOLO was provided in those lessons.

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SRSD as a Tier 1 Intervention

• Addressing the needs of all learners in the
  general education setting.

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Group Results

• All 53 participants with pre/post TOWL
• Cohens d .38
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(52) -4.28764, p.000

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Group Results by Grade Level

• 3rd Grade (n23)
• Cohens d .36
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(22) -3.702, p.0005
• 4th Grade (n30)
• Cohens d .42
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(29) -4.699, p.000

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Can the addition of SOLO turn SRSD into a Tier 2
intervention without changing the setting?
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All Participants by Intervention Groups

• SRSD only
• Cohens d .525
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(14) -4.631, p .000
• SRSD SOLO
• Cohens d .35
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(37) -4.305, p .000

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Ability Group Membership Based on TOWL Pretest
Scores
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Results for All Students Below Average

• SRSD only (n2)
• Cohens d .30
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(2) -.487, p .3375
• SRSD SOLO (N20)
• Cohens d .61
• One-tailed paired samples t-test
• T(19) -4.134, p .001

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What would happen if SRSD SOLO became a Tier 3
intervention?

• Separate setting
• Small group
• Intensive, every day

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3rd Grade Summary Writing Strategy Sample
Lesson
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Model It13. Purpose Identifying the Main Idea
and Important Ideas a. Minilesson i. Read a
short story to the students. ii. Think aloud
while you show them how to write the main
idea. iii. Reread the story, the main idea
and other important ideas youve listed.
Think aloud while you model the
self- statement, Have I written the main
idea and all the important ideas? b.
Student Writing Idea i. Ask students to read
a short story or portion of a story and write
the main idea and other important ideas.
Encourage them to check what theyve done and
ask themselves, Have I written all of the
important ideas?
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SOLO Supported Reading Guide to Support Summary
Writing Christmas in Greece
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SOLO Supported Reading Guide to Support SSCARE
Strategy The Night I Followed the Dog
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Student 1 Completed Supported Reading Guide
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After completing the Supported Reading Guide, the
teacher directs students to launch WriteOutLoud
and retell the story using the information in the
Supported Reading Guide.
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StudentsRewritten Version of The Night I
Followed The Dog
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Student 2 Completed Supported Reading Guide
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Student 2s Rewritten Version of The Night I
Followed the Dog
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Student 3 Completed Supported Reading Guide
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Student 3s Rewritten Version of The Night I
Followed the Dog
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Student 3 Continued
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The fifth grade teachers provided students with
well-written and poorly written paragraphs to
read and analyze using using the Supported
Reading Guide in ReadOutLoud.
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5th Grade Expository Writing Activities - TH3 TNT
T3Z with Good Examples ReadOutLoud with
Supported Reading Guide
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5th Grade Expository Writing Activities TH3 TNT
T3Z with Poor Examples ReadOutLoud with
Supported Reading Guide
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5th Grader 1-Completed Supported Reading Guide
from Well Written Paragraph
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5th Grader 1-Completed Supported Reading Guide
from Poorly Written Paragraph
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Students then read a poorly written paragraph,
found the TNT components, evaluated the paragraph
to determine what elements were missing.
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5th Grader 2 Completed Supported Reading Guide
and Evaluation of Poorly Written Paragraph
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5th Grader 3 Completed Supported Reading Guide
and Evaluation of Poorly Written Paragraph