Aligning Tier 2:
Support Models, Decision Rules,
Screening and Diagnostics
Participant Handouts
I-RtI Network
October, 2013
The Illinois RtI Network is a State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) project of the Illinois State Board of
Education. All funding (100%) is from federal sources.
The contents of this handout packet were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education,
#H325A100005-12. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of
Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (OSEP Project Officer: Grace
Zamora Durán)
Illinois RTI Network – Meeting Type
Version date - Page 1
I-RtI Network – 8/13
Review: August/September Meeting’s Outcomes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
2013-2014 EC Meeting Content and EC Documents
Definition of Critical Components at Tier 2
Components of a Communication Plan
Purpose and Format of a District RtI Manual
Development of a RtI Manual Glossary
Strategies for Consensus Building at Tier 2
Outcomes:
•
•
•
•
•
Participants will: Evaluate strengths and weakness of 2 models of Tier 2 supports
Evaluate and audit district screening and diagnostic tools for Reading and Math
Outline a process for writing or refining decision rules
Strategize for coaching the development of best practices in these areas
Plan for the administration of the SAPSI-D by October 31.
I-RtI Network
Tier 2 Models: Standard Protocol/Problem Solving
NOTES:
2|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
Article: The Two Models of RTI: Standard Protocol and Problem Solving Edward S. Shapiro,
Center for Promoting Research to Practice
Standard Protocol
Problem Solving
Advantages:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Disadvantages:
Which model fits?
3|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
NOTES:
EC Fidelity Checklist Planning:
“Explanation of district philosophy and approach to providing Tier 2 support.”
Screening and Diagnostic Tools:
4|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
External Coach Fidelity Checklist Planning:
“Description of assessments for Tier 2 decision making.”
Assessment Audit
Resources Worksheet for Tools
Teaming Reflection
5|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
Decision Rules:
•
Research Norms. Some research studies have collected data on ‘typical’ rates of academic performance or other
instructionally relevant behavior from samples of students and published that data in the form of ‘research norms’.
RTI Teams find such pre-existing research norms to be convenient to use.
While research norms can be a helpful starting point in estimating expected levels of student performance, though,
they should generally be used cautiously. One limitation to some research norms, for example, is that they are
based on small samples of students and therefore may not reflect a ‘true’ picture of average student performance
across the nation. Another possible drawback of research norms is that the groups of students used in these
studies are not representative of the racial and ethnic diversity of student populations in specific school districts—
limiting the usefulness of those norms to these districts’ RTI decision-making.
•
Local Norms. One method for determining the skill level required for school success is to sample the academic
abilities of ‘typical’ students at specific grade levels in a school or district. The resulting data can be compiled into
local norms.
An advantage of local norms is that they will show with precision the skill gap between a struggling student and his
or her classmates. A potential drawback of local norms, however, is that these norms can vary substantially across
districts and even across schools within districts.
Districts can take certain steps (e.g., aggregating local norms from across the district to create ‘district norms’) to
adjust for differences in average academic performance between schools. However, those steps can only
minimize—not eliminate—the potential for significant differences in average performance between schools.
•
Criterion-Referenced Benchmarks. Homework completion, reading comprehension, and knowledge of higherlevel math operations are just three examples of academic competencies for which schools are unlikely to have
norms.
When faced with a lack of clear-cut norms (e.g., homework completion, reading comprehension, or knowledge of
higher-level math operations), the RTI Team can work with the referring teacher to set a criterion-referenced
benchmark—that is, an assessment that compares a student’s performance on an academic task or behavior to a
pre-selected standard of mastery (e.g., Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006).
A disadvantage of criterion-referenced benchmarks is that they can be somewhat arbitrary, often based largely on
teacher judgment. An advantage of such benchmarks, however, is that they can be applied flexibly to a very wide
range of student academic skills and behaviors for which formal peer norms are unavailable.
Discussion Notes:
6|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
External Coach Fidelity Checklist Planning:
“Decision making criteria related to Tier 2”
Manual Work: Developing Decision Rules in a District Manual
SAPSI-D Administration:
7|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
COACHING Tier 2 Issues
Key ideas in Aligning Tier 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Choosing a model for providing supports at Tier 2
Utilizing screening and diagnostic tools
Development of Decision Rules
Ongoing Manual Work
SAPSI-D Administration
8|October EC Meeting 2013
I-RtI Network – 8/13
Extension Activity: Select 1-2 ideas from today to apply in your district.
To Do’s:
9|October EC Meeting 2013
By When:
I-RtI Network – 8/13
I-RtI Network
OPTIONAL
Illinois RtI Network Technical Assistance Planning Document
Extension Activity:
Due Date:
External Coach Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ____________________
What I-RtI Network school/district will you apply this task? __________________________________________
Application Plan:
Please indicate the information you know or a plan on how to gather the information needed to complete
your application plan for each of the components.
Steps to completing task:
Potential Barriers or
Resources Needed:
Timeline for
Roadblocks:
Completion:
Self-Reflection:
How comfortable do you feel to apply this task?
1
Not at all
2
Some
3
Completely
What additional supports do you need?
 More training to better understand the rationale for the task.
 More training to deepen my understanding of the background knowledge related to this task.
 Additional Coaching to assist in planning how to apply this task within the school/district.
 On-site modeling of task.
 Technical assistance to problem-solve barriers to applying task.
Other concerns or comments related to applying this task?
10 | O c t o b e r E C M e e t i n g 2 0 1 3
I-RtI Network – 8/13
Coaching and Technical Assistance Support Plan:
Please describe the type of support plan determined, who is responsible and timelines.
Illinois RtI Network Staff:
I have reviewed this planning document with the External Coach and have agreed upon the coaching and
technical assistance support plan.
___________________________________________________
I-RtI Network AWIL or Lead Coach
11 | O c t o b e r E C M e e t i n g 2 0 1 3
_______________
Date