Models, Management, Manpower

It is purposeful, data-driven, meaningful--it is the right thing to do--we are not doing it because it's required

RtI came on the heels of 15 years of reading research with the reauthorization of IDEA 2004--and because better universal screening and progress monitoring systems came along too.

K-1 teachers need to be doing RtI best--a student leaving 1st grade behind in reading is likely to always be behind. And, it takes 4x as long to intervene in 4th grade as in late kindergarten, to improve a student's skills by the same amount.

If RtI is done well, there should be a decrease in sped. referrals.

RTI i here to stay. It's not an educational fad.

It is not...extra time on a project, read aloud time, time to start homework etc...

Effective to highly effective is differentiating the work at stations and in small groups. DI and RtI go hand in hand-- differentiated, high quality instruction at tier one is the foundation of the framework.

You are the magic of RtI and of course the students win! How do you know who is most important of these students?

Your above grade level students can be challenged, work with a parent or your library asst. to do lit. circles for example

Your benchmark students can work in literacy workstations, from a choice board, do independent reading activities or work with partners... to practice and hone skills.

Your below benchmark students are grouped homogenously by skill deficit. These groups will be smaller and more focused than during core time in the 90 min. reading block. These students need intervention or instruction more frequently.

Your tier 3 students (sped) require at least 60 minutes of additional intervention time in the day to close the gap.

Don't forget to meet with those on computer-based interventions in or out of your room...

use target boards, recognize effort and achievement equally--"grit"; have a plan for students to own the data too.

Share how Paige Prather plans for RtI.

Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Cyclical model of instruction
Focus Lesson, guided practice, collaborative work, independent work

Do keep a data binder for record keeping. Do share intervention lessons with each other--create a binder to house these too. The Florida Center of Reading Research is a good place to start. K-2 will hit phonics and phonemic awareness, and fluency hard and the upper grades will hit fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension hard.

Do share data with parents, too.
Share Learn acronym

refer to handout in packet

In a Walk-to model--
Who is going teach which groups?

Can plan groups in one 45 minute grade level team meeting if everyone comes prepared...
Analyze the errors of below-benchmark students (fluency, comprehension, phonics)Requires digging deeper than the score! Ask for the probes. Two students with the same scores on NWF or ORF can have very different skill needs

Example, 85 students in four third-grade classrooms--
30 at benchmark students taught by classroom teacher 1
23 below benchmark students who need fluency work with teacher 2
12 students for multi-syllabic words work with ?

5 students on r-controlled vowels with title one teacher or sped. teacher

4 students for long vowel silent e pattern

6 students for short vowel sounds with teacher 3

Sample of Group Sizes...
Below Benchmark (smaller, skill specific)
Benchmark (larger groups ok)
Above Benchmark (larger groups ok)

four teacher team needs at least two more people

special ed. teachers, title one teachers and assistants, rti asst., library asst., administrators, parent volunteers (collective responsibility, our kids mentality, it takes a village...)

I would argue that the most qualified person is you, but any staff member who has had the necessary training to oversee/deliver an intervention

RtI time must be held sacred....Certain (for Sure) access to support for all students!

Where else can you carve out some additional time to intensify time on an intervention that is working or to provide time for students who are struggling in both math and reading?

We can't give them more of whats not working...

characteristics of quality intervention: research-based (instructional practices and programs for which there is credible evidence that it can work or is working), directive (mandatory), administered by trained staff, targeted, timely

combo. of purchased programs and teacher-designed lessons is optimal

The pie analogy...you only get one pie so you'd better cut it right the first time

The 30 minute tier 2 RtI block in your master schedule is the pie.


Remember if most of the pie is cut to spend time teaching isolated skills, we are missing the point of good reading instruction. Your most struggling readers should be reading INTERESTING high-success text, writing about and discussing their reading. Experiences with text must include teacher modeling in the form of think alouds, and direct instruction on reading strategies. Don't reduce reading to "stuff" in lit stations or in game-like activities.

Suggestion...cut the 30 min. pie in half, then divide one half into three five-minute activities that include re-reading a previously read text, word work and writing about reading--the other half is new text reading (draw this on the board)

Also called professional learning cadres or PLCs. The first C of the four Essential Cs of RtI--collective responsibility

I would argue that if you are planning your RtI time in isolation, you are not working smarter, but harder!

Protocol for this curriculum collaboration time is provided. Do it at least every few works--don't fall into the trap of changing your groups too often. 1.Invite the RtI asst. or title one and special ed. teachers who can share PM data (three options move the student out of tier 2 support, intensify intervention and give more time, or change the intervention)
2. discuss how the intervention group structure is working etc...
3. Make necessary changes
4. share materials and resources that are effective
5. mini SST rotating among the teacher team--each teacher brings one student to the group for brainstorming and problem-solving

Too often we have designed reading intervention programs where the students engage in everything but actual reading. It is no wonder then that reading growth is not accelerated.

High-success reading should be 20 minutes of the 30 (most of the time I see just the opposite) minute intervention block according to reading research to give kids a chance to put all the skills of reading and strategies taught to practice.--Goal is to at least double the amount of time struggling readers spend reading--

I brought you some activities intended to increase reading volume.

assess your own students of concern-switch places with one person on the SwAT.

Use the probes for early literacy, oral reading fluency, and math to determine skill needs to prepare for your curriculum collaboration time--it's way more than the score!

Progress monitor your own students to see whether your students are making progress in key areas even if you aren't overseeing the intervention. Gives you this valuable information sooner than later.

Reiterate four challenges--Time and Structure, Curriculum Collaboration time, increase reading volume in intervention time, dive into data sweeps and progress monitoring(own it)

Four-two-one free write activity

Now what? Chalk talk--add your post-its to that wall.