Enhancing RtI: Instruction and Intervention

Doug Fisher and Nancy Freywww.fisherandfrey.com

LEARNING

Traditional View of Learning

When time and instruction are held constant…

… learning outcomesvary.

Adapted from Buffum, Mattos, & Weber, 2009

LEARNING

A New View of Learning

When time and instruction are variable…

… learning is held constant.

Adapted from Buffum, Mattos, & Weber, 2009

Purpose of RtI

An alternative way to identify students as having learning disabilities, making sure that students who struggle were not misidentified as

disabled when different and/or more intensive

instruction addressed their

needs.

“Big RTI”

A school improvement process designed to ensure that students receive the instruction, intervention, and support necessary to be successful.

“little rti”

Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2)

• Tier 1: Quality core instruction• Tier 2: Supplemental intervention• Tier 3: Intensive intervention

Tier 1: 70+%

Tier 2:

20-30%

Tier 3:

5-15%

Manipulate variables…

What Variables Can You Control?

• Frequency (time)• Duration (time)• Assessment (instruction)• Group size (instruction)• Access to expertise (instruction)• Staff collaboration (instruction)• Student Monitoring Team (instruction)• Others?

Tier 1: Quality Core Instruction

• Based on a Gradual Release of Responsibility• Formative assessments (feed forward, not just

feedback)• Push-in supports and incidental benefits

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

“You do it together”

Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone”

A Structure for Instruction that Works

Tiers 2 and 3 intervention are not a

Band-Aid…

…for ineffective Tier 1 instruction.

The Role of Assessment in RtI2

Diagnostic

Screening Tools

Progress Monitoring

Screening Tools

DIBELS Oral fluency SAMSALLIWriting sampleSpelling inventory

Which do you use?

Are they working for you?

Curriculum-based measures (CBM): mostly skills-based

Curriculum-based assessments (CBA): course curriculum

Both are needed for progress monitoring

Progress Monitoring

Checklists Rubrics Self-assessments ObservationsCompetencies

Which do you use?

Are they working for you?

Homework is NOTa progress monitoring tool!

Homework is NOTa progress monitoring tool!

Traditional homework occurs

too soon in the instructional cycle.

Traditional homework occurs

too soon in the instructional cycle.

CleaversCleavers

CheatersCheaters

SlackersSlackers

Bewildered

Goals of Homework

• Fluency building• Application• Spiral review• Extension

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Homework and the gradual release of responsibility: Making responsibility

possible. English Journal, 98(2), 40-45.

Spiral Review Homework: Opinionnaire

What’s your opinion? SA A D SD

A patriot is heroic.

Sometimes the only thing left to do is fight for what you believe in.

The American Revolutionary War could have been avoided if both sides had compromised on taxes.

All the colonists were in support of the war.

Extension Homework

Compare English language learners to

“true peers”

Tier 2:

10-15%

What could Tier 2 look like?

The focus of the monitoring team

Manipulate the variablesManipulate the variables

Access to

ExpertiseAccess to

Expertise

• Mostly classroom teachers as students work productively

• Push-in staff (15% rule)

Who provides Tier 2?

Time and Duration

Group size

CBMs 2 times per month

for progress monitoring

Academic Recovery and

After school tutorials

Involve the familyInvolve the family

Increased guided instruction with smaller groupsIncreased guided instruction with smaller groups

Teacher Role

What is the teacher

doing while productive group work is

occurring?

Zone of Proximal Development

Zone of Proximal Development

ScaffoldingScaffolding

“As easy as learning

to ride a bike”

Scaffolds in Classroom Instruction

• Robust questions to check for understanding

• Prompts that focus on cognitive and metacognitive processes

• Cues to shift attention to sources• Direct explanation and modeling to re-

teach

Robust Questions to Check for Understanding

IntentionIntentionuncovering, not testing

Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?Student: An animal that stays awake at

night.Teacher: Good. What is a diurnal animal?

I-R-E

Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?Student: An animal that stays awake

at night.Teacher: Tell me more about that.

Does a nocturnal animal have special characteristics?

Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot. Probe

Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?Student: An animal that stays awake

at night.Teacher: Tell me more about that.

Does a nocturnal animal have special characteristics?

Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.

Misconception

Prompting for Cognitive and Metacognitive Thinking

Prompts

So the student does the

cognitive work

Prompts can be cognitive

or

metacognitiveNote

to elf

Background knowledge prompts

invite students to

use what they know to resolve problems

Process or Procedure Prompts

To perform a

specific task

Reflective prompt

knowing about knowing

“What did you learn today?”“What did you learn today?”

Heuristic prompt

Informal and less defined

“Make a graph so you can see it.”“Make a graph so you can see it.”

Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?Student: An animal that stays awake at night.Teacher: Tell me more about that. Does a nocturnal animal

have special characteristics?Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.Teacher: I’m thinking of those pictures we saw of the great

horned owl and the slow loris in the daytime and at night. Does your answer still work?

PROMPT

Cues to Shift Attention

Cues

Shift attention to sources of

information

More direct and specific than prompts

the expert commentator sees things you don’t

cues do the same for novices

Attention grows with competence

VisualPhysicalGesturalPositionalVerbalEnvironmental

6 Types

Using Prompts andCues

Context: Students are creating a Jeopardy®-style game. The teacher is building the background knowledge of a group of students. He draws their attention to a sentence in the text: “When you eat foods—such as bread, meat, and vegetables—they are not in a form that the body can use as nourishment.” He asks Mauricio to retell it is his own words...

Mauricio: So, I think it says that your body can’t use meat like it is meat. It has to be changed.

Jessica: But that’s what we eat to live. That’s good eating.Russell: I don’t eat any vegetables. I only like the meat and bread from this, like

a hamburger.Mr. Jackson: How does that meat change so that your body can use it? Russell?Russell: It doesn’t change. It’s meat.Mr. Jackson: So let’s think about what we know about nourishment and our

food. There’s a process that it goes through, right? [they nod in agreement] What’s the first step? You know this because you do it several times a day.

Sarah: The first thing to eat? Is that what you mean?Mr. Jackson: Yeah, the first thing.Sarah: You take a bite.Mr. Jackson: Exactly, right on. So you’ve changed the food, right? Russell: Yeah, but it’s still meat.Mr. Jackson: It sure is. But it’s changed a bit, and will change more.

Remember we talked about different kinds of changes. Physical … ChemicalRussell: So the first thing, when you bite it, it’s a physical change, right?Mr. Jackson: You know it! And then what happens?

Direct Explanation and Modeling

When prompting

and cueing fail, it’s time for

direct explanation.

When prompting

and cueing fail, it’s time for

direct explanation.

Direct Explanation

Take care not to re-assume responsibility too quicklyTake care not to re-assume responsibility too quickly

Identify

Explain

Think aloud

Monitor

Tier 3:

5-10%

What could Tier 3 look like?

Tier 3: Intensive

• Individual• 30 minutes at least three times per week• Increase assessment and monitoring

frequency• Increase expertise• A whole school focus

Keep the teacher

at the center of

communication

Daily 1:1 instruction

Increased Progress Monitoring

with specialized assessmentsIncreased Progress Monitoring

with specialized assessments

Every certificated adult

meets with students

What is “special” about special education?

• Formalized system of support (continuing interventions)

• Funding• Goals and objectives• Curriculum accommodations and

modifications• Testing support• Assistive technology• Related Services

The Takeaway

• Instruction and Intervention are linked• Manipulate variables (time, assessment,

expertise, instruction) to intensify intervention

• Build in a feed forward method so that RtI2 results inform classroom instruction and programmatic improvements

• Keep the teacher and family at the center of communication