RtI in General Ed. Classroom - EDSP 200 Z3 - Course Syllabus

8/2/2019 RtI in General Ed. Classroom - EDSP 200 Z3 - Course Syllabus

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EDSP 200 SUMMER, 2012

COURSE TITLE: Response To Instruction in the K-12Classroom: Guidelines and Recipes forSuccess

COURSE NUMBER: EDSP/EDCI 200

INSTRUCTOR: George Salembier, Ed.D.

Department of EducationCollege of Education and SocialServicesUniversity of VermontTelephone: 656-1350 Fax: 656-2702Email:

[email protected]

CREDITS: Three

COURSE DATES: June 18, 2012- June 29, 2012MTWRF, 8:30 1:00

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COURSE OVERVIEW

The purpose of this course on "response to instruction' is to enhance practicaland responsive ways K- 12 educators can plan and deliver curriculum,instruction, and assessment to support and improve outcomes for all students ininclusive general education classrooms. The course will focus on designingstandards based core curriculum using "Understanding by Design principles,universal screening, formative assessment and progress monitoring, evidenced-based instructional and differentiated practices, fidelity of instruction, tiered levelsof instruction, student-support teams, and data-based decision-making. Thecourse will specifically focus on students who may struggle academically and/orbehaviorally or need to be challenged. Participants will design individual and/orteam based projects that can be applied in their professional settings to improvestudent engagement and learning.

Throughout the course, we will be asking you to reflect upon yourbackground knowledge and personal experience as a learner and prospective


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teacher, and draw from these experiences to better understand and meet theneeds of all students you may teach. Therefore, this course will emphasizeparticipation and collaboration. Because much of this course will requirediscussion-based problem solving, the quality of our interactions will impact thequality of your learning in this class.

COURSE GOALS & LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Goals:

Participants will:

Learn about the Response to Instruction (RtI) framework and the ways inwhich it can serve as a framework for assessment and instruction.

Learn about a variety of assessment practices that emphasize assessment forlearning as well as the assessment oflearning;

Understand the potential of various classroom assessment practices inmeeting the needs of learners who are struggling academically as well asthose who need additional challenges;

Understand the purpose and use of a variety of classroom based assessmentpractices, including formative and summative assessment, curriculum-basedassessment, and progress monitoring; and

Apply course concepts through the design of assessment practices that canbe used in inclusive general education K 12 setting.

Learning Outcomes:

Develop an understanding of the RtI framework and its use in classrooms andschools, including its use as a framework for assessment and instruction;

Develop an understanding of various assessment practices and their role infostering assessment for learning;

Design and present a series of assessment tools that can be used in thefuture to support student learning within a particular curriculum;


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Design an instructional unit that includes standards-referenced formative andsummative assessments;

Complete case studies that use a collaborative approach to analyzing data

and making data-based decisions with respect to individual students.

PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS

The course is based on the foundations of caring, social justice, and a philosophyknown as the Circle of Courage (Brendtro & Brokenleg, 1993), which has beenadopted by the Special Education Program as its underlying framework. Asapplied to schools, the Circle of Courage guides teachers, administrators, andcommunity members in creating learning environments wherein all learners are

included, respected and valued, and experience belonging, mastery,independence (self-determination) and generosity. Each aspect of this frameworkwill be considered in relation to the work that we engage in with classmates,colleagues, individuals with disabilities, and their families. In class, we will striveto create a culture that reflects what we hope to promote as teachers: an ethic ofcaring, engagement in personal inquiry and reflection, the inclusion of others, useof collaborative approaches, appreciation of varied learning styles, and creativity.We will also consider how the development of literacy and numeracy can helpstudents in public schools to grow and develop with a sense of belonging,independence, mastery, and generosity.

Accommodations

If a student has a documented disability that warrants accommodationsin the course, s/he should make an appointment with the instructor athis/her earliest convenience. Course instructor(s) are committed tofacilitating your success. If you qualify for assistance and have not alreadycontacted ACCESS, please do so at A170 Living/Learning, 656-2233.

Academic Integrity

The principles of academic integrity are vital ones to maintain, both as

students and as future teachers. In order to be ethical educators, we mustconsider ourselves first as ethical people and ethical learners. The University ofVermonts Code of Academic Integrity is one that we take very seriously.Violations include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, submitting someone elseswork as your own, and submitting the same work for multiple courses. Please referto the code in the Cats Tale Student Handbook or online atuvm.edu/%7Euvmppg/ppg/acadintegrity.html.


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Policy on Religious Holidays

Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. If you will bemissing class in order to participate in a religious holiday, please submit in writingby June 22 a list of the religious holidays you will participate in during the

semester. You will be responsible for contacting us to arrange make-up work forany classes missed.

REQUIRED READING:Selected journal articles and readings will be made available across seminars.

MAJOR COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Professionalism, Attendance, Participation, and Seminar Entry/Exit CardReflection (10 points):

Teaching is a profession that requires educators to consistently exhibithigh ethical and professional behaviors and standards. EDSP/EDCI 200 willrequire all students to demonstrate appropriate professional standards such asarriving to class on time, active participation and listening, meeting deadlines,effective interpersonal communication, reflective practice and self advocacyskills. Each course participant should attend and arrive on time to all seminars.

Students must assume responsibility for establishing and developing alternativeassignments to be substituted for unavoidable absences. Given the importanceof attendance, up to one point per class will be deducted for excusedabsences (i.e., absences arranged prior to class, with the exception ofabsences due to participation in documented religious holidays) and twopoints will be deducted for all other absences, except in the case ofemergencies. Students who miss more than 1 seminar may be required todrop the course. The course will ask you to reflect upon your backgroundknowledge and personal experience as a reader, a writer, a speaker, problem-solver and a learner, and draw from these experiences to better understand thestudents you may teach and support. The course will emphasize participation

and collaboration, and your presence is essential to making the coursesuccessful. Because much of this class will center on whole class and smallgroup discussion, the quality of our discussions will impact the quality of yourlearning in this class. At the beginning and closure of selected seminars studentswill have an opportunity to respond to prompts and provide reflective feedback(via entry/exit card) on class including major understandings, questions andconfusions, etc.


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2. Resource Notebook with Journal Reflections (20 points)

Students will be responsible for designing a reflective notebook, which willdocument your ongoing learning and serve as a future instructional resource.

The notebook should reflect your interaction with and learning around thecurriculum, assessment, and instructional areas and concepts covered in thiscourse. The notebook should include daily reflections and inquiry questionsregarding the course readings, discussions, presentations, etc (see evaluativecriteria in appendix). In addition, in preparation for each class, students shoulddevelop two questions from the assigned readings and bring responses to classfor discussion. Additionally, you should continually monitor your understanding ofnew vocabulary encountered in the readings/seminars and log them withdefinitions in your notebooks. Finally, at the end of the class notebooks will beassessed for reflection on learning, depth of information, thorough examination ofissues and questions, and clarity of expression.

3. Standards-Referenced Instructional Unit Assessment Plan (30 points):

A.) Students will design or re-design a framework for a standards-referenced instructional unit to be delivered in an inclusive classroom in anygrade-level and content-area focus. The unit assessment plan will include thefollowing components: 1) Essential Question(s) and Standards; 2) lessonobjective(s); 3) formative and summative assessment methods including designof tools to pre-assess, progress monitor, and summatively assess studentlearning; and 4) identification of whole class, small group, and differentiatedmethods within an RtI framework (at both tier 1 & 2 levels) to meet the needs ofall students within a general classroom setting.

B.) Prepare and deliver a brief presentation on the last seminar thathighlights a few area(s) you focused on in the development of your unitassessment plan. Your presentation should be structured for no longer than 10minutes.

4. Written Summary and Presentation of Research-Based Assessment &Instructional Practice (20 points)

Students will be required to identify and sign-up for a 30-45 minute presentationof one research-based assessment or instructional practice to other members of

the class and distribute copies of their summary during the seminar. Writtensummaries should cite one journal/article, which provides research evidence forthe assessment tool or instructional practice/intervention. Presentations andwritten summary descriptions should cover and include: (a) an introductionproviding an overview of the assessment tool or instructional program, includingrelevant research and rationale; (b) a description of the assessment tool orinstructional intervention and how to use it with students with academicchallenges in inclusive classroom settings as either a screener or progress


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monitoring assessment tool or as a tiered intervention; and (c) critique of tool orintervention and suggested recommendations for teachers and specialeducators.Each presentation should model effective teaching practices and technology (e.g.PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) provide guided practice opportunities, and be focused,

engaging, interactive and cover major concepts needed to understand how touse the identified assessment tool or instructional program. A recommendedsign-up list of potential assessment tools and research-based practices withseminar dates for presenting will be passed out during the first class.

5. Case Studies (2) on Problem-Solving within ESTs and IEP teams (20points, 10 points each)

Students will participate in two in-class case study activities in which they will usea modified collaborative problem-solving (CPS) model to identify potentialsolutions to challenges presented through EST and IEP simulations. Groupmembers will use roles (e.g., facilitator, recorder, reporter, timekeeper, referringteacher and/or parent) and a CPS process to work through the challengespresented in the case studies. A summary of each groups case study processand outcomes will be presented to the class for discussion. Case study work willbe evaluated to determine the degree to which group members utilize the CPSprocess, identify solutions that are consistent with the data provided in the casestudy write-ups, identify appropriate next steps for assessment and instruction,observe the principles and practices associated with an RtI framework, anddemonstrate a collaborative approach to problem-solving.


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DUE DATES AND POINTS:

1. Professionalism, Attendance, and Participation 10%

Assessed daily

2. Resource Notebook with Daily Reflections/Questions 20%Feedback provided after June 24 class; final product July 1

3. Standards-Referenced Instructional Unit Assessment Plan & 30%Presentation; Unit Plan due July 1

4. Written Summary and Presentation of 20%Research-based Assessment or Instructional PracticePresentations: June 27-30; Summaries due July 1

5. Group Case Studies (two, 10 points each) 20%Due June 27 and June 28

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Total: 100%

Scoring Rubrics:

See Appendix A for scoring rubrics for each of the assignments listed above.


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GRADING SYSTEM:

The standard University of Vermont grading system is utilized (A = Excellent;B = Good; C = Fair; F = Failure). A more specific grading system is also used todetermine various grade levels.

A+ = 97 - 100 B+ = 87 - 89 C+ = 77 - 79A = 94 - 96 B = 84 - 86 C = 74 - 76A- = 90 - 93 B- = 80 - 83 C- = 70 - 73

Recognition for accuracy, meeting required timelines and professionalappearance of products are all considered in determination of grades for thiscourse. Students are expected to do all assigned reading and actively participatein each class. Students who have a valid reason for submitting assignments latemust negotiate a new date with the instructor prior to the due date.


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EDSP 200

Group Case Study Project

Evaluation Criteria: Group Case Studies (two, @ 10 points each)

1. Content of Case Study (maximum points: 7)

Observations by the instructor indicate that the group adhered to the CPS steps

and/or asked for help with the steps

Responses to each step of the CPS process are recorded (i.e., issue-finding, fact

finding, problem-finding, idea finding, solution finding, acceptance finding)

Solutions are consistent with the learners characteristics and accompanyingdata

Final solution includes identification of potential interventions and/or additional

assessments that need to be conducted

Group identifies two questions about the process or outcomes of the process toshare with the larger group

2. Evidence of Group Participation and Collaboration (maximum points: 3)

Case Study write-up includes names of all group members

Write-up shows evidence of participation by all group members

Assigned roles are utilized by team members

Final notes indicate alignment with collaborative problem-solving process


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Documents

RtI in General Ed. Classroom - EDSP 200 Z3 - Course Syllabus