Dunkirk City School District

Dunkirk City School District Response to Intervention (RtI) Plan 2011-12

Board of Education Adoption Date: Table of Contents

I. Introduction p. 3

II. Tiers of Intervention p. 3 i. Tier I p. 4 ii. Tier II p. 4 iii. Tier III p. 5

III. Assessments p. 7 i. Dunkirk CSD Assessment Grid p. 8

IV. Procedures for Identification p. 9

V. Parental Notification p. 10

VI. Process and Timeline p. 10 i. Resources p. 10

Dunkirk City School District RtI Committee Members

Name Role Stephen O’Brien Director of Special Education Judy Diem Director of Intervention Services/ESL Edward Hazen Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Joanne Russo CIO/Director of Instructional Technology Daniel Genovese School No. 3 Principal/Elementary Supervisor Michele Heenan School No. 7 Principal Kathy Hauser District-wide Assistive Technology Specialist Leigh Mansfield Dunkirk SHS School Psychologist Brooke Ambrose School No. 3, 4, 5 Speech/Language Teacher Mary Ivory School No. 4 Classroom Teacher Kris Dziduch School No. 4 Classroom Teacher Lisa Kobel School No. 5 AIS ELA Teacher Kyle Damon School No. 5 AIS Math Teacher Cady Nenno School No. 7 AIS ELA Teacher

2 Response to Intervention (RtI)

I. INTRODUCTION

Response to Intervention (RtI) is the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student needs, monitoring progress frequently to make changes in instruction or goals and applying child response data to important educational decisions. RtI ensures that all students receive appropriate instruction in reading and mathematics before the District initiates a referral to the Committee on Special Education for students suspected of having a disability.

Response to Intervention has three essential components: 1 Providing high-quality, research-based instruction/intervention matched to student needs 2 Using learning rate over time and level of performance 3 Making educational decisions based upon student’s response to instruction/intervention

The RtI Model that Dunkirk City School District has adopted encompasses academic support services in the three tiers of intervention. The first tier involves screening for all students in grades K-8 in reading and mathematics to identify those who are not making academic progress as expected. The second tier addresses those students who are identified as being at-risk and require supplemental small group instruction. The third tier provides intensive services for those students who are not making adequate progress at the second tier. Although within Dunkirk’s model there is no formalized fourth tier, RtI allows for those students who continue to lack progress to be referred for an evaluation by the Committee on Special Education (CSE). The intensity and duration of academic support services may vary, but will be designed to respond to student needs as indicated through analysis of District resources.

All students are eligible for support services including those with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency if they fail to meet the designated State performance standards or perform below proficiency on the District’s Benchmark Assessments. Support services must be provided to students with disabilities on the same basis as non-disabled students. Support services will not be reflected in a student’s IEP. Additionally, Limited English Proficient (LEP)/English Language Learner (ELL) students who do not achieve the annual designated performance standards as stipulated in Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154 (CR Part 154) are eligible for the same level of support.

II. TIERS OF INTERVENTION

Tier I/Universal Intervention (Core Program): High-Quality Classroom Instruction Tier I students receive high-quality, scientifically-based instruction of District curriculum that is aligned to New York State’s Learning Standards and provided by a highly qualified teaching staff.

Tier 1 is commonly identified as the core instructional program provided to all students by the general education teacher in the general education classroom. Research-based instruction and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) are part of the universal core program. A school/district’s core program (Tier 1) should minimally include:  core curriculum aligned to the NYS Learning Standards 3  appropriate instruction and research-based instructional interventions that meets the needs of at least 80 percent of all learners  universal screening administered to all students in the general education classroom three times per year  weekly progress monitoring of students initially identified as at-risk for five or six weeks  differentiated instruction based on the abilities and needs of all students in the core program  a daily uninterrupted 90 minute block of instruction in reading

Tier II/Secondary (Strategic) Intervention: Targeted Intervention

Students not making adequate progress in Tier I interventions within the regular classroom are provided with increasingly intensive instruction matched to their needs on the basis of performance levels and rates of progress.

Tier 2 intervention is typically small group supplemental instruction. This supplemental instructional intervention is provided in addition to, and not in place of, the core instruction provided in Tier 1. For example, a student who is receiving Tier 2 intervention would be provided core instruction plus 20-30 minutes of supplemental interventions three to five days per week. Tier 2 interventions focus on the areas of student need or weakness that are identified in the screening, assessment or progress monitoring reports from Tier 1.

Therefore, students are often grouped according to instructional need. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of students in a class receive Tier 2 intervention. The location of Tier 2 intervention is determined by the school. It may take place in the general education classroom or in an alternate location outside of the general education classroom. The determination of which interventions will be provided to an individual student is made by a review of the data. Tier 2 interventions should be supported by research and vary by curriculum focus, group size, frequency, and duration. Individual student needs affect the determination of these variables.

In Tier 2, direct, systematic instruction provides more teacher-directed instruction, carefully structured and sequenced to an individual student, than was provided in Tier 1. The determination of a student’s achievement is well defined and mastery is achieved before moving on to the next step in the sequence.

Progress monitoring occurs more frequently in Tier 2 and may vary from once every two weeks to once a week using Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) that measure targeted skills. Periodic checks to ensure that the delivery of instruction was provided in the way it was intended (fidelity checks) are conducted for the purposes of determining how closely the intervention or instruction is implemented to the way it was designed.

The recommended length of time a student spends in the second tier of intervention will vary from approximately nine to 30 weeks, depending on such factors as the skill set to be learned, rate of student’s progress, whether the student is making adequate progress according to the standard protocol established prior to initiation of the intervention, the student’s age and/or

4 developmental level. When progress monitoring of a Tier 2 intervention indicates lack of adequate response, schools should consider adjusting the intervention in terms of intensity.

Tier III/Tertiary (Intensive) Intervention: Urgent Intervention

Tier 3 intervention is designed for those students who demonstrate insufficient progress in Tier 2. Tier 3 is typically reserved for approximately one to five percent of students in a class who will receive more intensive instruction in addition to their core instruction.

Tier 3 differs from Tier 2 instruction in terms of such factors as time, duration, group size, frequency of progress monitoring and focus. This tier provides greater individualized instruction in a small group setting (generally two to four students at a time) anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes at a minimum of four days per week. The progress of students at Tier 3 is monitored more frequently, at least once a week, to determine the student’s response to intervention.

Instruction is provided by school personnel who are highly skilled or trained in the areas of academic need indicated by student performance data. The setting for Tier 3 intervention is determined by school personnel. It is important to note that Tier 3 is considered supplemental instruction to Tier 1 and is not intended to replace Tier 1 instruction. Similar to Tier 2, school personnel must conduct regular fidelity checks to determine if the intervention was implemented the way it was intended.

Figure 1: RtI Model for Dunkirk City School District

5 School-Wide Systems for Student Suc c ess: A Response to Intervention (RTI) Model

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

Tier 3/Tertiary Interventions 1-5% 1-5% Tier 3/Tertiary Interventions •Individual students •Individual students •Assessment-based •Assessment-based •High intensity •Intense, durable procedures

Tier 2/Secondary Interventions 5-15% 5-15% Tier 2/Secondary Interventions •Some students (at-risk) •Some students (at-risk) •High efficiency •High efficiency •Rapid response •Rapid response •Small group interventions •Small group interventions •Some individualizing •Some individualizing

Tier 1/Universal Interventions 80-90% 80-90% Tier 1/Universal Interventions •All students •All settings, all students •Preventive, proactive •Preventive, proactive

Illinois PBIS Network, Revised May 15, 2008. Ada pted from “ What is school-wid e PBS?” OSEP Technic al Assistanc e Center on Positive Beha vioral Interventions and Sup ports. Acc essed a t http:/ / pbis.org/ schoolwide.htm

Table 1: Description of Critical Elements in a 3-Tier RtI Model

The following table outlines the essential features of a three-tier model of RtI including suggested ranges of frequency and duration of screening, interventions and progress monitoring. This is intended as guidance to determine the various components of the RtI model. Actual elements may vary by building. Elements Tier 1 Core Curriculum Tier 2 Supplemental Tier 3 Increased Levels and Instruction Instruction of Supplemental Instruction

Size of Whole class grouping Small group instruction Individualized or targeted instructional small group instruction group (generally 1-3 students) Mastery Relative to the cut points Relative to the cut points Relative to the student’s requirements of identified on criterion identified on criterion level of performance and content screening measures and screening measures and continued growth as continued growth as continued growth as demonstrated by progress demonstrated by progress demonstrated by progress monitoring. monitoring monitoring Frequency of Screening measures three Varies, but no less than Varies, but more progress times per year once every two weeks continuous and no less monitoring than once a week

6 Frequency of Per school schedule Varies, but no less than Varies, but more intervention three times per week for a frequently than Tier 2 for provided minimum of 20-30 minutes a minimum of 30 minutes per session per session Duration of School year 9-30 weeks A minimum of 15-20 intervention weeks

III. ASSESSMENTS

A. All Students

Grades K-3: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy (DIBELS) The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills. DIBELS are comprised of seven measures to function as indicators of phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. DIBELS were designed for use in identifying children experiencing difficulty in acquisition of basic early literacy skills in order to provide support early and prevent the occurrence of later reading difficulties. The District assesses all students in grades K-3 during the benchmark windows and frequently assesses at-risk students to monitor their progress toward meeting the benchmark.

Grades K-3: mClass Math The mClass Math assessments are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early numeracy skills from kindergarten through fifth grade. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early numeracy and math fluency skills. For the 2011-12 school year, the District will assesses students in grades K- 2 during the benchmark windows and regularly assesses at-risk students to monitor their progress toward meeting the benchmark.

Grades 2-8: Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) District-created Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) that monitor student progress toward achieving proficiency on the NYS Learning Standards in ELA and Math.

Grades 2-8: Star Reading, Star Math and Star Early Literacy 7 Norm-referenced achievement tests in Reading, Math, and Early Literacy. Used by the District as a universal screening tool, these assessments provide information on screening, progress- monitoring, instructional planning, state standards, and state performance, which allows teachers to use data to drive their instruction and practice, and plan interventions for students that are at- risk of falling below benchmark.

Grades 3-8: New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) - Math, ELA and Science Assessments These mandatory State assessments are administered annually in April-June by the New York State Department of Education. Results are provided to the district by the Western New York Regional Information Center (WNYRIC), and results will be used to determine the tier of intervention in conjunction with DBAs, DIBELS, STAR Math, STAR Reading, and data teams discussions.

Grades 9-12: New York State Regents assessments - ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies Mandatory State high school exit assessments are administered annually in January, June and August by the New York State Department of Education. Results are used to determine which students require AIS services, in conjunction with data team discussions.

B. Identified/Targeted Students

Tracking of Intervention Services All students not meeting the State standards for proficiency (in grades 3-12) are mandated to receive AIS services. Additionally, students not meeting proficiency in the district’s benchmark assessments may receive AIS services in reading, English Language Arts, and mathematics. Students receiving Academic Intervention Services (AIS) will be monitored for program effectiveness. Table 2: Dunkirk City School District Assessment Grid

Grade Math ELA / Literacy K mClass (Early Numeracy) mClass (DIBELS – Early Literacy) 1 mClass (Early Numeracy) mClass (DIBELS – Early Literacy) 2 mClass (Early Numeracy) mClass (DIBELS – Early Literacy) Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 3 Star Math mClass (DIBELS – Early Literacy) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 4 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 5 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 6 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 7 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 8 8 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 9 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 10 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 11 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) 12 Star Math Star Reading Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA) Dunkirk Benchmark Assessments (DBA)

IV. PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF INTERVENTIONS IN TIERS I, II AND III

All students in grades K-8 and all new entrants, upon enrollment to the district will be administered the district’s screening protocol in reading, ELA and Math, three time a year: Beginning of Year (BOY), Middle of Year (MOY), and End of Year (EOY).

Individual student data will be compared to classroom data, grade level data, and national norms. Data teams will meet on a regular basis to review student data. The data teams will then decide which tier of service should be implemented to ensure student progress towards proficiency.

Appropriate behavioral supports and intervention is evidenced by a school-wide positive behavioral system which reflects a systems approach to discipline that emphasizes prevention and data-based decision-making to both reduce problem behavior and improve academic performance. Dunkirk City School District uses Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) as its framework for universal school-wide intervention.

Figure 2: Dunkirk City School District RtI Process

9 V. PROCEDURE FOR PARENT NOTIFICATION

In accordance with section 100.2(ii) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, when a student requires an intervention beyond that provided to all students and begins receiving Tier 2 intervention, parents will be notified in writing of the:  amount and nature of data that will be collected and the general education services that will be provided  strategies to increase the student’s rate of learning  parent’s right to request an evaluation for special education programs and/or services

VI. PROCESS AND TIMELINE

Support services may start at any time but must begin no later than the beginning of the semester following a determination that a student needs such services. At the high school level, support services cannot be postponed until students are scheduled for a course in which services are needed. This must be determined individually for each student based on need.

Dunkirk City School District is prepared to keep the total needs of students in mind when scheduling support services. The Dunkirk City School District, mindful of the responsibility to provide student support services, will also make every effort to make opportunities for students to remain in areas such as art and/or career and technical education while concurrently receiving their support.

Table 3: Resources for Academic Intervention

Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 (Prevention) (Intensive (Intensive (Intensive

10 Intervention) Intervention) Intervention)

Mathematics Core: Core: Investigations Core: NYS Core Core: NYS Core Investigations Supplemental: Curriculum Curriculum Supplemental: Accelerated Math Supplemental: Supplemental: FASTT Math Intensive Accelerated Math Intensive Waterford Intervention: Intensive Intervention: Intervention: Reading Core: Trophies Core: Trophies Core: N/A Core: N/A Supplemental: Supplemental: Suppplemental: Supplemental: Waterford Words Their Way Words Their Way Words Their Way Elements of Intensive Intensive Intensive Reading – Voc. Intervention: Intervention: Intervention: Elements of System 44 System 44 System 44 Reading – Comp. Fast Forward Read 180 Read 180 Words Their Way Words Their Way Fast Forward Fast Forward Intensive Words Their Way Words Their Way Intervention: Fundations Read Naturally Words Their Way Writing / ELA Core: Step Up to Core: Step up to Core: NYS Core Core: NYS Core Writing Writing Curriculum Curriculum Supplemental: Supplemental: Supplemental: Supplemental: Intensive Intensive Step Up to Writing Step Up to Writing Intervention: Intervention: Intensive Intensive Read 180 Intervention: Intervention:

V. RTI CHECKLIST

Interventions: Evidence-Based & Implemented With Integrity Tier 1: Classroom Interventions. The classroom teacher is the ‘first responder’ for students with academic delays. Classroom efforts to instruct and individually support the student Adequatel RTI Element If this element is y incomplete, O Y E S Tier 1: High-Quality Core Instruction. The student Inadequate or receives high- quality core instruction in the area of incorrectly focused O NO academic concern. ‘High quality’ is defined as at least core instruction may 80% of students in the classroom or grade level be an explanation for performing at or above gradewide academic screening the student’s O Y E S Tier 1: Classroom Intervention. The classroom An absence of teacher gives additional individualized academic support individualized classroom O NO to the student beyond that provided in core instruction. support or a poorly · The teacher documents those strategies on a focused classroom Tier 1 intervention plan. intervention plan may · Intervention ideas contained in the plan meet the contribute to the district’s criteria as ‘evidence-based’. student’s academic · Student academic baseline and goals are delays. calculated, and progress-monitoring data are collected to measure the impact of the plan. · The classroom intervention is attempted for a 11 Tiers 2 & 3: Supplemental Interventions. Interventions at Tiers 2 & 3 supplement core instruction and specifically target the student’s academic deficits. Adequatel RTI Element If this element is y incomplete, O Y E S Tier 2 & 3 Interventions: Minimum Number & A foundation assumption Length. The student’s cumulative RTI information of RTI is that a general- O NO indicates that an adequate effort in the general- education student with education setting has been made to provide academic supplemental interventions at Tiers 2 & 3. The term difficulties is typical and ‘sufficient effort’ includes the expectation that within simply needs targeted the student’s general education setting: instructional support to · A minimum number of separate Tier 2/3 be successful. Therefore, intervention trials (e.g., three) are attempted. strong evidence (i.e., · Each intervention trial lasts a minimum period of several documented,

move beyond the assumption that the student is typical to consider whether there are possible ‘within-child’ factors such as a learning

O YES Tier 2 & 3 Interventions: Essential Elements. Supplemental

O NO intervention plan shows evidence that: programs are · Instructional programs or practices used in the they are not based on intervention meet the district’s criteria of ‘evidence- research, are too large, based.· The intervention has been selected because it students with very addressed the area(s) of academic deficit for interventiondiscrepant needs. student (e.g., an intervention to address cannot have confidence was chosen for a student whose primary deficit impact of such potentially reading fluency). compromised · If the intervention is group-based, all students intervention programs. enrolled in the Tier 2/3 intervention group have a shared intervention need that could reasonably be addressed through the group instruction provided.

12 · The student-teacher ratio in the group-based intervention provides adequate student support. NOTE: For Tier 2, group sizes should be capped at 7 students. Tier 3 interventions may be delivered in smaller groups (e.g., 3 students or fewer) or · The intervention provides contact time adequate to the student academic deficit. NOTE: Tier 2 interventions should take place a minimum of 3-5 30 minutes or more; Tier 3 interventions should take place daily in sessions of 30 minutes or more (Burns & Gibbons, 2008).

O YES Tier 1, 2, & 3 Interventions: Intervention Without intervention-

O NO collected to verify that the intervention is carried out data, it is impossible to (Ganslewith integrity & Noell, 2007; Roach & Elliott, 2008). Relevant whetherdiscern academic integrity data include information about: underperformance is due · Frequency and length of intervention sessions. student’s ‘non-response’ · Ratings by the interventionist or an interventionto or due to an about whether all steps of the intervention are intervention that was conducted correctly. inconsistently carried out.

Academic Screenings: General Outcome Measures and Skill-Based Peer Norms: The school selects efficient measures with good technical adequacy to be used to screen all students at a grade level in targeted academic areas. Adequate RTI Element If this element is ly incomplete, O Y E S Selection of Academic Screening Measures. Academic screening The school has selected appropriate grade-level measures provide a O NO screening measures for the academic skill area(s) shared standard for in which the target student struggles (Hosp, Hosp & assessing student Howell, 2007). The selected screening measure(s): academic risk. If · Have ‘technical adequacy’ as grade-level screeners appropriate gradewide —and have been researched and shown to predict academic screening future student success in the academic skill(s) measure(s) are not in targeted. place, the school cannot · Are general enough to give useful information for efficiently identify

Measure). probability of academic · Include research norms, proprietary norms for each student. developed as part of a reputable commercial assessment product, or benchmarks to guide the school in evaluating the risk level for each student

O YES Local Norms Collected via Gradewide Academic In the absence of

O NO Least 3 Times Per Year. All students at each updated local screening grade level are administered the relevant norms, the school three times per school year. The results are compiled whether a particular local norms of academic performance. skills are substantially delayed from those of peers in the same