DOCSLIB.ORG

Response to Intervention and the Identification of Specific Learning

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Response to Intervention and the Identification of Specific Learning Top Lang Disorders Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 39–58 Copyright c 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Response to Intervention and the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities Daniel J. Reschly The use of response-to-intervention (RTI) to identify children and youth with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) is described with multiple illustrations. Essential components of the RTI process are specified at multiple tiers of intervention, each essential to valid SLD identification. The RTI goals are prevention in general education, early identification and intervention, and intensive treat- ment of children with severe and chronic achievement and behavioral challenges. Identification of SLD is described as a series of stages culminating in a comprehensive evaluation that meets requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. During the comprehensive evaluation, the need for screening in at least 12 domains is stressed, followed by an in-depth as- sessment in domains in which the possibility of educationally related deficits exists. Advantages of RTI-based SLD identification are discussed. Key words: problem solving, progress monitoring, response to intervention, SLD identification ONTROVERSY has existed in the iden- discussed. This is followed by a considera- C tification of specific learning disabilities tion of policy and practice. Finally, the advan- (SLDs) from the inception of the diagnostic tages and disadvantages of SLD identification construct in the 1960s to the present. No con- through RTI are contrasted with other current sensus exists still today. In fact, thought and alternatives to SLD identification. practice are perhaps even more diverse than The concepts of unexpected low achieve- at any time in the past 50 years. Other arti- ment and discrepancy from some expected cles in this special issue deal with the history level of performance are fundamental to the of identification policy and practices and vari- SLD construct. The application of RTI to ous alternatives to SLD identification. This ar- SLD identification preserves these basic con- ticle is devoted to one of the contemporary cepts by defining SLD with the familiar no- alternatives, identification of SLD through the tion of duel discrepancy, which involves both response-to-intervention (RTI) process. The discrepancy from normal levels of achieve- RTI process has multiple variations and some- ment and discrepancy from expected levels of what different purposes. In the first section, progress, given intensive instruction. This ar- the basic structure and premises of RTI are ticle describes how RTI is used to implement these traditional SLD identification concepts by focusing on student progress. Author Affiliation: Departments of Education and RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION Psychology, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Although problem-solving methods as fore- This article is an extensive rewrite and updating of Reschly and Bergstrom (2009). runners of RTI were developed several The author has indicated that he has no financial and decades ago and applied to a wide array no nonfinancial relationships to disclose. of human problems (Bergan, 1977; Deno & Corresponding Author: Daniel J. Reschly, PhD, 1402 Mirkin, 1977), the term response to interven- Lille Ct., Franklin, TN 37067 ([email protected]). tion emerged in the late 1990s to early 2000s DOI: 10.1097/TLD.0000000000000003 to describe multitiered reading interventions 39 Copyright © 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 40 TOPICS IN LANGUAGE DISORDERS/JANUARY–MARCH 2014 (Lyon et al., 2001; Vaughn, Linan-Thompson, equivalent. For most purposes, RTI and MTSS & Hickman, 2003) and behavior interventions are virtually identical in theory and practice; (Horner & Sugai, 2000). The concept, how- however, in the context of SLD identification, ever, is ancient, because humans have used re- RTI is used most often and therefore is used sults to decide on the adoption, continuation, in this chapter. Systems implementing MTSS modification, and discontinuation of practices or RTI depend on several tiers of interven- for thousands of years. What is new today tions that vary in instructional intensity and in educational system RTI applications are measurement precision. At all tiers, the major the solid scientific foundations for academic goal is to improve performance to benchmark and behavioral interventions, improved mea- levels (defined later). surement precision, formal decision rules, en- abling policy and legal supports, and applica- tion to a wide range of decisions including MULTIPLE TIERS: PURPOSES AND identification of SLDs. PRACTICES Response to intervention is a process for designing and delivering interventions in The number of tiers varies in different human services settings that is based on four RTI/MTSS systems, with a three-tier system fundamental principles (Batsche et al., 2005; being the most common model. The tiers typ- Brown-Chidsey & Steege, 2010; Gresham, ically are organized loosely around different 2007; Reschly & Bergstrom, 2009; Tilly, educational interventions delivered in (a) gen- 2008). The process must be implemented eral classrooms in general education, (b) sup- withfidelityatalllevelsandmustrepresent plemental instruction or intervention along the principles as follows: with general education classroom instruction 1. Scientifically based academic instruc- in general education, and (c) long-term in- tion and behavior interventions matched terventions that may involve other programs to student needs and implemented with such as special education in addition to gen- good fidelity over a time period that is eral education. Identification of SLD may oc- reasonable to expect gains to meet per- cur in connection with decisions about spe- formance expectations. cial education eligibility. A common three-tier 2. Progress monitoring that is sufficiently model is illustrated in Figure 1. frequent and sensitive to match the de- gree of students’ needs and the inten- Tier I general education: Primary sity of the intervention, with results prevention used to compare progress with goals and Tier I is the general education classroom/ make changes in goals or instruction/ program in which all or nearly all children intervention as indicated by progress participate. The primary purpose of Tier I is data. to deliver high-quality academic instruction 3. Data-based decision making about the and positive behavior programs that enable degree of students’ needs and the in- children to meet benchmark expectations. tensity of educational services required Both the academic instruction and positive to meet those needs based on student behavior programs are expected to be scien- progress toward benchmark goals for tifically based, meaning that they are based performance. on multiple research studies yielding positive 4. Multitiered or levels of intervention that results (see later discussion). The primary vary in intervention intensity matched to purpose in Tier I is prevention of academic student needs. and behavior problems, with a secondary The term response to intervention appears purpose of early identification and treatment to be evolving into the term, multitier sys- of students who appear to be falling below tem of supports (MTSS), which is essentially benchmarks. As noted in a National Research Copyright © 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. RTI/SLD Identification 41 More intense, longer term Tier III interventions of > 1 year that may or may not Progression to More Intense involve special education higher and lower 10% – 12% tiers determined Small group and by children’s RTI Decisions: Continue, Modify, go to more intense, individual interventions-Problem Tier II: More Intense Academic solving and and Behavioral Interventions standard protocol (10-2010% weeks) – 15% of students reading/math Tier I: Academics and behavior in general education Effective core instruction School-wide positive supports in basic academic skills Effective classroom management Screening for behavior All students Problem solving Figure 1. Multitiered system with tiers varying in intervention intensity and measurement precision. MTSS/RTI model with three tiers. MTSS = multitier system of supports; RTI = response to intervention. Council report, “There is substantial evidence Horner & Sugai, 2000; Walker, Severson, & with regard to both behavior and achieve- Seeley, 2010). Additional progress monitor- ment that early identification and intervention ing may be conducted with a few children is more effective than later identification in each classroom to look more closely at and intervention.” (Donovan & Cross, 2002, responses to instructional changes before p. 6). The following sections describe several consideration of Tier II services. Currently key components to prevention and early available procedures can be used as early as identification and treatment. the first month of kindergarten to identify Universal screening and progress mon- young children with underdeveloped pre- itoring are applied to all children, using and early reading skills such as alphabet methods that are time-efficient and accurate knowledge, phonemic awareness, and initial in identifying students at risk for possible ed- sound fluency (AIMSweb, 2013; Good & ucational and behavioral problems. Universal Kaminski, 2011). These early measures have screening is most prominent for screening strong correlations with
Load more

Recommended publications
  • RTI in the General Education Classroom
    Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU Honors Projects Honors College Spring 5-3-2016 Inclusive Settings: RTI in the General Education Classroom Brittany Graves [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons, and the Special Education and Teaching Commons Repository Citation Graves, Brittany, "Inclusive Settings: RTI in the General Education Classroom" (2016). Honors Projects. 314. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/314 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. Inclusive Settings: RTI in the General Education Classroom Brittany N. Graves Advisor 1 Chris Fluckinger, Ph.D. Advisor 2 Alfred DiVencenzo, M.Ed. Table of Contents Table of Contents pg. 1 Abstract pg. 3 The Dilemma as Presented Through My Pendulum Theory pg. 4 The Pendulum Theory [Figure 1] pg. 6 Overview of Response to Intervention (RTI) pg. 8 Response to Intervention Pyramid [Figure 2] pg. 9 Tier 1 pg. 10 Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences [Figure 3] pg. 13 Tier 2 pg. 15 Tier 3 pg. 17 Field Work Setting pg. 19 Field Work Data Collection Methods & Results pg. 22 Staff Interview [Table 1] pg. 23 Staff Interview [Table 2] pg.
    [Show full text]
  • A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention
    A Parent’s Guide to Response to Intervention (RTI) illions of school-age children experience diffi culties with learning. Their struggles in school may be due to factors such as cultural or language differences, poor attendance or a lack of appropriate instruction. In some cases, a disability Msuch as a learning disability can make learning diffi cult for a child. For years schools have attempted to provide help to these students using a variety of approaches — including programs such as special education and Title I. In recent years, Congress has added new provisions to our nation’s federal education laws — the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) — that are designed to encourage school districts to provide additional support for struggling students within general education. This support should be provided as early as possible — when students show the earliest signs of diffi culty. When students are allowed to fail, they often get further and further behind, making it more and more diffi cult to get them back on grade level. By helping students early, schools can keep every student on grade level and on track to graduate. While schools have attempted many ways to help struggling students, including those with disabilities, the current focus is on an improved, research-based process known as Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is not a special kind of program or book. It is a way to help all students succeed, including struggling learners. Ultimately, the goal of RTI is to prevent failure and make all students successful learners.
    [Show full text]
  • Questions and Answers on Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS). (PDF)
    Questions and Answers On Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS) January 2007 The final regulations for the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) were published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2006, and became effective on October 13, 2006. Since publication of the final regulations, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education has received requests for clarification of some of these regulations. This is one in a series of question and answer documents prepared by OSERS to address some of the most important issues raised by requests for clarification on a variety of high-interest topics. Generally, the questions, and corresponding answers, presented in this Q&A document required interpretation of IDEA and the regulations and the answers are not simply a restatement of the statutory or regulatory requirements. The responses presented in this document generally are informal guidance representing the interpretation of the Department of the applicable statutory or regulatory requirements in the context of the specific facts presented and are not legally binding. The Q&As are not intended to be a replacement for careful study of IDEA and the regulations. The statute, regulations, and other important documents related to IDEA and the regulations are found at https://sites.ed.gov/idea/. The final regulations incorporate new requirements regarding identifying children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and early intervening
    [Show full text]
  • Identifying Learning Disabilities in the Context of Response to Intervention
    3/7/2016 Identify Children with LD Within Response­to­Intervention | RTI Action Network About Us Checklists SLD ID Toolkit Blog Contact Us Glossary Login PARENTS & FAMILIES PRE­K K­5 MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL HIGHER ED Learn About RTI What is RTI? Identifying Learning Disabilities in the Context of Response to Research Support for RTI Intervention: A Hybrid Model LD Identification by Jack M. Fletcher, Ph.D., University of Houston Diversity and Disproportionality PRINT EMAIL SHARE Behavior Supports RTI in Pre­Kindergarten The formal incorporation of Response­to­Intervention (RTI) models in the RTI in Secondary Schools 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act ADDITIONAL ARTICLES (IDEA 2004; USDOE, 2004) signals a major change in approaches that The Role of RTI in LD Identification Get Started schools may use to identify students as eligible for special education in the Position Statement on Determination learning disability (LD) category. School­based interdisciplinary teams must of Specific Learning Disabilities contend with these changes to identify children with LD, determine their Making Decisions About Adequate Include Essential Components Progress in Tier 2 eligibility for special education, and most importantly, develop effective intervention approaches. Reviewing the historical definitions of LD and Connect With Others articulating the scientific basis for the changes in identification and intervention introduced by IDEA 2004 may provide some insight into how ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Professional Learning National Center for Learning the recent changes affect the accuracy and utility of diagnostic decision Disabilities making in the area of LD. National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Get Email Updates Changes in IDEA: 1968 to 2004 Response to Intervention ­ A Primer RTI Talk: Response to Intervention Sign up to receive the RTI Action and IDEA ­ LD Identification in the RTI Network e­newsletter.
    [Show full text]
  • AOTA Practice Advisory on Occupational Therapy in Response to Intervention
    AOTA Practice Advisory on Occupational Therapy in Response to Intervention Scope of Practice Occupational therapy practitioners1 are highly qualified, licensed professionals who work in the school setting. They have expertise in promoting the function and engagement of all children in their everyday routines to support school participation. Addressing activities of daily living, rest and sleep, play, education, and social development are key components of occupational therapy practice. The fundamental background of occupational therapy practitioners is rooted in concepts related to promoting meaningful participation, optimum development, and engagement within natural contexts or least restrictive environments. These are core principles of both the profession of occupational therapy as well as early childhood and school practice. As a primary service under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), occupational therapy practitioners collaborate with early childhood and school teams to promote the physical, communication, cognitive, adaptive, and social-emotional domains of infants and toddlers. As a related service under Part B of IDEA and a pupil service under Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as No Child Left Behind), occupational therapy practitioners support children and youth by promoting participation in home, school, and community life. Response to Intervention (RtI), an early intervening service, is a multi-tiered approach within general education that provides services early to struggling learners to facilitate school success. RtI addresses both the academic and behavioral health needs of all students, particularly those at risk. This approach, that requires collaboration from all school personnel, involves universal screenings; high-quality, evidence-based instructional methods and interventions; data collection and data-based decision-making; and progress monitoring.
    [Show full text]
  • Response to Instruction and Intervention (Rtii): a Fact Sheet For
    Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII): A Fact Sheet for Parents RtII is (1) a general education effort for ALL students to identify and help those students who need academic or behavioral help long before they fail, and (2) one of two ways to identify students with learning disabilities. RtII includes these features: • Standards Aligned Instruction: High quality instruction for ALL students based on research (what we know to work) and aligned to Pennsylvania standards (matched to what students must know and be able to do) • Universal Screening: A quick check of students’ current level of performance in a content or skill area • Tiered Interventions: Provides some students with increasing levels of instructional help based on their specific needs in the general education curriculum (See Pennsylvania’s Three-Tier Model below for details) Tier 3: Intensive Intervention • For students performing significantly below grade level • Weekly Progress Monitoring Tier 2: Targeted Intervention • For students at academic or behavioral risk • Bi-monthly Progress Monitoring Tier 1: Core Instruction • For all students • Universal Screening and Benchmark Assessments (3 to 5 times per year) • Parental Engagement: Parents are provided information regarding their child’s needs, interventions, goals and expected progress, time spent in each tier, with regular reports of progress or lack of progress and the right to request a special education evaluation at any time. • Shared Ownership (responsibility): All staff assume an active role in instruction and assessment for all students. • Data-Based Decision Making: The use of student data to guide the design, implementation, and adjustment of instruction. Student performance data is gathered through: u Progress Monitoring: Continuous measuring and comparing of student learning to determine progress toward targeted skills with the purpose of appropriately adjusting instruction.
    [Show full text]
  • Response to Intervention: an Introduction
    Response to Intervention: An Introduction This briefA research Brief review Review was prepared of theby Patricia Research Cahape Hammer Literature for the West Virginia Department of Education in [2012]. It was originally published as part of a larger study, West Virginia Alternate Identification and Reporting Program: An Exploratory Analysis by Yetty A. Shobo, Anduamlak Meharie, Patricia Cahape Hammer, and Nate Hixson, available at http://wvde.state.wv.us/research/reports2012/EvaluationofAIR2011Final062812.pdf. Response to Intervention: An Introduction Response to Intervention: An Abstract Introduction This review provides an introduction to response A Brief Review of the Research Literature to intervention (RTI), including how it is defined, reasons for its What is RTI? growing popularity, an The National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI), funded introduction to an by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs offers the emerging body of following definition of RTI: research, a brief discussion of what it all Response to intervention integrates assessment and intervention means, and suggestions within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student about directions for achievement and to reduce behavioral problems. With RTI, future research. schools use data to identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities. (NCRTI, 2010, p. 2) Key to this definition is the premise that by intervening early, struggling students will obtain the skills they need and avoid special education placement later (Newman-Gonchar, Clarke, & Gersten, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Description and Implications
    Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Description and Implications Purpose This paper, “Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Description and Implications,” has been jointly developed by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Head Start Association. The purpose of the joint paper is to define early childhood response-to-intervention frameworks and to promote a broader understanding and discussion of the topic. The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) 27 Fort Missoula Road Suite 2 Missoula, MT 59804 www.dec-sped.org National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 1313 L Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-4101 www.naeyc.org National Head Start Association (NHSA) 1651 Prince Street Alexandria, VA 22314 www.nhsa.org 2 Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Frameworks for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Description and Implications cross the nation, there is an increased focus on ensuring that all young children experience positive outcomes and enter school ready to learn. Moreover, significant national investments have been made to align policies and resources to support the implementation of research-based teaching and caregiving practices within all programs Aand classrooms, from early childhood to postsecondary settings. One key piece of legislation that underscores the increased attention and investment in intervening early is the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA 2004). IDEIA includes a specific provision highlighting the need for early intervening services (EIS) for K–12 students (with a particular emphasis on children in K–3) who require additional academic and/or behavioral support.
    [Show full text]
  • Response to Intervention
    2020 — Vasiliki Varvaki/Getty RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION EDITOR’S NOTE CONTENTS Commentary Response to Intervention is a model to identify struggling students and provide 2 The Most Popular 8 MTSS: Where the 14 Student Trauma Is Real. targeted interventions before academic Reading Programs Aren’t Obstacles Are But Connection Can Heal failure. In this Spotlight, learn about obstacles Backed by Science 9 How Do Kids Learn to 17 Do Teachers Need to multitiered systems of supports, explore 5 RTI May Fall Short in Read? What the Response to Intervention? how RTI can benefit teachers, and consider Flagging Certain Science Says 18 Four Steps to Implement the research on best early reading instruction Students RTI Correctly practices. 7 What Are Multitiered Systems of Supports? Response to Intervention / edweek.org 2 Published December 3, 2019, in Education Week’s Special Report: Getting Reading Right The Most Popular Reading Programs Aren’t Backed by Science By Sarah Schwartz readers do use different sources of in- TOP 5 formation to predict what words might here’s a settled body of re- READING MATERIALS say. But studies also suggest that skilled search on how best to teach By Percentage readers don’t read this way. Neuroscience early reading. But when it of Teachers Using research has shown that skilled readers comes to the multitude of cur- process all of the letters in words when riculum choices that schools they read them, and that they read con- Thave, it’s often hard to parse whether well- 43% nected text very quickly. marketed programs abide by the evidence.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Response-To-Intervention Good Policy for Specific Learning Disability?
    Scholars Crossing Faculty Publications and Presentations School of Education 2008 Is Response-to-Intervention Good Policy for Specific Learning Disability? Kenneth A. Kavale Lucinda S. Spaulding Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Kavale, Kenneth A. and Spaulding, Lucinda S., "Is Response-to-Intervention Good Policy for Specific Learning Disability?" (2008). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 119. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/119 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RTI Policy and SLD 1 Running head: RTI POLICY Is Response-to-Intervention Good Policy for Specific Learning Disability? Kenneth A. Kavale & Lucinda S. Spaulding Regent University RTI Policy and SLD 2 Abstract The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) established new provisions for specific learning disability (SLD) identification, including: (a) no longer requiring consideration of IQ-achievement discrepancy, and (b) permitting response-to- intervention (RTI) as part of SLD evaluation procedures. We discuss several policy implications of these new regulations by considering the original construct of SLD, the still “experimental” status and implementation of RTI, the closer alignment of RTI objectives with No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) than former IDEA regulations, and the shift in focus from serving as a special education identification procedure to a general education instructional procedure. We conclude by proposing several recommendations for the appropriate inclusion of both RTI and psychometric evaluation within the continuum of SLD identification procedures.
    [Show full text]
  • A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (RTI)
    A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (RTI) by Susan Bruce www.wrightslaw.com Regional Education Coordinator Pro*Parents of SC, Inc. When IDEA was reauthorized in 2004 some new buzz words emerged. One term is Response to Intervention (RTI). Although response to intervention is not actually new, it is very new to IDEA, parents, and to many school districts. RTI in IDEA and “scientifically research based instruction” in IDEA and NCLB emphasize the quality of instruction ALL children receive. NCLB and IDEA raise the bar in education by attempting to ensure that ALL children receive high quality instruction. The purpose of RTI is to catch struggling children early, provide appropriate instruction, and prevent the need to refer the child for special education. This concept offers hope and fear in advocates and parents. In an attempt by the US Department of Education to eliminate the wall that separates regular and special education, school districts may use 15% of IDEA funding for early intervention services in regular education - RTI. RTI and Hope for Better Instruction RTI offers hope that all children will receive better and more adequate instruction in math and reading. RTI provides a new and different way to identify students with specific learning disabilities. But, there are important issues that parents need to be aware of. If we, as parents, are not educated on the RTI process and what IDEA requires, our schools may fail to identify some children who do have specific learning disabilities. I concur with the experts who say that many children have not received the type of instruction they need to be successful.
    [Show full text]
  • Elementary School Academic Policy Guide
    Office of Academic Policy & Systems September 2021 Edition Elementary School Academic Policy Guide Elementary School Academic Policy Guide Dear Colleagues, The New York City Department of Education’s academic policy guides consolidate the many requirements for academic programming, assessments, promotion, grading, and student data into one reference document. The transition back to fully in-person learning has been a significant shift for New York City. Students, families, teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, service providers, and many others in students’ lives have had to overcome enormous challenges. In spite of this, we have not wavered in our commitment to supporting and educating our students and will continue to persevere under extraordinary circumstances. During this time, our policies must reflect the wide range of experiences and challenges that we are facing as a community. Our goal in publishing the academic policy guides is to provide you with clear interpretations of academic policies and guidance about how to apply them in different scenarios. The academic policy guides are revised each year based on changes to policies and feedback from schools and field staff. This year the academic policy guides are also designed to help schools adapt—not recreate—their policies to meet students' needs as we return to fully in-person learning. This academic policy guide is just one tool that you may use in providing rigorous academic experiences that considers their individual strengths and needs. Use this guide as a resource as you program and grade students, develop instructional supports and interventions, and set your own school-level policies. As you implement these policies, we encourage you to apply an equity and empathy lens, identifying opportunities to examine how having strong policies, systems, and structures impacts the outcomes of every student.
    [Show full text]