Response to Intervention: Schedules

Transcription

1 Southern Maine Area Resource Team (SMART) for Schools Response to Intervention: Schedules Rachel Brown-Chidsey, Ph.D., NCSP!

2 Overview u Why are schedules important for RTI? u What are ideal schedules for RTI? u How are schedules best developed to support RTI? u Where do we start? SMART for Schools

3 Why Are Schedules Important? Having enough time for learning has been shown to be a key variable in student outcomes School schedules help optimize time on learning for students Schedules also provide routine for the school day Some types of instruction needs to be highly structured Some students prefer routine SMART for Schools

4 Schedules are an Instructional Tool Time is one of the most valuable resources teachers need When compared to schools in other industrial countries, U.S. schools allocate far less time to instruction Added demands in the curriculum have created time pressures on teachers SMART for Schools

5 Setting Priorities Before deciding when during each day to do what We must create instructional priorities What are the non-negotiables which must be in the daily schedule? Instructional content Breaks, transportation, etc. What are the highest and lowest priorities? SMART for Schools

6 Scheduling is Crucial For RTI to work, there must be enough time for instruction based on students needs Grouping variables are an important consideration: Within classrooms By classroom By grades SMART for Schools

7 What Are Ideal Schedules? No schedule is perfect, but there are models for Tiers 1, 2, 3 Keep in mind that it may take a few years to develop an ideal schedule for your school Schedules need to be reviewed annually and revised as needed SMART for Schools

8 Tier 1 Schedules Include a mix of whole group and small group activities Include differentiated instruction based on student needs Reading instruction 90 minutes per day, K-5 Math instruction 60 minutes per day, K-5 Social Skills 5-10 minute lessons per day SMART for Schools

9 SMART for Schools

10 Walk to Read/Math u When all classrooms of the same grade have reading or math at the same time, it s possible to group students across classrooms into flexible instructional groups u Students walk to another room for instruction u Important to realize that these groups are revised every 6 weeks based on student progress SMART for Schools

11 Tier 2 Schedules u For students who need the additional instruction of Tier 2, a time block for it to happen needs to be in the schedule u The best way to do this is to create a skills or intervention block as part of the daily schedule for all students u Typically minutes each day u These blocks can be used for both remedial and enrichment instruction SMART for Schools

12 Sample Skills Block Schedules u The following slides include examples of daily schedules for grades K-5 and middle school u These come from schools around the U.S. u These schedules reflect a commitment to ensuring that there is time in the day for students who need additional instruction u Keep in mind that students will change what they do during skills time over the year SMART for Schools

13 Kindergarten SMART for Schools

14 Grade 1 SMART for Schools

15 Grade 2 SMART for Schools

16 Grade 3 SMART for Schools

17 Grade 4 SMART for Schools

18 Grade 5 SMART for Schools

19 Middle School SMART for Schools

20 Tier 2 Schedule Options No all students will need daily sessions Can schedule some students for 2-3 days per week and this frees up slots for other students Good to reduce frequency of sessions over time before a student ends intervention Groups need to be reviewed often to ensure instructional match SMART for Schools

21 Tier 3 Schedules The amount of time needed to get students on track grows by grade level and by level of student need In Kindergarten we can catch up a student in 20 minutes per day By 5 th grade we need much more time because the skill gap is likely to be bigger Tier 3 requires large chunks of time for intensive instruction SMART for Schools

22 Tier 3 Options In order to get the time needed at Tier 3 there are two options: Add more intervention time by replacing other instruction Add 30 minutes of math instruction in place of science or music Replace core instruction with a highly intensive program and keep the Tier 2 intervention time Use Touch Math as the replacement core and keep the 30 minutes of intervention SMART for Schools

23 How Are Schedules Best Developed? Developing an effective schedule is a process not a moment in time event All stakeholders need to be included in the process Sometimes hard choices are needed Sometimes very small changes make all the difference 3 minutes off lunch

24 Stakeholders in the Process Teachers General Special Parents Bus drivers Paraprofessionals Food staff Administrators are not key stakeholders but instead facilitators SMART for Schools

25 Where Do We Start? Plan to have many meetings Start with a school-wide discussion of how the current schedule is working What is working well What is not working or missing? Identify what needs to change and why Post these change items so everyone can see them during all meetings SMART for Schools

26 Create a Process Determine how schedule decisions will be made Create a timeline for decision making Empower everyone to have a voice Remind those whose voices are too powerful that the schedule needs to work for students first, not just for staff Once a new schedule is made try it out for a specific duration then review it and determine if change is needed SMART for Schools

27 Summary Effective schedules are critical for RTI to succeed Setting instructional priorities is a first step There must be time in the day for each priority activity When changing schedules, remember it s a process The schedule should foster success for all students SMART for Schools