Hazard Independent Schools. Preschool Child Find/ RTI Plan

Hazard Independent Schools Preschool Child Find/ RTI Plan 2015-2016 School Year

Hazard City Schools Hazard Preschool Child Find/RTI 2015-2016 Child/Find Team The child find/rti team is responsible for meeting to discuss children s progress, analyze data, determine specific problem areas, and to make other decisions relevant to this process. Team members include, but are not limited to, the LEA/Early Childhood Coordinator, Program Specialist, Children Services Team members, teachers and other professionals. First Steps Interventions First Steps services are accepted as prior interventions. Children who transition from First Steps that currently receive interventions do not go through the Child Find/RTI process. Curriculum The classroom teachers utilize the Creative Curriculum program for daily instruction. Screening All children are screened as part of Child Find requirements. A Standardized screening instrument is used, and if a child s results warrant interventions, an intervention plan will be developed during the exit interview with the parent. Preschool will begin intervention for the specific area(s) in which the child shows a potential delay. Preschool will provide interventions for a specified time (for a minimum of twice a week for 4 weeks depending on the child s individual needs and other factors) and document the progress twice on the form provided. At the end of intervention parents are notified with a follow up on the child s progress. IF the child made progress then no further action is needed. For children who showed progress, no follow up is needed by the Hazard Independent District/Preschool. However, in effort to help the child continue to develop their skills, parents will be provided a copy of the KY Early Childhood Standards Parent Guide and trained on how to use it effectively.

For Children who did not show adequate progress, an ARC (Admissions and Release Committee) meeting will be scheduled to discuss referral. The intervention progress monitoring forms will be used by the ARC, along with other available data, to determine if further evaluation is warranted. If referring, follow Hazard City Schools policies and procedures for due process) Program/Interventions Preschool provides intervention focused specifically on the child s area(s) of potential delay for several weeks. Related Service Providers The LEA/Early Childhood Coordinator may consult related service professionals as needed to support intervention process, including but not limited to, Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapists, etc. On-Going Plan Development Per recommendation of the KDE (Kentucky Department of Education), the Child Find Team will be responsible for annually reviewing the plan and procedures for children who need interventions.

Tier-1 Universal Instruction/Interventions In the CCIS/RTI framework, all students in Tier 1 receive high quality scientific, research based instruction from general education teachers in the core curriculum. The core curriculum provides the foundation for instruction upon which all strategic and intensive interventions are formulated. While tier 1 instruction occurs in the general educational setting, it is not necessarily grade level instruction. Instruction at tier 1 includes all developmental domains such as behavioral and social development along with instruction in academic content areas. Tier 1 instruction must be both differentiated and culturally responsive to serve approximately 80-90% of the student body and is effective for the vast majority of students. At this phase, general education teachers match student s prerequisite skills with course content to create an appropriate instructional match and use instructional strategies with fidelity that are evidence-based. The general education teacher will complete the Interventions/Strategies document form for

all students who have been identified at-risk on the universal screener and other performance indicators. At this time the tier 1 letter and RTI Information will be sent home to parents. Interventions will begin in small group and be provided by classroom teacher. Progress Monitoring will begin. Progress Monitoring documents student growth over time to determine whether the student is progressing as expected in the core curriculum. Data collection for progress monitoring is closely tied to instruction, it has a multifunctional purpose to establish where students begin, identify expected growth, and measure performance over time. Progress monitoring data provides a picture of the students performance rate of growth to inform instruction and curricular changes. Progress monitoring data at Tier 1 will be documented. The use of progress monitoring data will guide instruction decision making for lack responsiveness. Lack of responsiveness is defined as the rate of improvement that is not sufficient for the student to become proficient with state standards without more interventions. Six to eight weeks (6 to 8 weeks) or more of progress monitoring is needed before reviewing lack of responsiveness at Tier I. The decision to advance to Tier II is based upon an analysis of the progress monitoring data and a determination of a lack of responsiveness at Tier I. When the general education teacher determines that the student s progress monitoring data indicates lack of responsiveness at Tier I, the teacher meets with the principal and shares data from classroom instruction and interventions the student has been provided during the two hour reading block. The principal/assistant principal conferences with the teacher to analyze the data and to determine if the student should receive Tier II interventions through the Standard Protocol Model or if a Problem Solving Team meeting should be convened. The Tier II Parent Letter is sent to the parent after this meeting. Tier II-Strategic Interventions At Tier II, strategic interventions are provided to students who are not achieving the standards through the core curriculum with differentiated instruction. Tier II typically consists of 5-10% of the student body. Strategic interventions are provided in addition to the instruction in the core curriculum provided in Tier I. Strategic interventions should focus on particular skill areas that need strengthening and reviewed through progress monitoring at appropriate intervals after interventions are implemented. The general education teacher will complete the interventions to be implemented at Tier II.

Strategic interventions are intended to be short-term in duration (e.g., 9-12 weeks). Teacher directed interventions are generally provided in small groups of three to five (3 to 5) students and may occur in the general classroom or outside the classroom as part of the general education instruction. The homogeneity of the group and the flexibility to move from one group to another based upon instructional need is critical. Interventions at Tier II consist of three to four (3 to 4) sessions per week at 30-45 minutes per session. Supplementary instruction must be provided by trained staff and supervised by individuals with expertise in the intervention. Students may benefit from more than one Tier II intervention cycle as long as they are making reasonable progress. Progress monitoring is conducted weekly. Progress monitoring on students placed in Tier II will be documented. The progress monitoring data will be analyzed at least one time per month. When selecting programs for strategic interventions, schools are encouraged to identify two (2) to three (3) programs, or fewer, per area (reading, writing, math, behavior). Students who are successful at Tier II may be reintegrated into Tier I. However, for a small percentage of students, Tier II interventions will not be enough. If a student is showing lack of responsiveness at Tier II, after strategic interventions have been implemented then the school team needs to schedule a meeting where parents are invited to discuss student progress or lack thereof. The Tier III Parent Letter will be sent home.. Tier III - Intensive Interventions Intensive interventions at Tier III are designed to accelerate a student s rate of learning by increasing the frequency and duration of individualized interventions based on progress monitoring that analyzes the lack of responsiveness to the interventions provided at Tier I and Tier II. Intensive interventions at Tier III are in addition to instruction in the core curriculum provided at Tier I. Students at Tier III are those students who are performing significantly below standards and who have not adequately responded to high quality interventions provided at Tier I and Tier II. The general education teacher will complete the interventions to be implemented at Tier III. Tier III generally serves fewer than 5% of the student body. Intensive interventions are delivered individually or in groups of no more than three (3) students. All Tier III interventions must be integrated with Tier I and Tier II instruction. These cannot be completely different interventions that do not strengthen the work of the other interventions and core instruction.

Interventions may occur for a time period of 9-12 weeks. Interventions at Tier III should be provided at least three to four (4 to 5) times per week in 45-60 minutes sessions (e.g., two 30 minute sessions; four (4) 15 minute sessions, etc.). Progress monitoring at Tier III is completed weekly or more frequently and documented. Students who are successful at Tier III may be returned to previous tiers or they may benefit from more than one Tier III intervention cycle as long as they are making reasonable progress. Students who are not successful at Tier III with intensive intervention may be considered for a referral for a special education evaluation. In making decisions, teams should use the following approach: Define the problem - When a concern is raised, the first step is to review the concern and attempt to identify the problem. The team should first review existing student data to determine specific problems. For example, a student should not be identified as simply having an academic or a behavior problem. The team should try to narrow the problem (based upon available data) to identify the deficit skill area(s) (e.g., phonemic awareness, problem solving skills, math calculations, vocabulary, reading comprehension, sentence structure or peer interactions, etc.). Analyze the cause - Once the problem is defined, the team needs to develop a hypothesis as to why the problem is occurring and continuing. This involves analyzing those variables that can be altered through instruction in order to find an instructional solution. This includes questions of fidelity, missing skills, motivational factors, or lack of exposure to the general curriculum. The team should focus on explanations of the problem that can be addressed through instruction. In addition to the cause of the problem, the team needs to consider the student s rate of learning. In doing this, the team reviews the student s learning trend (e.g., progress) in the areas identified by the team. The team should also compare the student s progress to peers over time. Develop a plan - Once the problem has been analyzed, the team identifies interventions that will meet the student s needs. The team does this by developing a plan that includes: an implementation time frame (e.g., 4 weeks, 6 weeks, or 8 weeks); the frequency of the interventions (how often the intervention will be provided and for how many minutes per week); who will provide the intervention (e.g. general education teacher, counselor, etc.); and a time frame to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The student s plan should outline the goal for progress. The team plots a target

line (graphic representation) depicting the desired rate of progress a student needs to reach the goal from the current baseline. Implement the plan - Interventions must be implemented with fidelity. To ensure fidelity, qualified staff must deliver the interventions according to the prescribed process and prescribed timeframe. The team should document their delivery of the interventions using multiple sources (e.g. observation notes, lesson plans and grade books, student work reflecting instructional elements and graphs of student progress, etc.). Evaluate the plan - In order to determine if the intervention is working for a student, the team must collect data through progress monitoring. The frequency of progress monitoring depends on the tier, but in all cases the process is similar. A student s current performance and progress (trend line) is compared to their projected target line. If performance falls significantly below the target line over three or four consecutive monitoring periods, the team should revisit the intervention plan to make appropriate modifications or revisions. CCIS/RTI and Behavior There are varieties of reasons why students misbehave. Some students will misbehave because they won t do it, or because they try and can t do it. Many students struggle academically and exhibit problem behaviors. Behavior and academic success are closely linked and need to be addressed simultaneously. At Hazard Preschool, systematically collected behavioral data (e.g., observations, office referral patterns, ratings, etc.) provides a basis for making decisions on behavior supports. Based on the data, the School-Wide Team uses evidence-based practices to support the student in reducing challenging behaviors and developing positive attitudes toward academic and social life. Many evidence-based behavioral interventions will be considered such as: methods based on applied behavior analysis (e.g., reinforcement); Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS) (e.g. PPIS); social learning (e.g., teaching expected behaviors through modeling and role playing); and cognitive behavioral methods to teach thinking skills, (e.g. problem solving, impulse control, or anger management, etc.). Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KYCID) will be a partner in guiding the process of data collection and the development of school and classroom interventions. Parent Participation Involving parents at all phases is a key aspect of a successful intervention program. Parents can provide critical information about students thus, increasing the

likelihood that interventions will be effective. For this reason, the classroom teacher or other school staff must make a concerted effort to involve parents as early as possible. This can be done through traditional methods such as parentteacher conferences, regularly scheduled meetings, or by other communications. Parents will be invited to participate on their child s team if their child is not making adequate progress based on progress monitoring data. Schools should provide parents with written information about their CCIS/RTI program and be prepared to answer questions about the processes. The written information should explain how the system is different from a traditional education system and about the vital and collaborative role that parents play within the CCIS/RTI system. The more parents are involved, the greater the opportunity for successful student outcomes. The Parent Brochure may be shared with the parents at any time but should be sent home with the Tier I Parent Letter. Because CCIS/RTI is a method of delivering the general education curriculum to all students, written consent is not required before administering universal screenings, and targeted assessments within a multi-tiered system when these tools are used to determine instructional need. However, when a student fails to respond to interventions and the decision is made to evaluate a student for special education, written consent must be obtained in accordance with special education procedures.

Hazard City Schools Hazard Preschool Child Find/RTI 2015-2016 Child s Name: Intervention: Child s Date of Birth: Date of Review: Area(s) of Concern: 1. At least 2 intervention dates have been documented for each area of concern. Yes No If no, please explain: 2. As a result of intervention, the child s skills show: Minimal or no improvement Some improvement Improvement 3. Action to be taken: No Follow up needed Interventions/Recommendations given Referral for further evaluation; ARC will be scheduled. 4. Additional Comments: (optional); LEA/Disability Preschool Coordinator Speech/Language Pathologist (optional) Parent/Guardian Related Service Personnel (optional) Program Specialist Children s Services Manager (optional)