Academic Intervention Services (AIS) User Guide v

TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview... 3 Leveraging esd for AIS/RTI Program Management... 3 AIS Policy Document... 4 Determining Student Eligibility... 4 Referring Individual Students for AIS... 4 AIS Candidate Report... 5 Enrolling Individual Students in AIS... 6 Assigning Individual Student Plans... 7 Closing Individual Student Plans... 10 Individual AIS Letters... 12 AIS Student Plan Journal... 16 AIS Management Wizard... 17 RTI Referrals En Masse... 17 Manage AIS Enrollments En Masse... 18 AIS Summary Report... 20 An Integrated Approach to AIS/RTI... 21 Glossary of Terms... 23 eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 2

Overview A successful AIS program involves coordinated efforts among administrators, teachers, counselors and parents. The eschooldata (esd ) system has been designed to facilitate this coordination, supporting the various aspects of the AIS specifications. This manual provides the guidelines on how to implement, administer and report on all aspects of the New York State mandated Academic Intervention Services (AIS). Leveraging esd for AIS/RTI Program Management Entering Tier II Referrals: RTI Referrals Allow teachers to enter RTI Referrals directly from their roster. Select RTI Referral Reasons from a locally-defined list of indicators, such as classroom performance, behavior, social risk factors, etc. The RTI Referral tab (in Student Profile) is similar to the student phone journal. The RTI Referral tool can be used to share risks as well as helpful observations, such as works well independently, acts out when working in teams. Analyzing Tier II Referrals: AIS Candidate Report Schedule weekly Instructional Support Team (IST) meetings. ISTs review all RTI referrals in a simple, composite report, including links to 504 and IEP. By Teacher: Are all teachers making recommendations? By Student: How many teachers made recommendations for a particular student? If there are 5 recommendations for a particular student, are they all based on the same indicators? Student Details: What else is going on with this student? Click on the student profile tab to see if there is anything unusual going on with Attendance, Health, Discipline, Meal status, etc. Entering Assessments: Assessment Import Tool Use the esd Assessment Import Tool to import scores for all district-sanctioned screenings, benchmarks, and exams. Maintain a complete Assessment Profile within esd. Analyzing Assessment Results: AIS Candidate Report Filter by date range and assessment score. Link directly to the student s profile for a composite review of attendance, discipline, health, assessments, student schedules, IEP and 504 Status. Notification Letters Generate Notification Letters en masse. Maintain a letter log. Teacher Log Teacher Log works like a phone journal. Log entry date, entered by, and supporting narratives are maintained at the student level and remain accessible year after year. Categories can be defined (based on district policy) within the teacher log itself. Author only permission can be granted to substitute teachers and support personnel. The material presented in this guide assumes the user has a basic familiarity with the esd System. For information on how to access the system or perform basic user functions, please refer to the Getting Started User Guide. For information on Assessments and the esd Assessment Import Tool, refer to the Assessments User Guide. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 3

AIS Policy Document All substantial information outlined in the district AIS policy (i.e. the process for identifying AIS students, cut points, services provided, etc.) should be defined in esd whether or not students are currently receiving the described services. Likewise, no assessments, cut points, or services should be defined in esd unless they are clearly outlined in Board of Education policy. Determining Student Eligibility A student may become eligible to receive AIS for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are firm quantifiable indicators (such as assessment scores); others are discretionary, requiring a more personal approach. Due to the esd system s built in capabilities to manage assessment data, esd can facilitate automatic detection of AIS eligibility based on student assessment scores via the AIS Candidate Report (see page 5). For discretionary indicators, esd provides easy mechanisms for manually referring, enrolling and withdrawing students from AIS programs. Refer to the AIS Setup User Guide for information on defining the assessment score cut points for AIS eligibility. Referring Individual Students for AIS Individual students can also be referred for AIS for discretionary indicators, rather than for scores on assessments/measures. Go to Student > Profile, open the desired student s Profile, click the RTI Referrals tab and click New. Select the Referral Date, Referral reason and the Referred By staff member. Enter any Notes that are relevant to this student s eligibility for RTI (optional), then click Save. Referring a student in this manner places the student on the AIS Candidate Report under RTI Referrals. To refer students en masse, please see RTI Referrals En Masse on page 17. Referral reasons are the Other Indicators entered during the AIS Setup process. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 4

AIS Candidate Report The AIS Candidate Report has two parts: Assessments Eligibility (default view) and RTI Referrals. The esd system automatically detects AIS eligibility based on Assessment Scores and the entry criteria assigned for each Assessment. The Report will also display students who have RTI Referrals in their student portfolio. Go to Program > AIS > AIS Candidate Report. The system defaults to displaying eligible students based on Highest Scores Only for all Assessments. Select RTI Referrals to automatically display all students with RTI Referrals. For both Assessments and RTI Referrals, use the various filters to narrow the selection and click Search. The RTI icon indicates that the student is flagged with Program Service code: AIS/RTI (0209). The green Checkmarks in the Monitor, Enroll and In AIS columns indicate that the student is enrolled in an AIS Plan, and is being monitored. To view a student s profile, click the radio button to the left of the student s name then click Profile. To view the student s IEP (permission-based), click the Special Education icon or the 504 icon. To view the student s RTI (permission-based), click the RTI icon. Click the Export to Excel icon to export the AIS Candidate Report (Assessments or RTI Referrals) to Excel. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 5

Enrolling Individual Students in AIS Once a student appears on the AIS Candidate Report, users can choose to Monitor the student or Enroll the student in an AIS Plan. Enrolling the student in an AIS Plan automatically flags the student with the Program Service code: AIS/RTI (0209). Click the radio button to the left of the student s name, then click the radio button under the appropriate column (Monitor or Enroll) and click Save. To enroll students en masse, please see Manage AIS Enrollments En Masse on page 18. If the user Enrolls the student, an AIS Plan will open. Select the Subject for the AIS Plan (if blank). Enter the Begin Date and Review Date for the AIS Plan, select the Intensity (High, Low or Medium) and click Save. Do NOT enter an End Date at this time. The Subject field will be blank for an RTI Referral. Otherwise it will display the Assessment s Subject Area, greyed out. Board of Education Policy, Districts and/or Schools determine the criteria for determining Intensity. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 6

Assigning Individual Student Plans Once students have been enrolled in AIS, users need to specify the details of their AIS Plan: the various services the student will receive, from whom, how often, etc. Go to Program > AIS > AIS Student Plans. The system automatically displays all students who are enrolled in AIS or being monitored, their Subject and Plan Dates (if any), along with their AIS Plan Status (Premonitor, AIS, Postmonitor or Dismissed). Use the various filters to narrow the selection and click Search. Users can View, Edit or Delete existing AIS Student Plan records. Click the radio button to the left of the student s name to access the student s Portfolio, create Letters (see page 12) and access/print the Student Plan Journal (see page 16). Click the Edit icon to specify the Services that a newly-enrolled student will receive. See the Glossary of Terms on page 21 for AIS Plan Status definitions. The grey Edit icon indicates the student s AIS Plan has been closed and cannot be edited. Click the Excel icon to export the displayed list of AIS Student Plans to Excel. Students may be assigned to any AIS Plan associated to their Grade and Subject. Ensure that the Begin and Review Dates, Intensity and AIS Plan Status are correct. Then click the Expand icon to select the Enter Criteria. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 7

Click all applicable Enter Criteria (Assessment/Measure, Other Indicator, and Recommending Party) in the Available row to move the criteria to the Selected row below. Then click the Expand icon to select the Intervention Services (Academic or Support). The Selected Enter Criteria will appear on the AIS Notification Letter. Click the Add Services icon at the right end of the Intervention Services Academic and/or Intervention Services Support section headers to add the Academic and/or Support Services. The Selected Intervention Services will appear on the AIS Notification Letter. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 8

Select the correct Service, Frequency, Begin Date and Provider, then click Save. Only services associated to the selected Subject and student s Grade will be in the Service menu. Only Staff members with the Staff Type: AIS Teacher will populate the Provider menu. Once all Academic and Support Services have been added for that Subject, click AIS Status to review the student s AIS Plans. Click each AIS Plan Status (AIS, Dismissed, Postmonitor, Premonitor) to see the Subjects and AIS Plans associated with that Plan Status. Users can View or Edit the student s existing AIS Plans, or click New to add another AIS Plan for the student. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 9

Closing Individual Student Plans An AIS plan is considered complete when the student has satisfied the Exit Criteria for the Subject, has exited all associated plan services, and the AIS Plan Status will be changed to Dismissed. AIS Plans are also marked complete when the student has left the district, or when the student is promoted to a new grade and is eligible to be entered into the appropriate AIS plan for that grade level. At any of these points, it is desirable to close the AIS Plan associated with that student. Go to Program > AIS > AIS Student Plans. Click the Edit icon Plan. for the appropriate Student Click the Excel icon to export the displayed list of AIS Student Plans to Excel. Click the Expand icon to select the Exit Criteria. Click all applicable Exit Criteria (Assessment/Measure, Other Indicator, and Recommending Party) in the Available row to move the criteria to the Selected row below. Click Save. Tip: Note any AIS Plan Status changes, along with the dates of change, in the student s AIS Journal. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 10

The next step is to officially close the plan. Click Close Plan, enter the End Date and Description, change the AIS Plan Status to Dismissed and click Submit. The student s AIS plan is now closed. If the student has satisfied the Exit Criteria for the AIS Plan, but will be monitored for a while, do NOT close the Plan. Simply select the Exit Criteria, change the AIS Plan Status to Postmonitor and Save the changes. Important: AIS Plans that have been Closed cannot be edited. If the student needs additional services, a new Plan must be created. In addition to closing the AIS Plan, users should also end the student s Program Service status code: AIS/RTI (0209), if the student has no other AIS Plans with Plan Status: AIS (Active). From the AIS Student Plans screen, search for Dismissed (Inactive) plans. Click View the closed AIS Plan. to view Students whose only AIS Plan Statuses are Premonitor (Active) or Postmonitor (Active) are not required to have the Program Service status code: AIS/RTI (0209). Click the Excel icon to export the displayed list of AIS Student Plans to Excel. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 11

Click AIS Status to determine whether the student has other AIS Plans with Status: AIS (Active). If the student has none, view the closed AIS Plan again, click Portfolio to open the student s Profile and click the Status tab to end the student s Program Service: AIS/RTI (0209) status. For information on viewing plans under each AIS Status, see page 9. For information on ending Student Statuses, please refer to the Student Status User Guide. Individual AIS Letters Users can generate the required parental notification letters based on a student s AIS information. Go to Program > AIS > AIS Student Plans. Click the radio button next to the desired student s AIS Plan, then click Letters. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 12

Click Notification if the student is being enrolled in an AIS Plan. Check Include Out of Household if letters should also be generated for outof-household guardians. The esd system will automatically generate the Notification letter, and incorporate the information from theais Plan s Enter Criteria and Intervention Services, as illustrated below. Districts that wish to customize the default AIS Letter should contact their eschooldata support representative. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 13

Click Progress to notify parents/guardians of student s progress in an AIS Plan. Check Include Out of Household if letters should also be generated for outof-household guardians. The esd system will automatically generate the Progress letter, and incorporate the information from the AIS Plan s Intervention Services, as illustrated below. Districts that wish to customize the default AIS Letter should contact their eschooldata support representative. The generated letter includes space for users to manually enter Notes regarding the student s progress within the AIS Plan. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 14

If the student is exiting an AIS Plan, click Discontinuance. Check Include Out of Household if letters should also be generated for outof-household guardians. The esd system will automatically generate the Discontinuance letter, and incorporate the information from the AIS Plan s Intervention Services and Exit Criteria, as illustrated below. Districts that wish to customize the default AIS Letter should contact their eschooldata support representative. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 15

AIS Student Plan Journal AIS Student Plan Journal entries are notes that remains attached to the student s AIS records. Journal entries can be created at any time. Go to Program > AIS > AIS Student Plans. Click the radio button next to the desired student s AIS Plan, then click Journal. Click Print Journal to print the students AIS Plan Journal entries. Users with the proper permission can Delete new Journal Entry. existing Journal Entries. Click New to create a Select the Date and type the desired Entry. When finished, click Save. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 16

AIS Management Wizard Go to Program > AIS > AIS Management Wizard. The AIS Management Wizard allows users to create RTI Referrals en masse (below), and to manage AIS Enrollments, Plans and Letters en masse (page 18). RTI Referrals En Masse Click Skip on the Candidate Filter screen (above) to create RTI Referrals en masse. On the Student Filter screen (below), use the various filters to narrow the selection of students, then click Search. Click the desired students in the Source Students field to move them to the Selected Students field, then click Next. Filtering by Subjects or by Course/Section returns students with current-year enrollment in the selected Subject or Course/Section. All Selected Students will be assigned the same Referral reason. Select the Referral Date, Referral reason and the Referred By name. Enter any applicable Notes (optional), then click Submit. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 17

The system returns a list of students with new RTI Referrals. Click Start Over to return to the AIS Management Wizard screen. Manage AIS Enrollments En Masse Multiple students can be enrolled in AIS using the AIS Management Wizard, in a process similar to the enroll function of the AIS Candidate Report. In addition, AIS Plans can be created or updated, and Letters generated, for multiple students simultaneously. By default the Candidate Filter screen will select eligible students based on Highest Scores Only for all Assessments. Click RTI Referrals to select students with RTI Referrals. Use the filters to narrow the selection of Assessments or Referrals, then click Next. Tip: Use the After Date filter to restrict Assessments to those taken within the current or previous school year. On the Student Filter screen, use the various filters to narrow the selection of students, then click Search. Click the desired names in the Source Students field to move them to the Selected Students field. When finished, click Next. When searching by RTI Referrals, the After Date filter restricts referrals within the current school year. When searching by RTI Referrals, the Source Students includes students with the selected RTI Referral in the current school year. Students in red were previously tagged as AIS students. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 18

On the Select Plan screen, select the AIS Plan Status to which the students should be assigned: AIS, Dismissed, Postmonitor, or Premonitor. AIS or Postmonitor Status: Select the Subject, Begin Date, Review Date and Intensity. If desired, click the Expand icons for Other Indicator, Recommending Party, and Intervention Services (Academic and/or Support) to specify the AIS Plan Services. When finished, click Submit. See the Glossary of Terms on page 21 for AIS Plan Status definitions. Dismissed Status: Select the End Date and enter the Plan Closure Comments (both required). When finished, click Submit. Use caution, as ALL existing AIS Plans for the selected students will be dismissed and users cannot undo the change. Be sure ALL Plan sections, especially Exit Criteria, are updated BEFORE changing Plan Status to Dismissed. Users will NOT be able to edit the AIS Plan once the Plan Status is set to Dismissed. Premonitor Status: Click Submit. For students Assessment selections, the system will assign the Subject of the Assessment. For students RTI Referrals, the system will leave the Subject blank. Upon clicking Submit, students are assigned the selected AIS Plan Status. Students assigned the Plan Status: AIS are also flagged with the Program Services code: AIS/RTI (0209) and an AIS Plan is set up for each student. For students assigned the AIS Plan Status: Dismissed, all existing AIS Plans are closed. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 19

After submitting the Plan Status changes, users can also generate Letters en masse for the selected students. If a letter should NOT be generated for a particular student, uncheck the student s name before clicking the Notification Letters or Discontinuance Letters button. Check Include Out of Household if letters should also be generated for outof-household guardians. AIS Summary Report Go to Program > AIS > AIS Summary Report. This report defaults to displaying a list of all AIS students, whether currently enrolled, dismissed, or being monitored. Use the various filters to narrow the selection of students, then click Search. Click the Include Transferred Students checkbox to include students that have been transferred from the building. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 20

The AIS Summary Report can be used to manage the AIS process overall. AIS coordinators can determine at a glance whether AIS services still need to be defined for a particular student, by the absence of the Expand icon next to the student s name. Click the Expand icon to view the services provided to the student. Click the Excel icon to export the list to Excel, which can then be incorporated into a State Report, or used for customized reporting. An Integrated Approach to AIS/RTI Defining Tier II interventions as Mini Courses within esd is an approach that naturally integrates RTI Services into day-to-day practices at the classroom level. Data management responsibilities are appropriately distributed, thus significantly reducing administrative overhead while increasing operational efficiency. Tier II Intervention Services: Mini Courses Mini Courses become Tier II Intervention services. Mini Courses can be set up to appear on Progress Reports and Report Cards. Mini Courses Assignments and Grades can post to the Student and Parent Portals. Instructional Support Teams can collaboratively develop Gradebook Templates for each Tier II Mini Course, which can be shared by all RTI teachers. Tier II Gradebook Templates would consist of any number of categories as defined by the Instruction Support Team. Max Points for each assignment would be established as goals, while Bonus points would indicate achievement beyond each goal. Student transfers and class schedule changes are managed naturally. Mini Course Integration Advantages Mini Courses provide access to quantifiable measures of student progress, such as Attendance, Gradebook Assignment Grades, Progress Reports, Report Cards and Final Grades. Each school can define Mini Course Cycles in accordance with Tier II intervention strategies. Within esd, Mini Course refers to any course which does not conform to standard day patterns, marking periods or semester patterns defined in the Master Schedule. Mini Courses are extremely flexible. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 21

If the Tier II Intervention Services and the associated Mini Courses are named the same, users can easily cross reference them and the AIS Summary Report will provide a complete record. Communication with parents and students is seamless through the Parent and Student Portals. Counselors can use the standard add/drop interface to assign students to RTI Mini Courses. RTI courses automatically appear on the Student Schedule, Parent Portal and Student Portal. Teachers can create Gradebooks, enter Report Card grades and record Student Attendance for their RTI classes in the same way as for other classes. Student progression within RTI becomes part of the Academic Record, yet will not appear on Transcripts unless districts choose that option. Parent/Student Portals Grade/Assessment Analysis RTI Mini Courses RTI Leadership/Instructional Support Teams Accessibility Third Party integration directly within the Gradebook The first step in this integrated approach is to set up the Mini Course Cycles (System > Scheduling > Mini Course Cycles) and the individual Mini Courses (Scheduling > Courses > Mini Courses). Next, for greater flexibility, users can create one generic RTI Teacher staff member with the Staff Type: AIS Teacher (or generic RTI Teachers for each Tier or Grade Level), so that all RTI Mini Course classes can be assigned to the generic RTI Teacher(s). This option allows Mini Course Gradebook Templates to be shared by all RTI Teachers. If generic RTI Teachers are used, actual RTI Teachers would be assigned as co-teachers for the Mini Course classes. For information on setting up Mini Course Cycles and Mini Courses, refer to the Scheduling: Course Setup User Guide. Instructional Support Teams (ISTs) then collaboratively develop Gradebook Templates for each Mini Course, consisting of any number of Categories and Assignments as defined by the IST. Maximum Points for each Assignment can be used as the Instructional Goal, with Bonus Points indicating achievement beyond the goal. Students are mass assigned to the Mini Course classes as needed. Students can stay assigned to the Mini Course for the entire cycle, with no need to drop the course when objectives are met. Simply note the student s End Date in their AIS Plan and/or their AIS Journal. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 22

Glossary of Terms AIS Plan Status The AIS Plan Status is tied to each of the student s Assessments / RTI Referrals / AIS Plans. Students can have a different AIS Plan Status for each Assessment/Referral/AIS Plan. Premonitor: AIS: Postmonitor: Dismissed: Student has not yet been enrolled in an AIS Plan and is being monitored (active). Student is currently enrolled in an AIS Plan (active). Student was previously enrolled in an AIS Plan and is being monitored (active). Student has been dismissed from AIS completely (inactive). AIS Assessments / Measures: Assessments and measures which are used as entry and/or exit criteria in accordance with NY State guidelines and the district s local AIS policy. AIS Frequencies: A list of the possible frequencies of occurrences of AIS Services. Examples include once per week, three times daily, etc. AIS Grade Plan: A detail of indicators and services that relate to a particular grade level. AIS/RTI Other Indicators: Any other indication (falling outside the realm of assessments and measures) that a district wishes to use to help flag a student for AIS status. For example, a general course failure (no specific associated assessment) would fall into this category. AIS Recommending Parties: A list of people or groups that are permitted to recommend AIS for students. AIS Services: Core to AIS program deployment, a list of approved AIS services available for students. esd distinguishes between two types of services: academic (provided only by certified teachers) and support (provided by other staff). AIS Staff: A list of those staff members who have been flagged as an AIS teacher. AIS staff can be enabled for academic and/or support services. eschooldata, LLC Copyright 2002-2016 23