A Race to the Top InitiativeNC Department of Public Instruction

Educator Effectiveness Division

What is the Governor’s Teacher Network?

• A talented group of 450 outstanding teachers were selected from 1400 applicants for 2014-15.

• Teachers identify instructional needs, create innovative digital instructional resources and design professional development to support key Race to the Top initiatives in Home Base.

• Network Teachers continue their current educator roles in their schools and districts and serve in one of two pathways.

What is theGovernor’s Teacher Network?

Pathway 1 Teachers: Professional Development • Identify problems of practice around instructional

needs and conduct action research projects in their schools.

• Investigate and analyze the effectiveness of strategies and practices on student learning.

• Create professional development sessions and materials to be posted in Schoolnet and the Professional Development System in Home Base.

What is the Governor’s Teacher Network?

Pathway 2 Teachers : Instructional Resources – Create instructional sequences for Home

Base aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study (unit plans, lesson plans, assessment components).

– Produce resources available to all NC teachers through Schoolnet in Home Base.

Action Research

Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools.

Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research?Classroom and school research conducted by teachers to:

•Positively impact student outcomes

•Identify and promote effective instructional practices

•Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners

•Share research results with other educators

Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

From Tier I to Referral: Identifying Students With Learning Disabilities

in the Elementary ClassroomPresenter: Jane Green

District: Granville

School: West Oxford Elementary

TerminologyIDEIA

RtI

SST/SAT

MTSS

Discrepancy

Title I school – 582 students

88% free and reduced lunchWe serve over 300 students for breakfast

One of the lowest performing elementary schools in the county

Teacher turnover rate of 17%

Background Information

EOG dataNC Report Card:

D ReadingF Math

EOG’s 2013-2014

Reading MathLevel 1 44.2% 45.3%Level 2 22.5% 27.0%Level 3 10.5% 8.6%Level 4 18.0% 15.7%

Scope of Work

•What is the problem of practice addressed?•Based in exit interviews and observations

•Why is this important?•Child Find, low performing school

•Who would benefit from these resources?•All students

•How will this benefit students and teachers?•Early intervention, early identification

Research Questions1. How do teachers identify struggling students in the

classroom?

2. What format do teachers use to document their interventions?

3. Will the use of a standard documentation format improve the ability of teachers to identify students

with learning disabilities?

Literature Review

Pre-assessment Team Practices in Rural Settings: An Analysis of Team Activities.. 1999 Conference. Lecture conducted for American Council on Rural Special Education, Ormsbee, C., Haring, K.

This study focused on the pre-assessment phase before students are referred for special education. Part of this phase includes documentation of interventions in the classroom and specific analysis of the student’s area of difficulty.

What’s a teacher to do? A Referral Process for Special Education Services. Annual Convention of the Council for Exceptional Children., 1985 CEC Conference, lecture conducted for CEC, Adeeb, P.

This study focused on the three phases of thereferral process and detailed practices for identification of the problem, documentation and intervention and screening and staffing teams within that process. It highlighted guidelines teachers should follow in order to make effective referrals for special education

Literature Review

Literature ReviewResponse to Instruction in the Identification of Learning Disabilities: A Guide for School Teams. National Association of School Psychologists., 2004, Kovaleski,J., Prasse, D.

Focused on Response to Intervention and a Dual Discrepancy Format for identification of children with learning disabilities. Determination of lack of instruction can be qualitative, assess the instructional environment/procedures in the classroom, or quantitative by measuring performance of individual classrooms.

Previous Approach to improving student performance

When that didn’t work

How were we going to fix this?

We identified 3 people to attend team training on the Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

From training identified areas of focus for team

InstructionEnvironmentCurriculumLearner

InstructionLevel of instruction

is the student missing foundational skills?

Rate of Instructionstudent capacity for learning, more repetition, corrective feedback?

Presentation of Instructionlength of sessions, meaningful, clear directions, scaffolding?

EnvironmentExpectations/attitudes about school

parent relationship

Medical factorsillness, nutrition, focus

Transiencechanging schools

Absences/Tardies

Class size

Curriculum

Curriculum contentreview of previous skills

Instructional Materialspresented at student’s instructional level, engagement

LearnerHistory of Instruction

gaps in skills

Performance vs Skill deficitwon’t do/can’t do

Motivationinternal/external

Abilities and Impairmentsphysical, sensory, perceptual

Organizational Skills

Historical InformationStudents on Tier 3 interventions:

Kindergarten 01st grade 16%2nd grade 18%3rd grade 13%4th grade 8%5th grade 11%

Excludes students already identified in ECP

Students on Tier 2 Interventions

Kindergarten 01st grade 5%2nd grade 10%3rd grade 18%4th grade 16%5th grade 10%

Data Decision Rules

OR

Historical Information

2013 – 2014 No referrals from the Student Support Team4 parent referrals – none were eligible.

2012 – 2013 8 referrals from Student Support Team2 were eligible

MTSS

Old SST Forms

West Oxford Elementary Personalized Educatio n Plan (PEP) Part I: DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION Student: ___________________________ DOB: __________ Teacher: ______________________ Grade: _________ School Year: ___________ Check all applicable: _____ EC _____ 504 _____ ELL _____ AIG Attendance Data Speech/Language Year # Absences # Tardies # Checkouts __ voice __ fluency __ articulation __ language                 Speech Language                 ___ omits/distorts sounds ___ sequencing                   ___ difficult to understand ___ comprehension                   ___ dental problems   ___ expression                   ___ stuttering   ___ grammar                                                 Part II: HISTORICAL DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION     READING LEVEL DIBE LS WRITING MATH LEVELS     BOY MOY EOY BOY MOY EOY BOY MOY EOY BOY MOY EOY Kindergarten                           1st Grade                           2nd grade                           3rd grade                           4th grade                           5th grade                          

This YearRtI Team meets monthly to review data and process

Google Docs updated regularly

Of the students referred from SST – all have been eligible for special education

Teachers no longer view SST as a means to get a child tested

Tier 3 Tier 2

Kindergarten 6% 6%

1st grade 17% 23%

2nd grade 18% 10%

3rd grade 15% 14%

4th grade 14% 14%

5th grade 16% 13%

Moving ForwardContinued training for staff

Intervention clearing house for teachers

Continue to streamline the process

Think outside the box – programs, personnel

Questions

•Questions