Importance of Intensive Interventions: Definitions and

IllustrationsSharon Vaughn

The University of Texas at Austin

Recognition Goes to…

• Jack Fletcher and David Francis, University of Houston

• Greg Roberts, Elizabeth Swanson, and Stephanie Stillman, The University of Texas at Austin

• Jeanne Wanzek, Florida State University• Jade Wexler, University of Maryland• Carolyn Denton, The University of Texas Health

Science Center at Houston

NAEP Grade 4 National Results

NAEP Grade 8 National Results

Percentage of Students Ages 6–21 Served Under Individuals With Disabilities Education Act

SOURCE: Office of Special Education Programs, Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA, 1990–2010; IDEA database, www.ideadata.org/PartBdata.asp

What Is So Disturbing?

• In 2011, 68% of fourth-grade students and 62% of eighth-grade students with disabilities scored below basic on NAEP Reading.

• In 2011, 29% of fourth-grade students and 20% of eighth-grade students without disabilities scored below basic on NAEP Reading.

• From 2009 to 2011, reading results for students with disabilities declined.

Synthesis of Intensive Interventions: Grades 4 Through 12• More than 75 sessions• No studies for grades 10–12• 11 experimental or quasi-experimental studies for

secondary, 19 for elementary

Wanzek, J., & Vaughn, S. (2007). Research-based implications from extensive early reading interventions. School Psychology Review, 36(4), 541–561.Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Scammacca, N. K., Metz, K. L., Murray, C. S., Roberts, G., & Danielson, L. (in press). Extensive reading intervention for struggling readers in grades 4 through 12: Implications from research. Review of Educational Research.

Mean Effect Sizes

Elementary (K–3)• Comprehension

.46 (25 effects)• Reading Fluency

.34 (11 effects)• Word Reading

.56 (53 effects)• Spelling

.40 (24 effects)

Secondary (4–12)• Comprehension

.09 (37 effects)• Reading Fluency

.12 (8 effects)• Word Reading

.20 (22 effects)• Spelling

.20 (5 effects)

Why Larger Effects in Elementary?It may be that the interventions are not less

effective but that we have fewer false positives than with secondary students.

OR…It may be that older students have more

intractable reading problems.OR…

Minimal Responders Over Time:

3 Years of Treatment Within an RTI Framework

Grades 6–7 students (fall 2006)

Random assignmentSufficient progress

Insufficient progress

Random assignment

Insufficient progress

Grades 6–7 on-track readers

Typical instructionGrades 7–8

Typical instruction

Grade 8

Typical instruction (Tier I

only)Grades 6–7

Grades 6–7 struggling readers

Tier III interventionGrades 7–8

Tier IVIndividualized protocol 1:3

Grade 8

Standardized protocol

1:5

Individualized protocol

1:5

Exit intervention

Follow-up assessment

Exit intervention

Sufficient

progress

Sufficient progress

Tier II intervention

1:15Grades 6–7

Figure 1. Participant movement across years per initial assignment. IND = individualized; STD = standardized.

Years 1 and 2: A Summary

Tier I Intervention

All students in both treatment and comparison conditions received enhanced Tier I treatment:

• Comprehension instruction within content areas• Academic vocabulary within content areas• Text as a source of evidence

Vaughn, S., Cirino, P. T., Wanzek, J., Wexler, J., Fletcher, J. M., Denton, C. A., . . . Francis, D. J. (2010). Response to intervention for middle school students with reading difficulties: Effects of a primary and secondary intervention. School Psychology Review, 39(1), 3–21.

Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Wexler, J., Barth, A., Cirino, P. T., Fletcher, J., . . . Francis, D. J. (2010). The relative effects of group size on reading progress of older students with reading difficulties. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal 23(8), 931–956.

Year 1 Findings

Year 1 addressed two primary questions: 1. Overall, how effective was the treatment in

enhancing students’ outcomes in reading?2. Do students who are assigned to small-group

instruction outperform students in large-group instruction?

Question 1: Efficacy of Tier II

Tier II treatment in addition to the enhanced classroom instruction (Tier I) was associated with gains in decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension (d = 0.16) over students with reading difficulties who received from the research team only the enhanced classroom instruction (Tier I)—although many of the Tier I-only students also received interventions from their schools.

Question 2: Effects of Group Size• Both treatment groups outperformed comparison.• There were no between-group treatment

differences.

What Happened to High vs. Low Responders?• Students who met threshold: No more treatment• Students who did not meet threshold: Additional

intervention in Year 2

Year 2 Research Question

Do students with significant reading disabilities (low response to previous year treatment) make significantly better gains in standardized versus individualized treatments?

Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Roberts, G., Barth, A. E., Cirino, P. T., Romain, M., . . . Denton, C. A. (2011). Effects of individualized and standardized interventions on middle school students with reading disabilities. Exceptional Children, 77(4), 391–407.

Systematic and explicitFast-paced instruction

Ongoing progress monitoring

Instruction in same components of

reading (word study,

comprehension, vocabulary,

fluency)

Specified use oftime (3 phases of intervention)

High control of curriculum and materials

Modifications made at the group level

Motivation through success only

StandardizedIntervention

IndividualizedIntervention

Flexibility in use of time

Low control of

curriculum

and

materials Modifications in response to individual

student need Motivation

through text selection,

conferences, goal setting,

positive calls home

Year 2: Tier III Intervention

Conceptual Framework:Lesson Focus• Group 1, 50-minute periods (weekly):

• Vocabulary/morphology: 35–45 minutes• Comprehension/text reading: 170–180 minutes• Attitude/motivation: 15–25 minutes

• Group 2, 50-minute periods (weekly):• Word study/text reading: 100–110 minutes• Vocabulary/morphology: 35–45 minutes• Comprehension/text reading: 70–80 minutes• Attitude/motivation: 15–25 minutes

To view sample lessons, visit: www.texasldcenter.org

Findings, Year 2 (Tier III):Standardized/Individualized

Tier I (C) Tier III (Std) Tier III (Ind)70

72

74

76

78

80

82

84

86

WJPC

GRADE

TOSRE

Stan

dard

scor

e

Comprehension/Fluency ClusterPosttest results: Median d = 0.23

Tier I (C) Tier III (Std) Tier III (Ind)80

82

84

86

88

90

92

94

96

LWIDWord AttackTOWRESpelling

Stan

dard

scor

e

Word Reading ClusterPosttest results

Findings, Year 2 (Tier III):Standardized/Individualized

Findings, Year 3: How Did They Do?

Determine long-term effects of intensive interventions on outcomes for students with persistent reading disabilities within a response to intervention (RTI) framework

Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Leroux, A. J., Roberts, G., Denton, C. A., Barth, A. E., & Fletcher, J. (2011). Effects of intensive reading intervention for eighth-grade students with persistently inadequate response to intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(3), 515–525.

Year 3 Aim

Findings, Year 3: 3-Year TreatmentComprehension Cluster• Gates-MacGinitie Passage Comprehension

subtest: ES = 1.20

• Woodcock-Johnson Letter-Word Identification subtest: ES = 0.49

When Is an ES of 1.20 on a Standardized

Comprehension Test Inadequate?

Gates-MacGinitie Passage Comprehension

Pretest Posttest70

75

80

85

90

95

85.98

74.48

83.37 82.63 Tier ITier IVM

ean

Efficacy of RTI for T vs. C Students• What is the efficacy of a 3-year, response-based,

tiered model for allocating reading interventions across sixth through eighth grades?

• Does the 3-year, response-based, tiered model for struggling readers close the gap with typically achieving peers?

Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Fletcher, J. M., Stuebing, K. K., & Barth, A. E. (in press). Effects of a response-based, tiered framework for intervening with struggling readers in middle school. Reading Research Quarterly.

Results

• Data multivariate normal• 3-year trajectories fit for the originally sampled

group (T and C)

Treatment outperformed comparison (ES = 0.26).

• Based on a multi-indicator, multilevel model• Based on a rather robust comparison condition

Results• Considering slope over time• Treated students outperformed typical readers

Note. Solid line represents comparison group; dashed line represents treatment group; dotted line represents typical readers. Reading ability reflects the metric derived from the multiple-indicator, multilevel model.

Fall 6th Spring 6th Spring 7th Spring 8th-2

2

6

10

14

18

22

03.3

6.6

9.91

-1.11

3.82

8.14

11.84

9.67

13.21

16.25

18.8

Read

ing

abili

ty fa

ctor

sco

res

Using the same 3-year sample of students, we examined effects for teacher ratings of attention:

1. Does reading intervention affect behavioral attention?

2. What is the causal sequence of the effect of intervention?

Roberts, G., Rane, S., Fall, A.-M., Fletcher, J. M., & Vaughn, S. (in review). The impact of a longitudinal intervention for reading on level of attention in middle school students. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Impact of Treatment on Attention

Reading Intervention Associated With Behavioral Attention ImprovementGrowth Trajectory of Reading for Tier I and Tier II Groups

Note. Values are latent estimates of average reading. Time 1 in Tier I reading fixed at 0. All other estimates (across time within Tier I and for all time points in Tier II) are relative to that baseline.

InterventionComparison

Test for Mediation

• Reading treatment had a direct effect on reading ability, and reading ability over time predicted behavioral attention.

• Finding: Improved reading (causal order) to improved attention

Growth Trajectory of Attention for Tier I and Tier II Groups

Note. Values are latent estimates of average reading. Time 1 in Tier I attention fixed at 0. All other estimates (across time within Tier I and for all time points in Tier II) are relative to that baseline.

Effects are stronger if interventions do the following:• Use explicit instruction• Increase time on task • Provide opportunities to respond with feedback • Reduce size of instructional groups• Are comprehensive (multicomponent) and

include a self-regulation component• Differentiate according to instructional needs• Teach in the context of academic content

What Is Special About Special Education Instruction?

Sample Inference InstructionFollow along as the teacher reads this paragraph. Try to picture the scene in your head. Where does it take place? Who is talking?

"Immigrant families were crowded everywhere, along with boxes and barrels of supplies. Everything smelled badly. Everywhere you turned, you bumped into someone or fell over a bundle. It was pure havoc. One or another of the boys was bawling most of the time, especially George. It took a lot of impatience for me to hit a child, but one night I had had it. In anger, I got up, struck a

match, and lit the kerosene lamp on the wall. My eyes focused on the ceiling quite accidentally and I saw a mass of crawlers squirming and creeping into crevices. I examined George's body and found bedbugs crawling about, his body covered with red blotches, and then I knew why he was crying…"

(Hoobbler, p. 101)

1. What do you think this paragraph is about?  2. Does this take place in the past or in the present? 3. How do you know? 4. What is an "immigrant"? 5. What does "havoc" mean?

• Essential Words• Daily instruction of

overarching concepts.

• Simplified definitions, visuals, sentence use, think-pair-share question.

• Word Study and Fluency

• Build reading speed, accuracy and expression.

• Begins with word reading and moves to sentence, paragraph, and whole passages.

• Individualized materials and instruction based on student need.

Vocabulary Close Reading

In 1867, a boy found a large, glassy stone near Kimberley. When it proved to be a _______________________, fortune hunters

came from all around the world. From that unexpected beginning, both gold and diamonds became a major source of

revenue for South Africa.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Text-based Reading

Text: Close Reading Vocabulary

All around the world, fall is a time to harvest. It is the result of many months of work. In spring before anything is planted, the fields are bare. Farmers plant their seeds. As the little plants grow, the farmers care for them. They water them during the sweltering heat of summer. They pull weeds and protect the plants from bugs.

Close Text Reading: Teaching Vocabulary1. Select text at sentence level for younger

students or less proficient readers and paragraph level for more proficient readers. (See Slide 3)

2. Underline key vocabulary words.3. Make text available to students.4. Read text aloud together (teachers and

students)

Cont.

•5. Ask students to work in pairs or small groups and to read the text multiple times using the text as a source for determining the meaning of the underline word.•6. Students then report out their understanding of work meaning to class as a whole.

Vocabulary Maps

Components 1. Word Recognition2. Definitions3. Illustrations4. Context5. Vocabulary Associations6. Vocabulary Building7. Application

Vocabulary Map for the Indian Wars

Conflict

7. Provide: an example phrase, sentence, or definition.

3. Illustration

A disagreement.

2. Definition: Underline the key words.

5. Word Associations: Choose two related words.

A. DisagreementB. ThumpC. SkipD. Argument

The conflictbetween the two

tribesstarted when bothtribes wanted to

settleIn the same area by the lake.

The conflict brokeout of prison last

nightafter the guards

went to sleep.

4. Context: Circle the correct sentence.

6. Word Building: Choose a real word and then write another word.

A. ConflictingB. Conflictment

_______________

Text-based Reading

Stretch Text – teacher procedure1. Explorers had been landing in America for some time before English settlers arrived in what is now Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. But it was in that spot on the James River that English colonization began and with it, the history of America. James the First was king of England at that time, and he had granted approval for a group of businesspeople to settle in this new land. They were part of the Virginia Company, and they got the go-ahead in 1606. By December of that year, the expedition was ready. Question: Tell me what this part of the story is about.Possible answer: example: This was about some of the first settlers who came from England and started to colonize America in the early 1600’s.

Student Material

Jamestown: The First English Colony in America

   Explorers had been landing in America for some time before English settlers arrived in what is now Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. But it was in that spot on the James River that English colonization began and with it, the history of America. James the First was king of England at that time, and he had granted approval for a group of businesspeople to settle in this new land. They were part of the Virginia Company, and they got the go-ahead in 1606. By December of that year, the expedition was ready.

Text-based Reading

Instructor provides appropriate scaffolds to restrict the amount of text the student has to address in order to find the answer. Instructors start with a section of text.  ExampleHow did the Native Americans help the Pilgrims?No answer. Look at the second paragraph to find out how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims.No Answer. Look at the last sentence of the second paragraph to find out how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims. No Answer.  In the last sentence, there is a key word: showed. It tells me the Native Americans showed the Pilgrims something. What did the Native Americans show the Pilgrims? They showed them how to grow enough food to last the whole year.  Correct.The Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by showing them how to grow enough food to feed themselves all year.

Text-based Instructional Routine

Word Work

Word Work

• Model and teach (I do it.)Show students the correct way.

• Guided practice (We do it.) Students do it with teacher support.

• Independent practice (You do it.) Students practice alone.

• Cumulative practice (built into lessons)Students practice new items along with items already learned.

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