MCINTOSH COUNTY SCHOOLSSST AND RTI PROCESS ALIGNMENT MANUAL 2010-2011

Administrative Guidelines

V O L U M E

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M C I N T O S H CO U N T Y SC H O OL S SS T A ND RT I P R O CE SS A L I G NM E N T M A NUA L 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

Administrative Guidelines

ã McIntosh County Schools

200 Pine StreetPhone 912-437-8838 • Fax 123.456.7890

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Student Support Team & Response to Intervention General Information“When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don’t see the one that has opened for us.” Winston Churchill.

he Student Support Team (SST) and RTI process in McIntosh County Schools is designed to assist all school personnel in meeting the needs of individual students while operating under

the accountability requirements of NCLB, IDEA 2004, and Georgia Board Rule 160-4-.32.

TWhere available, hyperlinks are added to assist in moving through the document to specific appendixes.

Purpose This manual is developed from a compilation of documents previously published and generously shared by Glynn County School System; Columbia County School System; the Effingham County School System; materials provided through the State of Georgia Department of Education; and experiences and expertise of district and school level staff in the McIntosh County School System.

It has been designed to act as a “living document” to allow for continued revision and addition as it assists and directs district and school level staff to:

Understand the principles and components of the SST and RTI process and how they align with federal and state requirements

Establish a common McIntosh County Schools Pyramid of Interventions to better meet the needs of students and to meet goals established by the McIntosh County School System

Provide guidelines related to protocol and decision making within the SST and RTI Model

Answer common questions and provide links to specific areas for further research

C H A P T E R

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Terminology

Accommodation Changes in instruction that enable children to demonstrate their abilities in the classroom or assessment/test setting. Accommodations are designed to provide equity, not advantage, for children with disabilities. Accommodations include assistive technology as well as alterations to presentation, response, scheduling, or settings. When used appropriately, they reduce or even eliminate the effects of a child’s disability; but do not reduce or lower the standards or expectations for content. Accommodations that are appropriate for assessment do not invalidate assessment results.

GRASP System a web based, curriculum based measurement system used by the McIntosh County School System to provide universal screeners and progress monitoring in literacy and numeracy.

Background Information Information that would be helpful to the Local Problem Solving Team in making appropriate determinations for support.

Behavior Documentation forms used to objectively document a student’s specific behaviors that may be interfering with his/her or others learning. These documents include a Behavior Calendar, Behavior Report Card, or Direct Observation form. These forms are available on the District Website under Student Support & Intervention – Forms.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) A plan for a child with disabilities, included in the IEP when appropriate, which uses positive behavior interventions, supports and other strategies to address challenging behaviors and enables the child to learn socially appropriate and responsible behavior in school and/or educational settings.

Benchmark Testing Universal screeners using the GRASP system of curriculum based measurements designed to assess basic skills.

Case Manager a member of the LPSTeam. This person is to support the referring teacher throughout the problem-solving process. The case manager may perform roles such as: Helping the referring teacher complete the referral form. Consult with the teacher about types of student background or

assessment information that might be useful during the initial student meeting.

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Assist the teacher in collecting student data before the initial meeting.

After the initial LPSTeam meeting, the case manager also makes a point to check in with the referring teacher to ensure that he/she is able to implement the intervention plan developed at that meeting. The case manager may also be the person on the team to assess the degree to which the interventions and assessment procedures were implemented as designed.

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Child with a Disability – In general, (a) refers to a child evaluated as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as emotional disturbance), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, or deaf-blindness and who needs special education and related services. If it is determined, through an appropriate evaluation, that a child has one of the above disabilities identified but only needs a related service and not special education, the child is not a child with a disability. (b) a child with a disability aged three through nine experiencing a developmental delay.

Consent for hearing/Vision/Educational Screening Form available on the district web site and must be completed prior to Tier III referral.

Coordinator Member of the LPSTeam who ensures that the day-to-day operations of the team are maintained. The coordinator reviews teacher referrals, ensuring that each referral is complete and that a case manager is assigned to each case. The coordinator notifies the LPSTeam members of days, times and locations of meetings and coordinates the assignment of substitutes for teachers attending team meetings.

Core Committee Member receives specialized training in all aspects of the SST process. They serve as the SST for all requests. The requesting teacher and any other appropriate personnel serve as flex members based on the needs of the student being served. These team members remain constant throughout the school year.

Curriculum Based Designed to assess growth and development in student’s specific curricula.

Dismissal Letter letter to the parents of a student previously under consideration by the LPSTeam that their student is no longer in need of supportive services.

Effective Teachers model Best Practices in a standards-based classroom and can provide evidence and artifacts that support 80% mastery of the standards by 80% of their students.

Facilitator Member of the LPSTeam who opens the meeting with a brief overview of what the team and referring teacher expect to accomplish in the session. The facilitator also describes the general problem-solving process to be used at the LPSTeam

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meeting. A key objective of the facilitator is to establish and maintain a supportive atmosphere. While all team members are encouraged to take an active part in the problem-solving discussion, the facilitator pays special attention to “process” issues such as: Encouraging participation from others, Helping redirect the discussion if the group begins to get off

task, Clarifying and summarizing information being communicated

during the meeting.

Flex Committee Member Member of the LPSTeam that represents the grade level and attends only those meetings that pertain to students in that grade level. Can also act as the Case Manager for that grade level.

Individual Academic Plan (IAP) The documentation and support developed by the LPSTeam for every student receiving a Tier II or identified intervention such as EIP services.

Interventions employ components of acceleration, enrichment, and remediation to meet the needs of all students including gifted, high achiever, core, and struggling learners. It is considered a proactive approach to supporting students who have been identified as ‘at risk.’ Is above what takes place in a standards-based classroom.

Meeting Summary General notes taken at a LPSTeam meeting that documents the determination of interventions, assignment for progress monitoring, time frame for re-evaluation, etc.

Parent Notification/Invitation to Meeting Notification sent from the LPSTeam inviting parents to attend the meeting on their child. While parental involvement is greatly encouraged and preferred, we must balance this desire with the loss of instructional time in setting meeting times. Parental permission is not required to intervene academically or behaviorally on behalf of a child.

PBS: Positive Behavior Support PBS is a collaborative, team-based, educative, proactive, and functional process to developing effective interventions for inappropriate behavior. PBS uses discipline data to identify patterns and possible causes of inappropriate behavior. This information is then used to develop effective interventions to decrease inappropriate behavior and increase desired behavior across campus.

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Problem Solving Team Individual school’s and the district’s Student Support Team developed to meet the needs of students, Marshall vs. Georgia court order and resulting 160-4-8-.01.

Progress Monitoring is a formal scientifically researched approach to monitoring progress with in an intervention. The progress monitoring approach cannot be related to or part of the intervention, but should monitor growth demonstrated by the intervention on fundamental skills. In McIntosh County, we use the GRASP system of curriculum measures for formal progress monitoring of general education students.

Referring Teacher Classroom or Connections teacher who makes referral to the LPSTeam on behalf of a student OR homeroom teacher of a student whose parents have made a referral.

Remediation tends to focus exclusively on the struggling learner and often excludes core, high achiever, and gifted students and their needs. Remediation efforts tend to be a reactive approach to supporting students who have failed in an academic area. Remediation efforts can be considered both Best Practices as Differentiated Instruction and part of a standards-based classroom, or a type of intervention.

Response to Intervention the current accepted model or framework for supporting all students with in a system. RTI is a fluid and flexible model that offers increasing levels of support to decreasing numbers of students as needed.

Speech/Language Checklist available on the district website under Intervention and Student Support for use in making referrals for speech and language concerns.

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Response to Intervention (RTI): Georgia’s and McIntosh County School’s Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions“Many of life’s failures occur when people give up without realizing how close they are to success.”

Even after we have…

As a district and staff, accepted learning as the fundamental purpose of our schools,

Administrators and teachers are working together collaboratively to clarify exactly what each student must learn,

Administrators and teachers are developing a variety of common assessments to monitor each student’s learning …

Eventually our system will face an inescapable question:

What happens in our schools when, despite our best efforts, a student does not learn?

Our response must be based upon the idea of effective scientifically researched interventions as opposed to strict remediation.

Interventions employ components of acceleration, enrichment, and remediation to meet the needs of all students including gifted, high achiever, core, and struggling learners.

Remediation tends to focus exclusively on the struggling learner and often excludes core, high achiever, and gifted students and their needs.

The Pyramid of Interventions is based upon the theory that as we become more effective managers of our instructional environment through the use of effective teaching strategies, curriculum selection, collaboration, effective formative assessments, and effective use of scientifically based interventions, we will begin to meet the needs of all individual learners with in the general education setting thus reducing the number of

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C H A P T E R

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students identified as special needs and increasing enrichment opportunities.

In 2006, in an effort to meet the expectations of NCLB and the guidelines outlined in the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA, the State of Georgia identified the RTI model as a preferred method for identifying and assisting students in need of support.

In February, 2008, the state released the latest version of the SST manual, Student Support Teams (SST): A Resource Manual, which integrated the original Student Support Team Model into the new four tiered Pyramid of Interventions. This action formally placed the SST process in Tier III. (See your school’s Coordinator for a copy of this manual.)

Appendix A identifies the current Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions provided by Georgia’s Department of Education (GaDOE) initially unveiled in June, 2006 and revised for the GAEL conference Feburary 5th, 2008.

A_TI_09 identifies the McIntosh County School’s Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions which contains alignment with GaDOE and district initiatives.

How does the McIntosh County School’s Pyramid of Interventions Align with GaDOE’s Pyramid of Interventions?

Tier I

According to the State of Georgia, Tier I is defined as standards-based classroom learning where:

ALL students participate in general education learning that includes:

o Implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) through research based practices

o Use of differentiation of instruction such as flexible grouping, and varied instructional strategies are evident

o Monitoring progress of learning through multiple formative assessments and analysis of student work

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Tier I in McIntosh County places an emphasis on the teaching of standards using best practices. This is implemented through:

The development of system-supported curriculum maps for all courses taught

Pre and post testing in grades 1 – 8 in selected core subject areas using a 9 week schedule

The use of EOCT and GHSGT predictor tests developed by teachers and the State of Georgia and available on OAS for grades 9 – 12

Benchmarking of universal screeners provided by the GRASP system of curriculum based measures

Instruction delivery using the Learning Focused Framework supported by the system-wide use of Thinking Maps and other research based Best Practices such as Positive Behavior Support (See B_TI_09)

Evidence of successful implementation of Tier I in the McIntosh County School System is defined as 80% mastery of the standards:

80% of the students achieving 80% or greater on post tests, predictor tests, and/or teacher assessments OR

80% of the students achieving 80% or greater on final EOCT assessments OR

80% of the students achieving 820 or greater on CRCT assessments

80% of the students in compliance with established behavioral expectations in all areas as evidenced by the data.

Tier II

According to the State of Georgia Pyramid of Interventions, Tier II is defined as Needs Based Learning. In addition to Tier I, targeted students participate in learning that is different by including:

Specialized pyramids of intervention

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Greater frequency of monitoring progress of learning through multiple formative assessments and analysis of student work

Tier II in McIntosh County identifies students who may be ‘at risk’ either emotionally, socially, academically, or behaviorally. They are identified through a variety of proactive and reactive measures including:

GRASP Benchmarking for fundamental skills

Failure on identified assessments such as CRCT; Predictor tests; EOCT; GHSGT; etc.

New Century Diagnostics

GaDOE Portal for At Risk Students

Teacher referral

Parent referral

Functional Behavioral Analysis

Identification and placement into Tier II interventions is under the jurisdiction of the individual school’s Local Problem Solving Team. Procedures and protocols for referral for Tier II are developed and implemented by each school under the guidance of the district framework.

Tier II is supported by system-wide universally applied interventions such as:

New Century

Check In- Check Out

EIP / Support Instruction; Graduation Coaches; Reading and Math Specialists

In addition to the system-wide supports, each individual school has also identified Tier II supports that best fit the needs of their students which include:

Specified support classes

Computer based tutorials

Alternative educational environments11

Mentoring and Tutorial programs

All students identified and placed in a Tier II intervention are to be formally progress monitored 1 - 2 times per week using GRASP or other researched based progress monitoring system which is not affiliated with the intervention program. Progress Monitoring reports should be included with all scheduled system-wide progress reports.

Students who do not show progression in a minimum of two Tier II interventions via progress monitoring with a minimum of 6 – 8 data points each or meet the requirements for an expedited referral can be referred to the District Problem Solving Team for Tier III interventions by completing Form A_TIII_09: Tier III Request for Meeting and if needed Form C_TIII_09: Waiver for the SST Process. See Form B_TIII_09: Tier III Check List for more specific guidelines.

Tier III

The State of Georgia defines Tier III as SST-Driven Learning. In addition to Tier I and II, targeted students participate in learning that is different by including:

Individualized assessments

Formal Progress Monitoring

Interventions tailored to meet individual needs

Referral for specially-designed instruction if needed

Tier III in McIntosh County involves inclusion of district level personnel including the district RTI coordinator, school psychologist, and school social worker along with representatives from the local problem solving team.

Students referred to Tier III for academic concerns must:

Have been formally progress monitored in a minimum of two Tier II interventions with a minimum of 6 – 8 data points each showing limited success in AIMSweb or another approved scientifically researched based monitoring system that is not related to the identified intervention

Are not on target for meeting expected grade level growth OR

Meets the criteria for an expedited referral:

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o Parent request after meeting with the Local Problem Solving Team

o Tier III placement by another school system

o Unanimous concern by the Local Problem Solving Team (Form C_TIII_09)

Students at Tier III will continue to be formally progress monitored a minimum of 2 times a week by the local school based on the recommendations of the District Problem Solving Team.

Referral to Tier III cannot be made strictly for the purposes of testing accommodations. Students being referred to Tier IV for special services, despite diagnosed disabilities such as ADD or ADHD, must also demonstrate a significant lack of growth in the general education setting which would prevent their success outside of special education services.

Under no circumstances should the Local Problem Solving Team make reference to placement into Tier IV to the parents of a student involved in the RTI Process.

Students referred to Tier III for behavioral concerns must:

Have been formally progress monitored using a scientifically research based behavioral intervention program such as Jim Wright’s Behavior Report Card Generator, Check-in Check-out, or other identified behavioral program for a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks with minimal change in behaviors.

Had an informal observation of the classroom to determine the ‘statistical gap’ between the student and the other students in the classroom.

Complete a Behavioral Calendar (Form F_TII_09: Behavior Calendar) for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the Tier III meeting.

Have been assigned and participated in a ‘friend in the building,’ mentor, or small group for a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks. OR

Meets the criteria for an expedited referral

o Parent request after meeting with the Local Problem Solving Team

o Tier III placement by another school system

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o Unanimous concern by the Local Problem Solving Team (Form C_TIII_09: Waiver for the SST Process)

Students at Tier III will continue to be formally progress monitored on a daily basis by the local school based on the recommendations of the District Problem Solving Team.

Tier IV

According to the State of Georgia, Tier IV is defined as Specially-Designed Learning. Targeted students participate in:

GPS access/extension

Greater frequency of progress monitoring

Specialized programs, methodology, or instructional delivery

Tier IV in the McIntosh County School System is currently served via Special Education services.How do the McIntosh County School’s Problem Solving Teams Align with GaDOE’s RTI and SST Requirements

In order to embrace the new ideas embodied in the RTI and established GaDOE and McIntosh County Schools SST process, the McIntosh County School System has developed a district wide framework for assisting individual schools in establishing a consistent protocol to identify and assist administration and teachers in meeting the needs of all their students.

160-4-2-.32 Section 2a & c:

Each school shall have a minimum of 1 SST and shall establish support team procedures.

The SST shall include at a minimum the referring teacher and at least two of the following participates appropriate to the needs of the student.

While the state has suggested that formal SST procedures not begin until the Tier III level, the McIntosh County School System has determined that our students will benefit and have more effective support if we begin this process at the Tier II level.

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The first level of formal support will begin under the direction of the school level administrative and problem solving team. The school level Problem Solving Team will act as the designated Student Support Team.

School Level PSTeam:

Each school (Todd Grant Elementary, Oak Grove Intermediate, McIntosh County Middle, McIntosh County Academy, and DPS) will establish a core committee of staff members to be identified as the Local Problem Solving Team (LPSTeam). This team shall have a minimum of 5 members (DPS must have 3 as required by Georgia Board Rule 160-4-2.-32) and be composed of at least:

1 Administrator /Instructional Coach/ and or AP for Instruction. This position has been identified to provide a strong instructional leadership and understanding of the data and ongoing school-wide curriculum issues.

School counselor or other designated personnel such as Graduation Coach, etc. This position has been identified to provide guidance resources and to assist in the development of small groups

Member of the school leadership team. This position has been identified to assist the instructional leader in making recommendations to the leadership team to facilitate school wide effectiveness in the selection and development of interventions and curriculum selections.

1 other certified staff member. This position was identified to provide balance as needed and determined by school level administration.

1 flex grade level representative. This position was identified to flex on and off the committee to offer grade level assistance when a student from their grade is referred to the LPSTeam.

The duties and responsibilities of the LPSTeam shall include, but not be limited to:

Identify a building SST Coordinator from the LPSTeam to be the school level ‘Coordinator’ or ‘Facilitator’ and to as 1 flex member to the District Level PSTeam for Tier III and special needs considerations.

Identify 1 other member of the LPSTeam to act as a flex member to the District Level PSTeam for Tier III and special needs considerations.

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Develop an organizational chart that identifies the members of the LPST and designated responsibilities.

Attend district and school scheduled professional development.

Assist teachers in understanding the RTI process, GRASP progress monitoring system, and identifying additional professional support resources.

Assist in the GRASP Benchmark and progress monitoring testing for their school.

Identify existing interventions to be used at Tier II and those available for Tier III (see Form E_TII_09: Tier II and Tier III Intervention Menu).

Meet regularly on an established schedule to discuss and problem solve for students referred to the LPSTeam.

Complete Tier II RTI Data Review (Form A_TII_09) every 6 week grading period and return to Intervention and Student Support Specialist (BOE Annex).

Establish RTI referral protocol for their school to include but not be limited to:

o Regularly scheduled meeting times with an emphasis on critical data identification periods such as:

Pre planning

After GRASP benchmarking periods

After CRCT/EOCT/GHSGT benchmarking periods

After Post Testing

Prior to critical marking periods

o LPSTeam Roles for core and flex members and meeting protocol including minutes and parental notification procedures.

o Referral process and related forms to be completed in keeping with district and GRASP Progress Monitoring informational needs

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Expected number of, and required Best Practices (Form B_TI_09) as well as appropriate avenues for data collection

Method for parental notification

o Protocol for Strategic and Progress Monitoring requirements in keeping with the needs of the student and the requirements of the DPSTeam for Tier III consideration

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Develop Individual Student Education Plans (ISEP) for students identified for Tier II (Form D_TII_09):

o Identification and assignment of appropriate universal or specific interventions based on established baseline data and in consideration of the student’s strengths and weaknesses.

o Assignment of Case Manager to review and assist the intervention or progress monitoring teacher.

o Assignment of progress monitoring specifications, schedules, and fidelity checks.

o Establishment of a schedule for regular meetings to discuss the status of the student, modifications and/or continued monitoring of the intervention/s as indicated by the progress monitoring data.

Make recommendations to the DPSTeam for Tier III considerations

District Level PSTeam:

The McIntosh County School System has established a district level Problem Solving Team. The core committee is composed of:

Intervention and Student Support Specialist – Facilitator or Coordinator

School Psychologist

School Social Worker

2 Flex Members identified from each school’s LPSTeam

o Building level Coordinator or Facilitator

o Building level Case Manager

The duties and responsibilities of the DPSTeam include but are not limited to:

Establishing district level RTI protocol to include but not limited to:

o Establish a calendar for consistently scheduled meeting times and days with each school.

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o Development of RTI Guideline Manual and assist with the development of annual updates.

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o Referral process and forms to be completed in keeping with GaDOE and GRASP Progress Monitoring informational needs.

Number of suggested Tier II universal or student specific interventions and data collection requirements before consideration of Tier III including expedited process protocol – See Section 3a of rule 160-4-2-.32.

Protocol for progress monitoring requirements in keeping with the needs of the student and the requirements of GaDOE for special needs consideration.

Attend district level professional development.

Assist LPSTeam in understanding the RTI process; GRASP progress monitoring and RTI system; and identifying additional professional support resources.

Assist in GRASP Benchmark Testing for all schools.

Identify and become familiar with existing and newly purchased district and school level interventions to be used at Tier III.

Meet as needed to discuss and problem solve for students referred by the LPSTeam for Tier III consideration at each school including DPS.

Review and continue development of the IAP development by the LPSTeam.

o Identify and assign appropriate interventions for students identified by the team for Tier III.

o Set progress monitoring specifications, assign responsibility for fidelity checks, and modify the interventions as indicated by the data

o Assign responsibility for entering students identified to Tier III into the GRASP System with RTI designation and maintenance of data collection.

Make recommendations to the Special Education Director, for students identified for possible special needs placement.

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McIntosh County Protocol Framework for LPSTeams

160-4-2-.32 Section 2b: Before a referral is made for other supplemental or support services an evaluation and or assessment shall be concluded. (The McIntosh County School System shall define any supplemental or support service as any intervention applied above Tier I)

The LPSTeam, as part of their protocol development will identify appropriate assessment measures and forms to be used in the identification of students for Tier II consideration.

These measures will be kept in a BLUE folder provided by the district and created for each student in the school. This folder will be used to house all GRASP CBM benchmark testing results and any other testing information deemed appropriate by the LPSTeam.

Due to the contents, this folder must be kept secure, but should be separated from the student’s permanent folder, easily accessible to administration and the LPSTeam. This folder will remain at the school where the student is enrolled.

BLUE folders will serve as the designated RTI/ Student Support folder for Tier II and will be house all Individual Student Education Plans (ISEP) information.

Background information and assessment measures that should comprise the BLUE ISEP folders for Tier II consideration include, but are not limited to:

Teacher referral packet as developed by the LPST

Copies of parental notification forms including invitations and summary meeting notes

Hearing and Vision permission and Screening results

Previous academic history including CRCT, EOCT, GHSGT, and ITBS testing

GRASP CBM Benchmark Assessments

Pre and Post Testing

CRCT Assessments

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Student work samples

Formative assessment and monitoring data from referring teacher on multiple classroom Best Practices used, length of time employed, and results.

Forms and requirements for Tier III consideration including, but not limited to:

Step 1: To request Tier III

o Tier III Request for Meeting (Form A_TIII_09) to be sent to Intervention and Student Support Specialist at BOE Annex.

o Completed documentation for an expedited referral as provided by 160-4-2-.32 3(a). (Waiver for the SST Process Form C_TIII_09) If needed.

Step 2: To have available at the meeting

o Individual Student Education Plan (Form(s) D_TII_09)

o Any forms required by the LPSTeam which may include any waivers; background information; attendance reports; discipline reports; etc.

o Formal Progress Monitoring data collected on minimum of two identified Tier II interventions with a minimum of 6 – 8 data points each that indicate a significant lack of acceleration based on the needs of the student.

OR

o Formal Progress monitoring data collected on an identified Tier II intervention and Form B_TII_09: Private Psychological Evaluation Review Meeting.

Again, it is requested that all initial Tier IV discussions regarding Special Education Referrals be introduced by a member of the District Problem Solving Team. This is to protect you and the district. Please remember that we are all on the same team and we all have the best interest of the child as our main focus.

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Appendix A