ACADEMIC SKILLS ANALYSISSKILL BUILDING

PROGRESS MONITORING

Presented by Liz Carey and Kelly O’TooleMillard Public Schools

Tiers of Intervention and Academic Task Analysis at the

Secondary Level

INTERVENTIONS THAT EITHERbuild skills

and/or change behavior

PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS:

MILLARD INTERVENTION TEAM (MIT)

Pyramid of Interventions for Student Success

ACADEMIC SYSTEMS

1-5%

5-10%MIT: Targeted Individual Intervention•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency/intense intervention•Rapid response

10-20%Targeted Group Intervention•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Universal Intervention•All students•Preventive, proactive

80%

LEVEL OF INTERVENTION

SPED: Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•High Intensity•Of longer duration

1-5%

5-10%

10-20%

80%

Targeted Group•Reteaching•Specialized Study Halls

MIT: Targeted Individual•Individualized screening•Study Skills Study Hall•Remediate skills or change behavior•Progress Monitoring

SPED:•Intense remediation

Universal Intervention•Class selection•Classroom differentiation•Regular Study Halls: Core Area teacher help

Adapted from Heartland Agency, AEA 11, IA

Secondary School Instruction

Typically concentrates on content We assume that all kids have the

metacognitive skills to: GraspGrasp a basic understanding of concepts RecallRecall and apply skills to content

Only 80% of our

students at the

secondary level

possess ALL of the

skills needed to

independently absorb

the content we teach

in our classes. 80%

Skill Level of Students on the Pyramid

The other 20% need some conceptual and/or process instruction (metacognitive skills) in order to adequately participate academically in their classes.

Requires specific task analysis to determine the deficit and appropriately intervene.

THE OTHER 20%?

10-20%

5-10%

Tier II Continuum of Interventions: Millard’s Student Watch Team

(SWT)

Teams for each grade watch student performance and intervene on a continuum

* If student was on the watch list from the previous year:

Process is started with a single 4 or 5.* All others:

Process is started with two or more 4’s & 5’s.

SWT Continuum of Intervention

TIER II/Level I: Investigate problem by talking to kids, parents, teachers. Put in a regular study hall if not currently registered.

TIER II/Level II: Move student to a Guided Study Hall

TIER III: Move student to Study Skills/Study Hall Class (for credit); initiate MIT

TIER II Guided Study Halls

Smaller number of students. Teacher made aware of all

assignments/ incomplete work for each student.

All texts & materials available in the study hall.

Students expected to work or disciplinary action taken.

TIER III: Study Skills/Study Hall Classes

Study skills explicitly taught and practiced MIT initiated: screeners applied to

determine nature of academic/behavioral deficits

MIT academic and behavioral interventions delivered here

Progress monitored Students retained in the class until

progress made or referred to SPED

By the numbers…

MWHS Data: 2005-2006: 9th graders 102/500+ 9th graders received some

level of intervention 70 received 3 or fewer interventions

(TIER II) 32 received 4 or more interventions

(TIER III)

By the numbers…

Of the 32 students who moved to Tier III … 28 moved out of TIER III, with increased

independence and improved grades (average increase in GPA = 1.01)

6 referred for SPED evaluations (average increase in GPA = 0.12)

5 qualified; 1 a slow learner & didn’t meet discrepancy requirements

By the numbers…

MWHS:2006-07 9TH & 10TH GRADERS

• 26 students moved to level II interventions / 14 improved and filtered back down the pyramid

• Of the 12 of those moved to level III; 9 were referred to Sped and qualified

• .82 average gain in GPA among improved students

• -1.9 average loss in GPA among referred students

By the numbers…

MNHS Data: 2006-07 (all grade levels) 51 students at Level III 17 screened positive for reading problems

(23%ile or lower) 11 made progress: 4 graduated to lower

levels early; 7 gained an average of 1.86 stanine on post-tests

7 tested for SPED & qualified in area of reading

Steps in Academic Skills Analysis

1. Gather known and unknown information using RIOT procedures (Fact finding)

2. Screen (Validate hypotheses) 3. Apply professional knowledge: are gaps

apparent? (Content knowledge/ area teacher)4. Link assessment results to intervention

(Indicate and write the intervention to be implemented)

5. Monitor progress and make decisions (MIT team)

STEP 1: Information Gathering

Instruction

Curriculum

Environment

Learner

What is being taught/how it’sbeing assessed

How we teach what isbeing taught

Context where learning is to occur

Characteristics intrinsic to the individual in relation to the concern

Test/ScreenCurriculum-basedBehavior rating scalesNorm-referencedCriterion-referenced

ObserveStudent-peerStudent-teacherParent-child

InterviewTeacherParentsStudentSignificant Others

ReviewPrevious Psych ReportsCumulative RecordsWork SamplesHealth RecordsAttendance/Discipline

RIOT ProceduresO’Neill, 1997

RIOT: File Review

Psychological ReportsCums

Previous grades Standardized testing Minimum competency/high stakes test results

RIOT: Interview

Prescreening questionsQuestions to ask the studentQuestions to ask the

parent/guardian/doctorsQuestions to ask yourself or an

expert in specific content area

RIOT: Observations

EXAMPLES: Are the basic required skills for success

evident in this student (Read? Comprehend? Express self in writing?)

What does this student’s participation in class look like?

Engaged and attentive? Taking good notes? Clarifying confusion? Quality of homework?

RIOT: TestStep 2: SCREENINGS

Screeners indicate specific skill deficits in a given content area and what strands to remediate.

Sample screeners include: Criterion referenced tests End of semester/year tests Reading/Writing probes Checklists

Learner

Curriculum

Instruction

Environme

nt

STEP 2: VALIDATE YOUR HYPOTHESIS WITH CONVERGENT DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES (Adapted from Heartland AEA 11, IA)

RIOTRIOT

RIOT RIOT

Step 3: Access Expertise

Each school has one or more assigned point person in each content/subject area for expert consultation (EX: area teachers, READ teachers, department heads, etc).

Their role is to help analyze screening results and design intervention packages (worksheets, etc.) to remediate skills.

Step 4: Design and implement interventions…Part 1

“Opportunities for intensive practice with controlled texts in an environment that provides constant corrective feedback and should be scheduled separately from the regular school coursework and should occur daily.”

-Bonnie Grossen, 2007, Center on Instruction State specific interventions “Kerry will be instructed in the 2 column notes

method for reading textbook materials and use it in lieu of answering questions at the end of each chapter in her history and science classes.”

Step 4: Design and implement interventions…Part 2

Where, how often, who: “Kerry will complete her two-column note

chapter reviews in her study skills class under guided supervision for 3 weeks and will be tracked twice weekly for completeness thereafter.”

“Bob will do worksheets to practice skills in order of operations 3 times a week for 15 minutes each in his Study Skills class.”

Step 4: Design and implement interventions…Part 3

Delineate the means of progress monitoring

“Jason will be given one 5-minute expository writing probe weekly in his guided study hall to monitor progress.”

Step 5: Monitor Progress and Make Decisions

Data collection to determine if the intervention is either:

Working (skill is being acquired) Continue doing what you’re doing Increase the goal?

Not working Intervention/goal needs to be modified? Redesign an intervention? Refer to SPED testing?

Reading

“In grades K-3 kids learn to read, in grades 4-12 kids read to learn. This assumes that by the end of 3rd grade, kids have mastered reading”

-Torgeson, 2007

Interview Screening Interventions Progress Monitoring Case Example

READING: Interview

Students at the secondary level have insight into their reading problems

Is it a study skills problem and/or a real reading problem?

Would teaching study strategies alone be enough to help this student?

READING: Screening

Why test for Comprehension first?5th grade or better reading fluency

(115+ wpm) level minimally adequate for high school success

Comprehension the bigger problem for most high school readers

Example: Stanford Diagnostic50 minute administrationCan be group administeredBreaks Comprehension into 4 critical

skills: Initial Understanding InterpretationCritical AnalysisProcess Strategies

READING: Screening

Results at Stanine 4 or better?

Look for the difficulty elsewhere…

Need study strategies? Vocabulary problems? Speech/language issues? Social/emotional issues?

Results at Stanine 3 or below Use the results to determine type of

comprehension intervention needed One stop/shop interventions:

Two-column notes; QAR; SQ3R

Determine reading fluency Build skills if below 115 wpm

Strategy: Repeated Readings

2-Column Notes

QAR Reading Strategy

In-the-Book Questions

In-My-Head Questions

Right There Questions

Author and You Questions

Think and Search

On My Own

SQ3R Reading Strategy

Survey the chapter before you read Question while you survey When you start to Read… Recite after you’ve read a section Review as an ongoing process

Reading: Progress Monitoring

For Reading Comprehension:Maze (Espin, Wallace, Lambke, Campbell, Ticha,

2005)

Fluency ProbesReading Strategy Checklist

For Reading Fluency:Fluency Probes

Progress Monitoring cont.

MAZE CBM 3 minute probe Constructed from content area reading

passages Use interventioncentral.org to make

passages The student can graph his/her progress by

counting the # of correct responses.

Grade 9 Fall Testing Winter Testing

SpringTesting

High Risk 0-16 correct 0-18 correct 0-19 correct

Medium Risk 17-27 correct 19-30 correct 20-33 correct

Low Risk 28+ correct 31+ correct 34+ correct

MAZE RISK LEVEL CHART Grade 9Florida Center for Reading Research (www.fcrr.org)

READING INTERVENTION: Case Example

Lily will be taught how to create a reading web to help her read textbook chapter content

Content area teachers will work with Lily to support her use of the reading webs and accept the webs in lieu of other types of assignments, such as completion of questions at the end of a section.

Lily will be monitored on her use of the reading webs through her study hall teacher and samples saved each week to make sure that she is understanding the strategy and class content.

The study hall teacher will administer a 3-minute Maze probe weekly and send them to the MIT case manager to monitor comprehension progress.

Math

Interview Screening Intervention Progress Monitoring Case Example

Interview continued

Questions for Student1. Tell me about the math classes you’ve struggled with?

Why? 2. What skills were included in your

(algebra/foundations/topics, etc.) class? What grade were you when you learned those skills?

Questions for the student’s past/present math teachers1. How did the student do in class? 2. Did s/he need additional assistance frequently? 3. Can you identify specific skills for this student that seem

weak?4. What areas are strengths for this student?

Screening Possibilities

Administer the final exam for the last math class the student has taken

Probe individual skills for accuracy (for example: addition facts, multiplying fractions, subtraction of two numbers, order of operations..)

Have your math experts help pinpoint difficulties and design interventions.

Example: Math Intervention

Cover, Copy, Compare For math worksheets, computation problems with

answers appear on the left side of the sheet. The same computation problems appear on the right side of the page, unsolved.

The student is instructed to cover the correct model on the left side of the page with an index card and to copy the problem and compute the correct answer in the space on the right side of the sheet. The student then uncovers the correct answer on the left and checks his or her own work.

Progress Monitoring

Math experts can provide worksheets or review assignments that target the skills the student is working to build. Use worksheets of the same level skills to

monitor progress in skill acquisition. There are also websites where

students can practice the skills. www.math.com www.aplusmath.com/

Progress Monitoring cont.

Math CBM Probes for specific skills can be made on

www.interventioncentral.org The amount of time a student gets to

complete a probe depends on the target skill. *See www.interventioncentral.org for general guidelines

The student can graph his/her progress by counting the # of correct digits.

Data

Writing Skills

Interview Screening Intervention Progress Monitoring Case Example

Interview

Is there a reading problem underlying writing problems?

If the problem is writing alone, what type(s)?

Narrative ExpositoryPersuasive

Interview

Which areas (Six Traits) are problematic?

Organization Sentence fluency Ideas/Development Voice/Tone Word Choice Conventions

Screening

Administer a 7 minute probe in each type of writing: narrative, expository & persuasive

Rate each according to the 6 traits rubric

A score of 3 in each area represents a minimum competency for that area

Design your intervention

Consult your building or district writing specialist to design intervention lesson plans

Target only those strands that need remediation (ex: organization is an area of difficulty in narrative writing)

Scaffold learning and production using graphic organizers and webbing strategies

Progress Monitoring

Take weekly 5-minute writing probes, targeting type of writing concerned.

Rate the probes according to the 6-Traits rubric, rating only those areas that required remediation

Case Example

Lily will be taught to use webbing strategies for the narrative mode of writing to learn organizational skills.

Lily will write a thesis sentence where the teacher breaks this statement down into parts and use a web/graphic organizer to help organize her thoughts.

Lily will be taught to write introductions and conclusions and to use details for the narrative mode.

Lily will work on the above strategy with her English teacher before and after school, and supported during study hall as she works on writing projects.

Data

Study Skills

Interview Screening Intervention Progress Monitoring Case Example

Interview

Questions for Parents1. What is the history of your child’s study skills over the

years?2. What kinds of problems do you see? 3. What kids of things have you tried at home to help your

child with his/her study skills?

Questions for the student1. Tell me about your organizational skills? 2. Time management skills? 3. Study skills? 4. What about studying is difficult for you?5. What kinds of things have you tried to help your

organization, time management, and study skills?

Interview Continued

Questions for the teacher (or person working with the child)1. Does the student participate in class?

2. How organized is their backpack/book/notes?

3. Are the student’s notes complete and legible?

4. Does the student remember things well?

5. Does the student seem anxious or nervous when a big test is coming?

6. Does the student manage time well?

7. Does the student seem to have a system for: studying?

8. Organization?

Screening

Checklists can be used to screen the student’s current study skills.

The checklists can be used to design interventions based on the students identified weaknesses.

Checklist Topics

Organizational Skills

Participating in Class

Note Taking Time

Management Self-Care

Memory Strategies

Test prep/studying

Test Taking Strategies

Test Anxiety

Study Skills Interventions

Interventions are developed based on the areas the student identifies as “not present”

Students will need direct teaching, including modeling, to make these skills habits.

Often students perceive working on study skills as more work and do not see the benefit of increasing their study skills.

Example Intervention

Contract Have the student choose a few study skills that

they found were weak and work on them. Detail out the specifics of the study skills

(when, how, who, where etc…) Teach any skills that the child may need (ex:

using a planner to manage time) Have the student sign and date the contract

and share the contract with all involved (post in on the wall at home and school)

Have the student verbally tell you about the strategies or have them write about it in a journal.

Progress Monitoring

Progress monitoring depends on the skills you are working on and the intervention that was developed.

Many things can be used to monitor progress and should be tied to the intervention.

Checklists can be re-administered to check a students progress.

Data

Questions?