Walking to Walking to Improved Improved Reading Reading

OutcomesOutcomesA Flexible Skill Grouping Success StoryA Flexible Skill Grouping Success Story

Sally Helton and Rachell Keys Sally Helton and Rachell Keys

Tigard Tualatin School District, OregonTigard Tualatin School District, Oregon

Who We Are

Suburban West Coast School District

12,300 students K-12

63% White, 23% Hispanic, 6% Asian

10 Elementary, 3 Middle, 2 High Schools

37% Economically Disadvantaged

12% Limited English Proficient

10.7% Special Education

Tigard Tualatin School District

Where We’re From

What We Do

TTSD Mission Statement:

Dedicated to Creating an Environment of Service and Support for Staff

and Community in order to

Educate Every Child

How We Do ItEffective Behavior and

Instructional Support (EBIS) A Systematic MTI/RTI Process used in all schools to:

Disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, and special programs (ELL, Special Education) and use research-based methods and materials to increase achievement for all students

Use data to find and provide interventions to struggling students quickly and efficiently

Progress monitor students in interventions and make changes to interventions as needed

Find and provide services to those students with learning disabilities

Begin Implementa-tion of

EBS (PBIS)

All Schools K-12

Implementing EBS (PBIS)

1996

1998

Begin Implementation of EBIS in all

elementary schools with the MTI/RTI

Model

2001

Begin Implementation

of EBIS in all secondary

schools

2005

2005 - 2011

Ensure all K-5 Students Receive Research-Based

Reading Instruction 90 Minutes per Day

2006

2007

All TTSD Elementary

Schools Begin Walk-To-Read

Model

TTSD EBIS Development TimelineTTSD EBIS Development Timeline

As part of a State Initiative, TTSD

Trains 42 School districts

throughout Oregon in the

MTI/RTI Process

EBIS/RTI Features All students receive 90 minutes of research-based core

reading instruction daily (MacMillan)

All students screened 3 times per year using DIBELS

School-wide meetings held 3 times per year (following DIBELS screening) to review strength of the core and progress of all groups, reevaluate makeup of flexible reading groups, and place appropriate students into reading interventions

Students in interventions are progress monitored weekly

Grade Level teams meet every 6 weeks to review progress of students in interventions and make changes to skill groups as indicated by in-program assessments and DIBELS

Selection of Students for Groups

Grade level teams meet with principal, counselor, literacy specialist, special education and ELD teachers to place students in appropriate walk-to-read classes using the following information: DIBELS screening score

MacMillan placement test

Teacher Input

OAKS scores (Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills)

Changes to Groups Grade Level Teams meet every 6 weeks to

review progress of students in interventions and make changes to walk-to-read groups as needed based on data

Teams meet after each DIBELS screening (3 times per year) to evaluate the strength of the core program as well as make changes to walk-to read groups based on data

At any time, teachers can request a special meeting grade level EBIS team meeting to discuss and make decisions about moving students between groups

Practical Matters There are three to five 1st and 2nd grade classes at

each school

The groups are: Approaching, On, and Beyond as well as Approaching-On and On-Beyond

We attempt to have the most skilled teacher working with the lowest (Approaching) group

In each school, the Approaching group has the fewest students

Flexible Skill Group Advantages

Allows students to receive instruction at their level

Allows for more direct instruction/opportunities to respond because skill level of group is more homogeneous

Increases level of student engagement

Allows for acceleration for students below grade level

Flexible Skill Group Criticisms

More transitions may lead to loss of instructional time

As students move between teachers they may lose a sense of community

More communication is needed between teachers, especially at report card time and parents may not know which teacher to talk with.

The lowest performing students won’t benefit from modeling by more skilled readers

There is little movement between groups and lowest students stay in low group for years

It’s a segregation model

This Study

Began tracking skill group movement with last year’s first grade students

10 elementary schools

Over 800 students

Research Questions What is the ethnic make-up of each walk-to-

read group?

What is the difference in growth between each walk-to-read group?

Is the average growth that non-white students make in order to be moved to a high walk-to-read group significantly different than the growth required by white students?

Has the implementation of a walk-to-read model increased the number of students meeting benchmark on the statewide assessment and on DIBELS?

What is the ethnic make-up of each

walk-to-read group?

Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Walk-To-Read Groups Middle of First Grade

(1/2010) Disproportionat

e

* Number next to group name is the number of students in the group

Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Walk-To-Read Groups Middle of 2nd Grade (1-

2011)

But overall, Still

Disproportionate

By 2nd Grade our “On” Group is

proportionate!

What is the difference in growth between each walk-to-read

group?

Words Per Minute Growth of Walk-To-

Read Groups

by group from mid-1st grade to mid-2nd grade

48 WPM

–

Average

annual

growth for

students at

the 50 th

percentile*

* 2006 Hasbrouck & Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Data

20 WPM –

Average

annual growth

for students at

the 25th

percentile!

* Number next to group name is the number of students in the group

Average ORF Scores

Is the average growth that non-

white students make in order to be moved to a higher walk-to-

read group significantly different

than the growth required by white

students?

Average Words Per Minute Growth of Students who moved to a higher

group

Percentage of Students who moved up one or more levels

from January 2010 to January 2011

Mid 1st Grade Group

26.6%25.5%

Has the implementation of a walk-to-read model

increased the number of students meeting benchmark on the

statewide assessment and on DIBELS?

1st Grade Performance (ORF) Before and After 2007-08 Walk-to-Read Implementation Year

At Risk Student TrajectoryAverage Student TrajectoryAccelerated Student Trajectory

2007-08 First Year of Walk-to-Read Implementatio

n

Data from 2004 through 2011

2nd Grade Performance (ORF) Before and After 2007-08 Walk-to-Read Implementation Year

At Risk Student Trajectory

Average Student Trajectory

Accelerated Student Trajectory

2007-08 First Year of Walk-to-Read Implementatio

n

Data from 2004-2011

PERCENT ESTABLISHED ON DIBELS

Let’s take another look at the criticisms

of Flexible Skill Groups

Flexible Skill Group Criticisms

More transitions may lead to loss of instructional time

As students move between teachers they may lose a sense of community

More communication is needed between teachers at report card time and parents don’t know who to talk with.

The lowest performing students don’t benefit from modeling by more skilled readers

There is little movement between groups and lowest students stay in low group for years

It’s a segregation model

More transitions may lead to loss of instructional time

Students are taught routines, given opportunity to practice, and are rewarded for efficient movement between classes. Movement from one class to another is brief generally taking less than 2 minutes.

As students move between teachers they may lose a sense of community

Teachers know more students and students know more adults in the building and it creates a greater sense of community and collaboration building-wide.

What We’ve Learned From Using Flexible Skill Groups

What We’ve Learned From Using Flexible Skill Groups

More communication is needed between teachers at report card time and parents

don’t know who to contact.

Teaming quickly becomes the norm when meeting structures are in place and times are set aside for teachers to collaborate.

Since teachers collaborate regularly, the classroom teacher is knowledgeable about all of his/her students and is the person for parents to contact with questions.

What We’ve Learned From Using Flexible Skill Groups

The lowest performing students don’t benefit from modeling by more skilled

readers

The lowest performing students benefit from direct instruction at their level with more opportunities to respond. They have opportunities to observe modeling by more skilled readers during the remainder of their day.

What We’ve Learned From Using Flexible Skill Groups

There is little movement between groups and lowest students stay in low group for years.

Approximately 26% of students moved up one or more groups between winter of 1st and winter of 2nd grade.

There was more movement from the approaching and approaching on groups than the other groups with 31% of the students in the approaching group moving up and 28% of the approaching on group moving up.

Although 70% of the students in the approaching group remained in that group after a year, the entire group made strong gains in reading achievement during that year.

What We’ve Learned From Using Flexible Skill Groups

It’s a segregation model

The reading groups in this study were disproportionate based on race/ethnicity, with the

lowest groups over represented by students of color and the higher groups under represented by

students of color.

Since the implementation of a walk-to-read model in TTSD,

The percentage of student’s at benchmark has increased significantly.

80% of our 2nd grade students are at benchmarks in DIBELS. Over 90% of our 3rd and 4th graders passed the state

assessment last year.The racial achievement gap has narrowed.

It’s a segregation model

an achievement