RTI for the Struggling Reader: The Power of Proximity Barbara A. Marinak bam234@psu.edu

1. RTI for the Struggling Reader: The Power of Proximity Barbara A. Marinak bam234@psu.edu

3. RTI IDEIA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act: 2004) mandates the use of early intervening services) to: • Identify children who are members of a disaggregated subgroup with a specific learning disability whereby the discrepancy model could result in over identification.

4. Provide intervention to all children at risk for school failure.

5. Future of RTI • “Early intervening services” will likely migrate to regular education legislation (ESEA) • Focus on core instruction • More flexible tiers • More regular education funding for systemic RTI

6. An intervention cannot be considered effective unless it provides for greater levels of proficiency in core.

7. RTI Practice Guide Intervention should take place in small homogenous groups ranging from three to four students using curricula that address the major components of reading instruction(comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary). IES, 2009

8. Assess Comprehensively • Narrowly focused assessments lead to limited interventions • For example, assessing and intervening in a reading sub skill such as rate, nonsense word recognition, or phonemic awareness results in minimal gains in the sub skill and no gains in reading comprehension.

9. The “I” in RTI Intervention or Instruction?

10. The “I” in RTI Intervention or Instruction* *everywhere…core, intervention, related arts, recess, hallways, etc.

11. The “Instruction” in RTI • What does it mean to be a proximal practitioner?

12. Proximity • The distance between the actual developmental level and the level of potential development -- as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978)

13. Effective practitioners are proximal - at all times- to teaching and learning.

14. Critical Attributes of Proximity • Increase modeling • Increase scaffolding • Increase in lively discussions

15. Avoid The Matthew Effect by committing to The Practice Effect!

16. So…now what?

17. Meet and Scaffold

18. Proximity • Instructional Proximity • Leadership Proximity

19. Instructional Proximity • Text Impression • Q-Matrix • Retelling Pyramid

20. Text Impression Antarctic

21. Text Impression Antarctic African

22. Text Impression Antarctic African one

23. Text Impression Antarctic African one rookery

24. Text Impression Antarctic African one rookery herd

25. Group on land is a waddle or colony • Nesting group is a rookery • A group of babies is a crèche • A group in the water is a raft

26. Text Impression Antarctic African one rookery herd kindergarten

28. A Colossal Fossil • dinosaur • massive • mouth • shudder • Sue • display • badlands • complete • permission • stripped • discovered • perfect

29. Q-Matrix

30. Q-Matrix TEXT + me = literal (stems 1-12) Text + Me = inferential (stems 13-24) text + ME = extended (stems 25-36)

31. Wild Babies TEXT + me = literal How long do penguin chicks stay in a kindergarten? How old is a giraffe calf when it enters a kindergarten?

32. Wild Babies Text + Me = inferential When would penguins and giraffes form kindergartens?

33. Wild Babies text + ME = extended Giraffes and penguins use kindergartens to protect their young. What might other animals do to protect their babies?

34. A Colossal Fossil TEXT + me = literal Why is Sue called a colossal fossil? Why do fossil hunters love the badlands? Why is the skeleton named Sue?

35. Compare/Contrast Summary We can compare and contrast giraffes and Emperor penguins. Giraffes live in Africa but Emperor penguins live in Antarctica. Giraffes have live births. Emperor penguins lay eggs. Both giraffes and Emperor penguins have one baby at a time. Giraffes and Emperor penguins are similar in how they protect their babies. These two animals put their babies in kindergartens.

36. Compare/Contrast Text Map

40. Wild Babies Retelling Pyramid one How many babies do giraffes and penguins have at a time? Antarctica Africa Use two words to describe where this penguin and giraffe live. egglivebirth In three words, list how the giraffe and penguin have babies. caredforinkindergartens In four words, describe how giraffes and penguins protect their babies.

41. A Colossal FossilRetelling Pyramid dinosaur What kind of animal is this book about? colossal fossil How is this dinosaur described in the title of the book? SouthDakotabadlands Where did Sue’s story begin?

42. A Colossal FossilRetelling Pyramid hardenedsandandmud Use four words to describe what scientists removed from Sue’s bones. boneswerebrokenorcracked Use five words to describe Sue’s skull when it arrived at the museum. steelstructuretoholdthebones Use six words to describe what the museum built for this colossal fossil.

43. dinosaur colossal fossil SouthDakotabadlands hardenedsandandmud boneswerebrokenorcracked steelstructuretoholdthebones

44. Leadership Proximity • Be simple • Be concrete • Be unexpected • Be credible • Encourage emotions • Share stories Made to Stick (Heaths)

45. Be Simple • Create and communicate a powerful but simple vision for RTI- with input from stakeholders • Avoid decision paralysis. • Listen to how the vision is being discussed and interpreted by the stakeholders. Clarify confusion/misconceptions.

46. Be Concrete • Advocate for RTI. Leaders need to be perceived as working consciously and consistently on behalf of struggling students. Take actions that are concrete and directly observable by the others. • Teach core or intervention lessons to learn about the needs of your struggling readers. • Learn the strengths and needs of your struggling readers by observing them across the content areas. Be able to speak to their performance in all classrooms.

47. Be Unexpected • Take actions that are unexpected. RTI can be become dehumanizing by overemphasizing data and underemphasizing the educators working on behalf of students. • Personalize communication about struggling readers by holding face-to-face discussions. Reserve e-mail for scheduling.

48. During discussions, pose questions that encourage sharing of information. • Actively listen before offering suggestions or making a decision. • Be consistent in your support and ensure that you follow up. Schedule the days and times when you will observe or ask for feedback on a student or group of students.

49. Be Credible • Promote situational interest and commitment to students by honoring all data at the RTI table. • Carefully analyze how and why interventions are working or not working.

50. Articulate the attributes of instruction that cause students to gain in proficiency (e.g., careful collaboration between core classroom teacher and the specialists’ analysis of writing samples to inform reading instruction). Effectiveness can be replicated only if it is understood and defined.