High School RTI 2 Implementation

1. High School RTI2 Implementation ESEA Director’s Conference Jerre Maynor | Director of Student Readiness | College, Career & Technical Education

2. Agenda • Why do we need RTI2 for high school students? • What does full implementation of RTI2 mean at the high school level? • What are the expectations for high schools? • RTI2 Myths & Facts • Question & Answer

3. Why?

4. Success after graduation 71,403 Students 2008 Cohort of High School Freshmen 9,089 students did not graduate from high school 22,444 students graduated from high school and entered the workforce and earn an average salary of $9,161 annually 39,748 students enrolled in postsecondary. 75 percent were still enrolled in one year (or 26,149 of the 34,691 who enrolled immediately after graduation). 1,811 completed a certificate or degree within two years.

5. Readiness for All Students • If we allow current trends to continue, only 24 percent of high school graduates will earn a postsecondary certificate or degree within six years of their high school graduation.

6. Our Changing World By 2020, roughly 58% of all Tennessee jobs will require postsecondary education. The gap in employment and earnings between those with postsecondary education and those without it has grown substantially over time. Postsecondary graduates are more likely to be employed and have higher earnings than high school graduates.

7. Half of current Tennessee workers are susceptible to losing their jobs to automation Automation doesn't eliminate the need for labor; it changes the required education Rural counties are more vulnerable Postsecondary credentialing is key to reducing vulnerability Raising adult and student expectations is necessary for the long-term success Why ACT Matters for All of Our Students From “Tenn. study: Half of all jobs could be replaced by automation” (Williams, Chambers. Knoxville News Sentinel. March 20, 2016) Tennessee Workforce Disruption Index, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

8. Tennessee’s Promise Free, Public K-14 System Grades K-12 Grades 13-14 Additional Postsecondary Education and Career Opportunities Tennessee Promise

9. TN Results: Aspirations Vs. Reality 85% of Tennessee tested students aspire to a postsecondary credential or degree …but only 17% are “college ready” in all four sub-scores. Nearly 60% of TN’s first time college freshmen require remedial or developmental courses at the college level. TN Public School Students Graduating Class of 2015

10. Our Vision for Tennessee Students “Districts and schools in Tennessee will exemplify excellence and equity such that all students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to successfully embark upon their chosen path in life.”

11. Strategic Plan

12. RTI2 Continuum of Instructional Support Support becomes more specific and intense v Special EducationIntervention • ALL students • Core instruction • Differentiated to meet diverse needs • In addition to Tier I • Skills focused • Intensive to meet specific student needs Tier II Intervention • In addition to Tier I • Skills focused • Targeted to student deficits • In addition to Tier I • Most Intensive support to meet individualized student needs • Highest frequency of monitoring Tier I Instruction Tier III Intervention

13. The RTI2 decision-making process

14. RTI2 Decision-Making

15. What is an Early Warning System? • An Early Warning System is a tool to manage the wide variety of data that may indicate students are at risk of missing an important educational milestone. • Indicatorsthat have been identified through research include poor grades in core subjects, low attendance, retention, and classroom disengagement that include minor behavioral problems.  • The “ABCs” (attendance, behavior, and course performance) of early warning indicators are highly predictive of at-risk status in middle and high school grades.

16. RTI2 Decision-Making

17. What do students need? How do you know? Re-teaching Tier I – State Standards and Differentiated Instructional Practices Goal is to reteach standards to ANY and ALL students who are struggling with core concepts rather than specific skill deficits. Standards Based Assessment: • Benchmark Assessment • Summative Assessment • Formative Assessment Intervention Tier II/III/Special Education Intervention Goal is to provide research based interventions aligned to specific skill deficit(s) as identified by a universal screener. Skills Based Assessment: • Skills based universal screener aligned to area(s) of deficit • Skills based Progress Monitoring specific to area(s) of deficit • Ongoing skills assessments versus

18. RTI2 Decision-Making

19. What is Enrichment? • Your RTI2 planning should anticipate and prepare to serve students who have already mastered the standards with opportunities to enrich or extend their learning in the same way that students who struggle receive intervention. • Enrichment means making the content more rigorous, the process or student activities more rigorous, or making the final goal or outcome more rigorous. • Does this activity support college and career readiness goals for our students? • Adapted from Simplifying Response to Intervention, Buffum, Mattos, Weber, 2012.

20. Summarizer: What is RTI2? “Response to Intervention is not a new concept. RTI is about providing good teaching, seeing how it is working, and then making adjustments when needed.” Gibbs, D. (2009). RTI in middle and high school: Strategies and structures for literacy success. Horsham, PA: LRP

21. Norms for RTI2 in Tennessee • Though the guidance is standardized, implementation should be customized. • RTI2 is a decision-making framework based on the needs of your students, not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. • RTI2 is not a curriculum, a time in the day, or a place where students go; RTI2 is a process for getting students what they need, when they need it. • RTI2 is for all students – not just students who are significantly behind.

22. What are the key roles for RTI2implementation?

23. Benefits of RTI2 • Timely interventions to meet student needs • Individualized plan for each student • Progress data to measure growth • Closes achievement gaps • Increases achievement • Stronger students • Better postsecondary outcomes & opportunities

24. Requirements • 9-12 Implementation • RTI2Leadership Team • Universal Screening and/or Early Warning System • Survey level diagnostic assessment • Research-based intervention (Tier II and Tier III) • Progress monitoring • Fidelity checks • Parent communication • Trained intervention teachers

25. TDOE Implementation Checklist • Chronological checklist for RTI2 Leadership Team meetings and major decisions • Sequenced and organized to help you manage month-by-month from January – July • Online timeline includes specific references and resources Link here

26. Major Decisions – Sequential List • Select RTI 2 Leadership Team • Determine Early Warning System data elements • Classify students likely to need skill interventions vs. standards remediation • Survey level assessment to identify specific student needs • Schedule intervention tiers – time & teachers • Determine skill-based interventions • Decide internal progress monitoring protocol • Professional development for staff based on specific roles

27. How have we supported high school implementation?

28. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • RTI2will lower graduation rates. Facts: • Effective systems and interventions will identify at-risk students earlier, giving schools more time to build skills and address risk factors. • LEAs can create flexible elective credit requirements to allow students in Tier III classes to stay on track towards graduation requirements. • RTI2 can refine your existing practices!

29. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • RTI2 will hurt CTE programs. Facts: • LEAs can create flexible elective credit requirements to allow students in Tier III to have a combination of CTE and intervention credits for their elective course of study. • If a student has a major skill deficit in reading and/or math, the student would not be set up for success in advanced CTE courses.

30. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • We don’t have the personnel for RTI2; this is an unfunded mandate. Facts: • Supporting all students on a path to postsecondary success is the goal of our K-12 system. • RTI2 is a problem-solving approach that can be modified to support the specific needs of a school. • RTI2 should impact a low percentage (10-15%) of your overall student body. • Your school has flexibility in the staffing and student-teacher ratios for Tier II and III interventions.

31. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • I must come up with an enrichment activity for 85% of my students every day. Facts: • No! Enrichment can simply mean that students who are not in intervention can take another class.

32. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • The percent of students assigned to Tier II or III is mandated. Facts: • The percentages within the framework are for guidance purposes. Each school has to make a data-driven decision about which students they will serve and how they will serve them. • The overall goal of RTI2 is to create targeted support for academic growth for as many students as possible.

33. Myths vs. Facts Myths: • RTI2is a process to keep students from being referred for special education services. • RTI2is the way we have to identify students for special education. Facts: • RTI2 is not a replacement for special education. The goal is to ensure that students who do not need special education services are not misidentified due to a skill deficit or other unaddressed need. • RTI2 must not delay identification of students in need of the most intensive intervention (special education).

34. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • We cannot afford the assessments and interventions needed. Facts: • Once students are at the high school level, they will come with plenty of academic and intervention-related data. • Using prior data and/or your Early Warning System, you should only need to screen a very small number of students. • Most districts have multiple interventions already purchased. The state has provided a peer-review rubric and process to help you select interventions from what you may already own.

35. Myths vs. Facts Myth: • Once we identify students with the EWS, they are ready to start intervention. Facts: • Once identified, you will need to administer a screener to identify the student’s specific skill deficits. • For example, students who are struggling with reading proficiency should not be given a generic reading intervention. It must be focused on specific needs like comprehension or decoding.

36. Questions? Jerre Maynor, Director of Student Readiness Jerre.Maynor@tn.gov 615-253-3780 @jerre_maynor