RtI Update
News, updates and strategies to try
Welcome to the Update!
Beginning the Journey
PEPs
These detailed documents may be a bit daunting to create, but they help us hone our instruction to pinpoint exactly what has not worked for our students in the past. It is urgently important for PEPs to be thorough, and shared across all of the individuals who will have an impact on the child's educational life for the document's duration. With that as the case, the assessment piece is crucial.
When we begin a PEP, we need supported evidence that there is a gap in learning or some other obstacle that is hindering learning. Contrary to what so many people believe, this process is NOT connected to special education, but to find out more about the learner, so they can grow. Over the years, loose links have been made to the old SAP program or Child Study. These initiatives may be ancestors of RtI, but our primary challenge as educators with Response to Intervention is to first find out the student's response to instruction over their matriculation.
Through each of the tiers, instruction looks different. Tier 1 is what all students receive. This is the basic package, with the obvious differentiation (guided reading by level, tiered assignments, etc.) for different learning styles; just good, solid instruction and the assignments that accompany it.
Tier 2 also focuses on individual student needs in learning, particularly for those who are at risk of low or failing performance based on data from assessments. These students need ADDITIONAL instruction based on their areas of weakness. Since the lower performing students are fewer than the whole group, they can visit for small, strategic groups for instruction to strengthen their particular Achilles Heel. SIOP strategies for English language learners, strategy groups, and other forms of group remediation fall into this category, where a smaller, specific need-area group is offered instruction.
Finally, in tier 3, the student has received instruction through tier 1 and tier 2, but has still not achieved the anticipated amount of growth over a designated period of time. In this case, the student still receives the tier 1 and tier 2 interventions, but an additional set of strategies is put in place for the student. At this point, new interventions are created for what may be a unique scenario, as only about 5% of students should reach this stage. Out of a "toolkit" of strategies, the team finds ways that the student may succeed with intensive, frequent support in addition to classroom instruction, small group instruction, and their tier 2 intervention. The interventions in tier 2 and 3 DO NOT take the place of classroom instruction. These are tweaks to instruction and the instructional day that could get the student on track, and hopefully speed up the "catch-up" opportunity and optimize their learning.
If the tier 3 interventions fail to support the child toward the anticipated growth mapped out in the PEP, the team may consider that their may be other issues impeding the student's learning. In some cases the student is found to have a disability through testing, which warrants other services outside of the RtI framework.
If a student is receiving special education services in the area of concern in the classroom, this speaks to the strength of the modifications in place on the IEP. Although students with IEPs are eligible for PEPs in areas NOT targeted through special education services, students do not receive a PEP for low-performance areas in which the IEP states a goal (for example, a student with an IEP with goals in writing due to dyslexia would not have a PEP in writing).
I'm happy to share information as questions arise in this era of frequent change to our practice! It's important for us as a PLC to be clear about what needs to be done and have what we need to succeed. I'm looking forward to helping our team and our students achieve!
Availability
Contact information
Email: miah.hart-olivis@dpsnc.net
Website: creekside.dpsnc.net
Location: Creekside Elementary School, Ephesus Church Road, Durham, NC, United States
Phone: 919.560.3919