SwataraRtI

This page will be used as a log book to keep record of our progress throughout the RtI process. Please feel free to add/delete any information as necessary.

Questions/comments: dalichwer@cdschools.org

Michael Jordan, principal of Swatara Middle School, Selected the RtI team. Members include: Johanna Byers-Pena (6th gr.), Beth Kurtz (7th gr.), Karol Bretz (8th gr.), Doug Alichwer (librarian), Michelle Trostle (reading specialist), Amanda Lendyak (reading specialist), Fran Flicker (reading specialist), Mary Jo Tyson (school Psychologist), Paula Warner, George Gutshall.

Feb.10, 2009- Members attended an RtI conference at PATTAN-Harrisburg. The conference was also attended by schools representing Drexel Hill MS(Drexel), Roosevelt MS(Bristol), Theodore Roosevelt MS(Williamsport), Clariton MS(Clariton), Chartiers Valley MS(Bridgeville). At the conference we were provided with an overview of the project. The understanding is that the middle schools listed are the pilot program for RtI at this level.

Feb 18, 2009- The RtI progam was introduced to the faculty.

Feb 19, 2009- Some discussion as to what a potential schedule will look like. Many questions, few answers. 6th gr may need 2 more teachers due to high 5th gr count. Could we schedule kids for B, C, O? Do kids need every CA rotation for 6th, 7th and 8th gr? or could they do one or 2 a year? Should we do away with teams? Block scheduling? Moving the 7th gr teachers from upstairs to downstairs will only cause 2 sets of teachers to move. could Kids in tier 2 & 3 be taken out of CA for remediation? What's the overall schedule going to look like? Really going outside the box!!!! (involved in this discussion: Jordan, Alichwer, Kurtz)

March 4, 2009 RTI team along with CAIU and Pattan. As a group we discussed our course of action for this process. The action plan contains many facets, the main topics are listed below. They are priority ranked in order as to our perceived importance. The "Level of Implementation Score" is a score based on our perceived implementation into the RTI process. The implementation score is an average rating tallied from the subsets of the main topics. It is a score of 1-4. 1 being a low level of implementation at this time and a 4 is something we have in place. View the action plans for more details.

research based instruction ||= 3 ||= 2 ||
 * = Action plan Topics ||= Lvl of Implementation Score ||= Priority Score ||
 * = Leadership ||= 2.75 ||= 1 ||
 * = Standards-aligned curr and
 * = Universal Screening ||= 2.3 ||= 3 ||
 * = Shared Ownership ||= 3 ||= 4 ||
 * = Professional Dev. ||= 2 ||= 5 ||
 * = Data-based decision making ||= 1.25 ||= 6 ||
 * = Behavior ||= 2 ||= 7 ||
 * = Tiered intervention and Service Delivery ||= 1.8 ||= 8 ||
 * = Parent engagement ||= 1 ||= 9 ||
 * = Eligibility Determination ||= 0 ||= 10 ||

4/1/09 Sample student schedules below. the sample schedules below are for a student in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. What Beth and I are considering is that this is a 6 day cycle. Two days will be single periods and the other 4 days will run on a block schedule. On these days core classes will run on a double period. CA classes will continue to run on a traditional single period. What we are trying to do is to combine "both worlds" on the same days. Students could be in a block core class while other students are taking single period CA classes. We are also trying to do away with a "flex" period. Questions/concerns I have at this time: 1. Band, chorus, orch. (BCO) must be anchored to a period, 1 for 6th grade and 1 for 7th and 8th grade, if we are going to try to schedule those students. Remember, during these periods other classes will be going on. 2. Reading teachers must be available for tier 2 and 3 students. We would like to hold these classes parallel to CA classes. The thinking is that if a student needsto move into tier 2 or 3, it would be a simple move to take them from a CA class and insert them into a reading intervention during that same period. 3. Question: Do we have enough reading teachers to cover, not only regular reading classes, but also the tier interventions? Could we train others to do tier intervention? 4. Does FL have to be taught in 7th Grade? 5. What do we do with the traveling FL teachers? 6. What about students who take other courses at the high school?

7th Grade Sample
 * Period || Time || Day 1,4 || Day 2,5 || Day 3,6 ||
 * 1 || 7:45-8:28 || English || 1 || 2 ||
 * 2 || 8:31-9:15 || FL || 1 || 2 ||
 * 3 || 9:18-10:01 || SS || 3 || 4 ||
 * 4 || 10:04-10:48 || Math || 3 || 4 ||
 * || 10:51-11:21 || Lunch || Lunch || Lunch ||
 * 5 || 11:24-12:09 || SC || FL || FL ||
 * 6 || 12:12-12:54 || RDG || RDG || RDG ||
 * 7 || 12:57-1:40 || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO ||
 * 8 || 1:43-2:30 || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H ||

8th Grade Sample
 * Period || Time || Day 1,4 || Day 2,5 || Day 3,6 ||
 * 1 || 7:45-8:28 || ENG || 1 || 2 ||
 * 2 || 8:31-9:15 || SC || 1 || 2 ||
 * 3 || 9:18-10:01 || SS || 3 || 4 ||
 * 4 || 10:04-10:48 || Math || 3 || 4 ||
 * 5 || 10:53-11:35 || RDG || RDG || RDG ||
 * || 11:38-12:08 || Lunch || Lunch || Lunch ||
 * 6 || 12:12-12:54 || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H ||
 * 7 || 12:57-1:40 || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO ||
 * 8 || 1:43-2:30 || FL || FL || FL ||

6th Grade
 * Period || Time || Day 1,4 || Day 2,5 || Day 3,6 ||
 * 1 || 7:45-8:28 || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H || CA/PE/H ||
 * 2 || 8:31-9:15 || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO || CA/PE/H/BCO ||
 * 3 || 9:18-10:01 || RDG || RDG || RDG ||
 * 4 || 10:04-10:48 || Math || ? || ? ||
 * 5 || 10:53-11:35 || SC || 4 || 7 ||
 * 6 || 11:38-12:22 || ? || 4 || 7 ||
 * || 12:25-12:55 || Lunch || Lunch || Lunch ||
 * 7 || 12:57-1:40 || ENG || 5 || 8 ||
 * 8 || 1:43-2:30 || SS || 5 || 8 ||

4/14/09 Meeting with RtI teams and reps from CAIU We started the session off by breaking into groups. We discussed ideas we had to help us move forward with our readiness plan (This is the plan we completed on 3/4) The information from the groups The second part of our session consisted of looking at 4Sight data Analysis. This is something that all staff should be familiar with. (possible inservice) Steps involved: 1. Obtain copy of 4Sight Data Analysis Packet. 2. For this analysis you will need to log into [|Member Center] 3. Print out the following reports: You will also need a copy of the Adminstration and Scoring Guide (pgs. 9 and 25) for your grade level. A copy of the Assessment Anchors for your grade and subject. 4. Complete Pg 2 and 3 of the 4Sight Data Analysis Packet. 5. Complete pg 4 Adminstration and Scoring Guide You will do this by listing students from report #3434 (the hotlinked numbers). Use pg 9 of the Adminstration and Scoring Guide to help with the State Scaled Score. FOR PROFICIENT STUDENTS- PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE ON THE LOWER END OF THE SCALE. 6. Complete pg 5 of the 4Sight Data Analysis Packet. Use report #3861 to find weakness in any subscale areas. (ex. interp. & Analysis of Fic/ Nonfic.) Refer to Adminstration and Scoring Guide pg 25 and identify the questions that pertain to this subscale and highlight them. Refer to report #3746. Find those questions and identify any low responses (ex. any questions where students answered below 80% correct). List these percentages on pg 25. The low percentage questions will correspond with assessment anchors that can be referenced in the Assessment Anchor Guide. At this point analize the data to determine what interventions may be used for those students.
 * 1) 3434- this report will give you info for all grades. Students that are Below Basic(BB), Basic(B), Proficient(P) and Advanced(A). You will see all tests given to date.(Baseline, 1, 2, etc) The numbers represented in the four categories are the number of students. These are hotlinked and will be used to obtain a list of students for the catagories of BB and B. Print out your BB, B and P students for the most recent test and for each grade level as needed.
 * 2) 3861- Print one for each grade level, and each subject needed.
 * 3) 3869- Print one for each grade level, and each subject needed.
 * 4) 3746- This is an item analysis by subscale report. Print one for your grade level and subject.

June 11 This file contains the notes from our meeting on June 11th

July 12

As we proceed through the summer, several areas stand out as to what needs to be in place prior to the start of school. 1. schedule what we were planning has come around to what we already have in place. Not totally convinced what we have above would not have worked. 2. Behavior Moving the building to positive behavior model. Must be in place prior to the start of school. Hopefully simple yet detailed for staff to hook into it.

Ideas for start of school:
Intro to plan Tickets- giving/collecting/logging weekly drawing/prizes monthly drawing/student of the month assembly/prizes Student self-disc. referral form Teacher ref. form phone calls home- good/bad Tier 2 and 3 Mentor volunteers Lessons for the first days of school classrm hall cafe planner

3. Reading Strategies Some links were sent to the staff. More info will be forthcoming. After 2 days with Dr. Anita Archer, some simple lessons on vocabulary could be developed for all subjects to implement from the start of school.

4. Data Teams More info will be forthcoming. We will be working with PaTTAN on some of this. Expecting them to be the lead on this.

powerpoint presented to faculty on May 19, 2009 concerning readiness and action plans notes from meeting on July 15 - key learnings and priorities for what to share from Dr. Anita Archer's professional development

July 22, 28, and 29- 3 days with RtII Leadership team, PaTTAN and IU consultants. This time was spent discussing schedules for our first few days of school. Quite the process!!! The main focus: behavior booklet, teacher referral form, student self-referral form, Dr Archer hand signals, students working in pairs- LOOK, LEAN, LISTEN, WHISPER. Most of this is coming into shape at this time. Michelle Trostle is currently working on schedules/agendas for the first few days. These will be sent out along with lesson plans that the different subjects will present to the students on the first day. These are related to our values. The second day will be devoted to classroom procedures.


 * Important- Elementary must provide all data for incoming 6th grade.

It was decided that initially data team meeting will be held on Thursdays for 2 periods fro each grade level. The following consultants will assist the grade levels: 6th gr.- Kathleen Eich- Starting 10/8 7th gr.- Jen Lillenstein- Starting 10/1 8th gr.- Tonya Morret- starting 10/8





Aug 25 Just before school starts. Everything is coming together! Copies are made for teachers on their first day. They consist of the agendas for the first 3 days and the Posters have been placed throughout the school with our values. Wanting to jump into reading strategies seemed like the thing to do several weeks ago. As we approach the start, I think it will be important to step back and see how the staff reacts to the changes. Their reaction may be the driving force for the first few weeks. Thinking of using the first faculty meeting and/or the October in-service to listen to their victories and concerns. Hopefully we will have some comparison data between this year and last. It will still be important to get some reading strategies out to the staff- makes sense since we are focusing on reading this year!!

The staff was kept well informed throughout the summer. As the leadership teams completed different components, they were distributed to the staff.

We will be giving the 4Sight tests and DIEBELS test throughout September. Data team meetings are set to start in October as described above.

Sept23

As we approach the start of our data team meetings, just a quick recap of the past few weeks.

As the schedule was created, the students were grouped into Lang. Arts and reading classes. As we analize the data, students will be moved into the different tiers. What is currently in place seems to be working.

The PBS component has also taken off. Students were instructed as to the expectations of our values over the first few days of school. Weekly raffle drawings have been held. As we moved through the past few weeks, there is some concern that the RoaRRS tickets are being given out as general rewards and loosely based on the values. We did employ a committee to help with the tickets. Some ideas include: post cards home for receiving X number of tickets in a week, 100 ticket club, monthly prize winner prizes, weekly winners doing the announcements, lunch pass to be first in the lunch line, a 200 club with a name grid. EOY prizes. Several of us will be attending a PBS conference at PaTTAN.

Data is flowing. We completed our first 4Sight test, MAZE and R-CBM testing. Quite a chore!!! We are currently waiting for our AIMSweb database to be uploaded with student names. Next week we will be learning data team procedures.

Sept. 30

Just completed a dry run of a data meeting. Consultants from the IU and PaTTAN were on hand to take us through the process. We were also able to Identify our 2-3 critical behaviors: · Active Student Engagement · Explicit instruction in acceptable behavior (be ready, be safe, be responsible and be respectful) · Explicit vocabulary instruction across content areas

We also planned for upcoming PD items that we would like to implement as the year moves on. See attachment.

Oct 16

Data teams (grade levels) have been working to look at ares of weakness in the curriculum. It seems at this point they need some more direction as to where to continue. The problem at this time, we seem to have many committees but communication seems to be a problem among/between them. We sat today in hopes of designing an RtII/School Improvement Core Team. It was made with several members that overlap into the other committees. Hopefully it will make communication easier and more people will understand their role.

Active student engagement is a current focus for the staff. We are developing peer observation groups.

12/09

As the year comes to an end: We continue to fine tune everything! Students have been moved into the different tiers and they are receiving progress monitoring. When we return from the holidays, we will administer the 4Sight, AIMSweb R-CBM and MAZE tests. Our focus continue to be to increase: active student engagement, PBS and Vocabulary. The staff continues to do PSSA instruction and SSR during flex as well as peer observations focusing on active student engagement.

The PBS program has taken a nose dive-- as was thought. Upon returning from the holidays, we will use a video made by students to all help our students be more Ready and Responsible. PBS team will design a lesson to go with it. We will also be starting the Principal's 100 club.

media type="custom" key="5527589" PREZI RtII slide show

8/2010 Swatara made AYP!!!! I truly believe that due to the extremely hard work of our great staff and their committment to RtII and PBS has made this possible. We are onto something wonderful and exciting. I am really looking forward to this school year and continuing the momentum!