1. Data Based Decision Making
Melissa Long, MTSS Teacher Trainer
Janet Stephenson, MTSS Teacher Trainer

2. Expected Outcomes What do we want you to Know?
The types of data
What do we want you to Understand?
How to use aim lines and trend lines to guide in student decision making process
What do we want you to be Able to do?
Share your knowledge at your school
Analyze data and make decisions
Big Ideas of MTSS
-MTSS is an organizational framework
-Importance of the Problem Solving Process in all Tiers of data decision making
-TEAMS meeting collaboratively to make instructional decisions based on student response data to improve academic and behavioral outcome.
Data source(s) should:
provide sufficient information to select appropriate services and supports.
allow you to group students with similar needs
match the nature of the problem, the target responses/knowledge identified for change, and key problem-solving questions.

3. Four Corners 1. Write the answer on a post it note…
What do I want to learn from todays workshop?
2. Choose a corner that describes what your background knowledge is about Data Based Decisions. Take your post it note with you.
Dirt Road – don’t know anything about Data Based Decisions
Gravel Road – I know a little about it but haven’t used it
Paved Road – I know about it and use it sometimes
Yellow Brick Road – I know it, use it and could teach this class
3. Share what is on your post it note with the group in your corner

4. How much TIME do we have to close it?
Essential Questions
How BIG is the GAP?
How much TIME do we have to close it?
Managing the GAP between student current level of performance and expectation (benchmark, standards, goal) is what RtI is all about.
The two critical pieces of information we need about students are:
The answer to these 2 questions defines our instructional mission.

5. 3 Cornerstones of MTSS MTSS Tiered System of Intervention
Systematic Problem
Solving
Data Monitoring and Analysis
MTSS

6. Problem Solving Model
Highlight the two areas that will be focused on today.
Intervention design – What are we going to do about it?
Establish a student performance goal, develop an intervention plan to address the goal, and delineate how the student’s progress will be monitored and implementation integrity will be ensured. Ask, “What are we going to do about it?”
Response to Intervention – Is it working?
Use progress monitoring data to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention plan based on the student’s response to the intervention. Ask, “Is it working?” If not, how will the intervention plan be adjusted to better support the student’s progress?

7. Goals of MTSS in Florida T i R – Thinking is Required
Identify students early.
Ensure that students’ difficulties are not due to a lack of alignment between the instruction, curriculum, environment, and learner (I.C.E.L.).
Modify instruction and implement evidenced-based interventions based on individual needs.
Make informed decisions about what resources are needed to ensure student success.
There are four primary goals of RtI:
Catch students early, be proactive instead of reactive.
Research has shown, that once students are two years behind in reading, they rarely catch up.
Prevent over identification
Find student specific skill deficit
Closely monitor student progress
Using ICEL as a part of the data collection process. Using ICEL helps you gather the applicable data to identify the problems for Tier 1.

8. I.C.E.L.
DATA
INSTRUCTION
CURRICULUM
ENVIRONMENT
LEARNER
We don’t always assume the data is a reflection of the something wrong with student or the teacher. In fact the data is a reflection of all of these components and not just singling out just one.
The data is the heart of I.C.E. L.

9. In order to make data based decisions, you need a few pieces of infrastructure:
Capacity to Problem-Solve
Capacity to Collect Data, and Make Sense of It
Capacity to Deliver Instruction at Different Intensities (Tiered- levels of services)
Capacity to Display Data Over Time
Which one do you feel your school is doing well?
Discuss with a partner

10. Using Data to…
Analyze the past – How did we do? What can we do better?
Plan for today, drive our instruction – What should we do differently?
Diagnose – What specifically is the issue?
Progress Monitor- Is what we are doing working?
Predict the future

11. What Data Are We Looking At?
Historical & Current
Academic Data
*Student data
*Class data
*Benchmark data
*Grade level data
Formative Data
Summative Data
Progress Monitoring
Behavioral Data
Intervention Data
Problem Solving at the beginning… Looking the whole school/big picture which that could be:
Regression Lines
AYP Trends
Learning gains

12. Data-Based Decision Making
Data types used within the MTSS model
Four purposes for assessment within MTSS:
Screening: identify students at risk for academic difficulty
Diagnostic: provide an in-depth, reliable assessment of targeted skills
Progress monitoring: determine whether the student is responsive to given instruction
Outcome: student demonstrates accepted level of mastery
An effective assessment plan has four main objectives:
1.To identify students at the beginning of the year who are at-risk or who are experiencing difficulties and who may need extra instruction or
intensive interventions if they are to progress toward grade-level standards by the end of the year, as well as students who have reached
benchmarks and who need to be challenged.
2.To monitor students’ progress during the year to determine whether at-risk students are making adequate progress in critical skills and to
identify any students who may be falling behind or need to be challenged.
3. To inform instructional planning in order to meet the most critical needs of individual students.
4. To evaluate whether the instruction or intervention provided is powerful enough to help all students achieve grade-level standards by the end of
each year.

13. Assessment Activity Materials: Assessment Mat Assessment Words
In a small group or with a partner discuss the types of assessments.
Categorize the types of assessments under the type of assessment that they would be.
Check yourself

14. Formative Check Text the answer to the following question…
Keyword to 37607
Which type of assessment would help to make the decision of which skills or strategies instruction should be targeted around?
Screening
Progress Monitoring
Diagnostic
Outcome

15. Curriculum Based Measurements
Common progress monitoring tools include curriculum based measurements and mastery measurements.

16. The Basics of Curriculum Based Measurement – CBM
Monitors progress throughout the school year
Measures at regular intervals
Uses data to determine goals
Provides parallel and brief measures
Displays data graphically
The research and development of CMB came directly out of intervention program and was specifically designed to inform teachers’ decisions about WHAT and HOW to teach.
This means that they must be aligned to curriculum, sensitive to instruction, repeatable so that PM could occur, and criterion referenced so that they could be used to determine when a student had mastered a task.

17. Progress Monitoring Tools
Sensitive to growth
Brief & Easy
DIBELS NEXT met these requirements.
Equivalent forms – students are given a similar measure each time
FAIR OPM – gave us lexiled reading passaged, then teachers were asked to look up an adjusted fluency score.
DIBELS NEXT passages were developed using new procedures to ensure overall more consistent, equivalent difficulty within each grade level.
Equivalent forms
Frequent

18. Progress Monitoring Main Uses:
Determine students' progress toward important and meaningful goals
Make timely decisions about changes to instruction so that students will meet those goals
Aid in instructional planning.
Key Point – Kids must be receiving instruction
Our number one resource is time and if students are not making gains in response to instruction/intervention, we may need to do some more problem solving, make changes to instruction/environment/curriculum etc.

19. Connections to Common Core
Common Core defines the “what students are expected to know” of Tier 1 at each grade level.
Use Universal Screeners and Diagnostic Tools to find specifically where students are struggling (or accelerating) in the context of Common Core.
Use Progress Monitoring Tools and data to determine how students are responding to instruction and intervention.
It is key that once we identify students who are not meeting grade level expectations that we are connecting them with tools to get them back on track to building the foundation that they need for academic success.
**Combining progress monitoring with targeted interventions teachers can close small learning gaps before they widen.
Close small learning gaps early, so they don’t turn in to bigger ones. Don’t ignore small gaps.

20. Graph Components

21. Aimline
Training Notes:
Bart moves through the same process as Rita and Steven, but with far less success. As one can see, even with intensive tier 3 intervention, Bart’s progress does not reach the level that will likely lead him to meet winter benchmarks. Given that we have moved through tier 2 and tier 3 interventions, and these interventions have been done with integrity, Bart is referred for consideration for special education eligibility.
Trendline = 0.95 words/week

22. Instructional Change Line
Graph Components
Skill
equal
increments
Instructional Change Line
Intervention
(Group or Individual)
Baseline
Goal
Aim Line
Trend Line
Walk them through basic parts of graph. Highlight “Aim Line” and “Trend Line”.
Data Point
A data point is used in data compilation and analysis. It represents student progress at a given time.
Aim Line – Desire Rate of Improvement
An aim line is used in data analysis and represents the expected rate of learning.
It is formed by drawing a line between two points; the student’s beginning level of performance (baseline) and the student’s goal (desired level of proficiency student will demonstrate by the end of the school year.)
Trend Line – Actual Rate of Improvement
A trend line is used in data analysis and represents the student’s actual progress toward a goal.
It is formed by drawing a line through the data points.
More frequent data collection is recommended given the amount of data needed for making decisions with confidence (6-9 data points for many tools).
With progress monitoring, teachers establish long-term (i.e., end-of-year) goals indicating the level of proficiency students will demonstrate by the end of the school year.
Also, suggest use this slide to “review” the required components of Problem Identification (we included this is the skill assessment for Day 5)---3 parts: Current Level of Performance, Desired Level of Performance, GAP analysis.
Time - equal increments

23. Making Decisions:
Using Data to
Move Between Tiers

24. Data-Based Decision Making
Should this student move to Tier 3?
General Instruction
Supplementary Intervention
Intensive Intervention
Should this student move to Tier 2?
Intensity of Intervention
Decision rules
When do we move a student to Tier 2? When do we move a student to Tier 3?
Using data to move among Tiers….
Setting goals is important. Be sure to include
*level of performance desired
*in how much time
How big is the gap? Do we have enough time to close it?
Measurement strategies help us to know if intervention plan is working…more comparisons between baseline level of performance and progress monitoring data the better.
Planning the measurement strategy for the intervention plan also requires a “good match” What assessment will you use and how well does it accurately and reliably measure what you are interested in as your goal.

25. Apply Decision Rules… Is rate of progress acceptable?
If not, why and what should we do about it?
Frequency and amount of intervention
Instructional strategy
Opportunity for practice and application
Other factors?
Choices- try another intervention, modify existing intervention, other?

26. Response to Intervention
Positive
Questionable
Expected Trajectory
Performance
Poor
Review…
…Before going on to next slide. Ask teams to decide what they would do if they had a “positive response”? Questionable response? And poor response?
Observed Trajectory
Time 26

27. How much TIME do we have to close it?
Essential Questions
How BIG is the GAP?
How much TIME do we have to close it?
Managing the GAP between student current level of performance and expectation (benchmark, standards, goal) is what RtI is all about.
The two critical pieces of information we need about students are:
The answer to these 2 questions defines our instructional mission.

28. Data-Based Decision Making Skills…
Case Studies: Let’s Practice Using Our
Data-Based Decision Making Skills…