Extending RTI to School-wide Behavior Support Rob Horner University of Oregon

Goals Provide a context for linking school-wide behavior support and academic support within an RTI framework Describe current research Suggest practical directions

Main Messages The social culture of a school affects academic outcomes Real change in schools is done through teams operating at the whole-school level Effective practices are seldom implemented well and sustained for long periods without strong administrative support.

Main Themes Response to Intervention (RTI) is an effective approach to school organization that can be applied across content areas.

Core Features of RTI Invest FIRST in Evidence-based Prevention  Curriculum  Instruction  Intervention Active Assessment for Data-based Decision- making  Universal Screening  Progress Monitoring  National Standards

Core Features of RTI Multi-tiered Support  Use assessment data to increase support intensity  Use research results to select effective interventions Systems to Support Effective Practices  Policies  Team design, training, scheduling, operation  Hiring, evaluation, orientation

School-wide Positive Behavior Support School-wide Positive Behavior Support School-wide PBS is:  A systems approach for establishing the social culture and individualized behavioral supports needed for schools to be effective learning environments for all students. Evidence-based features of SW-PBS  Prevention  Define and teach positive social expectations  Acknowledge positive behavior  Arrange consistent consequences for problem behavior  On-going collection and use of data for decision-making  Continuum of intensive, individual interventions.  Administrative leadership – Team-based implementation (Systems that support effective practices)

Establishing a Social Culture Common Vision/Values Common Language Common Experience MEMBERSHIP

Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior ~80% of Students ~15% ~5% SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT  27

Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings ~80% of Students ~15% ~5% School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Missouri Missouri SWIS data.ppt x Missouri SWIS data.ppt x

~80% of Students ~15% ~5% CONTINUUM of SWPBS Tertiary Prevention Function-based support Secondary Prevention Check in/out Primary Prevention SWPBS Audit 1.Identify existing efforts by tier 2.What are decision rules for moving from one tier of support to another 3.Evaluate the fidelity of implementation 4.Specify outcomes for each effort

Linking Behavior and Literacy Supports Improving the social behavior of students results in: ◦ More minutes spent in academic instruction ◦ Better acquisition during engaged minutes High quality instruction engages students, and leads to reduction in problem behavior.

School-Wide Support Systems for Student Success School-Wide Support Systems for Student Success Reading Behavior Universal Intervention Core Instruction, all students Preventive Targeted Intervention Supplemental, some students, reduce risk Intensive Intervention Individualized, functional assessment, highly specific 80% 7-15% 1-5%

Responsiveness to Intervention Academic + Social Behavior

A logic for linking Behavior and Literacy Supports Children who fall behind academically will be more likely to: ◦ A) Find academic work aversive ◦ B) Find escape-maintained problem behaviors reinforcing. For many students with problem behavior, a core feature of there behavior support will be enhanced academic support

Steps for Successful Readers (Roland Good) Phonemic Awareness (Spring, Kdg) Fluency with Connected Text (Spring, 1 st) Alphabetic Principle (Winter, 1 st ) Probability: On-Track.64 (n=348) Probability: On-Track.86 (n=138) Probability: Catch-Up.17 (n=183) Probability: Catch-Up.22 (n=180) Probability of remaining an average reader in fourth grade when an average reader in first grade is.87 Probability of remaining a poor reader at the end of fourth grade when a poor reader at the end of first grade is.88 (Juel, 1988) Fluency with Connected Text (Spring, 2 nd) Fluency with Connected Text (Spring, 3 rd) Probability: Catch-Up.03 (n=114) Probability: Catch-Up.06 (n=213) Probability: On-Track.83 (n=246) Probability: On-Track.81 (n=196)

Implications Invest in prevention (high quality primary settings) Progress monitoring Early Intervention Data-based decision-making Functional behavioral assessment Inclusion of academic interventions as PART of behavior support plans for escape-maintained problem behavior.

Linking Academic and Behavior Supports Behavior and Academic supports are connected ◦ Kent McIntosh ◦ Amanda Sanford ◦ Jorge Preciado ◦ Moira McKenna

Why Behavior and Reading Support? Both involve similar processes to achieve desired outcomes and both are necessary for academic success As disruptive student behavior decreases, teaching time increases, allowing all children to learn more. As major discipline referrals decrease, school staff are free to address other school needs like supporting instruction.

Major Discipline Referrals per 100 Students by Cohort n = 18 n = 8

Participating School Example: Fourth Grade Reading MEAP Results Began MiBLSi Implementation

Percent of Students at DIBELS Benchmark level: Schoolwide n = 20 n = 29 n = 14 “Control group”

As you plan for this conference Evidence-based practices  Prevention first  Multiple tiers of support Using Data  Universal Screening  Progress Monitoring  Intervention assessment and evaluation  Standards Administrative support

Summary RTI provides a framework for improving schools across all content areas. Literacy and behavior support behaviors are linked. Good teaching is associated with improved social behavior Good behavior support is associated with improved minutes in academic engagement, and improved academic outcomes. Schools are able to implement both academic and social interventions on a school-wide basis.