Response to Intervention in Illinois November 22, 2008 Presented by: Beth Hanselman and Marica Cullen Illinois State Board of Education

As of January 1, 2009, all school districts will be required to have a district RtI plan. This presentation is intended to assist school districts to fully understand the background and guiding principles of the state plan and provide a basic understanding of district plan writing requirements.

Defining Response to Intervention (RtI)

Response to Instruction = RtI Approach for redesigning and establishing teaching and learning environments that are effective, efficient, relevant and durable for all students, families and educators NOT a program, curriculum, strategy, intervention NOT limited to special education NOT new

Essential Components Response to Intervention (RtI) consists of Three Essential Components: High quality, research-based instruction/ intervention matched to student needs Frequent use of data to determine learning rate and student performance level Educational decisions based upon the students response to instruction/intervention

Quality Education for All Students In an RtI Model educators will: Use assessments for screening, diagnostics and progress monitoring Use data from those assessments to inform instructional decisions Use a multi-tier model of instruction to respond to student needs Collaborate among teachers, school support personnel, administrators and parents

In an RtI Model educators will Use scientific, research-based instructional interventions when data show students are not successful Intervene early rather than adopt a wait to fail approach to education Effectively teach all children Quality Education for All Students

RtI is the Foundation of Instructional Improvement

Meeting the Needs of ALL Students One Educational System Educational Reform Education Initiatives Response to Intervention RtI IS School Improvement An EVERY EDUCATION Initiative Three Tier Model of School Supports Problem Solving Method of Decision-Making Integrated Data Collection that Informs Instruction

The Illinois Model

Multi-Tier Model Academic Systems Behavioral Systems Tier 3 Individual Students/Very Small Group Assessment-based High Intensity Tier 3 Individual Students/ Very Small Group Assessment-based Intense, durable procedures Tier 2 Some students (at-risk) High efficiency Rapid response Tier 2 Some students (at-risk) High efficiency Rapid response Tier 1 All students Preventive, proactive Tier 1 All settings, all students Preventive, proactive

Defining the Tiers Tier 1: Core curriculum meets the needs of 80%* or more of the students Tier 2: 20%* of the students may be identified as at-risk and require supplemental instruction/intervention in addition to the core curriculum Tier 3: 5%* of those students may be identified as needing more intensive, small group or individual interventions to supplement the core curriculum *Percentages will vary by district/school

Legislation, Rules and State Plans

Why RtI Planning is Required By the school year, documentation of the RtI process shall be a part of the evaluation process for students when a specific learning disability (SLD) is suspected. After implementing an RtI process, a district may use a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement as part of the evaluation process for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability. It is important to note that RtI within a three-tier intervention model is also a part of special education eligibility decision-making required by 34 CFR and 23 IAC Reiterates the parent request for an evaluation already in Section … does not imply that it would prevent or abbreviate the use of RtI.

IDEA Regulations - October 2006 The State must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability must permit the use of a process based on the childs response to scientific, research-based intervention

IDEA Regulations - October 2006 The Team must document how the child responds to scientific, research-based interventions must document that the child does not achieve adequately or make sufficient progress in state- approved grade-level standards must consider data that demonstrates appropriate instruction delivered by qualified personnel and documentation of repeated assessments of achievement at reasonable intervals

Illinois Part Rule (SLD Eligibility) Requires: Use of a process that determines how the child responds to scientific, research-based interventions as part of the evaluation procedure described in 34 CFR Development and distribution of a State RtI Plan by January 1, 2008 by the State Superintendent in collaboration with professional organizations outlining the professional development that is necessary and other activities and resources that are essential for implementation

Illinois Part Rule Requires: Illinois districts to complete a plan for transition to the use of a process that determines how the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation procedure by January 1, 2009 Illinois districts to implement RtI as part of their evaluation procedure for making SLD determinations by the academic year

The Link Between RtI, Problem- Solving and SLD RtI is the problem-solving method for identifying a students strengths and weaknesses both academically and behaviorally. RtI matches instructional resources to educational needs RtI provides the historical data needed to determine what the school needs to do to ensure a students success in the general education curriculum.

Illinois Part Rule Important Illinois Rule does not prevent the parent request for an evaluation already in Rule

State RtI Plan

Participating Stakeholder Groups Illinois Education Association Illinois Federation of Teachers Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education Illinois Association of School Administrators Regional Offices of Education Parent Initiative Centers Higher Education Illinois State Board of Education (Bilingual, Professional Certification, Accountability, Curriculum and Instruction, Special Education, Federal Grants and Programs)

State RtI Plan Components Introduction/Belief Statements for RtI Definition of RtI and Problem Solving Link between RtI and SLD Eligibility Determination Process for Implementation Implementation Timelines Funding Considerations ISBE Evaluation Plan Supporting Resources

District RtI Plan

Access the District Improvement Plan

Goal for 2010 – Integrated Planning From this... To this...

District AYP Status District is in StatusDistrict is not in Status Must Complete All DIP Sections Must Complete RtI Components

Required Plan Components

District Improvement Plan – Section I Section I-B – Local Assessment Data Section I-C – Item 1 Other Data Attributes and Challenges Section I-C – Item 3 Other Data Parent Involvement Section I-D – Key Factors

District Improvement Plan – Section II Section II-A – Action Plan RtI Objective Section II-B – Student Strategies and Activities for RtI Section II-C – Professional Development Strategies and Activities for RtI Section II-D – Parent Involvement Strategies and Activities for RtI Section II-E – Monitoring Process for RtI

District Improvement Plan – Section III Section III-A – Development, Review and Implementation Stakeholder Involvement

Starting the Writing Process

District Self-Assessment Template Contains seven areas of implementation: Consensus Building and Collaboration Standards-Based Curriculum and Research- Based Instruction Research-Based Assessment Practices Student Intervention/Problem Solving Team Process Intervention Strategy Identification Resources Allocation Ongoing Professional Development for Effective RtI

District Self-Assessment Template Each of the seven sections contains multiple indicators Use each template section with stakeholders to assess the districts current state of RtI implementation Each set of indicators can also be used to generate discussion and to assist stakeholders in developing a greater understanding of RtI

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan Sections I-VIISection II-A Action Plan – RtI Objective

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan I.Consensus Building and Collaboration Section III-A Stakeholder Involvement Section I-C, Item 3 Parent Involvement

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan II.Curriculum and Instruction Section I-C, Item 1 Attributes and Challenges Section I-D Data and Analysis Key Factors

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan III.Assessment Practices Section I-B Local Assessment

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan IV.Intervention/ Problem-Solving Team Section I-B Local Assessment Section I-C, Item 3 Parent Involvement

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan V.Intervention Strategy Identification Section I-B Local Assessment Section I-C Parent Involvement Section II-B Student Strategies and Activities Section II-D Parent Involvement Strategies and Activities Section II-E Monitoring

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan VI.Resources Allocation Section II-B Student Strategies and Activities Section II-C Professional Development Strategies and Activities Section II-D Parent Involvement Strategies and Activities Section II-E Monitoring

Crosswalk of Self-Assessment Template and RtI Plan Components Self Assessment Section District Improvement Plan VII.Professional Development Section II-C Professional Development Strategies and Activities

Additional Resources

E-Plan Writing Web Resources E-Plan writing guides and other resources are available at process.htm

Accessing the IIRC Each District Superintendent has a User Name and Password to Access the IIRC A Word document template is available at districts.doc

Writing the Plan The E-Plans Resource guide found at process.htm has been updated to include RtI process.htm The RtI Self-Assessment Template found at provides a useful tool for writing teams

Plan Submission and Review

Submitting the Plan The RtI Plan is submitted by each district through the IIRC website ( when it is completehttp://iirc.niu.edu/ Local Board Approval is still required for Districts submitting a full District Improvement Plan

Reviewing the Plan Staff teams at the Illinois State Board of Education will review RtI plans using the IIRC monitoring forms

Response to Intervention Web Resources Information on Illinois RtI is available at