1. Systems Problem Solving
© 2007 by the Oregon Reading First Center Center on Teaching and Learning

2. Dimensions of A Healthy System
Districts
Schools
Grades
Classrooms
Groups
Solar system

3. Schoolwide Reading Model Elements
Team Activity
As an ERT team, list the 7 Elements of the Schoolwide Reading Model. I.
II.
III.
IV. V.
VI.
VII.
Assessment
Administration
Instructional Programs and Materials
Instructional Time
Differentiated Instruction
Development (Professional)

4. Schoolwide Reading Model and Systems Problem Solving
How is this the same?
Outcomes-driven model
Data-driven
Action Planning
How is this new?
Systems vs. individual problem solving
Defining the role of the ERT
Collecting information through Observations
Aligning the Schoolwide Reading Model with Response to Intervention (RTI)

5. Systems Problem Solving vs. Individual Problem Solving

6. Systems Problem Solving vs. Individual Problem Solving
Group A
Student weekly growth: cwpm
Instructional Group Average weekly growth: .5 cwpm
Group B
Student weekly growth: cwpm
Instructional Group Average weekly growth: 1.75 cwpm

7. Systems Problem Solving
Identify A System/Group of Students that Needs Additional Support
Distinguish between systems level and individual student-level concerns
Plan and Implement Level of Support
Implement instructional support to address systems-level or individual-level concern
Evaluate and, if necessary, Modify the Support Plan
Review Outcomes
Examine Benchmark Data (Winter and Spring) and In Program Assessments

8. 1. Identify a System/Group of Students that Needs Additional Support
1A. Use data to determine what part(s) of the system are not healthy. Highlight areas of needed support.
1B. Prioritize areas of needed support.
1C. Review Instructional Support Plan (CSI) for priority area of needed support.
Resources: Winter “How are we doing?” Report, DIBELS Reports (Histograms, Cross-Year Box Plots, Summaries of Effectiveness)

9. 1A. Use data to determine what parts of the system are not healthy

10. 1A. Use data to determine what parts of the system are not healthy (continued)
1AStep 1. Are all students meeting the Benchmark Goals? (“HWD?” R Table 1)
1AStep 2. Are differentiated support plans working for the full range of learners? (“HWD?” R Table 2)
1AStep 3. Within a support system, is there a specific group of students not making the same progress as other students? (Assessment Data, LPRs)

11. 1AStep 1. Are all students meeting the Benchmark Goals?
If YES, move to individual problem solving
If No, continue on to step 2

12. 1AStep 2. Are differentiated support plans working for the full range of learners?
If YES, Move to Individual Problem Solving
If NO, continue on to step 3

13. Progress Monitoring booklets Lesson Progress Reports
1AStep 3. Within a support system, is there a specific group of students not making the same progress as other students?
Progress Monitoring booklets
Lesson Progress Reports
If YES, target specific group(s) not making the same progress
If NO, target the entire level of support not making the same progress

14. Adequate Progress Normative Criteria Fall to Winter*
1AStep2. Use data to determine what parts of the system are not healthy (continued)
Adequate Progress Normative Criteria Fall to Winter*
Talk about Kinder data
*Percentile ranks based on over 300 Oregon schools during the academic year.
** Bottom, middle, and top quartile cutoff criteria all are equal to 0% adequate progress

15. 1AStep2. Are differentiated support plans working for the full range of learners?

16. 1B. Prioritize Areas of Needed Support
A. Intensive Second Grade (entire level of support not making same progress)
B. Strategic First Grade (specific group within level of support not making same progress)

17. 1C. Review Instructional Support Plan (CSI Map)-2nd Grade Intensive
This needs to be filled in and highlighted
properly

18. 1. Identify a System/Group of Students that needs instructional support
YOUR TURN!
1A. Use tables 1 and 2 from your How are we doing? Reports to determine what part(s) of your system are not healthy (Steps 1 and 2). Highlight areas of needed support. Complete Step 3, if necessary, at a later time.
2B. Prioritize areas of needed support
3C. Review Instructional Support Plan (CSI Map) for priority area of needed support

19. Systems Problem Solving
Identify A System/Group of Students that Needs Additional Support
Distinguish between systems level and individual student-level concerns
Plan and Implement Level of Support
Implement instructional support to address systems-level or individual-level concern
Evaluate and, if necessary, Modify the Support Plan
Review Outcomes
Examine Benchmark Data (Winter and Spring) and In Program Assessments

20. 2. Plan and Implement Level of Support
2A. Using objective information, ask data-driven questions to determine what parts of the identified system are not healthy
2B. Plan changes to the system

21. 2A. Using objective information, ask data-driven questions to determine what parts of the system are not healthy
Green Box = Sustain or minimal modifications needed to your overall grade-level CSI Map
Yellow Box = Moderate to substantial modifications needed to your overall grade-level CSI Map
Pink Box = Substantial modifications needed to your overall grade-level CSI Map
Resources: PET-R, Healthy Systems Checklist, PET-Action Planning Tool

22. How to identify questions:
2A. Using objective information, ask data-driven questions to determine what parts of the system are not healthy (continued)
How to identify questions:
Use tools like the Healthy System Checklist, PET-R, PET-Action Planning Tool, and the Options Handbook
A. Look first at structural elements
B. Move to quality elements
Prioritize questions

23. Structural vs. Quality-Related Elements
Structural Elements
Materials
Time
Grouping
Staffing
Quality Related Elements can vary in their degree of effectiveness
Opportunities to Respond
Modeling and Explicit language

24. Healthy System Checklist
First,
look at
Structural
Elements
(in bold)

25. Healthy System Checklist
Second,
look at
Quality of
Implementation
Elements

26. Prioritize Questions Focus on questions 1 & 2 before addressing question 3.
1. Are appropriate reading programs and materials being used to teach the full range of students (e.g., intervention programs in place for students significantly below grade level)?*
2. Is additional instructional time scheduled for students who are struggling?*
3. Are teachers incorporating general features of instruction (i.e., models, explicit language, etc.)?
We can’t train you on all these things, we want to make the connections. We will continue through RCs who will work with teams and district folks who will get more proficient. We will add more tools to the toolkit.

27. Team Activity
As a team, discuss how you would prioritize the following questions? Rank the order 1, 2, 3 and 4
Did grade level teams regularly analyze student reading data (DIBELS and in-program assessments), plan/adjust instruction based on data, and regroup students based on the data?
Are instructors incorporating general features of strong instruction (e.g., models, explicit language, multiple opportunities for students to respond, etc.)into their daily lessons?
Is a sufficient amount of time allocated (i.e., 90-minute reading block with a minimum of 30 minutes of small group teacher-directed reading instruction daily)?* Are teachers following the schedule?
Is ongoing, high quality training provided (i.e., staff received professional development on programs used in classrooms prior to implementation and at least twice after initial training)?

28. Use Objective Information to answer the Questions

29. Systems Problem Solving Observations Listening Assessment
S.O.L.A.R
Systems Problem Solving
Observations
Listening
Assessment
Review Schedules
Assessment
Administration
Instructional Programs and Materials
Instructional Time
Differentiated Instruction
Development (Professional)

31. Use objective information to answer the questions
Systems Questions
Observations
Listening Discussion
Assessment
Review Existing Data, Schedules, Instructional Plans
1. Are appropriate reading programs and materials being used to teach the full range of students (e.g., intervention programs in place for students significantly below grade level)?*
-Review 2nd grade intensive CSI Map
-Review supplemental and intervention program reviews on ORRFC Website.
2. Is additional instructional time scheduled for students who are struggling?*
-Review CSI Map
-Review Schoolwide Reading Schedule
3. Are teachers incorporating general features of instruction (i.e., ,models, explicit language, etc)?
-Coach to observe instruction using General Features of Instruction Observation Form in 2nd grade intensive classrooms
-Principals to conduct 5-Minute observations

32. Team Activity
1. As a team, use the Healthy Systems Checklist to evaluate a system that you identified as not healthy. 2. Prioritize questions about that system to target what elements are not healthy. 3. Brainstorm what information you would use to answer the questions.
Systems Questions
Observations
Listening Discussion
Assessment
Review Existing Data, Schedules, Instructional Plans

33. Have a Strategy for Prioritizing Questions:
Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse!
Structural
Quality
What needs to be in place first?

34. 2B. Plan Changes to the System(continued)
Resources: PET, PET Action Planning Tool, Professional Development Presentations, Consumer’s Guide Reviews of Reading Programs, Alterable Variables Charts

35. Examples of Common System-Level Problems
A program that does not meet the needs of the students
Not enough instructional time to accelerate learning
Not using a program the way it was designed

36. The Elephant in The Room
Solving the Problem

37. A program that does not meet the needs of the students
Question: Are appropriate reading programs and materials being used to teach the full range of students (e.g., intervention programs in place for students significantly below grade level)?
Collecting Information: ERT reviews CSI map/Instructional Plan and compares programs to usage recommendations; Coach observes student success rate; ERT reviews in-program assessment results.
Summarizing Results: ERT decides that a more intensive program is needed because the current program is not mastery-based and does not provide the necessary intensity. Coach identifies that the student group is currently is only answering correctly 43% the time.
Planning Changes: ERT would like the grade level team to implement a more intensive program with the students in the intensive range to supplant the core program.

38. Not enough instructional time to accelerate learning
Question: Is additional instructional time scheduled for students who are struggling?
Collecting Information: ERT reviews CSI map/Instructional Plan
Summarizing Results: ERT decides that a more instructional time is needed
Planning Changes: ERT works together to coordinate Title, SPED and General Ed services to allocate an additional 30 minutes per day for the students in the intensive range.

39. Not using a program the way it was designed
Question: Is the program implemented with fidelity?
Collecting Information: Principal decides to do 5-minute walk throughs; Coach follows up with longer fidelity observations
Summarizing Results: Principal and Coach observe that critical portions of the program are being left out.
Planning Changes: Principal tells the teachers that through their observations he/she decided that resources should be allocated to work with a program expert to provide the teachers with more information on how to use the program effectively.

40. Systems-Level Problem Solving
Identify A System/Group of Students that Needs Additional Support
Distinguish between systems level and individual student-level concerns
Plan and Implement Level of Support
Implement instructional support to address systems-level or individual-level concern
Evaluate and, if necessary, Modify the Support Plan
Review Outcomes
Examine Benchmark Data (Winter and Spring) and In Program Assessments

41. Example System Problem Solving Form

42. System Problem Solving Timeline
Informal Systems Problem Solving is an Ongoing Process
Systems Problem Solving process is most useful after your Winter Benchmark Data Collection
How/why is the systems problem solving process different in the Spring?

43. YOUR TURN! Problem Solving Form
USE THEIR OWN DATA TO IDENTIFY A SYSTEM and TAKE INITIAL PS STEPS…
What system?
What evidence?
What questions?
What info will you collect?

44. Team Discussion Questions
How is this the same as what you have been doing?
What pieces of information are different from what you have been doing?
What pieces would you like to implement?
What are the next steps to putting this in place?
How does this fit into our RTI plan?

45. The answers are within our grasp.