Intevention, Double Dose or Core

I went in this morning to get some work done before returning next month. Before leaving for break, I was prepping data for our intervention team to review and make decisions on. These students were all getting the same intervention, "Just Words." We had pretested grades fourth through sixth with the WIST. We found that in both fifth and sixth that well over 60% of our students were needing some sort of phonics based intervention. (This was not a shock to us but to our administration is was. I fail to see why since these kidoos didn't have core phonics while in the primary grades nor did they ever have mastery of phonics skills.)

It was determined that Just Words would become part of students core instruction instead of Words Their Way. Just Words became core based on the number of students who needed the program. This was not the case in fourth grade. After pretesting students in fourth grade, less than six were determined to need a phonics program in this case it became a tiered intervention program.  The hope for fifth and sixth is that students can move from Just Words to Words Their Way. Just Words moves to an intervention for those who continue to need it. Even if student's don't move, the increase in their scores is fabulous and the carry over has been seen in students writing. Which is even better.

Our primary students receive daily phonics instruction as part of their core instruction provided by their classroom teacher. There are students who are either pulled out or seen within the classroom who receive the same lesson again or it is pre-taught to them; in this case it is a double-dose. A double dose is getting the same instruction twice but in a different way. In most cases this is done by the classroom teacher but not always. In my building double-dosing is done on top of what ever intervention the student is receiving and is seen as part of the expected core instruction.

Beginner Readers

Last week I introduced a kindergarten student that I work with, with one of my favorite beginner reader reading programs is SRA's Reading Mastery. It's a scripted program that teaches basic decoding and comprehension skills. I love how this program gives students that strong foundation in phonics that they all need to be great readers. It works with the idea that students need to be able to segment and then blend words. The words they are learning to read are taught to be read fluently and spell them. Items are taught orally first with tons of practices--errorless practice that some many students need. This errorless practice has helped to hear the sounds in words and reblend them to the original word. A skill that he was having trouble mastering.

Yes, its decodable.  Since this will not replace the students core guided reading program, I'm not to worried about that. But decodable text has a place and at some point in time he will get both from me. Authentic text has its place and for this student it will help to expand his vocabulary and language use in ways that decodable text cannot. Decodable text is great to ensure students understand how to segment and blend words but if it's used all the time than students don't learn to master other reading strategies that great readers use when they are reading.

The ideas and concepts behind Reading Mastery can be used as word study for students in DRAs 1-3 or Fountas and Pinnells A-C. As students learn sounds, rhyming words, and spelling.

RM 1 Review Game

RTI and LD: Finding Answers

The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, has materials to help parents and teachers get the answers they need about RTI and LD. They define confusing terms and explain new education models, such as response to intervention and its relationship to the methods schools use to determine whether a student has a learning disability. They suggest questions that can be asked to teachers and administrators at your child's school and identify information you can expect to receive from the school.

NRCLD's goal is to help educators, policymakers, and parents understand the complexity and importance of making sound decisions regarding whether a child has a specific learning disability. Their  research in this area--including studies of the role of and best practices associated with responsiveness to intervention.

Big changes in education law. Big changes in your role as a teacher. Big changes in your classroom. You need help. Their materials are designed to answer your questions about specific learning disability determination and responsiveness to intervention. They include "how to" tools to help you navigate RTI and video segments of teachers describing how they have answered some of the same questions you may be facing.

A resource that I've shared with parents and teachers is their "ABCs of RTI." It takes the confusion out of a very complex system.

What resources do you share with parents?

Parents and IEP's

I know for some schools they have IEPs right from the beginning of the school year straight through to the end of the year. Some (like me) are supper busy the last half of the year. Since, I work in an elementary school many times my parents have no clue what an IEP is or if the student's ILP is the same thing. (No)

The road to special eduction is not a mystery and we should make possible to make sure parents understand the process. This removes confusion and makes that initial staffing go much more smoothly.

In response to this, I have a handout that I give to all parents when they sign permission for assessment. They have told me that it has helped in preparing for that first meeting and getting some clue about the special education process. Anyother ideas about helping parents through the process that you have found that work for you??

A Parent's Guide to the IEP

About Me

Welcome to my all thing special education blog. I empower busy elementary special education teachers to use best practice strategies to achieve a data and evidence driven classroom community by sharing easy to use, engaging, unique approaches to small group reading and math. Thanks for Hopping By.
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