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Location: Penn State York Summer Institute Discussion Forum
Discussion: Chapter 7
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Discussion Forum /
Successful Approaches to RTI
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juliebwise |
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dianeromig |
1. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 20 2011, 7:36 PM EDT
It sounds like Alysia Hayas, for being a half-time ELL teacher, is very busy. I liked the idea of "Learning Communities" and using the three guiding questions: 1. What do we want our students to know? 2. How will we know that they learned it? 3. What will we do for the students that did and did not learn it? They used the problem-solving approach and multitiered instruction. She stressed the importance of working together and collaborating. She also considered the cultural context and met with the parents for workshops. Our school has started this but there are little guidelines for implementation. Is that because the state has not given us guidelines? Do we know what really works when giving this extra instruction?
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Andreachiccarine |
2. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 20 2011, 8:55 PM EDT
In reading chapter seven I believed the author’s goal was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a collaborative model of RTI to increase success of the ELL population at the school. Alysia Hayas, the school’s ELL teacher, describes the new RTI model and processes used by the school to prevent lack of appropriate instruction and intervention for this population of learners. They key word that I continued to see repeated throughout the chapter was, collaboration. One aspect of their program I really thought was beneficial was the concept of their collaborative professional learning communities, and how they were used for RTI. The teachers worked together to identify what all the students should know, how to identify if the students have learned the material, and then the teachers worked together to create appropriate, effective, responsive instructional techniques. Alysia Hayas continued to explain that this was a change from previous years where the special education teachers and ELL teachers had to work independently to create appropriate instruction and intervention for each child. I feel it would be a great benefit in any school setting to have a collaborative team, whether it is a grade level, content driven, or a team created in response to intervention, to help aid in decision making and planning. While describing the multi-tiered instruction model, her description of the tier two interventions as “supplemental” in comparison to tier three’s “explicit, individualized” intervention very important to understanding the difference between a tier two and tier three models. A collaborative team of a variety of teachers and specialists work together to determine what students should receive supplemental instruction. A team like this would be helpful to make appropriate educational decisions for students. Overall this chapter was a great breakdown of the beginning implementation of an RTI approach that was easy to understand. Do you find this valuable? |
lindsaymasenheimer |
3. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 21 2011, 7:49 PM EDT
It was very informative to read this chapter and get a glance of what Alysia's role is at her school. It seems as though she is spread thin but continues to strive to meet the needs of the students and school. I like how the school implemented PLCs effectively asking the three questions: What do we want out students to know?, How will we know they have learned it?, and What will we do for those who did not learn and also for those who did learn? I feel our district neglects the last question, and reading how the multitiered instruction and problem solving approach worked gives me hope for our current situation in my school. I found it interesting that she still thinks her model focuses on finding problems with the students rather than problems with the instruction. I would have to agree that that is probably common in some districts. It appears that RTI has many benefits for not just districts but for the students, which are the ones that matter the most.
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talynsmiley |
4. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 21 2011, 9:38 PM EDT
The elementary school spoken of in chapter 7 is very lucky to have Alysia on board. She wears many hats and has many responsibilities. I like the idea of the process the school has implemented, "professional learning communitites." I believe they discuss the three main questions needed for determining the best intervention plan. Alysia shares that these teams collaborate to discuss the best possible intervention rather than sporadically throwing interventions together. Too many times I think districts throw something together just to say they tried something. The school used the problem solving approach which consisted of a team who collaborated and chose which intervention to use and how to go about progress monitoring it. On page 168 Alysia shares that the team sought to find an intervention that worked and didn't stop until they reached success. I found this to be a powerful statement and showed the determination of the team. I like that Alysia refers to her district as a community and that they are responsible for meeting the needs of ALL students. What a reassuring chapter that RTI when correctly carried out can have an effective outcome for students as well as staff.
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bryantwforeman |
5. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 21 2011, 10:07 PM EDT
While reading chapter 7, I couldn't believe that Alysia's role was not just to be the half-time ELL teacher, but to also coach teachers, participate in the leadership team, intervention team, and problem solving team, be a member of a learning community, and plan for and monitor interventions for 100 students as they move from one grade to another. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to juggle all those different roles. I understand fully why Alysia felt the need for her school district to adopt a new system such as the RTI model. I love the idea of "professional learning communities." The three questions: What do we want our students to know?, How will we know they have learned it?, and What will we do for those who have and have not learn?, are all student centered and are very important to the RTI model. Mountain Creek uses a three tiered model. Alysia notes that tier 1 includes best instruction that is research based and of high quality. It is very important that instruction provide the best opportunities for students to learn no matter their method of learning or rate at which they learn. Tier 2 includes interventions with progress monitoring on ALL interventions. Support is also given outside the classroom that supplements the universal best instruction. Tier 3 includes individualized interventions that may go on for a long time. As I continued reading, a few other things caught my attention. I liked the idea that with their new committee, they are able to schedule multiple meetings at once and EVERYONE is seen as an expert. It has also shifted from a special education pre-evaluation to a true problem-solving model, with different forms of assessment used. Finally, when mentioned that they still focus too much on finding problems with the students rather than problems with the instruction, I believe that statement holds true with many districts nationwide. Overall, they are well on their way to implementing a solid RTI model.
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lisastrickland |
6. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 22 2011, 6:11 AM EDT
I appreciated the information in Chapter 7 because it chronicled the actual implementation of an RTI process in an elementary school, through the perspective of an ELL teacher. I feel that I understand the premise of RTI but it was helpful to read how one school (district) was utilizing it. It is true that as a specialist, I tend to develop tunnel vision about my contribution to a child's education. Professional learning communities help to remind team members of the bigger picture and offer support to all team members involved with a struggling student. I was also happy to read that the school district recognized how much time would be needed for collaboration and found ways to facilitate the work of the problem-solving teams.
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lauriemelos |
7. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 22 2011, 8:34 PM EDT
I found this chapter helpful as a model of how to implement RTI. What I found most helpful was Alysia's explanation of "professional learning communities." The three guiding questions "(1) What do we want our students to know? (2) How will we know they have learned it? (3) What will we do for those who did not learn and also for those who did learn?" provide a structure for the collaborating process. What attracted me to this chapter was that it dealt with ELL students. I had a student join my class this year with very limited English. Our ESL teacher and reading support tutor worked very closely with me, but it would have been more time effective if we could have all met together as a team, instead of in the haphazard method we met. I happy to say that our student grew, progressed and was successful. But, after reading this chapter, I would love to see our school implement professional learning communities and allow time for collaboration.
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missyjmiller |
8. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 23 2011, 11:01 AM EDT
Teaching ELL students is both challenging and extremely rewarding. I can't believe how much Alysia is able to do in a given amount of time with the help of her professional learning community. I think the power of real collaboration was highlighted in this chapter. I really like how they used a problem-solving model when discussing the students, and took time to figure out which interventions would work best. They didn't just pick and choose and throw interventions out there, which is sometimes what tends to happen. I thought it was especially powerful that students who were identified as learning disabled weren't cast to the side once they were placed. They still went back and monitored their progress, adding/changing interventions if needed. I often feel that once students are placed labeled as learning disabled they become only the responsibility of the learning support teacher, and not the responsibility of an entire PLC.It was refreshing to see that ELL students are not being forgotten in the RTI process. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
KortniLovelace |
9. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 23 2011, 9:01 PM EDT
I chose to read chapter 7 because it reminded me of a student I had my first year teaching. He was an ELL student and was also struggling. Through collaboration my team and I worked closely together to monitor his learning and provide the supports he needed to be successful. His motivation and interst in learning never ceased although he continued to struggle academically. He was eventually identified with a learning disability and we later found out that he was also tested in his home country as well and also qualified. However, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't some other intervention we could have tried. I am able to make a connection with Alysia because I too asked myself a lot of those same questions when working with this student.
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ericaobrien |
10. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 24 2011, 12:47 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 24 2011, 12:48 AM EDT
ELLs are becoming more prominent in our district, which is why this article caught my eye. I agree with Alysia about the benefit of Professional Learning Communities. We've implemented that idea in our district, and our team meets at least once or twice a month (formally) to discuss the information and data on our students. It provides us with a set time where we know we're able to collaborate with each other on the types of instruction or activities that have worked best for our students. These groups can help to ensure instruction is responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs (ELLs or not). She also states in the article, "the quest to find an intervention that works never stops until we succeed." The power behind that statement is tremendous. It's just a good reminder that as educators, we don't give up until we find a way to teach our students effectively.
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Janetpurcell |
11. RE: Chapter 7
Jun 28 2011, 2:14 PM EDT
I was impressed with how different Alysia's role is from mine as an ELL teacher in Lancaster County. I hope she is full time and only spends half her day teaching. She has a very full plate!Her basic questions on page 164 resonate in my head about each of my students. I liked how they tried to involve the family. Many of our ELL parents need education to understand how to be a parent of a successful student. Many of them are socially isolated, especially if they speak a language not common to others in the area. I would like to focus more on this area next year. I still have one question: If Tier 2 is for a short amount of time (4-6 weeks), what about the research that states that ELLs need 5-7 YEARS to be on the level of their peers? Often I think we delude ourselves when we think ELLs are 'fixed'. Only after considering all the facets of reading AND language(listening, speaking, reading, & writing) and watch them for at least a year after they have been dismissed from ESL, can we pronounced them 'fixed'. I really liked their planned time for constant collaboration and the fact that Alysia was constantly explaning the nuances of teaching English to her collegues. I so wish we could do Professional Learning Communities in our district. We all have so much to learn! Do you find this valuable? |
