My Contributions to Providing Differentiation to My School - Principals Letter

87 Primrose Lane Closter, New Jersey 07624 March 10, 2013 Ms. Danielle Dagiau Principal Tenakill Middle School 275 High Street Closter, New Jersey 07624 Dear Danielle: I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the possible use of a response to intervention program in the middle school. I recently became aware of the advantages a response to invention (RTI) program can have through a graduate class I am taking on evidence-based research. I feel that incorporating RTI can help the school more effectively identify students in need while also providing a series of educational methods that will allow the student to succeed in the general education classroom. The author, Austin Buffum, in his book, Pyramid Response to Intervention, summarizes response to intervention as the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions that are uniquely matched to individual student need. These interventions are provided on a sliding scale dependent on student achievement. Achievement is based on a students previous and current level of performance in comparison to like peers. While I feel we have started the process of identifying students using our current intervention and referral system, it seems that by the time we have located students in need of assistance they have already experienced significant failure within the general education setting. An aspect about RTI that I would like to investigate is the use of a universal screening process for all students at the start of the school year. It is recommended that this screening process take place in the fall, winter and spring. What is appealing is that the screening test is short and can be area specific with the results making it easy to determine which students are at risk. Screenings can be done using a computer-based program like AIMSweb, which offers curriculum-based assessments and measurement. After identifying a student, a team of teachers meet to discuss what interventions can be developed that would assist the student within their general education classroom. This allows the student to remain part of the classroom setting while letting the teacher collect data on what or if the interventions are providing the needed results. This is called the tier one approach. If the child continues to not meet with success then they would be involved a more directed, intense program in tier two or three. The hope is that most students will find the assistance they need in tier one and begin to meet with success in the classroom. I can see a natural connection with the use of RTI with our current science and social studies programs. As you are aware I teach an academic support class whose focus is to re-enforce and re-teach the material learned within these classes. By implementing an RTI program within the

actual classes we will be able to reduce the amount of students we currently pull out of foreign language instruction to attend this class. This class can then be used for more intense instruction for students who have not reached success under tier one or two. I would appreciate the opportunity to work with the general education teachers to put the right interventions in place for at risk students within their general education classroom settings. I feel I can provide my colleagues with ample suggestions and materials that they can use within their classrooms to help make the material more accessible to all students. I am confident that I have the right experience and knowledge of the content areas that I can make meaningful suggestions that can provide evidence based results. Again, I would like to suggest that the school look at starting a response to intervention program that can more efficiently and effectively identify students that are in need of additional assistance. My belief is that by examining our students level of performance and providing the correct interventions, as quickly as possible we will be able to increase student achievement and decrease student dissatisfaction. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss how I can be a positive force in getting an response to intervention program in our middle school. Thank you, Karen Caruso Karen Caruso

My Contributions to Providing Differentiation to My School - Colleague Letter Dear Colleagues, I am writing to you today about a mutual concern we have concerning our students. We are all concerned with improving student achievement. I am proposing that the school develop and implement a Response to Intervention (RTI) program to address the educational and behavioral concerns of our students. RTI is a three-tiered instructional model whose goal is improve success rates for all students. It is preventative and proactive measure that provides immediate support to at risk students. Perhaps one of the best elements of this program is that it involves a universal screening of all students at the start of the school year. The results of this screening can give us an early indication of areas of concerns for our students. It is suggested that subsequent screenings be conducted midyear and at the end of the year. This will allow us to identify and monitor student progress throughout the school year. It will also allow us to identify students at different stages of our teaching and respond quickly with needed interventions. An aspect that I think will be appealing to all of us is that students can continue to participate in the general education setting while receiving the support they need. It is not used as a replacement strategy but as a supportive supplemental instructional tool. The addition of the evidence based screening results will help us recommend students to the referral process we already have in place. Below please find a brief summary of the tiers: Tier One After a student is indentified, teachers will use different strategies within the core curriculum, monitor and collect data on the interventions used in the classroom. Most students will meet success at this tier. Tier Two Based on progress data, students who are unsuccessful in Tier One will be provided supplemental research-based interventions in addition to the general education instruction. The RTI team will track the students progress, and parents will receive ongoing progress data. Tier Three Students who continue to struggle in Tier Two will receive more intensive interventions at this level. Parents will receive ongoing progress data. After Tier Three implementation, students who continue to display limited progress may then be considered for further evaluation and services. RTI allows students to move in and out of the tiers based on need and will improve student motivation and achievement. Since each grade level already has collaborative special education teachers who are equally trained in all subject areas, we can effectively be able to implement strategies that are customized to individual student needs. These teachers will also be able to provide intense and focused instruction in targeted subjects. Join me in asking the district for professional development so we can better serve the students in our community. Thank you, Karen Caruso