Over the past 10 months, with the pandemic outbreak, education systems have shifted to virtual and quasi virtual learning. The usage of remote learning intervention, tools, programs and strategies have increased drastically across subjects for all grade levels.
Over the next few months we will be rounding up our top used supports in 2020.
First up we have our most popular remote learning programs, interventions, and strategies that have been used during the 2020 year.
I often think about an afternoon many years ago when I took my daughter to our local coffee shop to treat ourselves to a special dessert. She was around four or five years old, and as she stood in front of the enormous display of pies, cakes and puddings, she became overwhelmed and said, “What to choose? There is too much of much!” Too much of much... I found such meaning in those unexpected words and as a result, the phrase has stayed with me throughout the years.
What Is the Purpose of Progress Monitoring in MTSS?
Effective progress monitoring is critical for a successful MTSS/RTI practice. In addition to universal screening assessments—which are given to all students three times a year—, students receiving Tier 2 or 3 levels of support should be given a progress monitoring assessment every other week or weekly, respectively. These data allow us to have better visibility into whether or not our support is working for a given student, and more importantly, when it's not so that we can adjust the intervention approach quickly to better meet the needs of that student.
Assessments used for progress monitoring should be quick, skill (not content) based, and valid and reliable (i.e., having demonstrated to accurately and consistently measure what they are supposed to be evaluating). The Center for Intensive Intervention has a helpful chart that evaluates and compares these qualities for common progress monitoring assessments.
Among many of the COVID-19 and remote learning struggles for educators, understanding students’ assessment data has been one of the most common challenges. Interpreting student scores from universal screeners and benchmarks, and using the data to inform instruction and support, is an essential component of any MTSS framework.
Without this information, educators must rely solely on their own observations of students to determine who is keeping up and who is falling behind. And of course, this becomes even more of a struggle when teachers aren’t able to observe and work with their students in person.
These types of issues will likely stick around for a while, but as long as we continue to have students learning remotely it is essential to figure out ways to work with the data and information that is available. Below are common concerns that educators have with assessment data from their remote learners and suggestions for how to address them.
Good Intentions, Good Enough
In almost 20 years of experience in education, good intention when it comes to intervention or specifically Response to Intervention (RtI) has never wavered or lacked. As educators, we are passionate about our students and we know that with the “perfect prescript” of support all students can grow. However, at times we may find ourselves settling with our intent as “good enough.” We become overwhelmed with the tasks involved in developing, implementing, and following-up with these support plans. As educators these unmet expectations weigh heavily and too often districts find themselves with well-written plans that lack follow-through. So how can we move beyond “good enough” to become “more than enough” - intervening with fidelity and effectiveness?
Identifying students’ tier level of support is an integral part of any Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework. Not only does it help educators know which students require targeted and intensive intervention plans, but it also provides insight into the health of a district or school’s MTSS practice. When leaders have visibility into the proportion of students at each tier level and how students are moving across levels of support, they can identify gaps and develop strategies to strengthen their intervention approaches.
Federal funding for your Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) can be complicated. Districts face limited resources and relatively inflexible traditional federal funding streams. But, it is worth revisiting available funding mechanisms and considering new funding approaches to implement MTSS and MTSS Software.