Best Fit/RtI for Saline elementary schools:
The Response to Intervention (RtI) model has been in place for reading support in Saline since the fall of 2010, when we began using the core principals outlined in the MTSS tab for kindergarten and first grade literacy instruction and intervention. A new grade was added each year after that and in the fall of 2012, a new scheduling model was started in order to meet the needs of all students with the resources available. In this scheduling format we call "Best Fit groups," all students spend 30 min/day, 4-5 times/week working in literacy groups in addition to their regular reading and writing instruction. The groups are based on each student's reading needs and progress within them is closely monitored with students regrouped every 6-8 weeks to ensure we continuously meet their changing needs. If you are a parent of a K-3 student in Saline, you should be receiving a letter explaining this model in the fall of each year.
How do we know who needs extra support? How do we measure student progress?
Using student achievement and progress data to make decisions is a key component of any MTSS/RtI model. For grades K-3 we use several types of assessments to help us answer these types of questions and we always use these pieces of information in the context of what we know of students from families and daily interactions with teachers and staff.
The DIBELS Next series, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (link), are a set of measures that provide us with direct information regarding risk and progress in key reading areas. Much like a thermometer is an indicator of temperature and therefore overall health, each DIBELS test is an indicator of how well a student is learning a particular early reading skill. DIBELS is used with millions of children throughout the US. A child's score tells us whether he or she is likely to be "on track" for learning to read, or whether that child may need some help in learning important reading skills. For this reason, we use the DIBELS to screen each student K-3 three times/year, which helps, along with other measures and observations, determine who might need some extra support and in what specific reading area(s). In addition, we use it to closely monitor the progress of students who are receiving extra literacy help through intervention so we can be responsive to their needs and ensure optimal growth. For more details, click here, or visit the official DIBELS website.
The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) is a more comprehensive assessment that allows teachers to determine the level of text that is optimal for learning. It is matched to the book leveling system we and many districts across the country use and so we can know in which level the student in most likely to find success when reading independently, which would be ideal for instruction, and which would be too challenging and therefore would lead to frustration. In conjunction with the DIBELS, it can also help determine who needs extra support and monitor progress over the course of the year. For each letter level, this document (adapted from AAPS) provides: an explanation of the text features, some book titles, sample activities to go along with each level, and the grade expectations for each level. This leveled book list compiled by one school has more leveled titled organized by grade, author, and/or title.
Using student achievement and progress data to make decisions is a key component of any MTSS/RtI model. For grades K-3 we use several types of assessments to help us answer these types of questions and we always use these pieces of information in the context of what we know of students from families and daily interactions with teachers and staff.
The DIBELS Next series, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (link), are a set of measures that provide us with direct information regarding risk and progress in key reading areas. Much like a thermometer is an indicator of temperature and therefore overall health, each DIBELS test is an indicator of how well a student is learning a particular early reading skill. DIBELS is used with millions of children throughout the US. A child's score tells us whether he or she is likely to be "on track" for learning to read, or whether that child may need some help in learning important reading skills. For this reason, we use the DIBELS to screen each student K-3 three times/year, which helps, along with other measures and observations, determine who might need some extra support and in what specific reading area(s). In addition, we use it to closely monitor the progress of students who are receiving extra literacy help through intervention so we can be responsive to their needs and ensure optimal growth. For more details, click here, or visit the official DIBELS website.
The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) is a more comprehensive assessment that allows teachers to determine the level of text that is optimal for learning. It is matched to the book leveling system we and many districts across the country use and so we can know in which level the student in most likely to find success when reading independently, which would be ideal for instruction, and which would be too challenging and therefore would lead to frustration. In conjunction with the DIBELS, it can also help determine who needs extra support and monitor progress over the course of the year. For each letter level, this document (adapted from AAPS) provides: an explanation of the text features, some book titles, sample activities to go along with each level, and the grade expectations for each level. This leveled book list compiled by one school has more leveled titled organized by grade, author, and/or title.
State and National RtI resources
Contacts
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