Oklahoma Tiered Intervention System of Support (OTISS):

A Blended Model of Academics and Behavior

Karie Crews- St. Yves, Tiered Intervention Specialist, OSDEChrista Knight, Tiered Intervention Specialist, OSDE

Moving Upstream:A Story of Prevention and Intervention

In a small town, a group of fishermen gathered down at the river. Not long after they got there, a child came floating down the rapids calling for help. One of the group on the shore quickly dived in and pulled the child out.

Minutes later another child came, then another, and then many more children were coming down the river. Soon everyone was diving in and dragging children to the shore, then jumping back in to save as many as they could.

In the midst of all this frenzy, one of the group was seen walking away. Her colleagues were irate. How could she leave when there were so many children to save? After long hours, to everyone’s relief, the flow of children stopped, and the group could finally catch their breath.

At that moment, their colleague came back. They turned on her and angrily shouted:

“HOW COULD YOU WALK OFF WHEN WE NEEDED EVERYONE HERE TO SAVE THE CHILDREN?”

She replied, It occurred to me that someone ought to go upstream and find out why so many kids were falling into the river. What I found is that the old wooden bridge had several planks missing, and when some children tried to jump over the gap, they couldn’t make it and fell through into the river. So I got someone to fix the bridge.

(Adapted from a story told by Irving Zola as cited in McKinlay, John B. "A case for refocusing upstream: The political economy of illness." In Conrad and Kern, 2nd edition, 1986, The Sociology of Health and Illness: Critical Perspectives. pp. 484-498.)

Tiered Intervention Process: Academics

• Most commonly referred to as Response to Intervention (RtI).

• With RtI, schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions, adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and may identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities.

Tiered Intervention Process: Behavior

• Most commonly referred to as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

• PBIS is based on a problem-solving model and aims to prevent inappropriate behavior through teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors (Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance Center on PBIS, 2007).

If a child can’t read…we teach.If a child can’t compute…we teach.If a child can’t spell…we teach.If a child can’t behave…we punish.

Dr. Bob Algozzine

If a child can’t read…we teach.If a child can’t compute…we teach.If a child can’t spell…we teach.If a child can’t behave…we punish.

Dr. Bob Algozzine

“ The quality of a school as a learning community can be measured by how effectively it addresses the needs of

struggling students”.-- Wright (2005)

Wright, J. (2005, Summer.) Five interventions that work. NAESP Leadership Compass, 2(4) pp. 1.

OTISS: Blending Academics (RTI) and Behaviors (PBIS)

• The OTISS Model is not specific to any one content area. The approach (or process) is the same regardless of content.– Differences exist in how the process is

carried out.

Designing Schoolwide Systems for Student Success

Academic Instruction(with fidelity measures)

Behavioral Instruction(with fidelity measures)

Tertiary Interventions(for individual students)• Wraparound Intervention• Complex Multiple Life Domain FBA/BIPs

Tertiary Interventions(for individual students)• Wraparound Intervention• Complex Multiple Life Domain FBA/BIPs

Secondary Interventions(for some students: at-risk)• Simple FBA/BIPs• Group Intervention with Individual Features• Group Intervention

Secondary Interventions(for some students: at-risk)• Simple FBA/BIPs• Group Intervention with Individual Features• Group Intervention

Universal Interventions(for all students)• Direct Instruction of Behavioral Expectation• Positive Acknowledgement

Universal Interventions(for all students)• Direct Instruction of Behavioral Expectation• Positive Acknowledgement

Tertiary Interventions(for individual students)• Assessment-based• Resource Intensive

Tertiary Interventions(for individual students)• Assessment-based• Resource Intensive

Secondary Interventions(for some students: at-risk)• Some individualizing• Small Group Interventions• High Efficiency• Rapid Response

Secondary Interventions(for some students: at-risk)• Some individualizing• Small Group Interventions• High Efficiency• Rapid Response

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Screen All Students

RtI conceptual system with general and special education integrated at all three levels

Universal Interventions(for all students)• Preventive, Proactive• Differentiated Instruction• Research Validated Curriculum

Universal Interventions(for all students)• Preventive, Proactive• Differentiated Instruction• Research Validated Curriculum

Interventions at the 3 Tiers

– Tier 1• Low intensity, supplemental educational opportunities

in the general area of concern

– Tier 2• Medium intensity, more specific programmed

instruction

– Tier 3• High intensity, specific, targeting the individual’s precise

area of concern

Core principles of OTISS

• We can effectively teach all students• Intervention should come early• Utilize problem solving within a tiered

intervention model for decision making• We should employ scientifically valid

interventions whenever possible• Student progress is monitored regularly• Use data to make decisions

The Main Goal

• We can’t “make” students learn or behave. However, we can create an environment to increase the likelihood of academic and social success.

• Environments that increase the likelihood of

this success are guided by a core curriculum and implemented with consistency and fidelity across all learning environments.

SYST

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PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

STUDENT OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

Essential Elements of OTISSEssential elements of addressing academics and behavior include:

– Administrative Involvement;– Effective use of teaming;– Assessment;

• including universal screenings and progress monitoring

– Effective interventions; and– Data based decision rules

Administrative Involvement

• Decisions (both financial and instructional) are critical in the implementation of a tiered intervention model.

• The participation and support of the building/district administrator(s) is necessary to ensure successful implementation.

Building Principal/Administrator

• Sets a vision for the problem-solving process;• Supports development of expectations;• Responsible for allocation of resources;• Ensures follow-up;• Supports program evaluation; and• Monitors staff support/climate.

Effective Teaming

• The teaming process is essential for a successful tiered intervention approach.

• Teaming must involve all stakeholders.– Explain the process with all those who need to

understand and/or will be involved in the process.• Teachers• Parents• Administrators• Counselors• Specialist• Support Staff

Professional Development Needs

• OTISS is a complex process and requires:– Extensive professional development and and ongoing support that addresses:

• The core components of OTISS;• Site implementation; and • State policies and procedures.

Universal Screeners• Assessments must be designed to identify an

at-risk population. This is accomplished by:• Conducting valid assessments;• Assessing all students multiple times per year;

– Identify those performing below expected levels.• These are your at-risk students that are in need

of intervention. – Determine what students can and can’t do.

• Identify areas of curricular or behavioral needs.

Academic Screeners– Curriculum Based Assessment

(CBA)– Commercially available

devices such as:• Dynamic Indicators of Basic

Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)• AIMS web (Assessment and

Data Management for RtI)• System to Enhance

Educational Performance (STEEP)

• Designed to assist in determining: – Who is at-risk; and– Specific content areas of

concern.

Behavioral Screeners– Rates of office referrals; and– Teacher ratings.

• Designed to assist in determining:– Who is at-risk; and– Specific areas of concern.

Progress Monitoring

• Progress Monitoring (PM) differs from screening in that:– It is used to assess some students to determine if

the students have responded to the interventions.– PM occurs more frequently.

• Much more than a few times a year.

Interventions

Interventions are:• Implemented for at-risk students;• Intended to prevent future deficits (or remediate

deficits);• Scientific research/evidence based;• Provided within a hierarchical structure; and• Intensified or reduced based on response.These interventions result in data that are used to inform decision making.

Academic Intervention and Behavioral Intervention: Compare and Contrast

• Both academic and behavioral intervention must:– Utilize sound instructional components;– Link to targeted concern;– Be implemented with integrity; and– Result in data that can be objectively examined.

• The primary difference is that academic concerns typically consist of deficits whereas behavioral concerns can be either excesses or deficits in performance.

What are not interventions?

• Accommodations are not interventions.– Preferential seating– Extended time

• Activities are not interventions.– Reading silently– Completing math worksheets

• People are not interventions.– Going to the reading specialist– Going to the tutor

• Materials and programs are not interventions.– Working on the computer– Using flashcards

“Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.” – Boeing Aircraft Company

Data-Based Decision Making

• Data must be analyzed at all levels of the tiered intervention process.

• Data must be used to assess the core curriculum and the effectiveness of instructional and behavioral strategies.

• Procedures for making decisions must be established and followed with fidelity.– These procedures must include decision rules for

assessing student progress.

The Data is Collected, Now What?

• The team that has been gathered must be reviewed by the team to determine if:– The integrity is sufficiently high; and– If there is enough data to make a decision.

• If integrity is low or all the necessary data is not present, decision making cannot occur!

The Bottom Line of Decision Making

• Educational decisions must be made based upon data.–If you don’t have the data, you

can’t make the decisions!

Counselors RolesAssist with:• Analyzing academic and behavioral data to identify at-risk students;• Identifying and collaborating on research-based intervention

strategies;• Evaluating academic and behavioral progress after interventions;• Referring to school and community services as appropriate; • Collaborating with administrations about the design of the tiered

intervention model; and• Advocating for equitable education for all students and working to

remove systemic barriers.

www.schoolcounselor.org

THE BIG PICTURE

Benefits of OTISS• There is a connection between low academic

skills and problem behavior.(Fleming, Harachi, Cortes, Abbott, & Catalano, 2004; Morrison, Anthony, Storino, & Dillon, 2001; Nelson, Benner, Lane, & Smith, 2004)

• There is evidence that problems in one area (reading and behavior) can predict future problems in other areas.

(McIntosh, Horner, Chard, Dickey, & Braun, 2008).

• Reducing the number of incidents of problem behavior allows quality instruction to occur more often and with fewer distractions.

(Lassen, Steele, and Sailor 2006)

Teaching Expectations

Telling is not teaching...

...and being told is not the same as being taught.

Resources

• www.schoolcounselor.org

• www.floridarti.usf.edu

• www.rti4success.org

• www.rtinetwork.org

Comments/Questions

Contact Information

Karie Crews-St. Yves, Tiered Intervention SpecialistSPDG, School Support/School ImprovementOklahoma State Department of Education

(405) 521-2199Karie.Crews-StYves@sde.ok.gov

Christa Knight, Tiered Intervention SpecialistSPDG, School Support/School ImprovementOklahoma State Department of Education

(405) 521-4869Christa.Knight@sde.ok.gov