Literacy Coaching in Special Education: Helping Students Succeed

within an RtI Framework

Presented by:Mitzi S. Brammer, Ph.D., CCC-SLPSpecial School District of St. Louis

County

April 17, 2010

Group Norms

• Please turn cell phones to vibrate mode or off.

• Please take care of your own personal and learning needs.

• Please participate fully.• Please honor the attention signal.

Session Objectives:

• Describe a special education literacy coaching model• List roles of a special education literacy coach• Explain how the special education coaching model

differs from a traditional coaching model• Identify basic tenets of Response to Intervention• Design a menu of strategies to address identified

concerns• Discuss literacy support mechanisms for special

educators

History of Coaching Support in the District

• Support began during the 2007-2008 school year.

• Led by Dr. Mitzi Brammer, Literacy Area Coordinator

• SSD Literacy Coaches must hold dual state certification

Goals for SSD Literacy Coaches

• SSD Literacy Coaches will support special education staff to ensure implementation of research-based literacy strategies and/or programs with fidelity across the curriculum.

 • SSD Literacy Coaches will use data to engage in

collaborative dialogue at a variety of levels (teacher to teacher, teacher to administrator, etc.) in order to ensure that the District’s goals for literacy are met.

 

What does literacy coaching look like at SSD?

• Roles adapted from the IRA’s Position Statement on the Roles and Qualifications of the Reading Coach in the United States (IRA, 2004).

Roles of SSD Literacy Coaches

• Conversations with colleagues (identifying issues or needs, goal-setting, problem-solving)

• Developing and providing materials for/with colleagues

• Participating in professional development activities with colleagues

• Leading and participating in Study Groups

Roles of SSD Literacy Coaches

• Co-planning lessons• Facilitating team meetings (grade level, participating on

data teams, with other reading specialists, etc.)• Analyzing student work• Assisting SSD staff in interpreting assessment data for

instructional decision-making• Individual discussions with SSD and gen. ed. colleagues

about the teaching and learning of students with special needs

• Planning, implementing and evaluating effective professional learning presentations for teacher-level staff

How does special ed literacy coaching differ from traditional literacy coaching?

• Geographic area(s) served• Supervision and evaluation• Involvement in curriculum writing• Staff supported by coaches• Funding source

Basic Tenets of Response to Intervention

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual Interventions• Individual Students• Assessment-based• High Intensity• Of longer duration

Intensive, Individual Interventions• Individual Students• Assessment-based• Intense, durable procedures

Targeted Group Interventions• Some students (at-risk)• High efficiency• Rapid response

Targeted Group Interventions• Some students (at-risk)• High efficiency• Rapid response

Universal Interventions• All students• Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions• All settings, all students• Preventive, proactive

RtI: The Basics Any

CurriculumArea

Students

A Different Way to Look at RtI

Intensive Instruction

Progress Monitoring

Data Analysis

Implementation Checks

Student Success

Supplemental Interventions

Curriculum Supports

Possible Role(s) of Special Education Literacy Coaches on a Data Team

• Participant

• Data Analysis Support

• Interventionist

• Research Checker – Asks / checks if suggested intervention is research-based

Decision-Making in Data Teams: Team Member Responsibilities

Assume a Role

Come Prepared to the Meeting

Be PunctualEngage Fully

In the Process

Participate Honestly, Respectfully,

Constructively

Designing a Menu of Strategies

• Data Team Process that Special School District uses:

1. Collect and chart student data

2. Analyze strengths and obstacles

3. Establish goals: set, review, revise

4. Select instructional strategies

5. Determine results indicators

Let the data speak:

• To allocate resources• To adjust instructional practices• To provide a menu of interventions and/or

programs

Often Found on the Data Team Meeting Agenda

• What instructional strategies could we employ to bring students with special needs to proficiency?

• What resources/tools/ knowledge do I need to help my students?

Designing a Menu of Strategies

Four viable sources

Organize the

strategies

Approaches to Intervention

• The problem-solving approach uses interventions, selected by a team, that target each student’s individual needs. This approach has been used in schools for more than two decades.

• The standard treatment protocol approach (Fuchs, Mock, Morgan, & Young, 2003) uses one consistent intervention or set of interventions, selected by the school or district, that can address multiple students’ needs. This approach is supported by a strong research base.

An Example of the Problem-Solving Approach

• Timmy is 8-years-old and is in second grade. His teacher notices that he picks up books and tries to read the words. He often misbehaves during the lessons that involve learning letter sounds. He has a large storehouse of knowledge in a variety of topics with the most interest in dinosaurs. He demonstrates typical fine motor skills and average writing skills. The teacher has identified that he appears to be reading at the pre-primer level based on informal testing. The teacher refers the student to the problem-solving team for support in meeting the academic and behavioral needs for Timmy. Initially, the team decides to utilize a resource teacher to try cluster grouping within the classroom. The cluster will allow for more individualized instruction. The resource teacher will keep a daily record of Timmy’s behavior and discussions with parents will begin on possible acceleration options.

An Example of the Standard Treatment Protocol Approach

• John, an 8th grade student, reads on a 4th grade level based on the district assessment. John performed at the Below Basic level in all tested areas of the state assessment for his grade level. When John enrolled at the beginning of 8th grade, his counselor registered him for a double block that included the standard literature class with team teaching as well as a focused literacy block with a class size of 12. This is an example of a standard protocol, students who demonstrate significantly low reading skills and who meet the school-identified criteria are registered for the double block to meet both the literature requirement and remediate the skill deficit.

Standard Treatment Protocol

• The standard treatment is for the student to receive a validated, intense intervention

• Bad news: All students receive the same intervention

• Good news: The interventions are well-specified, sequenced with clear outcomes

• The interventions are more likely to be delivered with fidelity; training is consistent

• Increases the consistency of services; easy to check for implementation

Development of a Standard Treatment Protocol

• By grade level• By area of reading/writing• Consider looking at this K-12, not just at the

elementary level• See handout

What teachers need to know and be able to do…

• When coming to the data team meeting to discuss interventions, teachers need to know about and be able to discuss:• The developmental sequence of reading and

writing in order to better know where to target interventions

• Grade Level Expectations/Standards• Supplemental reading/writing programs that are

available• General Education Curriculum

Let’s Practice!

• Self-organize into small groups (3-5

per group)• Each group will be given a “menu” of strategies

and/or interventions for a particular area of reading• In your group, decide:

• How would we organize these strategies/ interventions?• Is there one strategy that you might consider using

before another?• Could these interventions be used for each grade level,

K-12?• We’ll go two rounds! (if time permits)

What’s Important to You?

• Rather, what is important in order for teachers to be able to access this resource?• Ease of accessibility• User-friendly• Based on current research• Relevant to my practice• Offers a variety• Others?

How do we know if we’re on the right track?

• See rubric• Based on a 3-level scale

I work in a small school district. How can I make this work for my situation?

Literacy Support Mechanisms for Special Educators

Consider a literacy leadership modelDetermine: Who is the teacher leader in my building who

also has knowledge and expertise in literacy instruction?Determine: Can a system be put in place to allow this

teacher leader to have an additional plan time to work with teachers in the building or look at data or model lessons, etc.?

If not, can this teacher leader present information relevant to literacy strategies to teachers at a staff meeting?

Can additional pay be given to this teacher leader to work with teachers after school?

ALL

How effective is a special education coaching model?

A B C D E F G H I0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

% of Students Performing at Proficient or Higher on State Test

200720082009

Districts

MO Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education, 2010

Contact Information

Mitzi Brammer

Special School District of St. Louis Co.

12110 Clayton Road

St. Louis, MO 63131

Office: 314-989-8283

mbrammer@ssdmo.org