Notes from Ms.

Parisi’s Discussion
Contact information:
Kparisi@cpcsc.k12.in.us
Google Presentation Link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N9pT4bcCJsqYYKtXxz7H60_ShbN1v_7U61pKghxNa
xs/edit#slide=id.g35f391192_00
Class Discussion Notes
Response to Instruction
• This is not a way to avoid the evaluation.
o It is to give the students the support and resources they need to succeed.
o We can get them the identification later, but the priority is intervention.
• What is RTI?
o A systemic process that aligns all school improvement goals
o Ensures all students meet or exceed proficiency standards
o Focused on effective instruction
• Believe in yourself as a general educator because you have knowledge, and all students
deserve the best instruction.
o For example, you might teach fourth grade, but you are licensed K-6 so you can
teach that student at the first-grade level.
• Data should influence instruction, but it should not drive instructional decisions.
o We need the data to prove that there is something wrong!
• RTI is preventative and proactive
• What is RTI not?
o Special education
o Increasing or decreasing special education numbers
• The spirit of RTI
o Intervene early
o Monitor student progress to inform instruction
o Use a multi-tier model of service delivery
o Use a problem-solving methodology
o Conversations can happen regarding Tier 1instruction
▪ The conversations can happen sooner because they can talk about groups
of students rather than one student at a time!
▪ Go back to the base of the issues
• Go to the previous grade and see if you can fix the root of the
issues. For example, if students have trouble with rhyming, we
meet with the kindergarten teachers to see what we need to do
differently.
 • We cannot dance around these conversations. It is not fair to
anyone to be unclear. Being clear can be rough to take, but it is
unkind
• We are not here to feel good about ourselves all the time, we are
here to make sure we give students all they need in schools.
• Always search for this feedback. Always search for ways to get
better.
• Teaching is so personal that we struggle to think, “What can we do better?”
o This is the opposite of RTI
▪ We need to look at data and think, “What can I do better, as the teacher, so
my students learn this better?”
• Tier 1
o NWEA, ILEARN, IREAD, etc.
▪ Formative assessment for all students
o We are looking for the 80% who respond successfully.
o Break down the other 20% to find the students who are struggling.
▪ Identified students receive interventions in small, teacher-led flexible
groups
• Tier 2
o The students who are not making good progress receive more instruction
o Additional, quality instruction
▪ Reteach for about a week or so and then reassess
• This is less formal
• Tier 3
o Students who are two years below the grade level in a standard and not identified
as a student with a disability receives more support
o The student is placed in a small group
o It is not a reteach of the materials you are teaching
▪ This is a bandage
o Looking at the whole
▪ Figure out what the child does not know
▪ Fix the foundation first
• If a student is struggling with fluency, do not give an abundance of
fluency practice, but find out why the fluency is hard for this
student.
• How long are each of the stages?
o There is not a set amount of time
o Usually need 8 to 10 data points before being referred to special education
o Compare that child to the other children. Is this child not making similar
progress?
• Even if you feel very strongly that the child will need a special education evaluation, run
the child through the process because you are giving that child the interventions
immediately
o Then, the child does not have to wait so long for the interventions
o Start collecting data sooner!
▪ Put the students through the progress monitoring more often, so you have
more data points
• Do not automatically go to administrator and ask for help with a student
o Try some interventions in your classroom first.
o Tell the parent about your concerns!
▪ The parent should know about the concern before they receive a letter
from the administrators.
o Do not be afraid to talk to people!
▪ Call the parents and learn about the student!
▪ Tell the parents the good things first!
• Call every parent within the first week of school and tell them why
you love having their child in school!
o This will make calling them about the bad days so much
easier!
• How difficult is it to go through the RTI process?
o It gets progressively harder as you move into the upper grades.
o Interventions and scheduling are harder.
o Needs to be in addition, not in place of instruction.
▪ You must find extra time in their schedule because you cannot pull them
out of their academic instruction.
• How often should the intervention be given
o At least three days a week for at least 30 minutes
▪ Cannot pull them from the direct instruction time
• For example, pull them from independent reading time
• Create documentation forms to measure how often students are given the intervention
o Include:
▪ The amount of time the student has received the intervention
▪ The focus of each meeting with the student
▪ Growth
• We need more math interventions!
o We have a large amount of reading interventions, but we need more math
interventions.
• Overcoming Dyslexia
o A fantastic book for those of us who are going to teach reading to young children
• IEP Case Conference Aspects:
o Start by checking personal information
▪ Address, phone number, etc.
o Communicate the strengths of the child (this should always be a long part of the
meeting)
▪ Tell the parents what you love about their child
• You are going to be telling the parents some hard things about their
child, so start off with the strengths!
▪ You find what you look for
• Do not always look for a child to misbehave.
• Look for the child’s positive aspects and you will find them!
o It can be tough to see the positives of some children, but
there is always something!
• Stop judging parents by the child’s misbehavior.
o Even great parents can have children who struggle.
o Discuss progress monitoring
▪ You could get this data through the RTI process
o Discuss academic data
▪ Test scores
▪ Current grade
o Teacher input
o Present level of performance
▪ Examples:
• Behavior needs
• Disability/modifications necessary
o Parental concerns
▪ Listen to parents and try to help that parent understand how you will
address that issue.
o Eligibility
▪ Is the child still eligible for services?
o Special considerations
o Behavior concerns
o Outcomes
▪ Transitions
• After age 14
▪ Anticipated date of graduation
o Accommodations
▪ You cannot write an accommodation for a test specifically
▪ The testing accommodations are based on what the child receives during
everyday instruction
• The child must receive read aloud during everyday instruction to
receive that accommodation during standardized tests.
o Modifications
 ▪ You do not want to change the curriculum much if you are expecting that
child to graduate on the diploma track.
o Graduate pathways
o Goals
▪ You really need to understand the present levels of performance before
you can create accurate goals.
▪ Include the specifically designed instruction.
• Put into writing what that SDI is going to be.
o Service time
▪ How much time is the student going to receive instruction from the special
education teacher, and where will that instruction take place?
▪ Break the answers to these questions into specific times for instruction.
o Related services
▪ Transportation
▪ Accessible materials
▪ Assistive technology
▪ OT and PT
▪ Program modification
▪ Reasons for rejecting other services
o Least restrictive environment
o General considerations
o Program information
o List the participants and who was taking notes.
• Tell parents you bring a draft of the IEP to the meeting, but it is not predetermined or
written in stone.
o It is a long process so educators might meet to get started on the process before
the case conference.
• Discuss parental concerns
o They want to be heard!
• Discuss with children
o Discuss that you are going to help with the parts of learning that are challenging
for them.
o This removes some of the stigma from special education.
• Questions to ask yourself to analyze the success of the IEP:
o Can I defend this if I must go stand in front of a judge?
o If this child leaves me, can I hand this to the next teacher and that teacher will
know the child’s strengths and needs?
• A child’s needs drive their services.
o Not what we call the child or the eligibility area, but we still need a well-written
IEP.
• What is a common mistake when teachers work with IEPs?
o Recycling IEPs.
 o Many people recycle IEPs, so they do not look any different from student to
student.
o Also, you should mention the progress of the students.
▪ Every year there should be differences!
Reflection:
During the presentation by Ms. Parisi, I gained a great deal of knowledge regarding the
IEP process and the RTI model of education. Above, I took very detailed notes about the points
that I thought were most important, such as the levels of RTI, the different parts of the IEP, etc.
Now, I am going to reflect on which aspects of the presentation interested me most. First, I love
how she mentioned that the children’s needs drive their services. We cannot provide services
based on a label or their eligibility area because these are not specific to a certain student. Every
student will need different supports and services, and it is our job as educators to build
relationships and discover what those services look like. This quote stuck with me because it
goes beyond special education. General education teachers should be prepared to know which
services or interventions students need without a label or eligibility area. Next, I loved how she
emphasized the importance of talking to families about the positives before the negatives. If I
want to build a relationship with my students’ parents, I need to make a positive comment before
any negative ones. I appreciated her suggestion about calling each child’s parents within the first
week of school because then, when I have issues, I have already created a relationship. We have
talked about this in other COE classes, so hearing it again reminds me of the importance.
Relationship building is the most important part of being an educator, and that means building
relationships with our students and their families. Finally, I really appreciated the detailed
examples of RTI. RTI is a way to give students interventions efficiently and effectively. Students
might need to be evaluated for a disability, but if we start with the RTI process, those students do
not have to wait for the assessment to happen before receiving supports to help them succeed in
our classrooms. We should be prepared to implement RTI strategies in our classrooms because
all students deserve the best services and supports to help them reach their full potential. I really
appreciated the presentation by Ms. Parisi because I was able to learn more about RTI and the
IEP process. I was also able to learn more about strategies that general education teachers can
implement into their classrooms to make more positive and inclusive environments.