Modification, Accomodation, or Intervention? HELP!!

These terms represent various ways we address the learning needs of our struggling students.  They are especially important when planning for Small Group instruction and Center activities.  It is vital to know the shades of differences between these terms to ensure you are maximizing your instruction without minimizing learning.

Notice the instructional purpose for each method…

Modification…WHAT content is taught

Modifications involve adjusting the content of your lessons in order for struggling students to be successful.  This may include lowering the degree of the challenge by adapting the complexity, length, or amount of learning.  BE CLEAR…this should only be done for students identified as Special Needs, and ONLY according their IEP (Individualized Education Plan).  Struggling students should be expected to accomplish MORE- not LESS- if they are ever going to make up for their deficiencies each year.  So in the case of a Regular Education students this is a NO-NO!!

Accommodation…HOW content is taught

Unlike modifications, accommodations do not change or lower the standards or expectations.  An accommodation can be a physical change or other support feature that the student needs to be successful.  This could include  learning breaks for students having a hard time staying on task, frequent repetition, alternating seating, extended time frames, tape recorded lessons, enlarged print, sequential instructions in smaller segments, adjusting the pacing, or oral assessments in place of written ones when appropriate.  For example..if students are asked to write an opinion piece with reasons and examples, you may accommodate by having strugglers write one reason/examples at a time, then bring to you to read over, offer feedback before having them complete the next one.  In this way, the student still has to complete the same assignment as everyone else, but with more support and feedback to increase their success along the way, and in the end.

Intervention…Targeted, intensive instructional strategies

As a key feature of RTI, interventions refer to specific actions that are taken as preventative measures or support for strugglers.  Interventions allow teachers to adjust the intensity of instruction by increasing the instructional time and/or decreasing the group size for a more targeted approach.  For example, instead of meeting with a group of 5 or 6 students 3 times a week, the intervention groups should be between 1-4 students- daily.  Preventative interventions involve introducing new concepts to strugglers prior to the class in order to build their background knowledge of the skill and give them a head start in practice, in hopes that when the concept is introduces to the class those students should be more successful.  Interventions ideally include setting short term goals for students and constantly monitoring students’ progress towards meeting those goals.  Interventions like these are at the heart of the RTI Framework.

In a nutshell….

Modifications CHANGE the playing field
Accommodations LEVEL the playing field
Interventions ENHANCE the playing field

J.

The most important focus for Guided Reading instruction!

Teach the READER, not the text!!

During your small group lessons, guided reading will most likely be your plan….there are other options, but we’ll start with guided reading.

The first and most important focus for guided reading is to teach your readers, not the text.   Many leveled  books used for guided reading have lessons and activities all ready for you, and  of course you can use those.  BUT all the information you collect while observing and noting reading behaviors will be essential for guided reading instruction.

Ultimately your goal will be to develop the reading behaviors and strategies of your students to allow them to read and process texts of increasing levels of difficulty.

So don’t get bogged down with the text itself…it is just the vehicle! And just as someone learns to drive, they will need some minimal information about the vehicle…but their driving ability is the focus. With those skills, the driver can drive ANY vehicle. And so it is with reading ability. Focus on building the readers’ toolbox of reading behaviors and strategies…give them the keys….and let them DRIVE!!

J.

Observing and noting reading behaviors- mandatory!

Small group time is a perfect opportunity for you to closely  observe the behaviors of your students that aid or impede their reading success.  This will assist you in choosing what to focus on in your groups and with whom. Here are some helpful ways to jot anecdotal notes in an organized way…courtesy of Pinterest! 

RTI Must Haves!!

Response to Intervention is more than a program…it’s a way of teaching and learning that puts the focus on the student.   Some elements that are non-negotiable to breaking down barriers and ensuring free flowing instruction within the 3 tiers.  (What are the 3 tiers?  Check out my RTI Basics button to get an explanation!)

I attended a training with the esteemed RTI author Mary Howard and learned a TON!  Her non-negotiables were discussed there and in her book, RTI From All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know.    Let’s add that to the Book Club!   She used the acronym LEARN to explain these must haves.

L   Link:  Support between the tiers should be interrelated with the other tiers.  Remember, Tier 1 instruction is ALL day, not just during the Literacy Block.

E   Engage:  Make students active participants in their learning.  Remember the phase: What I hear I forget, what I see I remember, what I DO I UNDERSTAND!

A   Accelerate:  Learning must be intensified…not slowed down…in order to make faster progress.  There should not be 1 wasted second in a day!  Losing just 10 minutes a day by the end of the year adds up to 2 full literacy blocks wasted!  Teach by the clock!!

R   Reinforce:  Make fewer holes- deeper!  Practice and applications of new learning must happen all day long.  Repeated exposures in multiple contexts with reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing are mandatory.

N   Negotiate:    Adjust instruction in the tiers to fit your daily structure.  Being flexible and fluid will make your days less stressful.  

Want to learn more from Mary Howard?  Check out her books!

J.

6 Ways to Ensure Quality Literacy Instruction

One of the main requirements of RTI is effective core instruction.  Think about it, if students are not getting effective Tier 1 instruction   more students may qualify for Tier 2 than really need it!   So how do you ensure your reading  instruction is quality?

Richard Allington is an extensive researcher and RTI guru.  In his article, What I’ve learned about Effective Reading Instruction from a Decade of Studying Exemplary Elementary Classroom Teachers  (2002, Phi Delta Kappan), Allington discusses the results of hundreds of classroom observations and interviews with teachers and students.  From this he found common features of  what exemplary literacy instruction looks like.  He summarizes his findings in what he calls  the 6 T’s of Effective Literacy Instruction.

They are…

• TIME:  For at least half of the school day, students are actually reading and writing- a 50/50 ratio to other activities.
• TEXTS:  Students needs a rich supply of books on their independent reading level, citing the motivation for reading was dramatically influenced by reading success.
• TEACHING:  Active instruction…modeling and demonstration.
• TALK:  Student  questioning/talk that is purposeful and problem-solving between teacher and students and among students.
• TASKS:  More substantive and challenging project-based tasks that provide student choice.
• TESTING:  Student work based more on effort and improvement than simply achievement.  Also, no test preparation!

Want to read the full article?  Click here What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction

Enjoy!

J.

Related articles

• Assessing Reading Progress: Setting Goals and Monitoring Progress (diywithrti.wordpress.com)
• Using Fountas & Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention! (diywithrti.wordpress.com)

 

RTI requires meeting students’ needs…so how do I find out what they need??

Well the easy answer to finding out what students need is…assessment.   The next question is what assessment?  Most schools have some type of diagnostic assessments for Literacy and Math.  If you have DIBELS, DRA2, or Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment…you probably have no problem grouping your students for small group instruction.  Most Math programs also come with pre tests or benchmark assessents to assist you with intervening.  You may need to dig a little deeper in the test results to create targeted groups for intervention…which by the way should be no more than 5 students in each group.  Ideally, the smaller the better…just don’t create your groups based on even numbers…it MUST be targeted for specific needs in order to be effective!

Here are some free assessments you can use in addition to what you have…or in case your have none.

• DIBELS: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of assessments used for universal screening and progress monitoring in grades K-6. They are standardized, efficient and extensively researched.   These assesments are available for FREE- all you have to do is register!  Follow this link to find them https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/
• Intervention Central is a comprehensive website for everything RTI!  The assessments they have available are extensive and include Literacy and Math.  Click this link to see them http://www.interventioncentral.org/curriculum-based-measurement-reading-math-assesment-tests
• The Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) Programs integrate easy-to-use instructional strategies that are specifically designed to improve students’ reading fluency.  Fluency is the prerequisite for comprehension.  The more fluent the reader, the better the comprehension will be.  This program is also FREE with registration and makes available a full manual with instructions, passages, progress monitoring forms, and reward system for download.  Videos are also available as well as a Spanish version of the program!  Click here to get there http://www.helpsprogram.org/materials.php
• Phonological Awareness Skills Test (P.A.S.T) is an assessment for primary grades to determine reading needs, or even upper grades to locate gaps in learning. Many students above 3rd grade who are struggling readers may have one missing piece to their “good reader” puzzle.  This test is a great choice to locate and fix those gaps! All you need to administer are some colored chips.   Here is the teacher script past_teacher_script, the student recording form individual-PAST-assessment-form, and the frequently asked questions phonological awareness skills test FAQ.

Have fun and happy assessing!!

J.

What is the single most important activity for building skills for reading success?

READING ALOUD!!

READING ALOUD!!

READING ALOUD!!

It’s true!  For children of ALL ages! Don’t believe me?  Check the research listed at the end of this post!

Why is reading aloud such a critical component for reading success??

Reading aloud…

• Introduces children to genres they may not discover on their own.
• Exposes children to literary vocabulary-which is different from conversational vocabulary- and is vital for reading comprehension.
• Gives children background knowledge, which helps them make sense of what they hear, see, and read.
• Motivates students to read on their own because they see reading as valuable and exciting.
• Gives students something to talk about which also supports reading and writing skills.
• Lets children use their imagination to explore experiences beyond their own.
• Demonstrates what fluent reading sounds like.

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (1998). 

Learning to Read and Write (1998)

Becoming a Nation of Readers (1985)

International Reading Association (1985)

Any benefits not listed here?  Please leave a comment and share!

Thx! J.