Acronyms, Accommodations and Modifications
What does the acronym ISP represent, and what does it entail?
Individual Service Plan. It is a formal plan that outlines the student’s accommodations and gives some background information on each student.
What is the first step in the Upper School RtI process?
Step 1: Conference with student (one-on-one, not during class time).
Who are Mobile Therapy Centers and what do they do?
They are a private provider of speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy service. We have a partnership which allows them to provide services for our students during or after the school day.
What is Aimsweb Plus, and why do we use it?
Aimsweb Plus is a universal screener that we use to benchmark student growth and monitor their progress. It assesses areas of math and reading so we can inform instruction to improve student performance.
How many disability categories are identified in the State of Illinois?
13
What is an IEP and do CHA students receive one?
Individual Education Plan. This is a public school document. Students do not receive an IEP at CHA, but may become eligible and therefore receive an ISP.
What is the next step in the RtI process (if you have completed step one and have ensured if it is an ISP student that you are following their accommodations)?
Conference with parent(s)-can be an email, a phone call, or in person meeting (and can be with or without student). Come up with some ideas.
How do you refer a student to be screened by Mobile Therapy and at what grade level will ALL students be screened this year?
Contact your LRC specialist for next steps. She will send you a sample email/letter that you can customize and provide to parents where they will need to follow a link, which enables them to partner with MTC.
Kindergarten
When do teachers Tier their students and at what percentile would students fall into tier II at CHA?
After Fall benchmarking, teachers should put students into tiers. Any student who scores below the 40th percentile in a given area, and is not already an LRC student, should be put into tier II.
How often should teachers be tracking student grades and what are the next steps if a student's grade drops below a C-?
Teachers should monitor every two weeks, and if the grade is below a C-, teachers need to communicate to student and parent and work on a plan. The goal being that everyone is aware of student low grades by mid-term in order to have time to turn it around.
What does RtI stand for, and what is it's definition?
Response to Intervention:problem-solving framework to identify and address student difficulties by integrating assessment and intervention within a multi-level (or tiered) prevention system leading to improved achievement
After you have done steps 1-2, what is the next step of the RtI process?
Implement an accommodation or strategy plan (if you need suggestions-consult with colleagues or LRC).
What are the two local school districts that partner with CHA, and for what grade levels?
Sunset Ridge (District 29)-grades K-8
New Trier (203)-9-12
How long must teachers use intervention and progress monitor tier II students?
Teachers should progress monitor bi-weekly and provide an intervention 2-5 days a week for 6-12 weeks.
What is the job of the Learning Resource Specialist?
To work in collaboration with classroom teachers and support staff to monitor, assist, and provide guidance for student’s needs.
To provide direct instruction in the form of remediation or curricular support individually or in a small group.
To partner with parents, teachers, and support staff to advocate for student’s needs.
To create and oversee student Individual Service Plans.
What is the difference between an accommodation and modification?
Accommodation:Level the “playing field” -without changing content or assessment, but more the environment.
Modification: Create the “playing field”-Modifications involve changing instruction and/or assessment, which alters, lowers, or reduces learning/assessment expectations.
When should you enter a student into the notes (ahead of time) in the MS/US meetings?
Once you have completed steps 1-3 of the RtI process and you are ready to track your plan.
T/F: Pre-school students who require an evaluation would be evaluated by District 29.
False: preschool age students actually go through the local school district in which they reside, NOT in which they are enrolled in school.
What tier on the RtI triangle represents the bottom level and why?
Tier 1: it is the biggest level because it encompasses the majority of the student population. Approx: 80-90%.
What is the Terra Nova, and which grades take it?
It is a standardized test achievement test that grades 3-8 take at CHA. 6-8 in the fall and 3-5 in the spring.
How can reducing the number of problems on a test or assignment, be considered an accommodation?
When you are assessing the skill versus assessing how fast compared to peers a student could perform that skill.
How long should you use a strategy/intervention/or new accommodation with a student and why?
4-12 weeks because that way we have 3 meeting notes recording data, and because we want to use it long enough to determine if it is effective.
What is "child find"?
Child find is the local school districts responsibly to identify any students who have a suspected disability within their boundaries.
What and when is the process for refering students to Learning Resources?
After Spring benchmarks, if a student is still not progressing despite intervention, it is time to refer them to the LRC program by communicating with both parent(s) and LRC staff.
What does it mean to differentiate instruction?
Tailoring instruction within your classroom to meet all students needs. May mean grouping students, changing your environment, or base lessons on learning style, etc . . . In Tier I the classroom teacher may accommodate for students.