A Response-to-Intervention (RTI) Model for Math

A Response-to-Intervention (RTI) Model for Mathematics: Description, Illustration, and Some Data : A Response-to-Intervention (RTI) Model for Mathematics: Description, Illustration, and Some Data Kent Johnson Morningside Academy Seattle, Washington kent@morningsideacademy.org www.morningsideacademy.org

About Morningside Academy : About Morningside Academy Located in Seattle, WA Established 1980 Dr. Kent Johnson, Founder and Director Laboratory school for elementary & middle school students to catch up and get ahead school term and summer school Includes a focus on foundation skills language, reading, reasoning, writing, math learning skills, organizational skills, performing one’s best interpersonal skills, self-reflection

Morningside Academy is a laboratory school : Morningside Academy is a laboratory school Uses research–based best practices in instruction, practice, assessment and measurement In-house development of promising approaches Current instructional design project: “Morningside Mathematics”

Morningside Teachers’ Academy (MTA) : Morningside Teachers’ Academy (MTA) • Consulting division of Morningside Academy • Goal is to transfer our technologies to public & private schools & agencies Training is followed up with classroom coaching. Research shows that without coaching, only 2–5% of training results in classroom implementation! Over 100 school partnerships to date, U. S. & Canada Additional opportunities Summer School Institute (SSI) School-year interns and sabbaticals

5 essential components of a reading program : 5 essential components of a reading program The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, “No Child Left Behind,” provides federal funding to improve reading achievement in the primary grades. “Reading First” Funding is available only if the reading programs & associated trainings meet research-based standards, or “best practices.” Among those standards is a curriculum requirement.

5 essential components of a reading program : 5 essential components of a reading program Reading First programs must teach Phonemic awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension

Response-To-Intervention (RTI) : Response-To-Intervention (RTI) Increasing numbers of Reading First projects employ a Response-To-Intervention model for monitoring program success. Monitor reading progress several times during a school year to evaluate the program. to provide more intensive interventions for students not making progress. Current RTI models do not typically monitor direct achievement in all 5 components of reading. Projects most often use 2 measures that predict overall achievement in reading. Oral Reading Fluency (.6-.7 correlation) Maze completion (comprehension) (.3-.4 correlation)

School-Wide Positive Behavior & Academic Support: RTI Logic : 1-5% 1-5% 5-10% 5-10% 80-90% 80-90% School-Wide Positive Behavior & Academic Support: RTI Logic Adapted by Fairbanks, 2006

5 essential components of a math program : 5 essential components of a math program Today I will describe a “Math First” analog to “Reading First.” an RTI progress monitoring model for mathematics achievement. In tier one, I assert that 5 essential components must be taught and measured. Tool Skills math facts reading & writing numbers, place value Computation Solving standard word problems Generic problem solving skills Math Vocabulary, conversation, and communication

5 essential components of a math program : 5 essential components of a math program In tiers 2 & 3 Increase the frequency of progress monitoring e.g., quarterly to weekly measurement & decision making Focus teaching exclusively on these 5 components “Morningside Mathematics” Our in-house program for teaching these 5 components Under development and learner-verification for the last 15 years First 4 components available Fall, 2007

Morningside Mathematics @ Fort Fraser Elementary, British Columbia CTBS National Percentiles : Morningside Mathematics @ Fort Fraser Elementary, British Columbia CTBS National Percentiles

1. Tool skills : 1. Tool skills Reading numbers quickly 1–9 digit numbers Writing numbers quickly & legibly 1–9 digit numbers Copying and taking dictation Place value Quickly identifying, explaining, manipulating Math facts fluency Number families method e.g., 5 9 45 = 5x9=45, 9x5=45, 45÷9=5, 45÷5=9 Many students’ math career ends early, with a failure to master math facts. The families approach reduces memorization by 3/4! Fluency practice (Precision Teaching) Examine component 1 handout.

2. Computation : 2. Computation Arithmetic Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division Whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and simple percentage calculations “Mental” arithmetic Direct & explicit instruction of algorithms Fluency building (Precision Teaching) Over 100 sub-skills in “Morningside Mathematics.” Examine component 2 handout.

3. Solving standard word problems : 3. Solving standard word problems Typical “story” problems and other vignettes involving quantities Between 20 and 70 words in length Students learn to write an algebraic equation with one unknown determine the unknown by manipulating the equation and doing arithmetic Direct Instruction for 10 types of word problems Fluency building (Precision Teaching) Examine component 3 handout.

4. Generic problem solving skills : 4. Generic problem solving skills Talk Aloud Problem Solving (TAPS) Developed for high school students, college students and adults by Drs. Arthur Whimbey & Jack Lockhead A generic routine or protocol for solving more complex, non-standard problems e.g., brain teasers, analogies and other logic problems, cross word puzzles, math problems, etc. Both quantitative and verbal reasoning problems Teaches how to “think-aloud” while solving a written problem, through talking, writing, diagraming, and other activities that support thinking, reasoning and problem solving

Radical behavior analysis of thinking & TAPS : Radical behavior analysis of thinking & TAPS Many acts of thinking include a dialogue one has with oneself, as speaker and listener “in the same skin,” as one reasons or “figures out” a solution to a problem. The dialogue usually occurs “in private” or “in your head,” as we say colloquially. We can explicitly teach effective private dialogue by using TAPS. Whimbey’s TAPS includes a Problem Solver routine and an Active Listener routine that explicitly mimics our internal dialogues.

Teaching self monitoring, reasoning & problem solving with TAPS : Teaching self monitoring, reasoning & problem solving with TAPS At first, pairs of students take turns being the Problem Solver and the Active Listener, reasoning through logic problems and other brain teasers aloud by applying these routines. Each pair monitors and records performances. Teacher and other students provide coaching. Later each student applies both routines aloud, alternating between problem solver and active listener as necessary to solve a problem. Self-monitoring and recording Coaching from teacher and other students Finally, the student’s own speaker and listener can take over and covertly apply alternating routines to solve any problem.

Research on TAPS : Research on TAPS Project SOAR (Stress On Analytical Reasoning) at Xavier University, in New Orleans, Louisiana Minority students improve their logic and reasoning skills working a variety of problems using TAPS. Students average 120 point gains on the SAT, and three grade-level gains on the Nelson Denny Reading Test. SOAR students are twice as likely to pass freshman science and math classes. Xavier now sends more African American students to medical schools and professional health programs than any other U.S. college. Morningside has adapted the TAPS methods for elementary and middle school students.

5. Vocabulary, conversation, and communication in math : 5. Vocabulary, conversation, and communication in math How to talk (and write) about the math you are doing or need to do. Too many students learn math independently in a “workshop” format, without ever speaking about what they’re doing. Without a language for math, many students learn only to imitate specific algorithms or rules to solve a specific type of problem, and do not “think of” and use those skills when needed in other types of problems and everyday life. Stimulus control too narrow. Not yet a component of “Morningside Mathematics.”

Slide20 : ITBS & W/J III math pre/post analysis.xls

Progress Monitoring : Progress Monitoring The only guarantee that students are gaining mastery is frequent student assessment and decision-making. Progress monitoring for math should include frequent measurement in each of our 5 essential components. (1) tool skills, (2) computation, (3) solving standard word problems, (4) advanced problem solving skills (TAPS), and (5) a verbal repertoire of math (until best predictors of overall math achievement are identified, as in reading)

Progress Monitoring : Progress Monitoring In a Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model of progress monitoring, teachers and students use frequent assessment data in each of the 5 components to make decisions about what could improve each student’s learning or motivation. Should the student stay in tier 1 classroom? Move to tier 2? Move back from tier 2 or 3 to tier 1? Which tier for each math component? Etc. Makes sure that teachers make interventions to keep students on track to make average to above-average yearly math progress. No “surprises” from annual, year-end test results

Progress Monitoring : Progress Monitoring “Morningside Mathematics” uses an RTI model of progress monitoring called PAM. The Pupil Assessment Model Developed by Gale Naquin, Polly Thomas & their colleagues @ the University of New Orleans (UNO), since 1997 Grade-by-grade, curriculum-based assessment & decision making model weekly, monthly, or quarterly probes aligned to your reading, writing, and math curricula

Progress Monitoring : Progress Monitoring PAM also prescribes “pre-referral” retention strategies for students at risk for moving up the triangle. UNO and Morningside have formed a partnership to develop progress monitoring probes for each of our 5 essential math components. for grade levels 2 through adult.

A Bigger Partnership : A Bigger Partnership Morningside Academy and colleagues @ University of New Orleans are forming a partnership with colleagues @ the University of Oregon. We plan to submit a federal grant proposal to investigate the relative effectiveness of an school-wide, Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model with these components: Oregon’s School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBIS) model for social & interpersonal behavior Progress monitoring with UNO’s Pupil Assistance Model (PAM) A counterpart to SWIS, the progress monitoring vehicle for SWPBIS. 3-tiers of “Morningside Mathematics”

3 “Next Steps”:1. Form a partnership with MTA : 3 “Next Steps”: 1. Form a partnership with MTA Partner with Morningside Teachers’ Academy (MTA) for services. Reading, math, writing, content course success, learning and organization skills, classroom management Onsite training and in-classroom coaching Teleconferencing with iSight, Web Cam Partner recruits employees to serve as in-house teacher trainers & in-classroom coaches (with release time from teaching: full or partial). Plans are specifically designed to meet your needs.

2. Attend Morningside’s Summer School Institute (SSI) : 2. Attend Morningside’s Summer School Institute (SSI) Morningside Teachers’ Academy 16th Annual Summer School Institute July 16 - August 3, 2007 Attend 1, 2, or all 3 weeks! Week 1: Instructional Strategies, Week 2: Practice and Fluency Strategies, Week 3: Subject-Specific Interventions

3. Read our book. : 3. Read our book. Kent Johnson & Elizabeth M. Street (2004). The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction: What It Really Means To Leave No Child Behind. Available through the Cambridge Center (behavior.org), Barnes & Noble (bn.com), Amazon.com, Morningside Academy.

Contact Information : Contact Information kent@morningsideacademy.org kris@morningsideacademy.org 206-709-9500 Morningside Academy 201 Westlake Ave North Seattle, WA 98109 www.morningsideacademy.org