Response Intervention

Response intervention when planning strategic groups from data can feel like an overwhelming task. Some students fit into too many groups while others don’t seem to fit into a group at all. It can feel frustrating trying to make these difficult decisions and finding a good starting place. Grouping students may become a task that is put off making instruction seem further and further away. Don’t let the overwhelm of analyzing data and making instructional decisions get in the way of starting instruction. You can do this with this step by step process!

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When the response intervention model started a big wave

Do you ever feel worried asking for help because you feel like you should know what to do? Or maybe you’ve waited too long and fear getting in trouble for letting so many instructional weeks go by? I saw this first hand as a lead mentor teacher.

I didn’t realize it at first, but after getting to know around 15 new teachers one year, I quickly realized that many of them felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start with small groups. They feared asking the instructional coaches for help because they didn’t want to feel like they were being evaluated. They were nervous because it was getting later in the year and groups hadn’t started. It was then I realized that all of my years of training on the response intervention model had become automatic but it needed to be taught well to newer teachers.

I met with several teacher leaders at my school and we began to plan professional developments to teach this model, how to track data and assess with formative assessment. That is when the learning turned into a big wave of student progress.

Does response to intervention work?

When student samples of work or assessment are analyzed and targeted teaching points are created, the progress is pretty amazing to watch. It is easier to throw a random program or resource that you’ve always used with students at a group, but if we have a more narrow focus, track data and adjust our instruction, real progress shines through. Formative assessment makes the biggest difference in student learning and makes response to instruction and differentiated instruction all mean so much more.

Response to intervention strategies

The sooner we start intervention, the sooner students begin learning. As teachers, we need to be confident in our decision making and instructional planning. We need to trust our instinct and ask for help right away instead of delaying the process. So when you’re ready to analyze data, grab yourself a cup of coffee or whatever you like to drink, and get ready to put in the planning time that will make the the response to intervention process feel like a breeze. set your teaching points for weeks to come. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1- Make time and prep materials

Carve out an hour of uninterrupted time so you can mull over the data and interpret the results as you create action steps. Time that you know you will not be asked random questions or asked to plan anything else. Being fully focused is important here.

Get the materials ready that you will need. Here are some ideas: a pencil with a good eraser (you will make changes) or your computer to type, assessments or student work to analyze, highlighters, and a grouping template or blank paper.

Step 2- Review the assessment or student work

Take a few minutes to analyze the data as you look over student work, questions, answers, and scores. Reflect on these questions.

• What do you notice?
• How did students do as a whole class?
• Do you notice any trends?
• Were there any surprises?
• Who were the outliers?

Jot down any notes to these questions that you will want to remember. Reflecting before creating groups is helpful so that you aren’t missing small details or even the bigger picture. This is a time to slow down before we start moving fast and taking immediate action.

Step 3- Sketch a rough draft

Use a template or blank piece of paper to begin creating an intervention response plan. Create a table or list by writing standards or topics addressed on the assessment or student work. Write the question number next to the standard if applicable for later reference.

Go through each student’s sample and write their name under missed concepts. This will help you know who needs reteaching of a concept. Once you do this for all students in the class, it is time to analyze the concepts for your class as a whole.

Highlight concepts that more than half of your class missed. These could be retaught with the whole group if most of your class is showing misunderstandings. With another color, highlight any concepts that only 1-2 students may have missed. These concepts could be retaught during a conference or check-in with a student. Find out what those students are missing and fill in the gaps.

The rest of the concepts are most likely ready made small groups to begin the response to intervention process.

Step 4- Schedule

Look at your schedule. When will you meet with students? Will it be during the readers’ workshop, math workshop or during an intervention time.

Next, look at the concepts and consider blocks of time available for working with students. Do you need more time for a whole group lesson, 7-10 min for a small group or quick conferring check-in?

Write how much time or type of group next to each concept. An intervention response plan is typically written for 4-6 weeks. These are typically from data that comes from a baseline assessment. If using a summative assessment or student work, you may not need such a long time. The response intervention lesson plans may be more like a targeted instruction instead of actually the official RTI process.

Once you have blocks of time for each concept, grab your planner or calendar and start scheduling when you will meet with each group.

Step 5- Finalize the plan

Go back to your concepts, review everything one more time to make sure everyone has time dedicated for instruction. They don’t all have to be right away! You can use highlighters for groups that you will come back to after teaching/reteaching the first groups of intervention. Double check to make sure students aren’t working with another teacher during your instructional times! I always wait too long in the planning process to do this and have to go back and rethink my groups.

Response to Intervention Resources

Once the groups and schedule feel finalized, it is time to start planning the instruction. It may change as you begin working with students. Be sure to know your teaching points for each lesson, have resources ready and know how you will assess student knowledge of each lesson so that you have data for analysis.

Here are some resources that are helpful for response to intervention lesson plans.

• Intervention Central– This website is packed with teacher resources, videos, and plans for both academic and behavioral needs.
• Solution Tree– This website has may free resources for different tiers of the official RTI process.
• Grouping Ideas- Here are a few related blog posts to grouping students for book clubs, and strategies to make it a smoother process.

Now, begin instruction! You WILL make changes as you figure out what works for you and your students. Keep checking back as we work through formative assessment and comprehension together!

AND don’t forget if you need help getting organized with formative assessment in reading or any subject, download my FREE guide to organization with data driven instruction by signing up below!