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https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-importance

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Asking students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter is critical to the learning process; it is essential to evaluate whether the educational goals and standards of the lessons are being met. From Edutopia.org’s Assessment Professional Development Guide.

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https://schools.utah.gov/file/03b9dbf0-c344-42d2-ac7e-1a5727eacf09

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Utah's Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Mathematics

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https://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/umtss?mid=923&tid=1

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Overview

UMTSS provides leadership and support for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in sustained implementation of evidence-based Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) practices. UMTSS addresses both academic and behavioral needs of all students through the integration of data, practices, and systems. The coaching and tools provided by UMTSS are intended to guide LEA teams in evaluating and analyzing current practices, establishing supportive infrastructure, and utilizing data to improve student outcomes.

UMTSS Eight Critical Components:

1. High Quality Instruction

2. Data-Based Decision Making

3. Team-Based Problem Solving

4. Equitable Education for Each Student

5. College and Career Readiness

6. Proactive School Climate and Structure

7. Parent and Community Involvement

8. Supportive Leadership

Objectives
Infrastructure and Collaboration
UMTSS is designed to support Utah LEAs and schools in developing sustainable, evidence-based practices and provide supports for students within a multi-tiered system. The purpose of UMTSS is to provide guidance and resources for LEAs as they build infrastructure. Website and online resources help LEAs integrate academic and behavior systems, implement systems and interventions with fidelity, utilize data, and sustain efforts over time to positively impact student outcomes.

Note: The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the United States Department of Education, #H323A120022. However, those content do not necessarily represent the policy of the United States Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer Paula Maccini.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

MTSS is a framework for integrating assessment and intervention to maximize student achievement, reduce behavior problems, and increase long-term success (National Center on Response to Intervention [NCRI], 2014). The combination of systematic implementation of increasingly intensive intervention, sometimes referred to as tiers, and carefully monitoring students' progress distinguishes MTSS from typical prevention measures. In an MTSS framework, emphasis is placed on ensuring that interventions are implemented effectively. This is often referred to as implementation integrity or fidelity (Batsche et al., 2005).

Utah's MTSS Model

MTSS is a framework for implementing systemic, evidence-based practices to maximize student achievement in academics and behavior in preparation for and leading to College and Career Readiness. The MTSS model includes Universal, Targeted, and Intensive levels of support, which are defined in the Utah MTSS 3-Tier Definitions for several identified critical components, such as academics, behavior, and educational equity.
Utah MTSS 3-Tier Critical Components Definitions
Universal (Tier 1) represents those supports provided to all students. Tier 1 practices should be implemented with fidelity prior to addressing practices for Tier 2 or 3. Targeted (Tier 2) represents additional supports provided to remediate or accelerate student success. Intensive (Tier 3) represents individually-responsive supports intended to further remediate or accelerate student success and do not necessarily equate to special education services. Individually-responsive supports are developed based on individual need but may be provided in a small group or individual format. Tier 2 and 3 supports are provided in addition to, not in place of, Tier 1 instruction.

Utah Multi-Tier System of Supports (UMTSS) staff and grant funds focus on building critical infrastructure and sustainable systems at the Local Education Agency (LEA) and school levels. UMTSS supports LEAs in building effective leadership and implementation teams capable of implementing and sustaining MTSS practices with fidelity.

Conferences

2021

July 28-29
2021 Virtual System Conference

2020

Utah Systems Conference: Cancelled

2018

June 18-19
Utah Systems Conference: Alignment, Collaboration and Equity Within a Tiered System of Supports
Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, Utah

June 20
State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) Post-Conference Meeting
Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, Utah

2017

June 21-22
Achieving Equity and Opportunity: Access to Quality Learning Through Tiered Supports

Online Training Courses

UMTSS Canvas Course Series

The UMTSS Canvas Course Series introduces the foundational concepts and tools to help guide Local Education Agencies (LEAs) level teams during the early stages of implementation. Course content includes best practices in supporting students within a multi-tiered framework, providing evidence-based professional learning, effective coaching, collecting and using data meaningfully, and implementing evidence-based practices within specific academic and behavioral content areas.

Getting Started

Enroll in courses by selecting the link below:

Once enrolled, courses are accessible with USBE Canvas.

Hints for Navigation

1. Click Previous or Next buttons at the bottom of each page to navigate through the course.

2. Avoid using the browser back button when submitting assignments and quizzes.

3. Enable pop-ups in the web browser to visit helpful hyperlinks within the course.

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utah multi-tiered system of supports (umtss)

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Utah Multi-Tiered System of Supports (UMTSS)

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Utah Multi-Tiered System of Supports (UMTSS)

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Bell Curve with Different Types of Scores (3)

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Bell Curve with Derived Measures and Visual 

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https://www.ceuonestop.com/attachments/File/Assessment/Guidelines_for_Selecting_Appropriate_Tests.pdf

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Glossary of Terms Used in Assessments (1)

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https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/rti-response-to-intervention/

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Feel free to skip this section if you're familiar with the definition of RTI.

If you aren't familiar or want a refresher, RTI focuses on early and continuous identification, assessment and assistance of students who have learning and behaviour needs.

Although the term is widely used across North America, other regions have similar approaches and standards under different names.

Regardless, the intervention process should be ingrained in each classroom management plan. That's because it starts with you delivering high-quality instruction and monitoring how each student processes it.

Those who perform poorly or display concerning classroom habits are candidates for small-group or individual interventions. These are typically aimed at addressing trouble spots and building underdeveloped prerequisite skills to accelerate learning.

Depending on the intensity of intervention, and your school's resources, special educators and dedicated interventionists may involve themselves. You may also have to inform a student's parents in extreme cases, offering updates about progress and the methods you're using.

There isn't a universal RTI process, but most schools and districts divide it into three stages. You can learn about these stages below, or skip to tier-based strategies.

The Three RTI Tiers

Tier 1: High-Quality Instruction and Proactive Assessment

Think of the first RTI tier as everyday teaching. It's consistently delivering differentiated and scientifically-based instruction. This helps ensure that student struggles aren't a result of improper teaching methods. If you don't already use them, some popular practices include:

In the context of RTI, high-quality instruction also involves providing supplemental learning opportunities based on assessment results.

Let's say you finish marking a math quiz, and notice several students struggle to multiply decimals. In class, give a task related to decimals and multiplication, discussing and modeling key steps and concepts with those students beforehand.

This is just one approach you can take.

Regardless, you shouldn't spend more than two months providing extra instruction to help a student enhance the same skillset. If he or she doesn't show measureable improvement, it may be time for the second RTI tier.

Tier 2: Targeted Intervention

Maintaining the first tier's style of classroom instruction, the next stage uses rigorous supplementary exercises and lessons targeted to a student's specific needs.

Normally, you would deliver these exercises and lessons in small-group settings outside of core class time. This allows students with common issues to work together, contextualizing and reinforcing concepts while building prerequisite skills.
You can objectively identify candidates for targeted intervention through:

Mid-Unit Evaluations: At the middle of each unit, deliver a surprise quiz or in-class task that covers all core skills and concepts you've covered thus far.

Formal Evaluations: After marking tests and assignments, it'll be clear who's struggling. Your school may have specific criteria, but targeted intervention candidates are typically students who receive failing grades or come close.

After class or during recess, work with students who need help. Focused on clarifying lingering issues or building underdeveloped skills, provide exercises that require they work together and individually.

For example, students could work as a team to solve interactive challenges on a math website. Then, they could each complete a worksheet that reinforces the skills they practiced on the website. You would support students by offering clarification and filling knowledge gaps.

Nuances aside, you should match targeted intervention to student needs by adjusting the:

The second stage intervention should take longer than the first. But if you can't see clear progress after a month or two, you may need to move the student into the third RTI tier.

Tier 3: Intensive Intervention and Evaluation

Working one-on-one with you or a dedicated interventionist, students in the final tier receive intensive lessons that target their unique trouble spots and knowledge gaps.

In the United States, 5% of children need this kind of help, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

Based on the student's learning style and needs, as well as underdeveloped skills, third-tier intervention sessions can include:

Talking with the child about his or her specific issues, discussing strategies to overcome them

Sharing positive and corrective feedback whenever possible

Providing diverse media to help process content

Revisiting lessons from past units or years

Setting achievement plans and goals

Modeling problem-solving steps

The educator who runs these sessions must record as much data as possible about the student's improvement or lack thereof. Are prerequisite skills starting to meet standards? Are there jumps in in-class performance?

If the student doesn't make marked progress, you -- depending on school or district policy -- may have to recommend him or her for a special education evaluation.

Teaching Strategies for Each RTI Tier

RTI probably seems like a daunting process.

It can be. But there are many ways you can help and empower students to succeed in each stage. Consider using some of these 15 intervention strategies, many of which are interchangeable between tiers:

Tier 1 Strategies

1. Watch for Impostor Syndrome

It's easy for a student to nod his or her head, then bury it in a book without asking questions to create an illusion of comprehension. That's why you have to watch for impostor syndrome.

Proactively looking for students who feign understanding, filling their knowledge gaps, can prevent disappointing surprises when marking tests or assignments. You can spot imposter syndrome by regularly:

Asking Students for Their Own Words -- Instead of repeating concepts verbatim, ask students to explain specific ideas using their own words. This will not only help them process content, but reveal how well they understand it.

Using Exit Tickets -- Save 10 minutes at the end of class, allowing students to write about what they learned. They'll prepare for tomorrow's lesson, whereas you'll see who's grasping content.

Adopting a proactive approach can set an example to follow, too. Students may pose more questions and not hesitate to ask for help, since they know you'll likely approach or call on them anyway. 2. Give Only Two Marks for Informal AssessmentsRecall a time you saw a big F in red ink on your work. You were likely upset, too demoralised to review mistakes and feedback.

So, on informal assessments throughout a unit, just state if a student did or did not meet expectations.

Then, provide struggling students with a clear path to improve. For example, pair classmates who didn't meet expectations with those who did, giving them a review and practice activity. When strugglers are confident they understand key concepts, encourage them to tell you. Provide a new assessment, allowing them to prove their competency.

This should partially prevent students from being unprepared for tests and assignments.

3. Have Private Mid-Unit Conversations

Like the last strategy, use this one to identify if and how students are struggling before formal evaluations.

At the middle of each unit, run a fun classwide activity that doesn't introduce key skills or concepts. This gives you a chance to pull each student away for a few minutes to:

Review results

Note trouble spots

Receive input about questions and problems

In doing so, each student can gauge his or her own understanding. Plus, it helps you determine if certain issues are isolated or widespread, informing how you'll deal with them.

4. Switch Between Solo, Small- and Large-Group Learning

Differentiated instruction is a hallmark of RTI's first tier. And an easy, yet effective, way to differentiate is by alternating between individual and group activities.

This is because diverse settings provide distinct learning scenarios.

For example, running literature circles in small groups encourages students to shape and inform each other's understandings of readings, helping auditory and participatory learners retain more information. On the other hand, solo reflection exercises may appeal to those who don't gain as much from discussion as independent thinking.

Plus, varying your lessons this way helps keep engagement levels high.

5. Assign Open-Ended Projects

Giving choices for projects is another differentiation strategy that fits into the first intervention tier.

Instead of assigning an inflexible project, provide a list of ideas. This allows students to choose one that lets them best demonstrate their knowledge. Be sure to include a rubric for each project, setting clear expectations.
By enticing and challenging students, this approach encourages them to:

Work and learn at their own paces

Process content in ways that appeal to them

Showcase their knowledge and skill mastery as effectively as possible

This strategy not only benefits students, but helps you see their unique work and learning styles.

Tier 2 Strategies

6. Set Measurable Goals

Setting clearly-defined objectives will define an explicit route to graduate from intervention.

Addressing a given student's challenges and trouble spots, objectives should take the form of learning and behaviour goals.

Learning goals focus on the student understanding concepts and developing skills. For example, "I, student's name, will complete 10 additional questions about fractions, as provided by my math teacher, each weeknight for the next two weeks."

Behaviour goals require the student to concentrate and work efficiently. For example, "I, student's name, will not interrupt any of my teachers while they're speaking. Instead, I will raise my hand to ask questions."

Notice how the goals are measureable? If the student interrupts a teacher even once or only completes nine questions each night, he or she doesn't meet them.

To reinforce the importance of these goals, review progress at each targeted intervention session.

7. Add a Twist to Mixed-Ability Groups

Grouping high performers with struggling classmates for in-class activities is common, but needs a twist as a second tier intervention strategy.

That's because underperforming students sometimes don't actively participate in these groups. Instead, they rely on group members.

Here's the twist: Run activities that require students to write down their thoughts or findings, but give each student a different colour pen.

You'll likely notice the struggling students don't write down as much. If this is the case, tell them they'll present their group's thoughts or findings to the class. This way, they must process the content to prepare.

Improved understanding of content, better presentation skills.

8. Use EdTech that Adjusts to Each Student

Some educational technologies use adaptive learning principles, detecting student trouble spots and helping them build skills to overcome them.

For example, Prodigy is a fun and engaging math game that adjusts content to help students address skill deficits and knowledge gaps. It also offers feedback to help them solve specific mistakes, as they answer questions that use words, charts, pictures and numbers. Currently used by over two million teachers, the game is aligned with curricula across Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and India.
Create and sign into your free teacher account now!
9. Model Everything and Use Role-Plays

To supplement explanations, demonstrating proper practices will give struggling students clear examples and reference points.

Let's say you're running a think-pair-share activity. To clarify, this involves students individually thinking about a problem, pairing together to discuss their answers and presenting their ideas to the class.
After giving instructions, you could act out a:

Partner conversation, reaching conclusions by asking each other questions

Brief presentation about answers, modeling what students should say about their ideas and problem-solving processes

This strategy helps intervention students participate to the best of their abilities, enjoying the activity itself.

10. Preach Four-Step Problem Solving

Teaching problem-solving skills in targeted interventions can give students the confidence to answer challenging problems, reaching comprehensive answers.

This is especially important for those who understand a topic's underlying concepts, but struggle to apply or articulate them.

One of the most popular resources is A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. The authors describe four steps you should encourage students to follow, which work for most subjects.
The steps are:

Understanding the Problem -- Students should rewrite it in their own words, noting helpful information it reveals and indicates a need for.

Devising a Plan -- Students should use information they gleaned to make notes, tables, diagrams, equations and anything else that creates a path to solving the problem.

Carrying out the Plan -- Students should follow this path, reviewing each step along the way and making changes as needed.

Looking Back -- Students should double-check each step after reaching their answers. Then, it's best to look at the "big picture." Does the solution make sense when applied to the original problem? Is there a different, logical way of reaching the same solution? If not, they should re-visit their approaches.

Armed with these steps, tough questions shouldn't look as daunting.

Tier 3 Strategies

11. Gamify a Personal Learning Plan

Motivating students in the final RTI tier is typically a challenge in of itself. Gamifying learning plans can engage and incentivize them, empowering them to move back in the middle tier.

Whether you're in charge of this intervention stage or not, you can still apply video game elements in your classroom for these and other students.
Consider gamification strategies such as:

Adjusting Your Scoring System -- Give traditional scores and experience points (XP) on tests and assignments, setting a goal for the student to reach a certain amount of XP per unit. For example, if a student scores 60% on a quiz, give him or her 6,000 XP. You can also award XP for completing extra assignments, participating in class or anything else that shows effort to learn.

Using Stages -- Call topics and units stages. These terms have clear connotations for you, but students may not see how they fit together. If they're gamers, they'll understand that reaching the next stage requires overcoming precursory challenges. Emphasize this by framing certain tasks as prerequisites to reach that next learning stage.

If these tips work especially well, you should see similar results by using them in the first two tiers.

12. Gather Data to Spot Trends

Use data at your disposal to pinpoint where and when a student's issues arose.

In doing so, you can tailor intensive instruction that addresses specific needs.

Let's say you determine that a student's performance didn't start to sink when he or she entered your classroom. Rather, it went downhill in the middle of last year's math class. It's now clear you must revisit that content, helping the student build skills taught in that class. You can then move onto this year's topics.

Depending on school or district resources, you may not be tasked with delving into this information. But if you are, look at resources that contain student performance across:

Past years

Previous units

Current classes

Different subjects

Invariably, an effective RTI approach is rooted in such data.

13. Consider Peer Teaching

Pairing struggling students with top-performers can yield benefits, according to peer teaching studies.

For example, "students generally identify more easily with peer helpers than with adult authority figures," according to an influential study. This means they may be more willing to ask questions and for feedback. What's more, an Ohio University pilot study determined that students who read and discuss story passages with peers recall more content and score higher on assessments.
Peer tutoring is a nuanced pedagogy in its own right, but easy-to-run activities include:

Think-pair-share exercises, which were discussed in the section about second-tier strategies

Peer editing exercises, which rely on tutors giving targeted feedback about a tutee's written work

Jigsaw exercises, which involve dividing an ambitious task into subtopics and having tutor-tutee pair research the same subtopic together

If you use this strategy, just be sure to teach tutors about giving help and feedback.

14. Reverse the Standard Peer Teaching Model

Peer teaching strategies typically see high-performing students tutor struggling classmates, but occasionally reversing the roles can have advantages.

When at-risk students help others in a controlled environment, research from the National Association of Secondary School Principals shows their confidence and communication abilities improve. This, in turn, can help them through the RTI process.

You and your students can reap these benefits through reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT). This involves partners taking turns as the tutor, and:

Guiding the tutee through the problem-solving process

Giving the tutee praise and feedback while working through exercises

Reviewing content together, asking each other questions and finding answers

If struggling students don't rise to their new responsibilities, just revert to traditional peer teaching.

15. Seek Help

You're not alone. Each school and district has a different makeup, but you shouldn't have to handle the intervention process yourself.
To ease the rigours of intensive instruction and evaluation, communicate with:

Fellow teachers for insight about the students you're helping

Consider how to incorporate student assessments into report card comments

Learning support specialists for tips and to share responsibilities

Administrators and your principal to provide updates and access data, especially if it seems a student needs special education services and parent involvement is required

The adage it takes a village to raise a child can easily apply to RTI. So, welcome help.

RTI Infographic

Created by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning-- an online resource for teaching tools and ideas -- below is an infographic based on this article:

Final Thoughts About RTI

These strategies support specific RTI stages, but you can also use many to reduce the need for intervention.

Remember, the first tier is rooted in consistently delivering differentiated and scientifically-based instruction.

By using aforementioned first-tier tactics -- as well as researching and incorporating similar ones -- you should prevent many intervention cases. And serious issues may come to light faster, as you identify students who aren't receptive to diverse, credible instruction practices.

So, continue to be proactive. That's a core RTI strategy across tiers.

Create or log into your teacher account on Prodigy - a fun and engaging adaptive math game used for lesson supplementation and response to intervention (RTI). It's used by more than two million teachers and 100 million students.

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The Teacher's Response to Intervention (RTI) Guide: Tiers, Strategies and More

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Feel free to skip this section if you're familiar with the definition of RTI. If you aren't familiar or want a refresher, RTI focuses on early and continuous identification, assessment and assistance of students who have learning and behaviour needs. Although the term is widely used across North America, other regions have similar approaches and standards under different names.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1zAjU2sVAU

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Solution Tree: Online Course - "Pyramid Response to Intervention"

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http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/research/progress-monitoring-within-a-rti-model

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Get Email Updates

Sign up to receive the RTI Action Network e-newsletter.

Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., & Barnes, M. A. (2007).

Additional Articles

Additional Resources

The purpose of this article is to discuss progress monitoring within a Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model and to assist the reader in making informed decisions when selecting and interpreting progress-monitoring measures. To that end, this article answers the following questions:

1. What is progress monitoring?

2. How does progress monitoring work in RTI?

3. What are the elements of effective progress-monitoring measures?

4. What are some common progress-monitoring measures?

5. What progress-monitoring measures were used in the RTI models in the research review of RTI field studies?

6. What can we conclude from the research and what directions look promising for future research?

What Is Progress Monitoring?

In the context of an RTI prevention model, progress monitoring is used to assess student progress or performance in those areas in which they were identified by universal screening as being at-risk for failure (e.g., reading, mathematics, social behavior). It is the method by which teachers or other school personnel determine if students are benefitting appropriately from the typical (e.g., grade level, locally determined, etc.) instructional program, identify students who are not making adequate progress, and help guide the construction of effective intervention programs for students who are not profiting from typical instruction (Fuchs & Stecker, 2003). Although progress monitoring is typically implemented to follow the performance of individual students who are at risk for learning difficulties, it can also follow an entire classroom of students (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006).

How Does Progress Monitoring Work in RTI?

As soon as a student is identified as at risk for achievement deficits by the universal screening measure, his or her progress should be monitored in relation to Tier 1 instruction (Fletcher, Lyon, Fuchs, & Barnes, 2007). Progress should be monitored frequently, at least monthly, but ideally weekly or biweekly (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). A student's progress is measured by comparing his or her expected rate of learning (e.g., local or national norms) and actual rate of learning (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Zumeta, 2008). A teacher can use these measurements to gauge the effectiveness of teaching and to adjust instructional techniques to meet the needs of the individual student. A student who is not responding adequately to Tier 1 instruction moves on to Tier 2 and increasingly intensive levels of intervention and instruction. The current recommended time period for measuring response to Tier 1 instruction is 8-10 weeks (McMaster & Wagner, 2007; Fuchs & Fuchs, 2005; Vaughn, Linan-Thompson, & Hickman, 2003) and nonresponsiveness is typically determined by a percentile cut on norm-referenced tests (e.g., < 20 th percentile) or cut score on a curriculum based measurement (CBM).

According to the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, progress monitoring has the following benefits when it is implemented correctly: 1) students learn more quickly because they are receiving more appropriate instruction; 2) teachers make more informed instructional decisions; 3) documentation of student progress is available for accountability purposes; 4) communication improves between families and professionals about student progress; 5) teachers have higher expectations for their students; and, in many cases, 6) there is a decrease in special education referrals. Overall, progress monitoring is relevant for classroom teachers, special educators, and school psychologists alike because the interpretation of this assessment data is vital when making decisions about the adequacy of student progress and formulating effective instructional programs (Fuchs, Compton, Fuchs et al., 2008).

Elements of Effective Progress-Monitoring Measures

To be effective, progress-monitoring measures must be available in alternate forms, comparable in difficulty and conceptualization, and representative of the performance desired at the end of the year (Fuchs, Compton, Fuchs et al., 2008). Measures that vary in difficulty and conceptualization over time could possibly produce inconsistent results that may be difficult to quantify and interpret. Likewise, using the same measure for each administration may produce a testing effect, wherein performance on a subsequent administration is influenced by student familiarity with the content.
By using measures that have alternate forms and are comparable in difficulty and conceptualization, a teacher can use slope (e.g., academic performance across time) to quantify rate of learning (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2008). Slope can also be used to measure a student's response to a specific instructional program, signaling a need for program adjustment when responsiveness is inadequate (Fuchs et al., 2008).

Effective progress-monitoring measures should also be short and easily administered by a classroom teacher, special education teacher, or school psychologist (Fuchs & Stecker, 2003). According to Fletcher et al. (2007), there is much research to support the use of short, fluency-based probes in deficit areas such as word reading fluency and accuracy, mathematics, and spelling. However, for areas such as reading comprehension and composition, there is less research support for specific kinds of probes because these domains demonstrate less rapid change and require methods for assessing progress over longer periods of time (Fletcher et al., 2007; McMaster & Wagner, 2007).

Common Progress-Monitoring Measures

Progress can be monitored by a variety of methods. From a norm-referenced standpoint, it is possible to use widely available assessments such as the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE; Torgesen et al., 1999) or the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Battery (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). With such tests, alternate forms are available to demonstrate student improvement over time, but usually there is at least three months between administrations (Fletcher et al., 2007). Other measures, such as the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS; Good, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 2001), have been reviewed by the National Center for Student Progress Monitoring and vary considerably in reliability, validity, and other key progress-monitoring standards.

CBM, one approach to progress monitoring, has the most well supported measures in the research base. According to Fuchs and Fuchs (2006),

More than 200 empirical studies published in peer-review journals (a) provide evidence of CBM's reliability and validity for assessing the development of competence in reading, spelling, and mathematics and (b) document CBM's capacity to help teachers improve student outcomes at the elementary grades (p. 1).

CBM is a form of classroom assessment that 1) describes academic competence in reading, spelling, and mathematics; 2) tracks academic development; and 3) improves student achievement (Fuchs & Stecker, 2003). It can be used to determine the effectiveness of the instruction for all students and to enhance educational programs for students who are struggling (McMaster & Wagner, 2007). Finally, findings of over 200 empirical studies indicate that CBM produces accurate, meaningful information about students' academic levels and growth, is sensitive to student improvement, and when teachers use CBM to inform their instructional decisions, students achieve better (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006).

Fuchs and Stecker (2003) warn that most classroom assessment is based on mastery of a series of short-term instructional objectives or "mastery measurement." To implement this type of assessment the teacher determines the educational sequence for the school year and designs criterion-referenced tests to match each step in that educational sequence. According to Fuchs and Stecker, problems with mastery measurement include: 1) the hierarchy of skills is logical, not empirical; 2) assessment does not reflect maintenance or generalization; 3) measurement methods are designed by teachers, with unknown reliability and validity; and 4) the measurement framework is highly associated with a set of instructional methods. CBM combats these problems by making no assumptions about instructional hierarchy for measurement, so it fits with any instructional approach and by incorporating automatic tests of retention and generalization. According to Fuchs and Fuchs (2006), CBM and mastery measurement have another significant difference:

CBM also differs from mastery measurement because it is standardized; that is, the progress monitoring procedures for creating tests, for administering and scoring those tests, and for summarizing and interpreting the resulting database are prescribed. By relying on standardized methods and by sampling the annual curriculum on every test, CBM produces a broad range of scores across individuals of the same age. The rank ordering of students on CBM corresponds with rank orderings on other important criteria of student competence. For example, students who score high (or low) on CBM are the same students who score high (or low) on the annual state tests. For these reasons, CBM demonstrates strong reliability and validity. At the same time, because each CBM test assesses the many skills embedded in the annual curriculum, CBM yields descriptions of students' strengths and weaknesses on each of the many skills contained in the curriculum. These skills profiles also demonstrate reliability and validity (p. 2).

The tasks measured by CBM include 1) pre-reading (phoneme segmentation fluency; letter sound fluency); 2) reading (word identification fluency; passage reading fluency; maze fluency); 3) mathematics (computation; concepts and applications); 4) spelling; and 5) written expression (correct word sequences).

Progress Monitoring in Field Studies

In our research review of RTI field studies, all but one mentioned progress monitoring. However, the specific progress-monitoring measures and frequency of use varied significantly between studies. Table 1 provides information (e.g., type of measure and frequency) on progress-monitoring measures used in each of the 11 studies found in our research review.

Table 1: Progress Monitoring in the Field Studies

Authors*Model Name**Progress Monitoring Mentioned? Type How Often?

O'Connor et al. (2005)
TRI

Yes

WRMT-R sub-tests; CBM Reading

Not reported

*Click author name to view field study
**Model name

SPMM - Standard-protocol mathematics model
SCRED - St. Croix River education district model
RBM - Idaho results-based model
BSM - Behavior support model
IST - Pennsylvania instructional support teams
MPSM - Minneapolis problem-solving model TRI - Tiers of reading intervention
FSDS - Illinois flexible service delivery system model
IBA - Ohio intervention-based assessment
STEEP - System to enhance educational performance
EGM - Exit group model

Conclusion and Directions for Future Research

Progress monitoring is paramount in determining if students are benefitting appropriately from the typical instructional program, identifying students who are not making adequate progress and guiding the construction of effective intervention programs for students who are not profiting from typical instruction. However, it is important to note that while CBM and other measures can be helpful tools for monitoring progress; there are some potential challenges to successful implementation. Teachers must be trained to use these assessments effectively, as well as to use the data to quantify rates of progress and, subsequently, adjust the educational program for struggling students (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Zumeta, 2008). Without that training, the usefulness of any progress monitoring-measure is greatly limited. It is crucial that schools and districts support data-driven approaches and make training available to all teachers.

References

Learning disabilities: From identification to intervention. New York: The Guilford Press.

Fuchs, D., Compton, D. L., Fuchs, L. S., & Bryant, J. (2008). Making "secondary intervention" work in a three-tier responsiveness-to-intervention model: Findings from the first-grade longitudinal reading study at the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 21, 413-436.

Fuchs, D., & Fuchs, L. S. (2005). Responsiveness-to-intervention: A blueprint for practitioners, policymakers, and parents. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38, 57-61.

Fuchs, D., & Fuchs, L. S. (2006). Introduction to responsiveness-to-intervention: What, why, and how valid is it? Reading Research Quarterly, 4, 93-99.

Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (2008). The role of assessment within the RTI framework. In D. Fuchs, L. S. Fuchs, & S. Vaughn (Eds.), Response to intervention: A framework for reading educators (pp. 27-49). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Fuchs, L. S., & Stecker, P. M. (2003). Scientifically based progress monitoring. National Center on Student Progress Monitoring: Washington, DC. Retrieved May 15, 2009.

Good, R. H., Simmons, D. C., & Kame'enui, E.J. (2001). The importance and decision-making utility of a continuum of fluency-based indicators of foundational reading skills for third-grade high-stakes outcomes. S cientific Studies of Reading, 5, 257-288.

McMaster, K. L., & Wagner, D. (2007). Monitoring response to general education instruction. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (Eds.). Handbook of response to intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention (pp. 223-233). New York: Springer.

Torgesen, J. K., Alexander, A. W., Wagner, R. K., Rashotte, C. A., Voeller, K., & Conway, T. (2001). Intensive remedial instruction for children with severe reading disabilities: Immediate and long-term outcomes from two instructional approaches. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 33-58.

Torgesen, J. K., Wagner, R. K., Rashotte, C. A., Rose, E., Lindamood, P., & Conway, T. (1999). Preventing reading failure in young children with phonological processing disabilities: Group and individual responses to instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 579-593.

Vaughn, S., Linan-Thompson, S., & Hickman, P. (2003). Response to instruction as a means of identifying students with reading/learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 69, 391-409.

Woodcock, R. W., McGrew, K. S., & Mather, N. (2001). Woodcock-Johnson III. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.
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Progress Monitoring Within a Response-to-Intervention Model

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Progress monitoring is implemented in RTI to follow the performance of students who are at risk for learning difficulties.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLTJw0GSxk

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National Center on Universal Design for Learning

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7 Things That Educators Should Know About Assessment and Evaluation

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7 Things That Educators Should Know About Assessment and Evaluation

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https://www.theedadvocate.org/7-things-educators-know-assessment-evaluation/

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Assessment refers to judging a student’s rate of academic achievement by analyzing the available evidence, such as quizzes, tests or written tasks. Assessments take different forms, and each one of them is created for a particular reason. Teachers’ practice formative assessment by observing their student’s progress in class and checking for understanding, and summative assessment by testing students at the end of a lesson or unit to see whether they mastered the materials or skills that were taught. Regardless of the form, effective assessments provide the feedback and motivation that students need to excel. In this article, we will discuss all of the things that educators should know about assessment and evaluation.

What does assessment look like during a typical lesson? Teachers assume different roles during a lesson; these will vary according to the focus of the lesson, the activity, the ages of the students, and the size of the class. Instructors can act as planners, when programming the aim of the lesson; as informers, when giving feedback or explaining a topic; or as monitors, when checking whether students are keeping up. When learners are engaged in an activity, teachers become monitors, checking for understanding and learning. After the lesson, teachers also assess how successful the plan was or which students had problems.

What is data-driven assessment? A major part of a teacher’s time is devoted to planning and preparing lessons. As a result, the creation of effective assessment processes is often neglected or overlooked. It is crucial to take into account that assessments carry the same weight as planning; in fact, they become an essential part of building any learning program. Teachers can use the information and scores from formative and summative assessments to plan effective lessons that ensure that all students are learning at an optimal level. This approach is known as data-driven instruction.

When should you use assessments? Assessments should can be done at the beginning of, during, and at the end of instruction. When done at the beginning of instruction, teachers can use assessments to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the group, and address them appropriately. When practiced during instruction, teachers can check for student understanding and progress. When done at the end of instruction, assessment is highly effective as a measuring tool, as it assists teachers in the process of self-reflection: teachers get to revise different aspects of their own practice and reflect on the effectiveness of the lesson or unit. Also, they learn whether or not students mastered the objectives that were taught. The primary goal of assessment is to better understand the learning process of our students so that we may better educate them.

What purposes do assessments serve? The main purpose of assessments is to gather relevant information about student progress, or to determine student interests. Standardized assessments can indicate a student’s level of performance, in order, for example, to know which level of a language class he or she should enter. Progress monitoring can show how well students are learning. Diagnostic tests are useful in pinpointing areas where a student may have trouble learning. Evaluation tests allow a teacher to measure student achievement following a period of input.

What types of assessment exist? Standardized assessments are highly consistent. They are taken by a large quantity of learners under the same conditions. The No Child Left Behind Act has dramatically increased standardized assessments, but has come under fire for stifling creativity and fostering an environment that focuses on testing. High-stakes tests have a defined outcome: for example, a passing mark allows a student to graduate from a school. The tests have demonstrated issues with unreliability, and increase teacher stress.

Alternatives to high-stakes tests focus on “authentic assessments,” looking at how children respond to real-world scenarios. Benjamin Bloom’s notion of higher order thinking skills — analysis, synthesis, and evaluation — may be useful in creating functional assessments.

All teachers will be involved in classroom assessments. A system such as letter grades or rubrics will be employed. Formative assessment includes observing, questioning, and checking for understanding while presenting material. Summative assessment, on the other hand, takes place after the material has been presented, and evaluates how well students have learned the material. Options for testing include alternate choice, multiple choice, matching, completion tests, essays, and critical-thinking tests such as oral reports. Teachers should be aware of the variety of testing methods at their disposal, and should be creative in employing these.

How does grading work? Grades should represent the extent to which the learner has met the defined standard. They should provide feedback, help students evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and communicate student achievement to others. You need to be aware of grading structures and policies, and know when to use “norm-referenced” and “criterion-referenced” grading models. You will also need to decide how factors such as effort and motivation are included in grading. Ideally, learning goals will be defined in advance, so that grades reflect the levels of achievement that were decided upon at the beginning of the year.

How can teachers provide quality feedback to students? We make a distinction between two types of assessment: performance feedback and corrective feedback. Performance feedback is concerned with the information that students receive after completing an assignment; correction feedback usually occurs during the process of completing the assignment. It is important to find a balance between praise and corrective feedback. Different students may require different levels of praise or correction. Feedback should be explicit and focused, and encourage the student to find and correct the mistake him or herself.

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7 Things That Educators Should Know About Assessment and Evaluation

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Spread the loveAssessment refers to judging a student's rate of academic achievement by analyzing the available evidence, such as quizzes, tests or written tasks. Assessments take different forms, and each one of them is created for a particular reason.

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Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses (1)

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Glossary of Terms Used in Assessments (1) (1)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWP-rUe1xy0

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https://utahparentcenter.org/behavior-lrbi/

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The Utah State Board of Education has developed a manual with ideas for schools to use to manage behavior. This manual is called the LRBI (Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions) Technical Assistance Manual and can be easily accessed on the USBE website by clicking here. The primary purpose of this manual is to provide guidance and information in creating successful behavioral systems and supports within Utah's public schools for students in preschool through high school.

Most of the laws, rules, and policies apply to all students and are explained first in each section. Those that apply only to some students, usually those with identified disabilities, are addressed in the next section.

This document is a recommended practices technical assistance and a description of required state and federal educational policies/rules for behavior-related services consistent with the IDEA - Public Law 108-446, Utah Code Annotated (UCA), and Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Rules.

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The Utah State Board of Education has developed a manual with ideas for schools to use to manage behavior. This manual is called the LRBI (Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions) Technical Assistance Manual and can be easily accessed on the USBE website by clicking here.

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https://www.pbis.org/

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The home of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). FInd more information on PBIS, how to implement PBIS, get resources and materials, and how to get support. Funded by the U.S.

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https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/BIP_FactSheet_686359_7.pdf