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Lewiston School District (2021)

The district shortened days for EL learners

Supreme court ruled that the school must give these students equal participation

required school to provide staff for students to achieve learning at their level

https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-cases#origin

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Standard 3.4. The educator shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation (Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.3D).

Educationally Inclusive

Students equal rights

Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.3D. Educators Code of Ethics. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ch247.pdf

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Texas House Bill 4545

The school district will set up an accelerated Learning Committee

Required 30 hours of tutoring with students that did not pass the STAAR test

Throughout the year student progress is monitored

H.B. 4545, 87th legislature. (2021). Texas Constitution and Statutes - Home

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ASCD published an article about finding the right reasons for implementing RtI and having it be efficient. The article starts with a few misconceptions about educators response to intervention. "Far too many schools find the cultural beliefs and essential practices of RtI such a radical departure from how schools have functioned for the past century that they are uncomfortable and unwilling to commit to the level of change necessary to succeed" (Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. 2010). The authors ask a few wrong questions that district may have when starting the RtI process, and explain why those are the wrong way to think. An example is how to improve test scores. This way of thinking only "teaches" students, but does not promote actual learning of the standards needed. Next the right mindset is presented and discusses why RtI is important. Defining the fundamental purpose of the school is a suggested start for districts. finding the right "why" is key to having RtI work with efficacy.

Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2010, Oct. 1) The why behind RtI. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-why-behind-rti

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Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2010, Oct. 1) The why behind RtI. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-why-behind-rti

Crockett County Consolidated Common School District, n.d. https://www.ozonaschools.net/

H.B. 4545, 87th legislature. (2021). Texas Constitution and Statutes - Home

Schutz Vincelli, C. M. (2021, Apr. 20) Students are slipping through the cracks of special education. Schools must do better. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-04-20-students-are-slipping-through-the-cracks-of-special-education-schools-must-do-better

Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.3D. Educators Code of Ethics. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ch247.pdf

Tex. Const. art. 1 § 3a. Bill of Rights. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/

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Recommendations / Best Practices: Slide 13

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Recommendations / Best Practices: Slide 13

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Small group instruction

Flexible and fluid learning groups

Tiered learning levels

Continual progress monitoring

Teacher mindset shift to foster student mindset shift

Educators/Administrators must continue to grow in RtI understandings

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As an educator it is my number one goal to make sure students are learning at the best of their abilities. To do that, I must know how the student learns and what level the student is on currently. With the evolving awareness of learning loss from the pandemic, RtI will become even more important and principals must be constantly aware of staff needs in the area of properly preparing three tiers of instruction.

RtI is very important and I feel the laws regarding student equity are just as important. Educators need to be held accountable for making sure each and every student is in a conducive learning environment. This has truly defined how I want students to learn within my classroom or campus, standards they need at a level appropriate for him or her.

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Standard 3.4. The educator shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation (Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.3D).

All students deserve the best learning experience, and so exclusion from an RtI program would be discriminatory. Especially after the pandemic and the different family status' ability to help with learning, every student that is in need of tiered learning, should have access.

Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.3D. Educators Code of Ethics. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ch247.pdf

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Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule: Slide 10

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Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule: Slide 10

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There is no written local  policy or rule when is comes to RtI in the district. The handbook states:

In an effort to promote nondiscrimination and as required by law, Crockett County Consolidated Common School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability in providing education services, activities, and programs, including Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Crockett County Consolidated Common School District, n.d).

This broad statement covers the school legally by following federal laws. This part of the handbook can be interpreted to include RtI as a learning program students cannot be excluded from.

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Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin (Tex. Const. art. 1 § 3a).

Students have equal rights to learn

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/

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Students are Slipping through the cracks of special education. Schools must do better.
EdSurge published an article by Christie M. Schutz Vincelli in April of 2021 about how many students are being looked over, or falling through the cracks, because our systems are failing them. The article describes a situation where a boy, Jason, has made it through to high school, yet still could not read. During the 1970's and 80's psychologists "sought to develop a new framework to stop over-identifying students as disabled" (Schutz Vinceli, C. M. 2021). They found groups of students just needed extra instruction to succeed, not the label of special education. This led to what we call RtI today. The article focuses on finding a uniformed approach to implementing and improving RtI assessment systems with districts.

Schutz Vincelli, C. M. (2021, Apr. 20) Students are slipping through the cracks of special education. Schools must do better. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-04-20-students-are-slipping-through-the-cracks-of-special-education-schools-must-do-better

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Building Efficacy to Strengthen Your Multi-tiered System of Supports.
This webinar is provided through EducationWeek. It is a free resource that can help educators improve their response to intervention with four approaches: the whole child approach, targeting social-emotional needs to improve academic achievements, build teacher efficacy, and understanding the data. The speaker is Tennille Williams, who is the curriculum coordinator at Dover City schools in Ohio.

https://www.edweek.org/events/webinar/building-efficacy-to-strengthen-your-multi-tiered-system-of-supports

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Tamara McWilliams is the assistant superintendent for CCCCSD. She has been with the district for 30 years working her way up from starting as a teacher. She is very passionate about RtI and helping each teacher with struggles they may have. While discussing RtI with Mrs. McWilliams, three main focuses were evident: the importance, the best practices, and the arising issues.
Importance: Principals are the guiding presence for teaching when RtI is concerned. They must understand the data from progress monitoring, or however their data is collected, and know how to help teachers implement tiered instruction. Systems must be in place to insure both teacher and principal are constantly reevaluating the growth of each student. The principal must e the instructional leader to make sure the discussion in PD meetings are carried out in tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 instructions by all staff.
Best Practices:
Small group instruction- each student receives instruction with a small group of students that are on the same learning level.
Flexible and Fluid grouping - Students need to be able to move fluidly through their learning groups to insure continued growth in each topic.
Tiered Instruction - This allows students to work with a skill at a level appropriate for him or her.
Arising Issues: The biggest issue in the rural district is the amount of teachers who are not effective at implementing RtI because they are new, alt-cert, or just do not know how. The principal has to spend time teaching those teachers how to analyze the data and plan for tiered instruction. This takes a lot of time, and so specific times must be set aside for this. Continued monitoring must also happen to insure the teacher is still implementing the new strategies.

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Response to intervention is an everyday topic for most teachers and principals. Efficient RtI time can truly push a students understanding in any subject. As a campus principal I will be utilizing RtI to achieve student growth with the help of every teacher. This Legal guide will help other principals, teachers, and other administrators understand the importance and legal aspects of each campus staff member's response to intervention.