READING FLUENTLY IN K-6

A RESPONSE TO INSTRUCTION AND INTERVENTION PLAN

FOCUS

GRADE LEVELS: KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SIXTH GRADE

SUBJECT AREA: READING, SPECIFICALLY FLUENCY

The focus of this Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) program is reading fluency in Kindergarten
through sixth grade. While RtII is an approach for a variety of academic and behavioral areas, this plan is
solely focused on improving reading fluency. Reading fluently means accurate and automatic reading with
attention to syntax and semantics (Rasinski, 2004). All of that must be in place for a student to understand
what they have read. School personnel must be equipped with the tools needed to provide appropriate,
targeted reading instruction to meet the vast needs of the students. This is done by meeting the needs of all
students, and not allowing the academically at-risk students to fall through the cracks. RtII is a schools
toolbox to identify and intervene early in a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach based on academic
standards (PA Dept. of Ed., 2009). The tiers within which the students are identified are detailed below.

Tier I Core These students are making expected grade-level progress.

Tier II Strategic These students are at-risk for academic failure and are not making expected
progress with the core curriculum alone.
Tier III Intensive These students are significantly below the expected level of academic progress.

TEAM

In order for an RtII program to fulfill its full

Classroom
potential, a team of dedicated, trained Teachers
education professionals must be organized.
A team as such cannot meet the vast and
evolving needs of their student body
without full participation and best efforts. Admin-
After all, is this not what we expect of our istrators
students? The Reading RtII Team should be
comprised of administrators, classroom
teachers, and interventionists as depicted in Interventionists
the graphic on the right. A more specific
list, including descriptions of each members
role, is detailed on the next page.
TEAM CONT INUED

Administrators Principals, Director of Support Services, etc.

An administrator
examines the Tier I, II, and III instruction, and insures it is standards-based and goal-
oriented, meeting the needs of most students.
performs periodic and data-driven fidelity checks on interventions.
guides discussions/reports at RtII meetings.
OKs controversial, unexpected changes in the process, especially those having to do
with parent requests.
keeps the expectation level high and sets reachable goals.
examines data and makes a plan for the future.
provides support to his or her staff, especially positive reinforcement, and keeps morale
high.
leads the effort in developing the support staff schedule to meet the needs of all
students, and approves the schedule upon completion.
makes changes to the support staff schedule as the need evolves, informing staff of all
changes in advance of implementation.
communicates frequently with the entirety of his or her staff.

Classroom Grade-level Teachers (ALL SUBJECTS!) and Special

Teachers Education Teachers (Learning Support, etc.)

Grade-level teachers provide the core instruction that is appropriate for all Tier I and II students.
Grades K-3 also are involved with progress monitoring, data recording and analyzing, and providing
interventions to their grade-level students.
They have intervention lessons prepared for each small group meeting time.
They "spot check" those students that have "tested out" of Tier II.
Reading Teachers analyze data and group Tier II students based upon determined needs.
Reading Teachers keep parents informed of their child's progress at universal screening and progress
monitoring times.
All subjects require some level of reading fluency, so all subject area teachers are involved.
Special Education teachers universally screen, progress monitor, analyze data, and provide interventions
to their Tier III students.
Be prepared to teach intervention lessons with appropriate accommodations for each intervention.
All teachers attend montly RtII meetings to discuss student progress and the RtII process, provide
insight.
All teachers attend yearly RtII professional development trainings.
All teachers use best practices/research based instructional approaches when providing interventions.
TEAM CONT

Literacy Coordinator, Reading Specialists, Classroom

Interventionists
Assistants, Paraprofessionals, AmeriCorps Members, etc.

The Literacy Coordinator

manages the RtII record of data and informs any personnel of mistakes or
missing pieces.
is in charge of developing and holding professional development trainings.
travels to all elementary schools to address any RtII-related issues.
recommends a change of intervention if a Reading Specialist is unable.
The Reading Specialist
serves as a resource on universal screening, progress monitoring,
interventions, and student progress.
determines the appropriate changes in intervention for students.
takes part in the team effort to universally screen, progress monitor, and
provide interventions to students.
has intervention lesson prepared for each small group meeting time.
records and analyzes collected data as determined by the Literacy
Coordinator.
supports classroom teachers as they make decisions about a change in
itnervention and/or formation of small groups..
attends professional development opportunities.
leads RtII meetings and provides insight on student progress and the RtII
process.
Classroom Assistants, Paraprofessionals, AmeriCorps Members, etc.
takes part in the team effort to universally screen, progress monitor, and
provide interventions to students.
has intervention lesson prepared each small group meeting time.
records data collected as determined by the Literacy Coordinator
discusses necessary changes in interventions with reading specialists.
attends professional development opportunities.
attends RtII meetings and provides insight on student progress and the RtII
process.
All interventionists use best practices/research based instructional approaches when
providing interventions.
UNIVERSAL SCREENING AND PLACEMENT

All students will be universally screened using the appropriate grade-level diagnostics. Students may not be exempt
from universal screening unless an administrator or parent/guardian has made such a request. Universal screeners are
administered three times a year: September (beginning of the year), December (middle of the year), and May (end of
the year). Depending on the time of the year, skills assessed may change and benchmark goals will increase. Universal
screening and placement procedures are outlined below.

DYNAMIC INDICATORS OF BASIC EARLY LITERACY SKILLS (DIBELS) NEXT

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

KEY: PSF = Phoneme Segmentation Fluency; NWF = *Nonsense Word Fluency; ORF = #Oral Reading Fluency
*CLS = Correct Letter Sounds; WWR = Whole Words Read; X = not assessed
#(1st No.=Words Correct/2nd No.=Accuracy) R=Retell---(Quality words in retell/quality of response [score: 1-4])
BOY = Beginning of Year; MOY = Middle of Year; EOY = End of Year; ALL = All three times

GRADE SKILLS GOAL FOR TIER I DAZE = 3 M I N.

C O M P RE H E N S I O N A S S E SS M E N T
ASSESSED
K PSF (MOY, EOY) PSF (20, 40) NOT ASSESSED
NWF (MOY, EOY) NWF (CLS 17/WWR X, CLS 28/WWR X)
1 PSF (BOY) PSF (40) NOT ASSESSED
NWF (ALL) NWF (CLS 27/WWR 1, 43/8, 58/13)
ORF (MOY, EOY) ORF (23/78%, 47/90%)
R (EOY) R (15/X)
2 NWF (BOY) NWF (CLS 54/WWR 13) BOY EOY
ORF (ALL) ORF (52/90%, 72/96%, 87/97%) (8, 11, 19)
R (ALL) R (16/X, 21/2, 27/2)
3 ORF (ALL) ORF (70/95%, 86/96%, 100/97%) BOY EOY
R (ALL) R (20/2, 26/2, 30/3) (15, 17, 24)
4 ORF (ALL) ORF (90/96%, 103/97%, 115/98%) BOY EOY
R (ALL) R (27/2, 30/2, 33/3) (15, 17, 24)
5 ORF (ALL) ORF (111/98%, 120/98%, 130/99%) BOY EOY
R (ALL) R (33/2, 36/3, 36/3) (18, 20, 24)
6 ORF (ALL) ORF (107/97%, 109/97%, 120/98%) BOY EOY
R (ALL) R (27/2, 29/2, 32/3) (18, 19, 21)
EACH SKILL ABOVE IS TIMED FOR ONE MINUTE. ORF IS ADMINSTERED THREE TIMES PER STUDENT
AND THE MEDIAN SCORE IS RECORDED. DATA IS RECORDED ON THE BENCHMARK BOOKLET AND
ON THE DIBELS ONLINE DATABASE.

IF A STUDENT DOES NOT MEET THE BENCHMARK GOAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THEIR GRADE-LEVEL
AND THE TIME OF THE YEAR, THEY WILL BE PLACED IN TIER II, FURTHER DIAGNOSTICS WILL BE
ADMINSTERED (SEE BELOW), AND THE STUDENT WILL RECEIVE SMALL GROUP INTERVENTIONS
BASED ON THE SPECIFIC SKILL DEFICIT.

TIER III STUDENTS ARE IN A LEARNING SUPPORT CLASSROOM AND WILL BE GIVEN THESE
ASSESSMENTS FOR PROGRESS MONITORING IN THE INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP)
PURPOSES ONLY.
CORE PHONICS SURVEY

The CORE (Consortium on Reading Excellence) Phonics Survey is administered to all students not meeting benchmark
goals on the DIBELS screener. It determines the specific skill that is a struggle for a student and covers an array of
phonemic through phonics skills that students must master in a hierarchy.

See below for the skills assessed and procedure notes.

K-Grade 1 NOT ASSESSED

Grade 2-3 Start with short vowels in CVC words. If the student reads enough words correctly (indicated on record
sheet), go on to the next skill down. Continue until the student does not meet the required number of
words read correctly. That skill indicates the deficit area and aids in the small group formation process.
If a student passes through all skills, he or she will be placed in a fluency skill group.
Grade 4-6 Start with multisyllabic words. If the student reads enough words correctly (indicated on record sheet),
stop. That student will be placed in a fluency skill group. If the student does not meet the required
number of correctly read words, move up one skill, and try those. Continue to do so until he or she does
not meet the required correct number of words read. The skill directly below is the first skill that should
be remediated through an intervention. This will aid in the small group formation process.
You can find the CORE Phonics Survey here:
http://academics.tulsaschools.org/Portals/Tulsa/Curriculum/docs/Balanced%20Literacy/CORE%20PHONICS%20SURV
EY.pdf

OTHER INVENTORIES

SAN DIEGO QUICK ASSESSMENT

This assessment assists in determining correct grade-level placement for progress monitoring purposes. It assesses a
students decoding ability with lists of Pre-Primer to Grade 11. The assessor will start Errors recorded will indicate with
which word level a student identifies as frustration level with reading words, as well as their instructional and
independent level. The first word list that a student reaches instructional or independent level (2 or less mistakes)
indicates the students reading level.

Copy of San Diego Quick: http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/dwalker/Documents/San%20Diego%20Quick%20Assessment.pdf

PRIMARY AND ELEMENTARY SPELLING INVENTORIES

This assessment can be used to identify a skill deficit in students passing through the CORE Phonics Survey, but still
struggling on fluency. Students spell words increasing in difficulty and covering phonemic/phonics skills. The Primary
Spelling Inventory (PSI) can be used for Kindergarten through third grade, and the Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESI)
can be used for grades one through six.

Copy of PSI: http://readingandwritingproject.com/public/resources/assessments/spelling/spelling_primary.pdf

Copy of ESI: http://readingandwritingproject.com/public/resources/assessments/spelling/spelling_elementary.pdf

INTERVENTIONS: STRUCTURE

Interventions must occur each instructional day for all Tier II and Tier III students in K-3 and no less than three days per
week for 4-6. The only exception is if an administrator permits otherwise due to a special circumstance. It is important
for students to have daily instruction and interventions for progress to occur. Required length of an intervention
session per grade level is indicated in the chart below.

K and Grade 1 30 minute sessions every instructional day

Grade 2-3 40 minute sessions every instructional day
Grade 4-6 40 minute sessions no less than three times per week
All Tier III Length TBD by teacher/administrator, every instructional day

Interventions should occur for two instructional weeks (about ten days) before progress is monitored. A schedule will
be created for progress monitoring on a monthly basis in order to take into account holidays, snow days, etc. Student
and/or uncovered interventionist absences do not count toward the ten days required, but should be noted when
recording data and during RtII meetings.

INTERVENTIONS: INSTRUCTION

SMALL GROUPS

Small groups can be as small as one student but must not be larger than six students. The only two exceptions: (1) a
fluency skill group may be up to eight students due to the tendency for more identified students in this skill area and (2)
an administrator may give permission for a group to be larger than six.

The interventionist should designate a quiet location to teach the intervention lesson and have students meet there
every session. Setting expectations high for student behavior and active participation is a must. Time is limited and
precious, so students should be expected to get to the area for their lesson promptly and reduce interruptions.

INTERVENTION PROGRAMS/MATERIALS

INTENSIVE INTERVENTION KIT INTERVENTION STATION PHONEMIC AWARENESS // PHONICS

The Intensive Intervention Kit is a research-based intervention with two main levels: Primary (K-3) and Intermediate (4-
6). It is published by Harcourt School Publishers and is part of the StoryTown reading series. The instructional focus of
this kit is phonics skills, but a fluency component must always be added to the end of each lesson (not always included).
Each lesson includes a complete plan to be followed: Look Back (review), Teach/Model, Practice/Apply, and Check
Progress. Many of the lessons either direct the interventionist to include a decodable book or complete a practice
master sheet. Some do not include either, so it is important to include a fluency piece from outside of the plan for
fluency practice.

WEST VIRGINIA PHONICS LESSONS

The West Virginia Phonics Lessons are broken down by skill. They are most appropriate for grades 3 and 4, but may be
used in other grade-levels in certain cases. Each lesson is research-based and is based on direct, explicit instruction in
various phonics skills. A fluency passage is provided for each lesson, as well as word lists, both based on the focus skill.
LANGUAGE TOOL KIT
This intervention is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach of multisensory, direct, systematic, and sequential
instruction. A variety of reading phonics skills are included in the kit, as well as explicit spelling skills. The kits main
component, the phoneme cards, are used to build real and nonsense words for decoding. There is no fluency
component as part of the kit, but one should be included toward the end of the lesson.

REWARDS
In this intervention, decoding and fluency instruction are the main focus, especially with multisyllabic words. Therefore,
this intervention is appropriate for those students ready to receive targeted instruction in multisyllabic words, having
mastered previously assessed skills on the CORE Phonics Survey. Multisyllabic words are broken down into meaningful
chunks. As always, text must be included at the end for fluency practice.

READ LIVE
This online intervention allows a student to be in charge of their fluency and comprehension progress. The program, by
Read Naturally, allows for targeted and appropriate fluency practice. The reading level can be adjusted by the
interventionist based on progress, and the student is able to select passages that interest them. Each passage involves
one-minute timed readings, administered by the interventionist as a cold (first time) read and hot (repeated, practiced)
read, as well as computer-paced read-alongs. Vocabulary is examined and assessed. With modeling and read-alouds,
the student has the opportunity to work toward their goal, which is assessed by the interventionist at the time of a hot
read. Accuracy is also a component of a hot read. Scores are measured with goals marked in a student-friendly bar
graph, so the students can actually self-monitor their progress along with the interventionist. Comprehension is
assessed through questions and a timed retell. All of the components must be approved by the interventionist as
successful before a student may move on to another story.

PROGRESS MONITORING STRUCTURE

Progress monitoring is completed using the DIBELS Next Progress Monitoring manuals and booklets. All Tier II
students will be progress monitored by their interventionist (or classroom teacher if they are serving as the
interventionist). All Tier III students will be progress monitored by the learning support teachers.

Schedule // Progress monitoring will occur after no less than seven and no more than twelve days. Ten is the preferred
number of days of instruction and intervention before progress is monitored. A schedule will be created for progress
monitoring on a monthly basis in order to take into account holidays, snow days, etc. Student and/or uncovered
interventionist absences do not count toward the ten days recommended, but should be noted when recording data
and during RtII meetings.

Identification Procedures // If a student meets the benchmark goal for all the requirements of a given skill, that
student should read a new page in the booklet. If the student does not meet the benchmark goal, stop testing. If the
student meets their benchmark goal for three consecutive reads, they officially test-out of Tier II and return to Tier I
(core instruction in the classroom, only receiving interventions by teacher discretion). That student testing out will
still be spot-checked (or progress monitored two times as per the schedule to assess how their skill has maintained
after the intervention time has ended). A Tier I student may test in to Tier II if they are not meeting their goals on
spot-check or future benchmark assessments. Likewise, a Tier II student may test in to Tier III if they are a student
identified as receiving special education services in reading or are not responding to several attempts at Tier II
interventions. Tier III students may also test out if a reading specialist and an administrator are both in agreement
that the student will succeed in the core curriculum alone and they have met the benchmark goal for three consecutive
reads. If a student receives special education services, this option will solely be up to the Individualized Education
Program (IEP) team and related requirements.
Parent Communication and Involvement // Frequent parent communication is a crucial part of the RtII process.
Parents will be notified of their childs progress every other time a student is progress monitored and/or if there is a
change in intervention or tier placement. This is to be completed on a report form that can be sent home to the parents
with each score clearly marked and explained, whether aim lines are being met, and the next step for the student in the
RtII process. Additionally, parents should be encouraged by all RtII team members to read to and/or with their child at
home whenever possible. The recommendation is for a parent to listen to their child read at least five minutes each day.
This reminder will be included on the progress reports sent home.

Data Record and Change of Intervention // Data is placed on an electronic, virtually-shared RtII Data Chart. The data
chart must be kept up to date, and data must be entered promptly. This is for collaborative purposes among the RtII
team, especially during RtII meetings. One data point on the chart should be an indication of whether or not a students
aim line (individualized goal) has been met. After three times of monitoring progress where a student has not met their
aim line, there must be a change in the intervention used.

RESOURCES

Dawson, Oatanisha Renee, "Elementary Principals' Leadership Practices Towards Response to Intervention (RTI)
Implementation:Perceptions of Teachers in Southeastern Georgia" (2013). Electronic Theses & Dissertations.
Paper 862.

Rasinski, T. (2004). Creating fluent readers. Educational Leadership, 61(6). 46-51. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar04/vol61/num06/Creating-Fluent-Readers.aspx.

PA. Dept. of Ed. (2009). Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII): An introduction. Bureau of Teaching and
Learning. Retrieved from http://www.wiu.k12.pa.us/cms/lib6/PA14000132/Centricity/Domain/12/RtIIAnIntro.pdf.

---

Harcourt StoryTown with the Intensive Intervention Kits: https://www.learningthings.com/c-2727-storytown-

intervention-station-primary.aspx

Rewards Program: http://www.voyagersopris.com/curriculum/subject/literacy/rewards/overview

Orton-Gillingham: https://www.orton-gillingham.com/about-us/

DIBELS: https://dibels.uoregon.edu/

CORE: http://www.corelearn.com/

West Virginia Phonics: http://tools4reading.com/web/tools-4-teachers/west-virginia-phonics-lessons/

Language Tool Kit: http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/products/literacy/learning-differences/language-tool-kits/about-

the-program

Read Live/Read Naturally: http://www.readnaturally.com/

Developed by Paul Markle 2015

Interview Summary

I interviewed three education professionals. The professionals had various levels of experience under their belt. The
first professional was previously a Special Education teacher and a Guidance Counselor. She is currently retired and
serves her district as a substitute teacher. The second professional is a Reading Specialist. Last, the third professional
is currently a Literacy Coordinator, but formerly was an elementary school teacher. All are veteran teachers from
different schools.

It seems like members of any of the schools RTI teams are pretty much consistent: teachers, special educators,
paraprofessionals (classroom assistants, AmeriCorps members, etc. Sometimes Kindergarten is included in the RTI
plan, and sometimes it is not. All of the schools I inquired about focused their RTI muscles on Reading. None included
math or the sciences. I was curious about this because my school district only focuses on reading, and I had wondered if
this was a common theme. In one of the schools, the interventions are taught quite differently than in the others;
general education teachers and paraprofessionals teach small group interventions for those students in Tier II, but Title
I teachers focus on Tier III students. In the other schools, teachers and reading specialists (formerly Title I teachers)
teach small groups along with the classroom assistants and AmeriCorps members, but the special education teachers
provide interventions to their students in Tier III, and one reading specialist teaches a Tier III intervention to those not
responding to several Tier II interventions. One school uses state-level Classroom Diagnostic Tests (CDTs) and
Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) tests, while the others use DIBELS as a screener. All schools additionally use the
Consortium on Reading Excellence (CORE) diagnostics. Many of the intervention programs I discussed in my plan
above are used by one or more of the schools. As far as progress monitoring, one school uses weekly test to progress
monitor while the others use DIBELS progress monitoring every ten days of instruction and intervention. Last, one
teacher added, We are moving toward using RtII/MTSS as a determiner for a specific reading disability. We would like
to eventually move into math with this process and are looking for interventions and progress monitoring probes.

In sum, it seems that most schools are getting to a level of comfort with RTI in reading, but schools have yet to take
initiative on a math program. In my plan above, I include elements of several schools plans, but I chose to focus on one
of the plans, as I find it quite comprehensive and full of choices on how we can get our students to improve their reading.
These are research-based methods proven to succeed.