Spreadsheet: 06572151-9932-4a70-8301-47db276de810
Sheet: Sheet1

MDE DRAFT 11-14-11
Minnesota Blueprint for Literacy: Achieving Success for 21st Century Learners
[NAME] of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
This self assessment is intended to assist districts in determining their initial readiness towards implementation of Multi-tiered Systems of Support/Response to Intervention to meet the learning needs of ALL students.  Foundational principles of MTSS/RtI include:  • All students receive research-based and standards-driven instruction in general education. • The learning of all students is assessed early and regularly (ongoing progress monitoring). • If there are concerns about student progress, increasingly intense tiers of intervention are available to groups or individuals.  The template is designed to facilitate the gathering of baseline information regarding current resources and practices addressing scientific research-based curriculum, instruction, assessment and levels of intervention.  Your district can subsequently use the results of the self assessment to further develop your District literacy plan, which should include a MTSS/RtI component.  The self assessment results will also assist the Minnesota Department of Education in determining those districts that are most in need of additional support to plan for and implement an MTSS/ RtI framework.  This template should be used by a collaborative district leadership and implementation team (e.g., superintendent, principals, general and special education administrators and teachers, curriculum specialists, paraprofessionals, related service providers, parents) to stimulate group conversations and to formulate a district profile by identifying your district’s current level of implementation for each indicator.  A basic action planning format has been provided to help your district team address those indicators that emerge as areas of need.  The format allows you to document specific planning areas and associated activities, current resources, anticipated resource needs, potential funding sources and document ongoing progress for areas marked “Partially in Place” and “Not in Place”.
Core Component: | Fully In Place | Partially in Place | Not in Place | Evidence | Staff Responsible                                                           Date Completed
Multi-Tiered System of Support |  |  |  | (For items marked “Fully In Place” specify evidence) |  | Needed Resources | Progress Report
 |  |  |  |  |  | (e.g., staff, training, funding, materials, etc.)
 |  |  |  | Needed Actions
 |  |  |  | (For items marked “Partially In Place” or “Not In Place,” specify needed actions)
CURRICULUM
1.  Evidence based curriculum is specifically aligned to Early Childhood Indicators of Progress:  MN Early Learning Standards, as well as grade level benchmarks in the 2010 K-12 ELA standards and WIDA.
2. Curriculum is aligned and articulated horizontally and vertically within the school and district to provide a fluid transition from PreK- K, class-to-class, grade-to-grade, and school-to-school.
3.  [NAME] is focused on differentiated instruction matched to learner’s needs and abilities.
4.  High quality literacy rich environments foster a positive classroom and learning experience at all grade levels.
5. Motivation and self-directed learning is facilitated by providing lessons and learning activities that engage students in cognitively challenging learning experiences,  include opportunities to learn from high-quality digital and print texts and offer student choice in terms of activities and materials.
Core Component: | Fully In Place | Partially in Place | Not in Place | Evidence | Staff Responsible                                                           Date Completed
Multi-Tiered System of Support |  |  |  | (For items marked “Fully In Place” specify evidence) |  | Needed Resources | Progress Report
 |  |  |  |  |  | (e.g., staff, training, funding, materials, etc.)
 |  |  |  | Needed Actions
 |  |  |  | (For items marked “Partially In Place” or “Not In Place,” specify needed actions)
INSTRUCTION
1. Effective instructional principles are embedded throughout the school day and  include the explicit and systematic instruction at all grade levels in:
·         oral language development (K-1)
·         phonemic awareness (K-1)
·         phonics and word recognition (K-5)
·         vocabulary (K-5)
·         fluency (K-5)
·         comprehension (explicit strategy instruction and high level talk and writing about text) (K-12)
·         writing (K-12)
·         authentic speaking and listening tasks (K-12)
2. A differentiated approach to literacy instruction includes direct teaching, small group instruction, and independent learning time.
3. Active teaching methods include the use of fiction and nonfiction texts of varying genres that focus on many cultures and different parts of the world.
4. Effective teachers provide culturally responsive instruction by building on students’ cultural strengths.
5.  A technology component, which includes technology as a tool for and a topic of literacy, is evident in every classroom.
6. Extended time for literacy, for Pre-K, when deemed necessary based on screening and evaluation results.   [NAME] a 90 minute block of uninterrupted literacy instruction including a balance between whole group and small group instruction.  In addition we recommend another 30 minutes of independent reading and writing in response to text totaling 120 minutes of literacy instruction per day.
7. Classroom libraries represent a wide variety of text and multiple reading levels.
Core Component: | Fully In Place | Partially in Place | Not in Place | Evidence | Staff Responsible                                                           Date Completed
Multi-Tiered System of Support |  |  |  | (For items marked “Fully In Place” specify evidence) |  | Needed Resources | Progress Report
 |  |  |  |  |  | (e.g., staff, training, funding, materials, etc.)
 |  |  |  | Needed Actions
 |  |  |  | (For items marked “Partially In Place” or “Not In Place,” specify needed actions)
ASSESSMENT
1. Use of screening, diagnostic and ongoing progress monitoring to inform the instructional content, activity, delivery, or supplemental materials and assistive technology needed to meet children’s instructional needs and strengths is consistently employed.
2. Both formal and informal assessments are used to provide data that drives instruction, supports differentiation, and documents alignment of instruction to academic standards.
3. Teams (e.g., district, school, grade or student level) analyze data in structured, collaborative discussions designed to inform instructional decisions on at least a quarterly basis.
4.  A data collection and management system is in place for the purposes of screening, diagnostics and progress monitoring for academics and behavior.
5. Work to develop a seamless PreK and K-3 integrated assessment system that is aligned with state and local standards that will assess children three times a year at grades kindergarten, first and second to determine if they met grade level benchmark and are on track to meet proficiency on the third grade MCA assessment.
6. Assessments must also regularly evaluate and review systemic implementation of curricula and instructional practices by providing evidence that teachers’ units and/or lesson plans show intentional planning to foster students’ use of literacy and thinking skills.
Core Component: | Fully In Place | Partially in Place | Not in Place | Evidence | Staff Responsible                                                           Date Completed
Multi-Tiered System of Support |  |  |  | (For items marked “Fully In Place” specify evidence) |  | Needed Resources | Progress Report
 |  |  |  |  |  | (e.g., staff, training, funding, materials, etc.)
 |  |  |  | Needed Actions
 |  |  |  | (For items marked “Partially In Place” or “Not In Place,” specify needed actions)
INTERVENTION
1.   Responsibility is shared among all educators (e.g., general education, special education, related service personnel, ELL, Title I) for the academic progress of all students.
2. Practitioners and instructional leaders use data-driven decision-making and problem-solving processes at the school, classroom and individual student levels to make educational decisions.
3. Intervention plan emphasizes differentiation in core instruction and includes extended time for literacy instruction in and outside of the school day (tiered intervention must be in addition to core instruction).
4. Intervention is balanced, fast-paced, engaging instructional routines provided by well-trained teachers as defined in Rule 8710.3000 and 8710.3200.
5. [NAME] placement in intervention is determined by examination of multiple data points (including entrance and exit criteria).
6. Universal screening and other assessment data is reviewed to determine the percentage of students currently proficient overall and within each sub-group, and a gap analysis has been completed.
7. Students receive increasingly intense research-based interventions targeted at assessed skill deficits in addition to standards-aligned core curriculum and instruction.
8. A range of research-based instructional interventions for any student at risk of academic or behavioral failure is in place.
9. A system is in place to continually verify that interventions are implemented with fidelity.
10. A system utilizing progress monitoring is in place to move students among tiers as needed (e.g., students making acceptable progress in Tier 2 return to Tier 1, students not making acceptable progress may be transitioned to Tier 3).
11. Parents are informed and invited to participate in the multi-tiered intervention process as soon as their children begin tiered supports.
Definitions   Core Instruction: Primary instruction for all students, where students demonstrate understanding of a wide range of knowledge and skills necessary for literacy development as determined by district and state standards.  Supplemental:   Intervention: Academic or behavioral support above and beyond core instruction.  Data Collection and Management System:  A system that provides for standardized collection, reporting and analysis of universal screening and progress monitoring data in order to guide educational planning.  Data systems used for screening and progress monitoring within an RtI model should be consistent across all three tiers and be scientifically-based.  Fidelity of Implementation:  The degree to which something is implemented as designed, intended and planned.  Fidelity is important at both the school level (e.g., implementation of the process) and teacher level (e.g., implementation of scientifically-based core curriculum and progress monitoring).  In terms of classroom instruction, fidelity of implementation refers to the delivery of instruction in the way that it was designed to be delivered.  In an RtI model, fidelity also addresses the integrity with which screening and progress monitoring procedures are completed and interventions are implemented, as well as the manner in which an explicit decision-making model is followed.  The ultimate goal of a fidelity system is to ensure that both the school process of RtI and the classroom instruction at various tiers are implemented and delivered as intended.
Progress Monitoring:  The process of regularly collecting student achievement data for use in making educational decisions.  Within a three-tier intervention model using RtI, progressively more intensive interventions and supports are coupled with more frequent progress monitoring.  At Tier 1 data are collected and used as a general screening process for all students and to determine effectiveness of core instructional practices.  At Tier 2 data are collected to determine the effectiveness of an intervention and determine if an instructional change is needed.  At Tier 3, data are collected for the same reasons as [NAME], but are collected on a more frequent basis so that educational decisions can be made in a more timely manner.  Scientific, Research-Based:  A term used to describe practices and programs “that have been thoroughly and rigorously reviewed to determine whether they produce positive educational results in a predictable manner.”  This determination is made based on “objective, external validation” (Batsche, et al., 2005)  Response to Intervention (RtI):  “The practice of providing 1) high-quality instruction/intervention matched to student needs and 2) using learning rate over time and level of performance to 3) make important educational decisions.  “High quality instruction/intervention:  Instruction or intervention, matched to student need that has been demonstrated through scientific research and practice to produce high learning rates for most students.  “Learning rate:  A student’s growth in achievement or behavior competencies over time compared to prior levels of performance and peer growth rates.  “Level of performance:  A student’s relative standing on some dimension of achievement/performance compared to expected performance (either criterion- or norm-referenced)” (Response to Intervention:  Policy Considerations and Implementation.  Batsche, et [NAME]. 2005).
Three-Tier Model of Support:  A framework that provides for resource allocation in direct proportion to student needs by utilizing increasingly more intense instruction and interventions.  Tier 1 is the foundation and consists of scientific, research-based core instructional and behavioral methodologies, practices and supports designed for all students in the general curriculum.  At Tier 2, supplemental instruction and interventions are provided in addition to core instruction to those students for whom data suggest additional instructional support is warranted.  Tier 3 consists of intensive instructional interventions provided in addition to core instruction with the goal of increasing an individual student’s rate of progress.  [NAME]:  A systematic process for assessment of all children within a given grade, school building, or school district on critical academic and/or social–emotional skills.  Universal screening yields data to make decisions about needed enhancements in the core curriculum, instruction and/or educational environment and about which students may need additional assessment and/or supplemental or intensive intervention and instruction beyond what is provided through core programming.  Universal screening tools use CBMs, are typically easy to use and administer and allow for repeated administration (i.e., at least two but preferably three times per year).