The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements

Visit the IRIS Center for Training Enhancements for free online interactive resources that translate research about the education of students with disabilities into practice. Their materials cover a wide variety of evidence-based topics, including behavior, RTI, learning strategies, and progress monitoring.

(RTI and progress monitoring webinars can be found here.)

Total RTI Website and Information

Fifth grade math teacher Rhonda Henry sent me the following email with fantastic information on RTI.  Please click on the link highlighted below to learn more:

"Several of us went to the RTI conference in Columbus. I have found several things on their website  very informative.  I wish I would have read "A Simple Explanation" before our DLT meetings. There is also an "Academic Intervention Handbook" that contains interventions for 16 of the most common student deficiencies. Another clarification for me: an intervention MUST have instruction. That is the difference between accommodations, modifications, and interventions."

Mentorship Program

The Waverly Junior High OISM/curriculum team has recently developed and begun implementation of a "new" mentorship program for at-risk students.  WJH teachers and staff have served as mentors for students with significant behavior and/or academic issues for the past two years.  This year, however, our mentorship program is utilizing the PAWS student group from Waverly High School, in conjunction with teacher and staff support.

PAWS is an acronym for “People Assisting Waverly Students”. Their motto is: "Trust Us; We Care!”   PAWS members are:

• Trained in peer counseling and are available to listen to any problem a fellow student may have.
• Ready to contact advisors when the problem or concerns harm or are a life threatening situation to the individual or another person.
• Available to listen but not give advice.
• Trained to maintain confidentiality at all times, except in life threatening situations.
• Responsible for creating an awareness of alternatives to problems other than turning to drugs or alcohol.

PAWS members were matched with at-risk Junior High students, and began meeting with their students this week.  All stakeholders in this activity (PAWS members, staff, administration) are excited about the positive effects and benefits these partnerships will create academically, socially, and behaviorally in the lives of our children.

The curriculum team would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance with the mentorship program:

• Mrs. Brenda Walls - PAWS advisor
• Mr. Bill Hoover - Waverly High School Principal
• Mrs. Melissa Marquez - Waverly Junior High Principal
• Mrs. Dee Long - Guidance Counselor
• Mr. Byron Green - Discipline data
• Mrs. Cindy Houk - Academic data
• WJH teachers and staff
• and last, but not least, the generous and compassionate PAWS students who are volunteering to make a difference in the lives of their peers.

WJH Ohio Improvement Process Reading and Math Goals and Action Steps

District Reading Goal:  By 2012, 90% of all students grades K-12 will meet or exceed proficient levels on the OAT/OGT/Local Assessments in reading and increase the students with disabilities passage rate by 10% each year over the previous year's score.

District Math Goal:  By 2012, 85% of all students in grades K-12 will meet or exceed proficient levels on the OAT/OGT/Local Assessments in reading and increase the students with disabilities passage rate by 10% each year over the previous year's score.

WJH Action Steps: 

• Research, select, and adopt intervention framework.
• Update:  WJH is researching RTI (Response to Intervention) frameworks.  Mrs. Suzanne Holderness and Mr. Matt Murphy recently attended a two-day RTI training in Columbus, and made an excellent presentation on RTI to the staff at last week's in-service. 
• Communicate goals of implementation to all staff.
• Update:  Mrs. Melissa Marquez communicated OIP goals to the Junior High staff at the in-service.  Staff members have been emailed the link to this blog in order to keep up-to-date, and have been encouraged to offer feedback on the process.
• Define and communicate expectations of systematic assessments and their use for each grade-level/subject.
• Update: At the in-service, subject-area meetings were first held by teachers, who completed a thorough audit of current interventions and assessments.  Each department of teachers then reported their findings in meetings with Mrs. Marquez.
• Continue development and revision of short-cycle assessments
• Update:  WJH staff members have quarterly assessments completed for the entire school year.  Our staff understands, however, that assessments are obviously subject to revision when needed.  In addition, all WJH staff recently attended a training, arranged by Mr. Dickens, on utilizing 21st century thinking skills/higher-order thinking skills when designing test questions for quarterly assessments.