Beyond Bureaucracy

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Beyond Bureaucracy!

• Developing High-Performing Pre-
• Referral Intervention Teams

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The Educational Leaders Role

• Administrative support, is the most important
  factor influencing the effectiveness of
  pre-referral intervention activities.
• Most administrators have limited knowledge and
  skill about pre-referral intervention activities.

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The Educational Leaders Role (continued)

• School administrators create the conditions that
  either support or discourage the effectiveness of
  pre-referral intervention teams.
• Educational leaders must have the knowledge and
  skill required to design, establish and support
  effective problem-solving teams.

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Five Phase Model

• Analysis and Decision Making
• Planning and Preparation
• Start-Up
• Providing Assistance
• Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

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• Phase 1
• Analysis and Decision Making

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Advantages vs. Disadvantages

• Poor or low levels of implementation of
  pre-referral practices generates no significant
  difference in student performance.

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Benefits

• Reduction of inappropriate referrals to special
  education.
• - Cost savings due to fewer inappropriate
  special education referrals.
• Timely and responsive interventions.
• Enhanced teachers skills and attitudes.
• More inclusive, collaborative school environment.

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Costs

• Increased demands on time and energy of referring
  teacher.
• Threatening nature of shifting focus for the
  source of the students problems.

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Feasibility

• Are there factors that will be major obstacles
  to initiating and sustaining high quality
  pre-referral intervention programs?
• Political barriers
• Structural/Material barriers
• Cultural barriers
• Personal

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Decisions

• Do the benefits of making the changes required
  outweigh the costs associated with those changes?
• Is it feasible to make the required changes
  considering your current circumstances?

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Establishing and Analyzing the Task

• Step 1 Describe the task the pre-referral
  intervention team is expected to accomplish as
  specifically and concretely as possible.

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Example

• Our schools pre-referral intervention teams
  will serve as a systematic, collaborative,
  problem-solving team. All of the teachers can
  access this team for assistance with creating and
  implementing interventions designed to eliminate
  or mitigate students learning, behavior, health
  or social-emotional problems.

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Establishing and Analyzing the Task (continued)

• Step 2 Determine who will receive or review
  the outcomes of the services the pre-referral
  intervention team provides.
• Step 3 Determine how those receiving or
  reviewing the services will assess the quality of
  the services received.

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Sample Statement

• Teachers accessing this service will believe
  they have been provided with effective ideas that
  can be realistically implemented in their
  classrooms. District administration will see a
  decrease in the number of referrals to special
  education, with a high percentage of those being
  referred being eligible for classification. Most
  importantly, students of the teachers accessing
  this service will demonstrate improved academic
  performance and/or classroom conduct that
  generalizes across time and settings.

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Establishing and Analyzing the Task (continued)

• Step 4 Evaluate the relative importance of
  effort, knowledge and skill, and performance
  strategies to the successful completion of the
  task.

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Establishing Authority

• Leaders role in relation to the pre-referral
  intervention team.
• Support of the school leader is essential.
• Membership on the team may be detrimental.
• Inhibit discourse because of fear of being
  evaluated/appearing less competent.
• Inhibit discourse because of deference to
  leaders opinions.

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Establishing Authority (continued)

• Analyze task demands to determine nature and
  types of authority team must have to effectively
  complete their task.
• Will team members be willing to operate within
  this level of authority?

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Areas to Consider

• Ability to call upon knowledge and skills of
  other staff members for solving various types of
  classroom problems.
• Curricular and instructional modifications.
• Expenditure of funds.

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Phase 2 Planning and Preparation
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Team Composition

• Composition of the team has a direct and
  significant impact upon the amount of knowledge
  and skill the team can apply to their
  collaborative problem solving activities.

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Team Composition (continued)

• Dysfunction tends to occur in large groups.
• - Difficulties making decisions and
  coordinating activities.
• Ideal group size between 4 and 6 members.
• - ad-hoc members when necessary.

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Team Composition (continued)

• Step one - review staff members and determine
  who has high levels of task relevant expertise.
• knowledge of curriculum and instruction
• classroom management skills
• classroom assessment techniques
• differentiate or individualize instruction

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Team Composition (continued)

• Step two Determine individuals identified in
  step one that also have at least moderate levels
  of collaborative skill?
• Communicate effectively.
• Interest in assisting colleagues.

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Team Composition (continued)

• Step Three Balance between the homogeneity and
  heterogeneity of team members.
• Wider the variety of training and expertise,
  greater the range of interventions and support
  that can be offered.
• Too much diversity makes it difficult to
  understand and coordinate with one another.

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Designing and Communicating the Task

• Design and communicate the task in a manner that
  team members perceive as being both clear and
  motivating.

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Motivating Potential of Tasks

• Require use of a variety of members talents and
  skills.
• Result in completion of a whole and
  identifiable piece of work.
• Provide opportunity to make a significant,
  meaningful difference.
• Provide substantial freedom, independence, and
  discretion for scheduling task related activities
  and determining procedures.
• Provide feedback mechanisms so the group receives
  trustworthy feedback about their performance.

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Task Clarity

• If the task is to be clear to team members, they
  must understand the parameters within which they
  must work.
• - Constraints and requirements
• Team members must know who will be using and
  reviewing the groups services, as well as the
  standards they will apply.

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School and District Supports

• Staff development and training
• Data and information
• Rewards and recognition
• Material resources

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Staff Development and Training

• Access to training and technical assistance
  required.
• May require or benefit from outside expertise.
• Must know who has the relevant knowledge and
  skills, and how these individuals can be accessed.

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Data

• Determine basic information team members need to
  conduct collaborative problem-solving activities
  and then make it possible for members to access
  this data.
• - No data means strategies developed will be
  left to chance.

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Rewards and Recognition

• Team provided with something members value
  collectively, increases the probability actions
  will be repeated.
• contingent on demonstrated excellence
• team based

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Material Resources

• Determine material resources required and
  provide those resources.

• Not provided with the necessary resources,
  commitment to process will be minimal or
  frustration may result from additional
  expectations placed upon team members.

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The Team Charter

• Template designed to organize the information
  collected or decided on in phase one and two.

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Phase Three The Start-Up
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Team Boundaries

• Staff members part of multiple teams.
• Some more established and permanent.
• Members of the temporary, less well developed
  team prematurely seek input from more
  established, permanent teams.
• Divisions as how to proceed.
• Frustration Poor performance result

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Core Team Members

• Individuals sharing responsibility for completion
  of the group task.
• - Accountable for final product or decision.
• Must know who is and is not a team member.

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Task Redefinition

• Administrator believes task is clearly understood
  once it is explained.
• Rarely the case.
• Especially true when there are multiple or
  conflicting objectives.
• - Speed vs. Quality

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Redefining the Task

• Explain teams charter
• teams task
• effectiveness criteria
• task parameters
• Process understanding of the task.

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Behavioral Norms

• Members bring assumptions about appropriate group
  behavior.
• Rarely discussed explicitly.
• Norms developed ineffective for task completion.

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Behavioral Norms (continued)

• Focus explicit attention on types of behaviors
  valued ways in which work will be managed.
• Norms will evolve
• Providing assistance in beginning gets process
  off to a good start.

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Sample Norms

• We will start and end our meetings on time.
• We will actively listen to each others ideas and
  opinions.
• We will place value on opinions based on the
  knowledge and skills of the individual and not
  the position they hold.
• We will remain focused on the topic or task.
• We will come to meetings prepared.

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Roles

• Reassuring/Productive to know who assumes what
  role in team.
• Responsibilities assigned to each role.
• Avoids overlap in completion of tasks/tasks not
  being completed.

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Roles/Responsibilities

• Team Coordinator Responsibility authority to
  coordinate team activities.
• Receive referrals
• Establish case priorities
• Schedule meetings
• Consult with referring teachers

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Roles/Responsibilities (continued)

• Resource group Remaining team members
• - Use experience/expertise to generate
  alternatives.
• Referring teacher has attempted interventions.
  Is seeking new ideas. He or she selects the
  ideas to be implemented.

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Importance of Start-Up Meeting

• Groups that get off to a good start perform
  better over time.
• Problems of groups that struggle in the beginning
  compound over time.
• Best time for authoritative intervention.

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Start-Up Meeting Agenda

• Introductions/Ice-Breaker
• Review of Team Charter
• Task-redefinition activity
• Team norms activity
• Team roles and responsibilities
• Date for initial training on collaborative
  problem-solving process

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Initial Collaborative Problem-Solving Process
Training

• Must be done in teams.
• Should occur prior to team working with
  clients.

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Training Agenda

• Overview of flowchart describing process
• Explanation of plan components
• Explanation of collaborative-problem solving
  process
• Problem identification
• Problem analysis
• Plan implementation
• Plan review
• Role-play activities

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Staff Awareness

• Staff members must know
• purpose of the team
• responsibilities as referring teacher
• process used for requesting assistance
• Staff meeting, memo, staff handbook

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Sample Handbook Statement

• The purpose of the schools pre-referral
  intervention team is to engage in collegial,
  collaborative problem-solving activities focused
  on assisting teachers in developing strategies
  for challenging student behavior, academic or
  health concerns. This is a voluntary activity
  and is not intended to serve as a barrier to
  initiating referrals for special education
  evaluations. Any teacher initiating a referral
  to this team is expected to complete parts I and
  II of the Pre-referral Intervention Plan form.
  Copies of this form are located in ____________.
  Upon completing this form, submit it in a sealed
  envelope to ___________________. He or she will
  then contact you to inform you of the status of
  your request and if appropriate, schedule the
  initial pre-referral intervention team meeting.
  All information discussed pertaining to the
  intervention process must be held in strict
  confidence. Staff is not to discuss any
  personally identifiable information with anyone
  outside the official function of this process.
  Should you have any questions about completing
  this form or the purpose of this team please
  contact ______________.

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Staff Training for Teachers

• Curriculum based measurement
• Observable, measurable target behavior
• Collect data
• - 6-8 data points at different times
• Determine level of progress required for
  intervention to be successful.
• Determine time provided to reach goal.
• Graph data Aim line (median plotted baseline
  data point long-range goal data point).

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Phase FourAssistance
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Eliminating Barriers

• Initial design features likely are flawed.
• Team members accept flaws as inevitable and
  unchangeable.
• No actions taken to revise context or structure.
• Lower quality products or decisions.

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Administrators Role

• Provide scheduled, structured opportunities for
  review and renegotiation of design/context.
• - What is currently impeding the groups
  performance and what if anything, could be done
  about it?
• Resist temptation to solve groups problems.

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Technology

• Effective Leadership Solutions, LLC.
  (effectiveleadershipsolutions.com) has developed
  a software program designed to automate the
  management of all the forms and procedures.
• Create, share, save and archive parental notices
  and pre-referral intervention plans.
• Automatically compile program evaluation reports.

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Reflection Activities

• Group functioning never thoughtfully or
  systematically examined.
• Frequently pushed aside in favor of task
  completion activities.
• Teams rarely improve their ability to work
  effectively/efficiently on future tasks.

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Administrators Role

• Reflection activities scheduled and structured.
• Content of reflection
• Behavioral norms
• Roles and responsibilities
• Outcome
• Collectively developed goal statement for
  improving processes.
• - Revisit/Revise at next team maintenance meeting.

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Process Assistance

• Two specific aspects of group process
• Assisting with weighing inputs and sharing
  knowledge.
• Coordinating efforts and fostering commitment.

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Weighing inputs/sharing knowledge

• Value of individuals knowledge and skill limited
  by weighting of team members contributions.
• Educators neither skilled nor practiced in
  sharing task-relevant knowledge.

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Weighing inputs/sharing knowledge

• Individuals task relevant knowledge extra
  credence because
• More experience
• Important/powerful political connections
• Present their views most persuasively
• Result is lower quality product or decision.

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Coordinating Efforts/Fostering Commitment

• Coordinate activities to minimize wasted effort
• Greatest possible contributions from each member
• Increased effort from
• Valuing membership
• Finding collaborative work rewarding

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Educational Leaders Role

• Process coach
• Monitor and facilitate
• Intervene only if necessary.
• - Risk meddling in team affairs

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Phase FiveEvaluation and Continuous Improvement
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Difficulties

• Evaluation is complex
• No clearly defined right-or-wrong answers
• Limited control over variables influencing
  outcomes
• Evaluation is multidimensional
• Teacher/team member satisfaction with processes
• Outcomes of process

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Evaluation Tools

• Pre-referral Intervention Team Report
• Number of requests for assistance
• Student characteristics
• Outcomes of requests
• Completed on a regularly scheduled basis

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Evaluation Tools

• Pre-referral Intervention Team Rating Scale
• Team members perceptions of team process
• Satisfaction with serving as a team member

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Evaluation Tools

• Teacher satisfaction survey
• Referring teachers satisfaction with assistance
  received
• Completed in close proximity to teams plan
  review meeting
• - Anonymous if possible

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Data Analysis/Action Planning

• Collaborative with team
• Process
• Identify areas of concern
• Determine highest priorities
• Complete action plans to make improvements
• Follow-up

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Connecting Pre-Referral Intervention Teams and RTI
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Working Hypothesis

• RTI and prereferral share many common goals and
  features
• Prereferral teams can serve as the mechanism for
  the delivery of RTI
• Only if we improve and supplement our current
  Prereferral programs

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Characteristics of both Programs

• Primarily a general education program
• Identification of students at risk due to
  insufficient progress in academics or behavior
• Individualized plans designed to meet specific
  student needs
• Teacher support training for plan implementation

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Characteristics of both Programs (continued)

• On-going monitoring of the success of
  interventions
• Data based decision-making
• Coordinated and flexible movement within the
  service programs of the school district
• Communication between stakeholders

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The Connection

• Perfectly positioned to identify at-risk pool
  of learners
• Can conduct collaborative problem-solving
  activities leading to individualized intervention
  plans
• Link research-based resources to students needs
• Use decision rules progress monitoring data, to
  manage movement within tiers

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Universal Screening

• Administer curriculum-based probes
• Address data gathered during universal screening
  process
• Identify students in bottom 10th percentile
• Determine need for intervention planning
• - Teacher screening questionnaire.
• assessment data collected reflects students
  typical performance.
• Enter students not identified into at-risk pool
  

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Caution

• Class has a disproportionate number of
  students falling within bottom 10

• - Administrator may need to facilitate a
  classroom level intervention

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Individualized Problem-Solving and Planning

• Use problem-solving approach to determine
  interventions

- List of scientifically based, research
methodologies designed to address specific
needs
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RTI Process
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Tier Placement and Management

• Decision rules and ongoing assessment data used
  to determine ending, continuing or modifying
  interventions.
• - Rules guide movement within tiers
• Students move along in tiers, interventions
  specified and progress monitoring become more
  intensive.

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Special Education Evaluation

• Research-based interventions done with fidelity
  are unsuccessful
• - Unlikely due to inadequacies in curriculum and
  instruction
• Referral for a special education evaluation
  initiated
• Data gathered, organized and provided to CST