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Tier 3 intervention is intense, individualized supplemental instruction delivered by a reading specialist or special educator in addition to, and not in place of, balanced literacy instruction delivered in Tier 1. Tier 3 interventions are developed when assessment and progress monitoring data demonstrate that a student is not making satisfactory progress in Tier 2. They generally consist of more intense and/or more frequent forms of the interventions described in Tier 2. In designing Tier 3 interventions, professionals consider how to intensify the elements of Tier 2:
While delivery models vary, all Tier 3 reading intervention sessions must adhere to research-based principles. Interventionists anchor their planning in seminal professional texts including What Really Matters in Response to Intervention (Allington, 2009), RTI From All Sides (Howard, 2009) and The RTI Daily Planning Book (Owocki, 2010). In describing Tier 3 interventions, RTI specialist Mary Howard writes, "The instructional strategies used in Tier 2 intervention--modeling and demonstrating, coaching and prompting, reinforcing existing knowledge, providing ongoing feedback, encouraging active engagement, dividing learning into smaller segments, reviewing and repeating information in many contexts--are also used at Tier 3 with more intensity." Reading research establishes that the following highly-effective instructional practices should comprise reading intervention lessons. It would be typical to see the following components in a 45-minute Tier 3 lesson. Read the following descriptions with multi-media examples from district classrooms. Read below for more specialized interventions.
Review Prior Learning (10 minutes) |
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Description and Purpose (5 minutes): Developing readers require frequent opportunities to review and solidify previous learning. Click here to learn more about reviewing prior learning. Rereading: A primary intervention lesson typically begins with a rereading of a portion of the previous day's text. This rereading promotes fluency, word retention, and confidence. It is also an excellent opportunity for the teacher to "check in" with one or more students and conduct quick informal assessments. (See Check-in Assessment below for further details.) Click here to learn more about rereading a familiar text. Skill Review: Skill review is an opportunity for the teacher to briefly reinforce previously taught concepts. The range of skills reviewed could include any of the following: (1) decoding or comprehension strategies (e.g., rereading, inferring), (2) phonic concepts (e.g., digraphs, blends), (3) grammatical concepts (e.g., punctuation, suffixes) or (4) sight words and vocabulary words. Click here to learn more about skill review. Click here to view flashcards for teaching sight words, other word study concepts and comprehension skills. Check-in Assessment: The daily observation and assessment of individual learners is essential to monitoring ongoing progress and informing "next steps" for instruction. The teacher may use a variety of tools to assess student progress such as the following: (1) running record of oral reading behaviors, comprehension, and fluency, (2) reading behavior checklists, and (3) documented teacher observations. Click here to learn about check-in assessments.
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| New Lesson (10 minutes) |
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Instruction that is differentiated and responsive requires an indepth understanding of students' strengths and areas for growth as identified through ongoing formal and informal assessments. Effective intervention literacy lessons take into consideration the needs of students in relation to the five pillars of reading which include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Well respected literacy expert Richard Allington emphasizes that in addition to the five pillars of reading teachers must also take into consideration several other factors to ensure effective teaching and learning such as the following: classroom organization (ensures higher levels of engagement and increased time on task), access to appropriate texts (instruction must carefully match students with texts), reading motivation (ample time to read self-selected texts for the sheer sake of reading), integration of reading and writing (highlights the reciprocal nature of these essential skills), reading across the curriculum (informational texts that emphasize study/learning strategies), peer collaboration (repeated opportunities to meaningfully discuss reading at deeper levels), and expert tutoring (high quality instruction in very small group or one-on-one settings. Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate spoken sounds in the English language. Research shows that explicit and systematic instruction in manipulating phonemes is most effective, with one or two varied manipulations at a time. The National Reading Panel report emphasizes that phonemic awareness is only one part of a total reading program. Click here to learn more about phonemic awareness. Language games and activities that build phonemic awareness include the following: What's My Sound? is used to teach phoneme isolation. To play the teacher holds a basket of familiar objects such as toy, animals, food, etc.. The teacher holds up an object and says, "Tell me the first sound you hear in pig." Or, "Tell me the last sound you hear in horse." Click here to learn more about teaching phoneme isolation. Mystery Word is used to teach phoneme blending/oral synthesis. To play the teacher places a stack of cards with pictures of two phoneme objects such as toe, pie, egg, facedown. Teacher says, "I'll say the sounds of the mystery word...Then, you guess my word." Teacher says the sounds with very short pauses between them. Example, "/p/"..."/i/"..."pie". When the student has guessed the word, turn over the picture card to confirm. When mastered, move on to three phoneme words such as can, pot, rug. While using picture cards build initial interest in the game, it can easily be played without props. Click here to learn more about teaching phoneme blending. Elkonin Sound Boxes can be used to teach phoneme segmenting/oral analysis. To play the teacher provides each student with a blank "sound box" and blocks (e.g., pennies, chips) to represent each phoneme. The teacher says, "I'm going to show you a picture. Say the name of the picture and then push one block into each space on the sound box for every sound you hear in the word." Teacher demonstrates. (Note: An arrow is drawn from left to right on the box to reinforce directionality and sound sequencing.) Click here to view a video of using Elkonin Sound Boxes. Click here to learn more about Elkonin Sound Boxes. Tap Out the Sounds is used to teach phoneme segmenting/oral analysis. This is a variation of the sound boxes but much more portable. Students learn to segment and sequence the sounds in a word by tapping them out with their fingers directly such as /cat/.../k/ tap.../a/ tap.../t/ tap. Tapping out the sounds should become a routine for students who struggle with phonemic awareness during dictation and other activities that involve spelling. Click here to learn more about teaching phoneme segmentation. Phonics: Phonics is the letter to sound correspondence in reading, or matching sounds to letters/letter combinations. Both systematic and incidental phonics instruction is effective and a specific sequential set of phonic elements is recommended. The National Reading Panel cautions against allowing phonics to become the dominant approach, emphasizing that applying new learning in meaningful reading and writing is the goal of all effective reading instruction. Click here to view students developing phonics skills using magnetic letters. Vocabulary: Vocabulary is the understanding of the meaning of words both at the spoken and printed level. Research shows that vocabulary has a significant impact on both fluency and comprehension. Vocabulary is developed explicitly (direct instruction) and incidentally (authentic experiences). Effective vocabulary instruction includes a repeated exposure of words in multiple contexts as well as active engagement of students. Click here to learn more about vocabulary instruction. Fluency: Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression. A key contributor of fluency is the opportunity for students to practice using meaningful texts with guidance and feedback. Fluency practice often includes choral readings, repeated readings of texts and readings of word/phrase/sentence lists. Click here to listen to students developing fluency by chorally reading. Click here to view students developing fluency by reading word lists.
Comprehension:
Comprehension
(meaning-making)
is reading with
understanding
and is the
essence of
reading.
Research shows
that
comprehension is
enhanced when
the meaning of
text is combined
with students'
prior knowledge.
Effective
comprehension
instruction
includes
teachers
regularly
modeling,
through
demonstrations
and think
alouds,
strategic
thinking.
Students learn
to become
metacognitive,
that is they
learn to
identify when
and why the
meaning of a
text is unclear
to them, and
become flexible
in using a
variety of
strategies to
solve
comprehension
problems and
deepen their
understanding of
a text.
Comprehension
strategies
explicitly
taught include
activating
relevant, prior
knowledge,
determining the
most important
ideas and
themes, asking
questions,
creating visual
and other
sensory images
from texts,
drawing
inferences,
retelling and
synthesizing and
utilizing a
variety of
fix-up
strategies to
repair
comprehension
when it breaks
down.
Click here to
view
comprehension
strategy clue
cards.
Click here to
learn more about
teaching
comprehension
strategies.
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Guided Reading
(20 minutes) |
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Assessment and
Progress
Monitoring
(5 minutes) |
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Description and Purpose: The purpose of assessment is to identify the strengths and areas of need of every student. Formative assessments are ongoing and frequent diagnostic assessments used to inform day to day instruction. Formative assessments identify what needs to be taught and teachers use data garnered from formative assessments to plan for daily instruction that is differentiated and targeted based on individual student need. Examples of formative assessments include informal and formal running records, reading inventories, fluency scales, and anecdotal notes recorded during conferring and guided reading. Summative assessments are standardized assessments used to assess whether students have mastered a set body of knowledge, skills, or standards compared to other students. The NYSELA and NYSELAT are examples of summative assessments. Summative assessment is characterized as assessment of learning and is contrasted with formative assessment, which is assessment for learning. It is important that teachers analyze data from both formative and summative assessments to best support students. Click here to view a sample fluency rubric assessment. Click here to view a sample decodable word list asssessment. Click here to view a sample sight word list assessment. Documentation: Teachers maintain neat, organized and up to date records on all students. Data is collected from a variety of formal and informal assessments. Teachers analyze the data and keep accurate records of the specific instruction and ongoing needs of each student. Universal Screening: Universal screening refers to the schoolwide screening that is administered three time per year and identifies students whose achievement in literacy is significantly below expectations and who therefore may benefit from supplemental instruction. In Mamaroneck, Grades K-5, there are a variety of universal screenings administered which include the following: speech and language screening for incoming kindergarten students, phonological awareness assessment for kindergarten students, early literacy profile (e.g., concepts about print, letter identification and recognition, high frequency word lists) for students K-3, running records for students K-5, Words Their Way Spelling Inventory for students Grades 1-5, and on demand writing assessment for Grades 2-5. Click here to view a sample Words Their Way Spelling Inventory. Progress Monitoring: Progress monitoring involves collecting repeated measures of performance to estimate rates of improvement, identify students who are not demonstrating adequate progress, and/or compare the efficacy of different forms of instruction to design more effective, individualized instruction (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2009). Progress monitoring assessments can be administered weekly and/or monthly. Many schools develop their own progress monitoring tools and often use universal screening tools (e.g., running records) to monitor progress as well. Click here to view and listen to a description of two informal running records. Running Records: Running records are used to record and analyze student reading behaviors. They enable teachers to identify reading strategies students are using and help inform planning for follow up instruction. Running records also serve to document changes in students reading progress over time. Click here to view sample running record assessments. Click here to view a sample video of a teacher taking a running record. Conferring: Reading conferences are frequent opportunities for teachers to work one-on-one with students and provide individualized support. During reading conferences the teacher ascertains the reading strategies the student is using independently, compliments the rederse on strategies mastered, identifies strategies for instruction, models explicitly strategies needed, asks questions and observes the reader closely to get to know the readers interests and habits, supports the reader in selecting just right texts. Benchmarks: A benchmark is a standard against which to measure something. In reading, teachers use benchmark books to help assess the appropriate developmental reading level of students. Benchmark of leveled texts represent twenty-six points on a gradient of reading difficulty. Each point on the gradient, from the easiest at level A to the most challenging at level Z, represents a small but significant increase in difficulty over the previous level. A teacher conducts running records to determine each student's benchmark reading level. At the primary level no more than one "new" word in 200 running words should require study and at the intermediate level no more than one "new" word in 100 running words. Students therefore reading with 99-100% accuracy along with satisfactory or higher comprehension can be considered reading at the independent reading level. Students reading with 95-98% accuracy are reading at thei instructional reading level. The benchmark instructional level is the highest level at which a student can read with good opportunities for learning through teaching (guided reading). Click here to view the Mamaroneck K-5 reading level benchmarks. Reporting: It is critical that all teachers who work with students on their literacy development communicate with one another frequently to promote curricular coordination as well as provide parents with information regarding student progress and an instructional plan. Communication can occur electronically (email), verbally (informal and formal meetings, phone conversations) and in the written form (progress reports, communication logs). Professionals: Research shows that a lack of coordination between the classroom teacher and intervention specialist results in a lack of student progress. Classroom teachers and intervention providers, therefore, must communicate on a regular and frequent basis if progress is to occur. Curriculum coordination (when two curricula appear to support similar philosophies of reading and similar strategy use) is essential to support students and accelerate their reading progress. Many teachers find it most valuable to meet with intervention specialists in person (before school, after school, during prep periods or lunch) several times a month to share student artifacts and discuss students' progress. Some teacher prefer weekly communication and therefore also communicate electronically (e.g., email), verbally (e.g., phone calls) or in the written form (e.g., journal or log). The classroom teacher and intervention provider may prefer to utilize certain modes of communication over others - the contributing factor to note is that for student success and reading acceleration to occur both providers must consistently and frequently communicate the strategies being taught, student progress in response to the instruction, and work together to ensure alignment of instruction. Click here to learn more about reporting methods used by intervention and classroom teachers. Parents: The active relationship between the teacher and a student's parent/guardian is an invaluable one. Ongoing formal and informal parent-teacher meetings, email, and phone conversations are all ways parents and teachers can discuss student's academic progress. It is most effective when teachers share artifacts of student work to illustrate for parents the student's strengths and areas for growth as well as offer suggestions for how parents can best support students at home.
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More Specialized Interventions In addition to more intense and/or frequent forms of Tier 2 interventions, Tier 3 interventions sometimes include more specialized approaches that target specific strands of the reading process based on students’ assessed needs. For example, students who have not developed phonological awareness or decoding skills may benefit from an explicit sequence of multi-sensory phonics lessons. Interventionists analyze progress monitoring data and conduct additional diagnostic assessments to select approaches and/or programs that match students’ needs and learning styles. In the last few years, the district has provided professional development for reading teachers and special educators in a number of specialized intervention programs including the following: Wilson Fundations is a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling program based on Wilson Reading System principles designed to supplement balanced literacy instruction. Fundations lessons focus on carefully sequenced skills that include print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. The Just Words program is a multi-sensory approach to word study. The program is designed for students in grades four and up who are struggling to decode and spell due to underlying deficits. Children participate in small group activities that integrate both kinesthetic and auditory modalities. Children manipulate cards and magnets to make and break words. They “tap” words as they say sounds, then “grab” the words they spell. Students can generalize this tapping strategy while working independently. Additionally, vocabulary words that fit each spelling pattern are introduced and reinforced. Progress is monitored throughout the Just Words program. The Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding (WADE) is an individual assessment that is helpful to determine if the Just Words program is appropriate. This assessment can be re-administered periodically to note specific growth. Throughout the program units, children are assessed to ensure new learning has been mastered before new concepts are introduced. Children use a color coded graph to chart progress after each unit. Students who are not mastering concepts with 85% success do not move on until this level of proficiency is achieved. Lexia is an internet based program that is designed to supplement a strong core reading curriculum. This intervention provides independent practice in phonological awareness, phonics and automatic word recognition for students who are receiving multi-sensory reading instruction. Lexia is also used as an intervention for learners who are reading at or close to grade level expectations, but demonstrate gaps in phonological processing. Students are identified either by classroom or standardized assessments. When a student begins the Lexia program, a short assessment is presented to create an individualized program menu. As the learner moves through the activities, their performance is continually monitored by an embedded assessment system. The data derived from this assessment is used to determine the instructional intensity necessary to improve an individual’s performance. The system provides detailed, real-time reports on students’ specific skill progress and recommends offline instructional support materials to accelerate skill development. Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing This intensive and targeted comprehension intervention is for the very small percentage of children who may be fluent decoders but lack the ability to connect to the spoken or printed word. This is a supplemental program that is based on the theory that this type of learner struggles with weak concept imagery, or the ability to see the imaged gestalt. This failure to connect words to images is remediated by the use of 12 specific structure words that set the framework to both form the image and to verbalize what is seen. The instructor uses direct questioning to stimulate images within the mind’s eye of the reader. Through modeling, the instructor teaches the students to replay the image, providing both repetition and feedback. The text that is used for visualizing is carefully and sequentially presented to the student to ensure success. Once the learner is connected to the text, higher order thinking questions become the tool for linking imagery and language. As the student becomes proficient, the techniques are utilized with grade level classroom materials.Progress is monitored throughout the program as mastery is needed before moving to the next level of text. Preventing Academic Failure (PAF) is an early intervention program for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting in grades K-3. It prevents or addresses reading failure in learning disabled and struggling readers. Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders – those students who are not catching on to the complex concepts that make reading and writing possible. A student in Reading Recovery receives a half-hour lesson each day for 12 to 20 weeks with a specially trained Reading Recovery teacher. As soon as students can meet grade-level reading benchmarks and demonstrate that they can continue to work independently in the classroom, their lessons are discontinued, and new students begin individual instruction. The Wilson Reading System promotes literacy development through the direct teaching of decoding and encoding. It is based on the research of Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham who first described the principle that learning and retention is best achieved by simultaneously stimulating the auditory, visual and kinesthetic pathways. The students who are instructed in the Wilson Reading System are those few who have underlying language processing disabilities or who have not internalized the rules for word construction through other RTI reading interventions. The Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding, (WADE) is administered for pre and post testing. The interactive Wilson lesson plan uses systematic and cumulative multi-sensory strategies to teach word structure and analysis. In the beginning stages, finger tapping is used for analyzing spoken words into phonemes for both the reading and spelling of single syllable words. Students have multiple opportunities to practice and reinforce all skills through the daily lesson. Mastery of each concept is determined by the daily charting of a student’s performance. The Wilson Reading System provides practice in fluency and comprehension with controlled text. Passages contain only those elements of word structure that have been directly taught. The scooping technique is used to teach fluency. This creates a neurological link enabling the student to connect to the text. Comprehension is directly taught using strategies for visualization and retelling. Lastly, students work on listening comprehension using text that is age appropriate.
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