Students Respond Positively to New Instruction and Intervention Methods

Presenters from each of Laguna Beach’s four school sites reported at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting on the success of the RTI program (Response to Instruction and Intervention), an academic method used nationwide that is designed to provide early, effective assistance to students who are having difficulty learning.

Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Nancy Hubbell spoke to the benefit of the program, initially implemented by El Morro and Top of the World Elementary schools five years ago, and now more recently adopted by Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High.

“How a student performs is no longer [contingent] upon which teachers or classes he or she has,” Hubbell said. “We’re committed to student learning through teacher collaboration, and putting these systems in place that equitably meet students’ individual needs.”

Through an array of programs, exercises and data, Hubbell said teachers are able to tailor learning to each student, and measure progress.

She introduced faculty and staff members from each school site, who explained the various ways in which they’re using RTI in the classroom, and the positive results they’ve seen since implementing its methods.

El Morro Principal Chris Duddy cleverly labeled RTI as “Really Terrific Instruction,” which in itself explains how he feels the model is working for his students. He introduced his team of first grade teachers, who explained to the board the methods they’ve devised: students are divided for instruction according to their math and reading levels. Those at the lower end of the spectrum are engaged through kinesthetic activities and reader’s theater, which get them involved through movement and participation. More advanced students are further challenged through critical thinking and cross-discipline activities, in which they apply math, for example, to other subjects like science or social studies.

A slide presentation showed that since September, the percentage of students who reached the “benchmark” in reading comprehension increased from 24% to 80%, and in math, “satisfactory” students rose from 69% to 92%.

Ron LaMotte, Principal at TOW, referred to the program as “a journey, not an event, which is an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement.” He also reiterated Hubbell’s comments about the importance of faculty collaboration in moving toward the same goal. In breaking down the “ongoing process,” teachers from TOW said their current focus is on reading comprehension, in which they utilize guides, research articles, expert websites and professional development, and consult with other school sites who use RTI to develop new ideas and aid academic development.

Thurston reported an extensive list of “extra help” programs at the school, including after-school ELA and math support, counseling, homework clubs and reading groups. It also created a “mandatorial” study period for students who were continuously earning Fs, which helped reduce that number from 50 at this time last year to only 14 students this year.

Engagement, Academic Language and Higher Order Thinking Skills are the areas of focus at LBHS, special education teacher Michelle Foster announced. Teachers were assigned to pick five students who were struggling in various areas (from test grades to participation levels to behavior), find ways to engage them, and then track their progress.

“Leaning is not a spectator sport,” Foster concluded. “Once these students were engaged, they improved extensively.”

To improve language skills, teachers adopted a method in which they write five words on the overhead at the beginning of each week, which students are then asked to define and study. These words are then incorporated into that week’s instruction, and students are later tested on them.

Higher thinking skills are encouraged through critical thinking activities including debates and short answer essays. One teacher explained how she begins each class by writing a quote or question on the overhead, which encourages deep thinking and discussion among students. She also lays out for students at the beginning of each week what will be expected of them, enabling them to be better organized and prepared.

“We’ve seen awesome improvements since we implemented RTI,” Foster says. “For some students, that means going from Fs to passing, which opens up doors not only academically, but socially as well, because then they can play sports and engage in other school activities that they couldn’t do otherwise.”