Problem Solving Team Process
Elementary Handbook
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Section 1: Overview of the Problem Solving Team Process
a. The 14 Step Problem Solving Team Process
b. The Problem Solving Team Process Flowchart
3. Section 2: Request for Parent/Guardian Information Form
4. Section 3: Peer Consultant Checklist
5. Section 4: Student Data Form
6. Section 5: Developing an Intervention Plan
a. Student Intervention Planning Form
b. Intervention Intensity Rating Form
7. Section 6: Implementing an Intervention
a. Intervention Fidelity Evaluation and Reflection
b. Progress Monitoring
8. Appendices
a. Administrator Cheat Sheet
b. RtI Glossary of Terms
c. Scantron Placement Indicators
Introduction:
Ongoing Problem Solving with Academic and Behavioral Concerns:
Assistance to all Students
Problem Solving is a way of examining all issues with all students, whether the concerns are behavioral or academic. The focus of Problem Solving should be on developing meaningful, measurable, and monitorable interventions for all students with needs, which are significantly discrepant from their average peers.
Problem Solving essentially occurs on three levels. At the first level involves the teacher having a concern about a student. The focus at the first level is on the teacher gathering data, which would help define the student’s problem in a measurable, focused manner. This may involve: examining available information from the school cumulative file, talking to parents, consulting with other teachers, documenting any other interventions used with the student, under what conditions, and any results, observing the student, permanent products (along with average peer comparisons), short observations of the students behaviors as compared to peers, and the student’s performance on assessments such as District Wide Assessments, end of the chapter/unit tests, DIBELS, Curriculum Based Measurement reading, math, and written language probes, Individual Reading Inventories (if available), any measurable products from Title One Reading (if appropriate). These are only a few examples of measurable data.
Behavioral Data could consist of noting how many times over a given week is the student talking out of turn, out of seat, using inappropriate language, fighting on the playground, is noncompliant with teacher directions, etc. Observations over short (20-30) minutes could help provide this information as well. Another adult such as the school psychologist could do the observations, with parent consent.
***** It is important to keep in mind at this first level; being able to define the student’s concern/problem is the key. The teachers need to be able to provide a BASELINE of what the student is doing that is the main issue to focus on. For example if the student is having difficulties learning to read, how so? Is the student significantly lower than average peers’ oral reading fluency? Or, is the student a good oral reader but unable to adequately complete assignments, and performs lower than peers on classroom and district wide assessments? Two different reading concerns, which would require different means of examining the available data and defining the problem in a measurable way.
This is why the data a teacher gathers is so important. Often as educators we all have good intentions, but these intentions get lost if we cannot figure out as a team what it is we should all be focusing on with a student. In order to get to this point a teacher needs to bring enough quality data to a Problem Solving meeting so everyone involved understands the student’s problem/concern. This level of “enough quality data” is the BASELINE.
It is important educators understand the differences between an Intervention, Accommodations, and Modifications.
An Intervention involves teaching a new skill or strategy to a student on a short-term basis, monitoring frequently, with data collected to see if the intervention is successful. For example, if the student was having difficulty understanding simple math functions as compared to the average peers in the class, the teacher may, after gathering Baseline data, teach the student Touch Math, and then monitor the student’s progress over the next several weeks. If the student is not improving after a couple of weeks the teacher could change the strategy but still keep the focus or goal on increasing the student’s skills in completing simple addition and subtraction facts. If the student starts out with a Baseline of 6 addition facts in two minutes, and 2 subtraction facts in two minutes, and peer averages for the class is 15 addition facts and 12 subtraction facts in two minutes, a goal for an Intervention Plan could be as simple as “In six weeks, Johnny will solve simple addition problems at a rate of 10 problems correct in two minutes”.
Accommodations involve making adaptations based on the student’s needs. For example, if the student is highly distractible and it is difficult for the student to focus during a test or a content area reading time, a study carrel in the general education setting would be an Accommodation. Reading tests to students with reading comprehension needs, and allowing a student to dictate written assignments are other classic examples of Accommodations.
Modifications are simply adjustments in the curriculum, made for individual students based on the individual’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner as compared to the average of the class. Modifications allow students to participate in their Least Restrictive Environment. How are modifications different than Accommodations? For instance, the above example of allowing tests to be read aloud to a student with reading comprehension needs is an Accommodation because the student’s ability to read and understand information is within at least the average range of the class if he/she is given the Accommodation of having the test read to him/her.
A Modification on the otherhand, involves modifying assignments for those students who demonstrate significant discrepancies (as compared to average classroom peers) in a skill area. For example, a student with significant skill discrepancies in written language may be allowed to write a one-sentence response rather than a paragraph, on a daily assignment. If the disability is in reading, using materials at the student’s Instructional reading level may help the student participate in Science and Social Studies classes within the General Education setting. Teamwork between both General and Special education teachers is a must. Students with disabilities have a legal and ethical right to accommodations and modifications. The main idea is to examine as a team of educators what are the main concepts the student needs to learn in Social Studies, for example? What are the standards to be met? Meeting the standards does not necessarily mean the student must use the same textbook, write the same reports, and complete the assignments as everyone else. If the student has a disability, which entitles him/her eligible to receive Special Education assistance in the area of need, or if a student has a disability that falls under Section 504, Accommodations and Modifications in the General Education setting are guaranteed to these students by law.
Section 1: Overview of the Problem Solving Team Process
Problems Solving Teams:
· Are a function of regular education.
· Use a systematic problem solving approach to assist students who are not progressing at a satisfactory rate.
· Clarify problems and concerns.
· Develop strategies and organize resources.
· Provide a system for accountability.
Purpose: The problem solving team intervention model attempts to implement interventions before an initial referral is made to try to modify either the classroom setting or the child’s behaviors, or in some cases both. It includes setting a performance goal, selecting an intervention, monitoring student progress, and evaluating outcomes. The problem solving team model also provides educators with additional information about the child’s learning style, learning environment and classroom behaviors (Bahr & Kovaleski, 2006).
The purpose of the Problem Solving Team process is to:
· Assist students who are not experiencing success in the classroom.
· Promote divergent thinking and problem-solving.
· Find solutions for children that are least restrictive.
· Provide support to teachers dealing with hard-to-teach students.
The steps in the process (The 14 Step Problem Solving Team Process) and a flowchart (The Problem Solving Team Process Flowchart) are provided on two separate documents to organize the structure of the Problem Solving Team Process. (1 page each)
The 14 Step Problem Solving Team Process
1. Parent/Guardian Involvement: (How and when will parents be involved)
Documented phone call or in person contact notifying parent/guardian that there is a concern prior to initiating the PST process.
Gather parent/guardian planning information using Request for Parent/Guardian Information form sent home or phone call
2. Sign-up with the building administrator to initiate the PST process and a Peer Consultant(s) is assigned.
3. Teacher completes Elementary Student Data Form and review the returned Request for Parent/Guardian Information form with peer consultant, as needed.
4. Peer consultant and teacher(s) meet to develop an intervention plan using Student Intervention Planning Form.
5. Provide a copy of the Student Intervention Planning Form to the student’s parent/guardian and the school administrator as well as any other school personnel responsible for implementing the plan.
6. Implement intervention plan and student progress monitoring for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks.
7. Continuous collaborative meeting between teacher and peer consultant to review data and fidelity checks bi-weekly (Intervention Fidelity Evaluation and Reflection is completed a minimum of 1 time per week by teacher).
8. After 4 to 6 weeks of implementation, follow up with collaborative meeting including the teacher, peer consultant, administrator and parent/guardian to:
Review data gathered
Discuss progress, if any
Determine if additional intervention is needed
9. If additional collaboration is needed, the team will determine additional team members and notify them of the Problem Solving Team meeting.
10. Tier 2 intervention plan will be developed with the team using the Student Intervention Planning Form and a copy of Student Intervention Planning Form is given to parent/guardian, teacher, administrator and any other teachers who need to be aware of the intervention plan.
11. Implement intervention plan and student progress monitoring for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks.
12. Continuous collaborative meeting between teacher and peer consultant to review data and fidelity checks bi-weekly (Intervention Fidelity Evaluation and Reflection is completed a minimum of 1 time per week by teacher).
13. After 4 to 6 weeks of implementation, follow up with collaborative meeting including the teacher, peer consultant, administrator and parent/guardian to:
Review data gathered
Discuss progress, if any
Determine if additional intervention is needed
14. Reconvene and review data. Determine if data that the student is regressing or not making progress, consider the need for a comprehensive evaluation.
All forms are available at http://www.newlondon.k12.wi.us/pst.cfm
The Problem Solving Team Process Flowchart
Section 2: Request for Parent/Guardian Information Form:
Purpose: The Request for Parent/Guardian Information Form is used to gather information from parents/guardians and involve them in the process. The form can be used as a discussion guide when parents attend a meeting with you to discuss concerns. (3 pages)
Who completes: The form can be completed (1) by mailing home, (2) over the phone, or (3) in person with the parent/guardian. It is sent or completed with parent/guardian by the teacher or other school personnel and then reviewed during the initial collaborative meeting.
Where is it kept: Upon completion it is kept in the yellow folder with the classroom teacher.
Request for Parent/Guardian Information
Problem Solving Team
Parent/Guardian: Student:
Date:
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Concerns with your child’s academic and/or behavior progress have been noted by . To address the academic/behavior needs of our students, our school has a designated Problem Solving Team.
The purpose of the Problem Solving Team is to design effective interventions to help students learn and develop successfully in school. Since you know your child better than anyone else does, please take some time to think about what you know about your child and how that information may help the Problem Solving Team determine what may be done to help him or her. The Problem Solving Team respects confidentiality and is requesting that you only share information that will contribute to developing an effective Student Intervention Plan for your child.
Please complete this form and return to by .
- What do you see as your child’s strengths? ______
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- In what area(s) could your child use the most improvement? What things does he/she seem to struggle with most? ______
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- If we only targeted one area for improvement at a time, what do you see as the priority for your child? ______
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4. When you think about things your child needs to improve, what could be possible causes that we could change in order to make things better? Think about the following areas:
a. Curriculum (Ex: Reading materials are too difficult or too easy to read; homework practice is inadequate for understanding or is based on material your child already knows.) ______
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b. Instruction (Ex: Your child doesn’t understand what the teacher is teaching especially during whole class instruction.) ____________
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c. Environment (Ex: Noise distracts your child’s attention. A recent family event has been difficult for your child.) ______
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d. Learner (Ex: Your child lacks organization or study skills. Your child has not yet mastered behavioral skills.) ______
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- What can be done to address the areas of difficulty for you child? ______
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- Additional information you feel is important for school staff to know about your child:
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What is the best way to contact you to follow up?
Phone: ______
E-mail address: ______
Times/days to reach you: ______
Times/days you are available to meet: ______
Thank you for your input.
If you have questions or would like to meet with someone prior to the scheduled Problem Solving Team meeting, please contact at .