Assignment: Expert in the Field: Addressing Gaps in Practice

LaureateRTIMeetingHighSchool.pdf

Home >Education homework help >Assignment: Expert in the Field: Addressing Gaps in Practice

RTI Meeting: High School

RTI Meeting: High School Program Transcript

MALE SPEAKER: Shared leadership is one effective model used in the implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports. It is often used in problem solving, and monitoring progress of individual students, for example.

In this meeting of a high school problem solving team, you will see individuals taking on a wide range of educational roles. Each participating, contributing, and at times leading the discussion. Think about the individual contributions of each participant. Who appears to be leading? What role does the administrator play?

Are there competencies and actions that help participants be effective in meeting the goals of the group? Or that hinder the group's effectiveness? Lastly, what might be some of the priorities that individuals taking on leadership roles need to set to further the goals of this professional learning community?

STEVE RICHTER: OK, the next thing is freshman appointments. And Dr. Means, Ms. Tate, Ms. Swanson, you're going to start noticing on your calendar-- even next week-- as far as those freshman that had multiple F's in the core classes, there's going to be appointments with those parents.

So Nicki's been making those calls, so those appointments are going to start happening next week. So it's going to be on your Outlook calendar. She's just putting them in to fit around whatever else you going on.

Some parents have called back, and said they can't come until after 5 o'clock. So we'll hold those off until down the road.

LAURA LASHEVER: Phone interviews maybe?

STEVE RICHTER: We'll just try to get them in the best we can.

LAURA LASHEVER: Or possibly 7:30 in the morning?

STEVE RICHTER: Well yeah. That was an issue with some parents, just getting here because of work schedules.

LAURA LASHEVER: So which key people are going to be in those?

STEVE RICHTER: It's just going to myself and the counselor, and then we'll call the Dean in as necessary. Or Mr. Henry as far as attendance. So we'll just go from there. Tracking sheet-- This is one that was brought up last time, and I think what we want to do-- it's obviously a need. People have expressed that even. Even the other PST groups have talked about it.

RTI Meeting: High School

I think what we want to do next time-- we may set the agenda aside as far as students, and spend the primary time just in the conference room, getting on the whiteboard, and developing our tracking sheet.

LAURA LASHEVER: You're talking about a sheet that we use to mark the interventions that we're using in the various tiers.

STEVE RICHTER: What's going on, just put it all together in one form.

LAURA LASHEVER: So that it has a written component, so that it doesn't get lost in translation.

STEVE RICHTER: Yes. So we're going to work on that. So if you have ideas, I know we had a few things from other districts. I got one from Rolling Meadows. So we'll just bring those.

And we'll spend some time just going through that. and basically creating it.

WILLIAM MEANS: Could you share the document from Rolling Meadows?

STEVE RICHTER: And actually I just found that off their website, under their Teacher Resources. OK. Next let's talk about the first student. This is just a follow up on student number one, I know Sue, you wanted to bring it up again.

SUZANNE SWANSON: Right. Last week at the meeting there were a couple suggestions from everybody. The first suggestion was that I call the parent for a meeting, and I did do that, and mom came in right away. Mom was very supportive, and went ahead and filled out the parent survey that we have.

And then the student came in and filled out the student interview that we have. So I have these here. As I said the parent was really very supportive, and she was all about whatever we could do for her son. I talked about possible co-taught classes, because that was another idea that came out of this meeting. And she was interested in that possibility as well.

But first I wanted to talk to student number one face to face. And I just wanted to share some of the observations I had. When I had him come in, I had him fill out the student survey. He spent a lot of time filling out the interview. I mean he really put a lot of thought and effort. As you can just tell, he really took his time. It wasn't anything he just-- so I was impressed with that.

When I was speaking with his mom and him, he really had no facial expressions whatsoever. He did say he was distracted just so very easily by other students, and I asked if there was any ADHD or anything in the family, and the answer was no per mom, and himself.

RTI Meeting: High School

We went over every class, we talked about every class. He said he attends Math Lab off and on, and then he stops. Homework is an issue with this young person, he seems to have no motivation whatsoever. And according to the student interview, he says he's happy, but at the same time he can be angry.

And the only other thing or two I'll say is he says he doesn't like it here. Period. He doesn't like it here, he can't really explain why, except that he's very distracted by other kids who misbehave. He does a lot of his work, but he doesn't turn it it. He can't remember to turn it in.

He thinks for himself-- and his mom believe that the Project Recovery program that we have would be most beneficial for him.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: What year is he again?

STEVE RICHTER: I'll just go through just so everybody remembers. He's a sophomore with only two credits, should have six. We went through the [INAUDIBLE] folder, didn't see anything that really gave us any more information. Project Recover was recommended through his adviser, [INAUDIBLE],

He is on attendance contract currently. He had all F's at his last progress report. And he was in Interactive Language Skills, Math Academy last year as a freshman. And I know you've had some contact.

In the spring last year it looked like he had a number of classrooms problems. But he only two or three contacts this year with you.

BRIAN VALERUGO: Yeah. Very good, there really isn't any behavior concerns.

ROD HENRY: His attendance is better this year than last year. So that helps his chances for Project Recovery correct?

STEVE RICHTER: Absolutely.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: Does he not have any interest in sports or anything to kind of grab him?

SUZANNE SWANSON: No, he really doesn't.

LAURA LASHEVER: He says he's not interested in any outside clubs, he's not participating at all.

ROD HENRY: I know he tried out for basketball last year, and I think that was more of this is what my friends are doing, so I might as well try to do it.

RTI Meeting: High School

STEVE RICHTER: I mean even going back, and looking at some academic history, his Explore scores from his initial Explore before entering ninth to his Practice Explore to Plan, it's all flat. I mean there's been really no growth that we've seen from the benchmark testing.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: What do people think about Project Recovery for him?

STEVE RICHTER: I'll ask you. I mean what do you think?

FEMALE SPEAKER: He's not-- he's not.

STEVE RICHTER: And really, we don't want it to be an alternative placement. That's not what we want, it's truly to recover credit. Which he is-- right now he's four credits behind. It's an academic concern of why you would want to go there, not because of any other reason.

LAURA LASHEVER: So there are two factors that I'm hearing. one is that there's family issues that could be chaotic. That the older brother's not a role model particularly, and how to go through school and what to do. And Suzanne I thought I heard you say you touched the ADHD piece, but then you mentioned Flat Affect. When he speaks there's no emotion, right?

SUZANNE SWANSON: There was no emotion. If it was you and me, and I asked you a question-- Ask me a question.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: How are you feeling today Suzanne?

SUZANNE SWANSON: I'm fine.

LAURA LASHEVER: So that's called Flat Affect. That's Flat Affect.

SUZANNE SWANSON: I was trying, really trying.

LAURA LASHEVER: Even though there's not a history of ADHD is there a history of psychiatric anything in the family?

SUZANNE SWANSON: No.

LAURA LASHEVER: And when you talked with the mother about that what was the response? No? Or not interested in looking at it? Because I'm thinking, and I'm hearing you say no motivation, no follow through, there are a lot of components that sound like depression in there to me.

It's not ADHD, it sounds like depression. So wherever he's going to go, if he doesn't have the energy-- he's sort of articulate. It's interesting, if you look at that interview

RTI Meeting: High School

STEVE RICHTER: But just again, sometimes it's always the depression, the Flat Affect is. But if you know the mom, know the sibling.

LAURA LASHEVER: I don't.

STEVE RICHTER: They're very similar, yes.

WILLIAM MEANS: Did he have any ideas of what needed to be different for him to be successful? Other than to check out, escape, go to the computer based program? Is there anything?

SUZANNE SWANSON: He was willing to try lab again. And we talked about me following up with him. And his turning in of the assignments. Because he said to me well I do them in Math Lab. I'm like, well where are the assignments? Well I don't turn them in.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: Well that's the case. There are a lot of kids, I don't quite get that.

SUZANNE SWANSON: I don't get that either. But so I said I would follow up with him and see, because I certainly didn't want him to be like oh yeah I'm going Project Recovery and hey I'm out of here. Because I wanted him to try to work on where he's at before we get to that point.

LAURA LASHEVER: So starting with that point. So he does the assignments? Right? He says he does the assignments.

SUZANNE SWANSON: He says he does, right.

LAURA LASHEVER: So what would happen if we created an intervention around that to get him to actually turn the assignment in? Like a folder that he gets in that room. The teacher holds a folder for him, and checks it maybe in the beginning. I know this is high school, and not elementary school, but if you want to try and teach a kid to do it better, then you have to train him to do it better.

So if you left a folder in that room with his name on it, that would be the homework folder, and he would have a deal that he would slip that stuff in there that day. If it's not there then the teacher the next day would say to him I know you did this, where is your homework? Go get your bag, I expect for you to have two pieces in here tomorrow, or whatever. Something like that.

SUZANNE SWANSON: So I will contact the parent about exploring counseling options, and talk with the teacher, and probably the math lab teacher about this folder for the assignments.

RTI Meeting: High School

STEVE RICHTER: I already have him on the list for Project Recovery for second semester as a potential to go when we make those final decisions. The bigger-- we can work around this the last couple of weeks-- issue too is that he is four credits behind.

BRIAN VALERUGO: And likely to fail all his classes this semester.

STEVE RICHTER: And I think he's looking for a light at the end of the tunnel.

LAURA LASHEVER: And how hold is he again?

STEVE RICHTER: 16.

ADRIENNE ISQUITH: I like when he said I like to think outside of the box most of the time. That's very clever. So maybe we need to start thinking outside of the box to meet him.

LAURA LASHEVER: For him there. But that could also be a safeguarding thing Adrienne, and that could be him saying I'm different, and that's why I'm not making it.

STEVE RICHTER: And the one thing is if we did send him to Project Recovery now, and if he continues to be motivated, in the program, he makes the program work for him, because of his age, he'll be back. Within a year back on track. We catch him early enough, the more likely he'll be back.

SUZANNE SWANSON: So he can make up enough credits to be a junior when he comes back.

LAURA LASHEVER: And come back and graduate from here.

SUZANNE SWANSON: That's cool. I didn't realize that.