Traditional Model of Special Services

SBE Interventions Framework

Teacher and content driven: Students who can’t keep up with the content or with peers and are often left behind or passed through grade levels without learning essential skills.

Learning is the constant and time is the variable: The student takes on more responsibility of his/her learning needs and is taught at a pace that is realistic with his/her needs. Learner centered.

Wait to fail model: Refer and re-refer students until enough failure has been “accomplished,” then give them services they need.

Early intervention: Assess all students with common assessments, track progress methodically, and intervene more intensively with students prior to significant failure.

Concerned mostly about “weaknesses” and “deficits” to fix.

Is equally concerned with a student’s strengths as it is with his/her challenges.

Labels: “Special education students,” “ELL students,” “Title I Students”

De-emphasize labels and focus on needs: “Students needing specialized instruction and intervention” (targeted and/or intensive)

Titles: “Special Education Teacher,” “ELL Teacher,” Title I Teacher.”

“Interventionists” where all educators work together to reach a common goal: to ensure that ALL students achieve in ALL content areas.

Educators largely are “private practitioners” and often teach in isolation of one another.

Blended service delivery approach: Interventionists plan and teach alongside other interventionists and Levels teachers to address students needing “targeted” and “intensive” support.

“Pull ‘em out and fix ‘em.”

In most situations, students learn content at their level of understanding within a collaborative environment, taught by both Levels teachers and “Interventionists.”

Students have very few ways to show proficiency (e.g., pencil/paper assignments and exams).

Students can demonstrate proficiency of Measurement Topics (standards) in multiple ways.

Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) are separate entities of a District’s educational system.

Components of RTI and PBS are embedded within the District’s Standards Based System. For example, using data-based decision making, some students will need “targeted” and/or “intensive” academic and/or behavioral services.

Special services teacher often teaches core subjects in isolation of the general education teacher.

Core content is learned through a myriad of approaches and settings (e.g., small group, large group, co-teaching, parallel curriculum, “double dosing,” etc.).

Student evaluations are often a “one size fits all” formal approach addressing areas that do not necessarily need to be assessed and do not always lead to clearly-defined instructional interventions. Data from formal tests required for identification and services.

Student evaluations are focused on the specific areas of need (and strengths) using a variety of assessment methods that directly lead to instructional intervention. Progress monitoring is essential to identification of needs and intervention!

Student Intervention Teams: Gatekeeper to services!

True collaborative sessions with flexible Problem-Solving Teams whose goals are to match student needs with curriculum and/or behavioral intervention.

Curriculum & Instruction is program specific and is driven by the available resources.

Scientifically-based curriculum & instruction and resources are driven by student need.

Separate professional development for programs.

Integrated professional development for interventionists.

Collaborative partners with families is not common (e.g., expert model).

Partnerships with parents to draw upon their knowledge and ideas is crucial (e.g., collaborative model).