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05/04/2011 12:00 AMSuperintendent of Schools Thomas Forcella and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Anne Keene recently updated the school board and the public on the progress of a new initiative to both identify students struggling with standard course work and identify the best approach to tailoring a curriculum for the students. Put together last May, the Scientific Research-Based Intervention (SRBI) initiative will undergo review this month, Keene said.
According to the Guilford Public Schools website (www.guilford.k12.ct.us), SRBI "is an initiative spurred by federal court action and education research. It is both an educational process and a systematic approach for addressing the needs of low-performing learners who have not been identified as needing special education."
"The whole purpose of [this program] was to make sure that primarily we identify students correctly that have a learning disability and help all students achieve grade level proficiency," Keene said.
SRBI replaces the achievement-aptitude discrepancy model that school officials have previously used to measure students' performance versus their IQ with general education strategies that are developed and implemented by the schools. According to Keene, the discrepancy model was not very accurate.
Three tiers of student support have also been implemented as an attempt to help students achieve expectations and standards.
The first tier, which Keene said is the most important part of the work, represents the majority of all school-aged students that is responding successfully to the core instruction provided in a general education classroom.
"We've been working very hard as you know with the Principles of Learning and doing our learning walks and modeling the coaches, [which] have all been to beef up that regular classroom instruction and to make sure it is more effective," she said.
Tier II interventions focus more on providing more supplemental and focused teaching for the smaller percentage of students that is not showing progress to the core instruction provided in a general education classroom.
The third tier interventions are designed to provide greater support "as characterized by more frequent, focused, individualized learning opportunities for students," Keene said.
Students who qualify under Tier III show that they have not made sufficient progress with Tier II interventions.
"It's a way of assuring that we have done our due diligence before we say the student has a disability," Keene said.
"This wasn't a stretch for us," Forcella said. "This is what we've been focusing on doing. It's all about improving regular classroom instruction to meet the needs of all kids."
Board member Alan Meyers expressed concern that as rigor in the classrooms continues to improve, students with disabilities may struggle. The administrators explained that SRBI offers a safety net for that situation.
If a teacher has recognized an issue with a student in either academic or behavioral outlets, the teacher can alert the SRBI Team, which will address the issue. There is also communication with the parents if an issue is brought to the SRBI Team and/or if the child moves within the intervention tiers.
Intervention strategies for Tier I include flexible grouping, differentiated instructional practices, and teacher/student conferences. Tier II includes before/after school tutoring, homework clubs, and participation in a mentoring program and Tier III includes peer tutors, collaboration with outside agencies, scheduling co-teaching environments, and more. The SRBI Team recognizes that "no single strategy is equally effective for all students."
"We plan to review with the district leadership team at the end of the year. How has it gone? How have the forms worked? What changes do we need to make, what updates?" Keene said.
To see Guilford's SRBI Handbook, visit the public school's website www.guilford.k12.ct.us.