2. End of Chapter Questions
Discussion Questions
- Is the second grade team providing high-quality Tier 1 literacy instruction that meets the needs of Dogwood Elementary School’s population of learners? Use the classroom data to support your answer.
- Based on the data, which teachers could be in need of additional professional development opportunities or other support? Explain your answer.
- Based on the data, which teachers seem to have effective strategies for meeting the needs of diverse learners?
- What do you notice about the performance of learners who receive special education, ESOL services, or Section 504 support over time? Are these patterns consistent across all classes in the grade level?
- Which students might need opportunities for extension beyond core instruction or grade-level expectations? In other words, who might be ready for more challenging literacy instruction based on these data?
- Beyond the individual students identified in Mr. Hartmann’s class, who were discussed in the case study, which students’ subtest scores should be examined more closely? Why? What might the PLC be looking for?
- What decision making rules are relevant to determining if interventions are meeting Helene’s needs?
Family and Guardian Communication
- Write a newsletter or email to parents explaining how DIBELS screening data are used to meet student needs for literacy instruction.
- Role-play a phone conversation or meeting in which you talk to Helene’s parents about how the school team will provide supplemental intervention and monitor Helene’s progress.
Collaboration
- Which educators from the broader Dogwood Elementary team could be engaged in supporting the second grade team in improving their literacy instruction? What specific skills or knowledge might these educators have to share?
- What information related to literacy learning is important to pass from one grade level to the next? For example, what could first-grade teachers have shared with the second grade team? What should the second grade team share with their students future third-grade teachers?
- Would it be beneficial for the second grade teachers to group students for small group literacy across classes, or should they keep students in their respective classrooms for literacy instruction? Why?
- If the team were to group across classes, what might the groupings look like? Who would teach the small groups?
Instructor Notes
- Data Analysis – Assign student groups to analyze the composite data for different Dogwood Elementary teachers. Students may find it beneficial to highlight the data using the color-coded legend described in the DIBELS 8th Edition Benchmark Goals, which can be found at Microsoft Word – DIBELS8thEditionGoals 08182020.docx (uoregon.edu). The coding system classifies students by the level of support that will likely be needed, with students in the blue and green ranges needing core support (i.e., Tier 1), students in the yellow range needing strategic support, and students in the red range needing intensive support. Once the data are coded, student groups can discuss how the need for Tiered Supports are evident in the assigned class.
- Evaluating Response to Intervention – Students can graph Helene’s progress monitoring data and use Curriculum-Based Measurement decision making rules to determine if Helene is making adequate progress with the current interventions.