2012 RTI Conference Schedule
Dena’ina Center
Friday, January 27, 2012
4:00 – 5:00 P.M. Check-In/Registration5:00 – 7:00 P.M. Keynote
Judy Elliott, Ph.D.
RtI: Making what matters happen!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
8:00-8:30 A.M. Conference Check-In/RegistrationFull Day Sessions 8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.(11:30-1:00 Lunch on own)
Judy Elliott, & George Batsche
RTI Implementation for Leadership Teams (K-12)
Ballroom C-F / Randy Sprick
Positive Classroom Management (K-12)
Ballroom B / Anita Archer,
Primary Reading Instruction
(K-3)
Kahtnu 1-2 / Kevin Feldman
Improving Adolescent Literacy
(4-12)
Tubughnenq’ 3-4 / Dean Ballard & Mary Buck
Secondary Mathematics Instruction
(6-12)
Boardroom / Donna Nylander
Preschool RTI
Tubughneq’ 5
Sunday, January 29, 2012
8:00-8:30 A.M. Conference Check-In/RegistrationHalf Day Sessions 8:30-11:30 A.M.
Judy Elliott,
George Batsche,
Randy Sprick,
Kevin Feldman
Integrating RTI: Pulling it all Together (K-12)
Ballroom C-F / Anita Archer
(Note time change for this session: 8:00-11:00)
Explicit Instruction (K-8)
Kahtnu1-2 / Dean Ballard & Mary Buck
Elementary Mathematics Instruction (K-5)
Tubughnenq’ 3-4 / Lexie Domaradzki
Data-Based Decision Making
For Middle & High School
(6-12)
Boardroom / Donna Nylander
Preschool RTI
Tubughneq’ 5
Schedule & Session Descriptions
Friday, January 27, 20125:00-7:00 P.M.
Conference Keynote
Judy Elliott
RTI: Making what matters happen!
Dr. Elliott will provide a motivational and informative keynote address to start the 2012 RTI Conference. The talk will focus on educational best practices and why a Response to Instruction framework makes a difference in achieving educational outcomes for all students.
Level: K-12
Location: Dena’ina Center 1st floor
Saturday, January 28, 2012
8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M
LEADERSHIP STRAND
Judy ElliottGeorge Batsche
Implementing RTI: The Critical Role of Leadership
The session will provide a model for leadership that addresses the necessary systems, practices, and data based decision-making to create a sustainable model of RTI needed to support the needs of all students. This session is designed for school-based leadership/implementation teams at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Foundational knowledge and skills around RTI implementation and leadership will be developed as a whole group in the morning. Elementary and secondary groups will split up in the afternoon to discuss implementation issues specific to each instructional level.
Level: Elementary, Middle & High
Location: Ballroom C-F
BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES STRAND
Randy Sprick
A Proactive and PositiveApproach to Classroom Behavior Management
Thisworkshop is designed to assist school personnel inbuilding a plan forincreasing student motivation, improving behavior and increasing studentresponsibility.Participants willlearn basicprinciples of classroom management, behavior management, and aninstructional approach to discipline.This session is appropriate forgeneral and special education teachers ingrades K through 12.It also maybe useful to administrators, counselors, psychologist and otherswho are in aposition to assist and coach teachers in the area of classroom management anddiscipline. Sixteen topics will be covered, includingbut not limited to:
- Rules:Using them effectively.
- Howto teach students to behave in a mature and responsible manner.
- Howto reduce off task behavior in during instruction and independent work.
- Whento use office referral and when to use in-class consequences.
- Howto use consequences as a tool for fostering student responsibility.
- Howto use positive feedback to increase student motivation (even with students whodo not like praise.)
- Special emphasis will beplaced teaching students to behave in a positive and productive way.
Location: Tubughnenq’ 3-4
Kevin Feldman
Improving Adolescent Literacy: The pivotal role of student engagement,academic vocabulary, and critical thinking in accelerating literacy development across content areas in grades 4-12
Recent Institute on Education Sciences research summaries ( have confirmed the import of academic vocabulary in adolescent literacy development, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This seminar will explore the “research to practice” applications of these instructional “tools” via modeling, video demonstration, and classroom simulations. Participants will actively explore individual, department, and school wide strategies to ensure ALL students develop the lexical knowledge and skills necessary for proficient literacy across content areas in secondary settings.
Level: 4-12
Location: Ballroom B
Anita Archer
Primary Reading Instruction: Applying What We Know
This session will address reading instruction in decoding, fluency, academic vocabulary and reading comprehension.
Decoding & Fluency. The ability to accurately read words and to apply decoding strategies to unknown words are necessary, though not sufficient skills, for reading comprehension. Simply stated, there are no comprehension strategies that are powerful enough to compensate for the fact that a student cannot read the words. Dr. Archer will review the current research on the importance of decoding skills, and procedures for increasing students' skill at decoding both short and long words. However, if decoding is laborious and slow, vital cognitive resources are focused on decoding rather than on comprehension. Thus, it is important that students are not only accurate but fluent readers. Dr. Archer will review the research on fluency and procedures for increasing fluency including independent reading, effective reading practice in all classes, and use of repeated reading procedures.
Academic Vocabulary. On a daily basis we observe the importance of vocabulary to reading and listening comprehension and overall school achievement. Even as students enter school, there are meaningful differences in vocabulary based on their prior experiences. To close this vocabulary gap, vocabulary acquisition must be accelerated through intentional instruction.Dr. Archer will focus on a number of components of an intentional vocabulary program: 1) read alouds, 2) explicit vocabulary instruction including selecting words and meanings, and providing robust vocabulary instruction, and 3) instruction on word learning strategies.
Scaffolding Reading Comprehension. Reading comprehension is a complex subject with many factors influencing students’ comprehension. Dr. Archer will present research-validated practices that can be used BEFORE passage reading (e.g., teaching the pronunciation of the difficult words, teaching the meaning of unknown vocabulary, teaching or activating background knowledge, and previewing passages), DURING passage reading (e.g., asking questions, teaching students comprehension strategies) and AFTER reading a passage (e.g., summarizing information using graphic organizers, introducing strategies for responding to written questions, having students write a summary of the passage.
Level: K-3
Location: Kahtnu 1-2
Dean Ballard & Mary Buck
Implementing in the Classroom the Eight Recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse for Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics – Secondary Session
The session will be divided into two 3-hour portions with a focus on secondary math. In the first portion we will define good mathematics instruction drawing from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel report. We will examine how tier 1 instruction compares to tiers 2 and 3. Participants will understand how screening and progress monitoring tools fit into the overall scheme of assessment tools and analyze a sample flow chart for data-driven decision making for RTI. We will explore which math topics are most important to teach for tiers 2 and 3, and the role of data in driving intervention instruction. Finally, participants will learn through concrete examples and activities what it means to provide more explicit and systematic teaching, as well as teaching that connects learning from the concrete to the visual to the abstract.
In the afternoon portion participants will examine the uses and importance of corrective feedback, especially in juxtaposition to grading student work. We will focus on instruction for solving word problems. Then we will discuss strategies for providing important daily practice with math facts and for motivating students both in terms of attentiveness to the lesson and engagement in the mathematics.
Level: 6-12
Location: Boardroom
Donna Nylander & Lisa Cipriano
Morning: RTI Sails into Preschool
Come on board and learn to chart a course for all preschool learners using RTI. This session will highlight the importance of a three-tiered system in academics and behavior. Learn how to enhance Tier 1 universal practices and the elements for planning and implementing all three tiers. Navigate through a system wide approach to collaborate, collect student data and select appropriate materials for learning.
Afternoon: Navigating through RTI with a Compass…and a Lifeboat
The focus of this session is how to identify Tier 2 and 3 students through analyzed data and to examine and discuss examples of interventions for each tier. A problem-solving model for "top of the tier" students will be shared as well as strategies and supports used for students to reach their full potential.
Level: Pre-K
Location: Tubughneq’ 5
Sunday, January 23, 2011
8:30-11:30 A.M.
LEADERSHIP STRAND
Judy Elliott, George Batsche, Randy Sprick, & Kevin Feldman
Integrating RtI: Pulling it altogether
The implementation of RtI is driven by a blueprint, not a prescription. Tailoring the blueprint to your district or school will be informed by the performance needs of the students, the organizational structures available to support implementation (e.g., data systems, professional development, coaching) and the commitment of schooling using a data-based decision-making model. It is anticipated that participants will have numerous questions around specific implementation issues (e.g., how do we improved the effectiveness of core instruction, what is the best approach to professional development for this process, how do we implement with diminishing resources?). The focus of this leadership session is on integrating academics and behavior into a comprehensive RTI service delivery model—a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Elementary, middle and high school leadership teams will have the opportunity to learn from national experts in the area of RTI. Common implementation issues will be addressed and participants will have the chance to ask questions and learn from each other.
Level: K-12, Administrators, Leadership Teams
Location: Ballroom C-F
BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES STRAND
Anita Archer
Note time change for this session only: 8:00-11:00am
Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Reading Instruction
In this session, Dr. Archer will review the past 30 years of research on explicit instruction and show how the major findings can be translated into daily practice for both effective core reading instruction and reading intervention. Scientifically-based practices for designing lessons, delivering instruction, and providing appropriate practice will be discussed, directly modeled, and practiced. Classroom videos will illustrate the major points.
Level: K-8
Location: Kahtnu1-2
Lexie Domaradzki
Efficiently Using Screening and Diagnostic Data at the Secondary Level
Analyzing screening and diagnostic data should be efficient and effective inhelping identify students who need additional support. Middle school and high school teachers will learn how to analyze data in order to maximize time spent designing support for students. Teachers will learn how to use screening and diagnostic data to inform decision making in a comprehensive secondary setting.
Level: 6-12
Location: Boardroom
Dean Ballard & Mary Buck
Implementing in the Classroom the Eight Recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse for Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics Elementary Session
This 3-hour session will focus on elementary math. We will define good mathematics instruction drawing from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel report, and highlight how tier 1 instruction compares to tiers 2 and 3. Participants will understand how screening and progress monitoring tools fit into the overall scheme of assessment tools and receive a sample flow chart for data-driven decision making for RTI. We will explore which topics are most important for tiers 2 and 3 and the role of data in driving intervention instruction. Participants will learn through concrete examples and activities what it means to provide explicit and systematic teaching, as well as teaching that connects learning from the concrete to the visual to the abstract. Participants will also examine instruction on solving word problems. Finally, we will discuss strategies for important daily practice with math facts, and ways to motivate students both in terms of attentiveness to the lesson and engagement in the mathematics.
Level: K-5
Location: Tubughnenq’ 3-4
Donna NylanderLisa Cipriano
The Perfect Storm: Successfully Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Challenging Behaviors
Learn about tiered interventions and a system wide approach to meeting challenging behaviors of children from diverse backgrounds and those who have stress related behavior due to being “kicked out of preschool”. Universal expectations, strategies for improving student's behavior and an environmental assessment will be shared.
Levels: Pre-K
Location:Tubughneq’ 5
2012 Presenters
Judy Elliott, Ph.D.Judy Elliott is formerly the Chief Academic Officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District where she was responsible for curriculum and instruction early childhood through adult, professional development, innovation, accountability, assessment, afterschool programs, state and federal programs, health and human services, magnet program, language acquisition for both English and Standard English learners, parent outreach, and intervention programs for all students. Before that she was the Chief of Teaching and Learning in the Portland Oregon Public Schools and prior to that an Assistant Superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District in CA. She started her career as a classroom teacher and then school psychologist. Judy continues to assist districts, national organizations, state and federal departments of education in their efforts to update and realign curriculum frameworks, instruction, and assessment, and accountability that include all students. She has trained thousands of staff, teachers, and administrators in the U.S. and abroad in areas of integrated service delivery systems, leadership, effective use of data, inclusive schooling that include linking assessment to classroom intervention, strategies and tactics for effective instruction, curriculum adaptation, collaborative teaching and behavior management. Judy’s research interests focus on systems change and reform, effective instruction for all students, and data-based decision making for accountability and accelerated student achievement. She has published over 51 articles, book chapters, technical/research reports and books.
George Batsche, Ph.D.
George Batsche is currently Professor and Co-Director of the Institutefor School Reform in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Batsche directs the Florida Statewide Problem-Solving/Response to Intervention Project and the Student Support Services Project for the Florida Department of Education. The Statewide RtI Project is responsible to the implementation of RtI (Multi-Tiered System of Supports-MTSS) in every school district in Florida. This Project is in a partnership with the Florida Positive Behavior Support Project to ensure that a fully integrated (academic and behavior) model of MTSS is implemented throughout the state. The Student Support Services Project is responsible for policy development, technical assistance and training, innovative project development and consultation in the areas of school psychology, school counseling, school social work and school nursing for the State of Florida through the Florida Department of Education. Dr. Batsche has been involved in the implementation of the problem-solving model at thestate, district and building levels for the past 30 years and is the recipient of more than $40 million dollars in federal and state funding to support these projects.
Randy Sprick, Ph.D.
Randy Sprick is an educational consultant and trainer in Eugene, Oregon. Each year, he presents practical and entertaining workshops to over 15,000 teachers and administrators throughout the United States and Canada.Much of his work involves helping teachers, principals, and other staff set up schools and classrooms that encourage student responsibility and motivation, while humanely and effectively helping misbehaving students learn to behave in more responsible ways.As the primary author for the Safe & Civil Schools series, Randy has produced numerous articles, books, and multimedia programs that assist school personnel in dealing with the issues of discipline and classroom management. His most recent publications include Interventions 2nd Edition: Evidence-Based Behavioral Strategies for Individual Students (2008) and Coaching Classroom Management: A Toolkit for Administrators and Coaches (2007). Randy is currently working on a companion volume to Interventions. The new book, Behavioral Response to Intervention, will be available in the spring of 2009.Randy is a courtesy professor at the University of Oregon. He is a past president of the Association for Direct Instruction (ADI) and was inducted into the Association's Hall of Fame. Randy also received the CEC's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kevin Feldman, Ph.D.
Kevin Feldman is the Director of Reading and Intervention with the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) and an independent educational consultant working with publishers, schools, and districts across the country. His career in education spans forty years. As the Director of Reading and Intervention for SCOE he develops, organizes, and monitors programs related to PreK-12 literacy and the prevention/remediation of reading difficulties.Dr. Feldman has taught for nineteen years at the university level in Special Education and Masters’ level programs for University of California, Riverside and Sonoma State University. To learn more about Dr. Feldman’s work, please visit the SCOE web site (
Anita Archer, Ph.D.
Dr. Anita Archer serves as an educational consultant to state departments, county agencies, and school districts on explicit instruction and literacy instruction. She has taught elementary and middle school students and is the recipient of ten Outstanding Educator awards. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of San Diego State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Oregon. She is nationally known for her presentations and publications on instructional procedures and literacy instruction and has co-authored numerous curriculum materialswith Dr. Mary Gleason including REWARDS, REWARDS Plus, REWARDS Writing (Sopris) and Skills for School Success (Curriculum Associates). In addition, Dr. Archer was the senior author of Phonics for Reading Curriculum Associates). Most recently, Dr. Archer wrote a textbook on explicit instruction with Dr. Charles Hughes entitled Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching. Under a federal Striving Readers Grant, Dr. Archer is working collaboratively with New York Department of Education and New York City Schools on a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of the REWARDS programs with struggling 7th graders.