Response to Instruction (RtI) Policy

Updated 7.25.23

In order to ensure maximum student support for improved outcomes, CWCS has developed a research-based Response to Instruction Policy and program. Response to Instruction (RtI) is designed by leading educational experts across the world and is based on on-going research that focuses on identifying students’ learning problems early so that educators can intervene with individualized instruction. RtI consists of four essential components: screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision making. RTI has three (3) tiers. Each tier provides increased instructional support to the student when needed. Tier 1 consists of a core instructional program delivered in the way it was designed. Tier 2 consists of increased strategic scaffolding support for students who may need additional support or who may fall below the expected levels of accomplishment in specific concepts.  Tier 3 instruction may be more individualized and intensive for students who need even more support or differentiated instruction.  When implemented well, RTI improves instruction and increases students’ chance of school success. All students in CWCS are part of this program .

Additionally, EC Section 47607.3 specifies that all charter schools must ensure all students show improved outcomes each year or receive possible technical assistance from their chartering authority and face possible charter revocation. AB1505, signed into law 2021, states charter schools may use state approved local assessments (verifiable data) to assess students longitudinally each year for every year in operation to show student growth from beginning of the year to the end of the year. CWCS has opted to use iReady Diagnostic Assessments as local, verifiable data. Should you have any questions or concerns about the appropriateness of this policy for your student, please work with your ES and ESs will work with their advisors to best support your student.  

Focus on Standards Aligned Core

According to the school charter, CWCS students will use a personalized Education Plan that will enable students to meet the requirements of the Common Core State Standards. Curriculum is defined as the outline of concepts to be taught to students to help them meet the content standards.  The standards can be covered in many ways by the chosen curriculum outlined in the student’s personalized Education Plan. All students are part of the first tier in the RtI pyramid model. Tier 1 provides research-based instructional strategies and must include a strong core curriculum. If students are not using a standards aligned curriculum, they are at risk of having "gaps" in their instruction, putting them at risk of falling further behind their peers.

Focus on Early Reading

Research shows less fluent readers often fall behind in standardized testing, educational achievement, and vocational success (Alley, 2012). Research also indicates that there is a correlation between reading comprehension results and student success in math or science classes (Akbaşlı, et.al., 2016).

TK-2 Monthly Reading Logs: CWCS recognizes the importance of early reading. All students in grades TK-2 will keep a reading log showing completion of reading a minimum of 3 books per month from varying genres. Books should primarily be from the California's Recommended Literature List Search. Books should be at the student's independent reading level (emerging readers may need scaffolded reading support). These books are outside of materials used for primary academic instruction, but may be related to core content. Parents and ESs will engage with students each month about the books to check for comprehension. It is the policy of CWCS that all students should be reading fluently at grade level by the end of Grade 2.

ESs will work with all students in Grades K-2 who are not performing at grade level in reading on local assessments closely following the CWCS Early Literacy Plan.

CAASPP Achievement Level Descriptors:

Level 1: Standard Not Met

Level 2: Standard Nearly Met

Level 3: Standard Met (Proficient)

Level 4: Standard Exceeded

Grades K-12 Assessment and iReady Instruction Guidelines

1. Diagnostic #1 (fall baseline): All students in grades K-12 will complete the iReady Diagnostic #1 assessments in math and reading on or before the first learning period meeting during the designated testing window. This assessment will assess students' academic achievement, defined by at least one year's progress for each year in school via state approved verifiable data source.

Semester 1 Intensive Instructional Requirements:

a) If the student scores "On Level" (green) in all domains, the student may optionally continue to use the iReady adaptive support program to strengthen or advance their skills to higher grade levels.

b)  If the student does not score "On Level" (green) in each tested domain, the student will be choose one of the following intensive instructional options:

1. iReady CAI: Student will work in the iReady adaptive support program for a minimum of 45 minutes per week in the corresponding subject until the student is at or above level. ES is to monitor weekly progress throughout the semester; or
2. Developmental Class: Student will enroll in corresponding Developmental Class targeting specific skills and standards based on student's iReady diagnostic assessment; or
3. Paper / Pencil: ES will work with the student using the iReady toolkit with weekly lessons (4-5 lessons per week) generated by the student's iReady diagnostic assessment (this option is subject to administrative approval and should be used only in unique situations).

2. Diagnostic #2: Winter Benchmark (mid-year check): All students in grades 2-12 who do not meet the below exemptions will complete the winter diagnostic #2 assessment during the designated assessment window. This diagnostic assessment is used to recalibrate students in the adaptive program, to monitor progress and ensure proficient students are staying on track, to show growth, and to help determine deficiencies needing re-teach to best prepare students for the state assessment.

a. Winter Assessment Reevaluations Rationale: Reassessments and winter (mid-year) assessments on proficient students are to ensure students are not slipping in basic math and reading skills. It is important not to assume that because a student has been proficient in the past, that the student will always be proficient. Data shows that often young readers (grades 2-3) and math students in grades 4-5 will often see a big jump in skills.

b. Exemptions to iReady Winter Diagnostic #2 (mid-year check):

The winter iReady Diagnostic #2 (mid-year check) is optional (but highly recommended) only for the following students:

• K-1
• Any student (2-12) who tested at least at the end of their grade level in the fall, or
• Any student (2-12) who tested 1 year (or more) above in the fall,
• AND optional for any student who is using the iReady instruction for the required time each week (ES is to monitor weekly progress throughout the semester)

The Winter Diagnostic #2 is required for all other students. If an ES or parent has a concern about their student completing Diagnostic #2 with a situation not described above, the ES should consult with their Advisor.

Semester 2 Intensive Instructional Requirements:

a) If the student scores "On Level" in all domains, the student may optionally continue to use the iReady adaptive support program to strengthen or advance their skills to higher grade levels.

b) If the student does not score "On Level"  (green) in each tested domain, the student will be required to choose one of the following intensive instructional  options:

1. iReady CAI: Student will work in the iReady adaptive support program for a minimum of 45 minutes per week in the corresponding subject until the student is at or above level. ES is to monitor weekly progress throughout the semester; or
2. Developmental Class: Student will enroll in corresponding Developmental Class targeting specific skills and standards based on student's iReady diagnostic assessment; or
3. Paper / Pencil: ES will work with the student using the iReady toolkit providing weekly lessons (4-5 lessons per week) generated by the student's iReady diagnostic assessment (this option is subject to administrative approval and should be used only in unique situations).

3. Diagnostic #3 (End of Year): All students in grades K-12 will complete the iReady Diagnostic #3 assessments in math and reading during the designated spring testing window. This assessment is mandatory for all students before they check out for the year This assessment will help determine final academic growth for the year. It is important for ESs to discuss results with parents and encourage summer skills review where needed to help prevent learning loss and ensure the student is ready for success for the upcoming year.

Administering Assessments:

All iReady Assessments must be proctored by an Education Specialist or approved CWCS iReady proctor. It is important ESs and proctors follow correct procedures when administering the diagnostic assessment. Inflated scores and/or inaccurate placement can prevent students from getting the appropriate support needed to assist in closing academic gaps. ES proctors may not assist students during the assessment. The assessment is adaptive, so students should be encouraged to do the best they can, and remind students that the computer does not "know" them and will ask them questions they may not have learned yet. If Proctors assist students with these types of questions, students will not place correctly in the program, causing frustration for the student. Assessments may be proctored in person or online and may be proctored in groups, but Proctors should be able to see the student(s) and must ensure small group proctoring is not distracting for any student.

About iReady:

i-Ready Assessments are designed to illuminate student learning. They offer teachers [and parents] the most accurate, most actionable data possible to help them guide their students toward continued growth. The intuitive reports from the adaptive i-Ready Diagnostic and i-Ready Standards Mastery help make more informed decisions about individual instruction.

i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment designed to provide teachers [and parents] with actionable insight into student needs. It offers a complete picture of student performance and growth, eliminating the need for multiple, redundant tests. By adapting to student responses and assessing a broad range of skills-including skills above and below a student's chronological grade-the i-Ready Diagnostic pinpoints student ability level, identifies the specific skills students need to learn to accelerate their growth, and charts a personalized learning path for each student.

i-Ready Standards Mastery provides flexible assessments designed to measure specific grade-level standards. Built to map to our scope and sequence, Standards Mastery allows educators to quickly identify when reteaching or remediation is needed as standards are covered across the year. The program's intuitive reports visualize student performance on recently taught material and highlight misconceptions that may prevent students from making progress.

Interpreting Scores and Program Usage Requirements:

ES will consult the student's assessment results to determine the student's targeted needs. Please see section 1a and 1b above for usage requirements. For students who did not score on level (green) in all domains, ESs will be required to check student usage in the Computer Aided Instructional (CAI) no less than every 5 school days. Any student who has not completed the minimum number of minutes (45 minutes per subject) for the 5 day period will need to be contacted by the ES. ESs must work with families to ensure usage of the CAI is a top priority along with core daily instruction. Students who did not score on level in each domain and who have not worked with fidelity for more than 20 schools days will be required to enroll in the corresponding developmental course based on their grouping placement. Optionally, students who do not wish to use the CAI or who are not making adequate progress in the CAI may enroll in the corresponding developmental course based on his/her grouping placement. Adequate Progress is defined in this program when students meet their "Stretch Target". For more information about Stretch Targets, review the iReady Growth Model. Adequate Progress, simply defined, is when a below-level student is mastering concepts to make progress more than a single year's worth of growth. This growth is necessary for students to reach grade level mastery and close academic achievement gaps.

For more information on implementation procedures, please review the CWCS iReady Procedure Guide.

RtI Instructional Levels:

Scores 0%-25th%ile = Tier 3 (Intensive Instruction needed) Below-Level

Scores 26-40th%ile = Tier 2 (Strategic Instruction needed) Near Level

Scores 41st%ile and above = Tier 1 (grade level curriculum and instructional support) On Level

RtI Daily Instructional Schedule:

ESs will work with parents to ensure students are receiving the minimum number of daily instructional minutes as per state law. Instructional time should include all Tier 1 instruction, and for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students, strategic and intensive instruction. See Suggested Daily Schedule Using Response to Instruction (RTI) Form (in the Parent/Student Handbook) for suggested breakdown of times by subject and instructional support.

School District and Charter School Instructional Time Requirement Table

Additional Information & Training:

All ESs will complete the CWCS ES RtI Training. Additional Training Resources can be found on our school's RtI (Response to Instruction) page.

ESs should ensure that parents continue working on instructional strategies and scaffolding to grade level concepts to move towards grade level proficiency.

On Level Tier 1 Students: Students who are scoring on level (determined by state assessment scores of standards met or higher or iReady diagnostic scores of “green” grade level for each domain) can benefit from iReady CAI and the additional resources to challenge students at higher levels. Students should be encouraged to work in the program and ESs should support students by sharing additional lessons and resources that continue to challenge students on level and above.

Near Level Tier 2 Students: Student is not at grade level target (green in each domain on iReady diagnostic assessments). The ES will continue to monitor student's progress in the iReady program each week. If, at the end of the semester, the student is not making adequate progress, the ES will enroll the student in the corresponding Developmental Reading or Developmental Math course based on the student's grouping placement for additional instructional support.

Below-Level Tier 3 Students: Students scoring one or more grade levels below on iReady diagnostics the ES will continue to monitor student's progress in the iReady program each week. If, at the end of the semester, the student is not making adequate progress, the ES will enroll the student in the corresponding Developmental Reading or Developmental Math course based on the student's grouping placement for additional instructional support.

Works Cited:

Akbaşlı, Sait, et.al. "The Effect of Reading Comprehension on the Performance in Science and Mathematics." Journal of Education and Practice, vol. 7, 16 Nov. 2016, pp. 108-21.