Structures, Processes, and Strategies

Section Objectives

At the completion of this section, participants will be able to discuss the structures, processes, and strategies that aided implementation of high-quality English language arts instructional materials. 

Districtwide Procedures

Pickerington established districtwide procedures for its multi-tiered system of supports in reading focused on determining student needs. Activities included:

  • Provide universal screeners for grades K-6 three times during the school year: fall (August/September), winter (December/January), and spring (April/May). The district office determines and communicates dates via the testing calendar. Grades K-4 students receiving Tier 2 and Tier 3 reading intervention and grades 5-6 students receiving Tier 3 reading intervention are progress monitored regularly. Students are aligned to tiered services after each diagnostic assessment. A representative from Academic Services meets with all grade level bands of principals after each screener to determine tiered services at each building.   
  • Progress monitor all K-3 students who fall below the scaled score cut off for “not on track." Students scoring from the 11th percentile to the scaled score cut-offs receive tier two reading support. Students scoring at or below the 10th percent are identified for tier three reading support. In grades 4-6, students scoring between the 11th - 25th percentile are identified for tier two reading support, while students scoring at or below the 10th percentile and below and any student who did not meet the promotion score on Ohio's State Tests in third grade English Language Arts or approved vendor assessment receive Tier 3 reading support. 
  • Classroom teachers provide Tier 1 instruction from high-quality ELA instructional materials adopted by the district. Teachers use data and diagnostic assessments to place students in groups to work through explicit and systematic instruction.  
  • Classroom teachers provide Tier 2 intervention outside of the time dedicated to core instruction. These students work two to three times a week (for a minimum of 60-90 minutes per week) using a specific, district-approved intervention program. Intervention focuses primarily on providing increased opportunities to practice and learn skills taught in the core curriculum and identifying specific gaps that stop the student from learning grade level content. Tier 2 reading progress monitoring data is collected at a minimum of twice a month and entered in the adopted progress monitoring tool’s online portal. The goal of intervention is to fill reading skill gap deficits for students and therefore move out of intervention services.  
  • The Response to Intervention (RTI) teacher provides Tier 3 intervention every day, when possible using an approved structured literacy plan. This intervention is typically provided for at least 150 minutes a week (30 minutes a day for five days). Intervention is provided in a small group of approximately one to three students based on results of the screening and/or diagnostic assessments indicating they need to work on the same skill. RTI teachers use evidence-based reading interventions that target the skill deficit according to the screening and/or diagnostic assessment used. Tier 3 intervention is in addition to tier two and one intervention provided in the classroom.   
  • Tier 3 reading progress monitoring data is collected weekly. Work samples and additional evidence is used by the RTI team to monitor the progress of students receiving tier two and three support. Teachers use a standardized progress monitoring meeting protocol for each student that includes snapshot information, including how the student is responding to instruction (fidelity and sufficiency check), resource check, planning, and next steps. 

At the beginning of the school year, the RTI teacher identifies students receiving Tier 3 support from the previous year or students who did not pass state tests between the start of school and the completion of the fall universal screener.

Multidisciplinary Teams

Multidisciplinary teams proactively address system needs by reviewing school-wide data within grade levels and classrooms and support individual student growth by helping to monitor progress and make decisions for students at tiered levels. Teams are responsible for:  

  • Setting meeting agendas 
  • Assigning meeting roles 
  • Reviewing data 
  • Ensuring progress monitoring for all students needing Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels of support and following progress monitoring protocol 
  • Ensuring next steps for student intervention are documented and communicated with all stakeholders 
  • Referring students for additional evaluation when data indicates this step is warranted   
  • Preparing diagnostic testing data prior to the tiering meetings

Multidisciplinary teams meet monthly to review the progress of students receiving Tier 2 and 3 support. These meetings monitor student progress using data from progress monitoring assessments. Students are exited from Tier 3 when they have reached Tier 2 scores according to the most recent diagnostic tests (or in the case of a third-grade student for reading when they are proficient on the Ohio State Reading Assessment). 

In this video, grade 5-6 instructional coach Monica Lavelle and grade 5 ELA and Social Studies teacher Amy Palmer describe the structures and processes contributing to the implementation of high-quality English language arts instructional materials. 

Written Testimonial

"Pickerington was able to continue moving forward because of what we were seeing happening in the classroom, because that was the driver. The successes with the students, so selecting the right resources and materials and then being able to keep them for as long as we’ve had, because we’ve been seeing that return on the investment and the buy-in from the teachers.” 

Leslie Kelly, Executive Director, Teaching and Learning

Reflection Questions

  • What structures, processes, and strategies can be leveraged in your building or district to effectively implement high-quality English language arts instructional materials? 
  • What structures, processes, and strategies might need to be added or refined in your building or district? 

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Impact
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Last Modified: 5/19/2025 8:39:41 AM