WEBVTT

00:00:00.186 --> 00:00:06.846
[Music] Welcome to the overview
on Universal Screening for All Students.

00:00:09.186 --> 00:00:12.012
Beginning readers who are 
struggling need help right away

00:00:12.136 --> 00:00:15.266
but they often don't receive it
until grade 2 or 3--

00:00:15.646 --> 00:00:18.736
after they have been officially
diagnosed with a learning disability

00:00:18.946 --> 00:00:20.836
or have fallen far 
behind their peers.

00:00:22.026 --> 00:00:26.706
Response to Intervention, or "RtI,"
is a multi-tier instructional program

00:00:26.706 --> 00:00:29.566
that offers a strategy
for early detection and prevention

00:00:29.566 --> 00:00:30.906
of reading difficulties.

00:00:31.386 --> 00:00:34.776
Key components of RtI are 
the screening of all students

00:00:34.776 --> 00:00:39.646
and ongoing monitoring of their 
progress in core reading skills.

00:00:39.646 --> 00:00:42.956
When a school only assesses those
students who are already demonstrating

00:00:42.956 --> 00:00:45.616
problems with reading,
other students who are at risk

00:00:45.616 --> 00:00:48.006
for future reading difficulties 
can be overlooked.

00:00:48.556 --> 00:00:51.946
This is why universal screening is
such a critical first step

00:00:51.946 --> 00:00:55.156
in determining the scope of reading 
support a school needs to offer.

00:00:56.296 --> 00:00:59.876
Universal screening provides an
objective "reading" on students' skills.

00:01:00.346 --> 00:01:03.816
This does not mean that teacher 
observation and judgment is unimportant.

00:01:04.536 --> 00:01:08.026
By monitoring student performance
over time, teachers will make an

00:01:08.026 --> 00:01:10.846
important contribution
in gauging a student's progress

00:01:10.896 --> 00:01:13.506
in both core and intervention programs.

00:01:13.586 --> 00:01:17.716
Screenings for reading difficulty 
should take place twice a year--

00:01:18.036 --> 00:01:21.216
at the beginning of the school year
and again in the middle of the year.

00:01:22.116 --> 00:01:25.316
These midyear screenings are especially
important for younger students,

00:01:25.316 --> 00:01:28.236
as the results are likely
to give a more accurate picture

00:01:28.236 --> 00:01:31.426
of students' skills than those obtained
at the beginning of the year.

00:01:33.106 --> 00:01:37.226
A universal screening program requires
schoolwide coordination of staff

00:01:37.226 --> 00:01:38.776
and resources.

00:01:38.776 --> 00:01:42.456
A building-level RtI team should be
comprised of diverse members

00:01:42.456 --> 00:01:46.886
with a range of expertise,
such as teachers, special educators,

00:01:46.886 --> 00:01:50.786
school psychologists,
reading coaches, and the principal.

00:01:52.086 --> 00:01:54.596
The team will be responsible
for a number of tasks,

00:01:54.906 --> 00:01:57.906
from managing basic logistics,
such as determining

00:01:57.906 --> 00:02:00.286
who will administer the assessments
and handling scheduling,

00:02:00.646 --> 00:02:04.596
to more substantive responsibilities,
such as selecting screening measures

00:02:04.886 --> 00:02:09.256
and establishing benchmarks 
to identify at-risk students.

00:02:09.356 --> 00:02:12.796
When considering which measures
to adopt, the building-level team should

00:02:12.796 --> 00:02:15.386
give special attention
to each measure's efficiency,

00:02:15.486 --> 00:02:17.626
reliability, and proven validity.

00:02:17.826 --> 00:02:20.856
Specific factors to consider include:

00:02:21.486 --> 00:02:24.326
ensuring that the appropriate reading
skills are being measured,

00:02:24.816 --> 00:02:28.156
how accurately the measure predicts
risk, and cost.

00:02:29.576 --> 00:02:32.446
Screening measures should focus
on appropriate reading skills

00:02:32.446 --> 00:02:34.336
for each grade level.

00:02:34.336 --> 00:02:36.856
In kindergarten,
screening should assess letter

00:02:36.856 --> 00:02:41.366
knowledge, phonemic awareness,
and expressive and receptive vocabulary.

00:02:42.206 --> 00:02:46.996
In grade 1, focus should shift to 
address phonemic awareness, decoding,

00:02:47.396 --> 00:02:49.826
word identification, and text reading.

00:02:50.636 --> 00:02:55.046
In grade 2, screening should focus
on word reading and passage reading.

00:02:55.866 --> 00:02:59.046
It may be necessary to use more
than one screening measure in order

00:02:59.046 --> 00:03:00.606
to assess all of these skills.

00:03:02.176 --> 00:03:05.786
The accuracy of any given screening
measure in predicting future reading

00:03:05.786 --> 00:03:09.086
ability is referred
to as its predictive validity.

00:03:09.836 --> 00:03:13.306
Predictive validity has two aspects:
its sensitivity--

00:03:13.776 --> 00:03:16.346
the degree of accuracy
with which it correctly identifies

00:03:16.346 --> 00:03:18.306
students at risk
for reading difficulties;

00:03:18.756 --> 00:03:22.676
and its specificity--
its accuracy in identifying students

00:03:22.676 --> 00:03:24.306
at low risk for such difficulties.

00:03:25.436 --> 00:03:28.506
Use of at least two screening measures
is highly recommended,

00:03:28.886 --> 00:03:32.036
as use of a single measure can often
result in false positives,

00:03:32.366 --> 00:03:35.936
such as identifying students
as needing additional assistance,

00:03:35.936 --> 00:03:37.766
but who are likely
to do fine without it.

00:03:38.936 --> 00:03:41.916
Using two screening measures 
can both enhance the accuracy

00:03:41.916 --> 00:03:45.256
of the screening process and ensure
that schools are not taxing their

00:03:45.256 --> 00:03:48.566
resources by providing intervention
to an inflated percentage

00:03:48.566 --> 00:03:50.616
of the student population.

00:03:50.616 --> 00:03:53.456
When selecting which screening 
mechanisms to implement,

00:03:53.796 --> 00:03:56.366
it's important to factor
in the various costs involved.

00:03:56.966 --> 00:04:00.076
Each additional measure requires 
more staff time to administer

00:04:00.076 --> 00:04:02.406
and may displace instruction.

00:04:02.406 --> 00:04:07.426
Moreover, interpreting multiple indices
or measurement results can be a complex

00:04:07.426 --> 00:04:09.576
and time-consuming task.

00:04:09.576 --> 00:04:12.636
These factors should be carefully
considered when selecting the number

00:04:12.636 --> 00:04:14.496
and type of screening measures to adopt.

00:04:15.056 --> 00:04:17.815
The team needs to be sure
that their school has the capacity

00:04:17.815 --> 00:04:20.446
to meet the demands
of the screening process,

00:04:20.446 --> 00:04:23.976
and to consider alternatives
such as training paraprofessionals

00:04:23.976 --> 00:04:26.856
to conduct screening rather
than taking teachers away

00:04:26.856 --> 00:04:29.086
from classroom instruction.

00:04:29.526 --> 00:04:31.966
Interpretation of screening 
results requires

00:04:31.966 --> 00:04:36.066
grade-level benchmarks, or growth rates,
to determine which children are at low,

00:04:36.196 --> 00:04:39.016
moderate, or high risk
for developing reading difficulties.

00:04:39.756 --> 00:04:41.356
Grade-level benchmarks indicate

00:04:41.356 --> 00:04:43.526
when a particular reading skill 
should be achieved.

00:04:44.936 --> 00:04:47.776
The federal Office of Special 
Education Programs offers a

00:04:47.776 --> 00:04:50.686
good starting point for information
on benchmarks screening

00:04:50.686 --> 00:04:53.596
and progress monitoring
through its National Center on Response

00:04:53.596 --> 00:04:56.186
to Intervention website.

00:04:56.186 --> 00:04:59.146
Once benchmarks have been established,
the district will need

00:04:59.146 --> 00:05:01.686
to establish cut-points,
or cutoff scores,

00:05:01.796 --> 00:05:04.706
to identify those students
who are likely to reach proficiency

00:05:04.706 --> 00:05:07.056
without additional assistance.

00:05:07.056 --> 00:05:07.076
without additional assistance. It is critical to keep in mind that no measure is perfectly reliable.

00:05:07.076 --> 00:05:10.456
It is critical to keep in mind
that no measure is perfectly reliable.

00:05:10.456 --> 00:05:14.596
When students' scores fall slightly
below or above a cutoff score

00:05:14.596 --> 00:05:18.316
on a benchmark test, schools may wish
to conduct an additional assessment

00:05:18.316 --> 00:05:21.316
of those students or monitor 
their progress for a period

00:05:21.316 --> 00:05:24.386
of six to eight weeks
to determine whether the student does,

00:05:24.386 --> 00:05:26.596
in fact, require additional assistance.

00:05:28.336 --> 00:05:31.296
Schools may need
to refine initial benchmark cut-points

00:05:31.296 --> 00:05:35.866
to obtain the right level of accuracy
for identifying at-risk students.

00:05:35.866 --> 00:05:38.686
A lenient cut point can result
in false positives that end

00:05:38.686 --> 00:05:42.566
up being more costly to the school,
while a more stringent cut point may

00:05:42.566 --> 00:05:45.056
miss students at risk
for potential reading problems.

00:05:46.016 --> 00:05:48.706
In general, it's best
to set screening cut-points

00:05:48.706 --> 00:05:51.706
that will identify a pool of 
children, and then follow

00:05:51.706 --> 00:05:55.206
up with regular progress monitoring
to further determine those most at risk.

00:05:56.876 --> 00:05:59.366
Remember-- screening is just the start.

00:05:59.866 --> 00:06:02.296
Progress monitoring ensures
that students continue

00:06:02.296 --> 00:06:03.896
to receive interventions at a level

00:06:03.896 --> 00:06:06.386
of intensity matched
to their developing needs.

00:06:06.046 --> 00:06:09.686
[Music] To learn more
about Universal Screening

00:06:09.686 --> 00:06:12.776
for All Students, please explore 
the additional resources

00:06:12.776 --> 00:06:15.976
on the Doing What Works website.