Appendix C MTSS-R Team Leader Survey

MTSS-R

MTSS-R Team Leader Survey

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is XXXX-XXXX. The time required to complete this voluntary information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202–4537. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: 550 12th street, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Dear School Leader:

The Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School (the MTSS-R Study) is a groundbreaking national study designed to test two promising strategies to improve reading outcomes for students. Your participation is voluntary, but your response is critical for producing valid and reliable data. You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer; however, we hope that you answer as many questions as you can. Below are the answers to some general questions concerning your participation.

What is the purpose of this survey?

The purpose of this survey is to obtain information about your school’s practices related screening and progress monitoring.

Who is conducting this survey?

The MTSS-R Study was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. The study is being run by American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the study survey is administered by School Readiness Consulting (SRC). This study is authorized in Section 664 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, P.L. 108- 446) and Part A Section 8601 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Why should you participate in this survey?

Policymakers and educational leaders rely on findings from studies like this to inform their decisions on approaches to reading instruction and supports for students in elementary school. The current project will fill a critical gap in the research on the effects of rigorous training and supports for MTSS-R on teacher practices and student outcomes.

Will your responses be kept confidential?

Yes. Your responses are protected from disclosure per the policies and procedures required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183. The study team will present the information collected as part of this study in an aggregate form and will not associate responses to any of the people who participate. We will not provide information that identifies you, your school, or your district to anyone outside the study team except as required by law. Your responses will be used only for statistical purposes. Any willful disclosure of such information for nonstatistical purposes, without the informed consent of the respondent, is a class E felony.

What are the risks to participation?

Participation in the teacher survey does not pose any special risks to you as a respondent other than accidental disclosure of information. AIR and SRC have safeguards in place to ensure respondents’ confidentiality, including restricted access to survey data and separating identifying information such as teacher and school names from survey responses. All study team members sign a confidentiality pledge, and all staff with access to identifiable study data have received clearance from the U.S. Department of Education and are subject to severe legal consequences for any breach of confidentiality. Any data that identifies you will be destroyed at the end of the study. If you have any questions about your rights as a research volunteer, contact AIR’s IRB at IRBChair@air.org; call 1-800-634-0797 (toll free); or write to AIR, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007, and reference IRB number 87773.

How will your information be reported?

The information you provide will be combined with the information provided by other teachers in statistical reports. No individual data that link your name or e-mail address with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!

Data and Instructional Support Teams for 1st and 2nd Grade Teachers

Some schools have one or more formal teams (i.e., teams established in an official capacity that meet regularly) and include a focus on supporting 1^st or 2^nd grade teachers’ reading instruction/intervention, identifying 1^st or 2^nd grade students who need Tier II reading intervention, or the provision of those supports.

These teams may be MTSS-R leadership teams, professional learning communities, or student support teams. Please include all teams that have a focus on 1^st or 2^nd grade reading.

1. How many of these formal teams does your school have?

Please include all teams that have a focus on 1^st or 2^nd grade reading.

Distinct teams

2. Which best describes each of the formal teams (i.e., teams established in an official capacity that meet regularly) and includes a focus(es) on identifying 1^st or 2^nd grade students who need Tier II reading intervention or that support 1^st or 2^nd grade teachers’ and interventionists’ reading instruction/intervention?

Please select one option that best describes each team

		1st Team	2nd Team
a.	MTSS-R leadership team	o	o
b.	1st grade-level team or professional learning community	o	o
c.	2nd grade-level team or professional learning community	o	o
d.	A team or professional learning community that includes 1st or 2nd grade staff	o	o
e.	Student support team	o	o
f.	Other, please specify: ________________________	o	o

Note: This example assumes that the respondent said they had 2 formal teams in question #1.

3. Please indicate which staff in your school serve on each of the formal teams.

If you have more than one professional learning community, please list all staff who participate across the professional learning communities.

		1st Team: MTSS-R leadership team Please select all that apply.	2nd Team: Professional Learning Community(ies) Please select all that apply.
a.	Principal	o	o
b.	Assistant Principal	o	o
c.	Reading specialist(s)	o	o
d.	1st grade teachers	o	o
e.	2nd grade teachers	o	o
f.	Teachers in other grades (e.g., Kindergarten or 3rd grade)	o	o
g.	Interventionists that work with 1st graders	o	o
h.	Interventionists that work with 2nd graders	o	o
i.	Interventionists that work with students in other grades (e.g., Kindergarten or 3rd grade)	o	o
j.	School psychologist	o	o
k.	Resource teacher	o	o
l.	Other, please specify: ______________	o	o

Note: This example assumes that the respondent said they had an MTSS-R leadership team and one of the PLC options (question #2 items b, c, or d).

4. Please indicate whether each of the following activities, related to 1^st and 2^nd grade students, are completed by each of your school’s teams.

		1st Team: MTSS-R leadership team Please select all that apply.	2nd Team: Professional Learning Community(ies) Please select all that apply.
a.	Using data (e.g., screening data) to identify which students need Tier II reading intervention.	o	o
b.	Coordinating scheduling for reading instruction and Tier II intervention.	o	o
c.	Providing or securing support for teachers to incorporate high quality instructional practices in their classes (e.g., help teachers with explicit or differentiated instruction).	o	o
d.	Providing or securing support for interventionists to delivering high quality Tier II intervention.	o	o
e.	Reviewing and revising, as necessary, the schedule for delivering core reading instruction and Tier II reading intervention.	o	o
f.	Assessing the fidelity of MTSS-R implementation (i.e., fidelity of core instruction, Tier II instruction, processes related to screening and progress monitoring) in order to provide or secure supports.	o	o
g.	Using data to track progress of students who are receiving Tier II reading intervention.	o	o
h.	Using data to decide which students should exit Tier II intervention or receive additional Tier III supports.	o	o

Note: This example assumes that the respondent said they had an MTSS-R leadership team and one of the PLC options (question #2 items b, c, or d).

Data – Infrastructure

5. For each data source below, please indicate if (A) your school systematically collects the data for 1st or 2nd grade students (e.g., collected on all relevant students in a consistent way across students); and (B) if the data are regularly used during the formal team* meetings.

Please only consider the formal teams we asked you about in the previous section.

		A. Are these data collected systematically?	B. Are these data regularly used during team meetings?
a.	Screening data for reading (e.g., AIMSweb, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), collected for all students 2-3 times per year)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
b.	Progress Monitoring data for reading (e.g., AIMSweb or DIBELS, collected frequently, such as monthly, for students receiving intervention)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
c.	Performance on teacher-administered assessments (e.g., end of unit tests, classroom quizzes)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
d.	Performance on classwork or homework	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
e.	Behavior data (e.g., counselor reports, discipline)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
f.	Student participation in educational programs (e.g., EL, Title I, gifted and talented, special education)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
g.	Attendance data (e.g., number or percent of days missed per student)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
h.	Results obtained from a systematic review of student work (e.g., portfolio or other student work evaluated using a rubric)	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
i.	Other, please specify: _________________________________	o Yes o No	o Yes o No

Screening and Progress Monitoring Practices in 1st and 2nd Grade

Throughout this section, screening refers using data to identify students who are at risk for reading difficulty and may benefit from Tier II reading intervention. Screening data are typically collected on all students 2-3 times per year using a tool such as AIMSweb, STAR, MAP, Fastbridge, easyCBM, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS).

Progress monitoring refers to using data to assess whether students are ready to leave Tier II reading intervention or whether students need to be referred to more intensive individualized supports (i.e., Tier III intervention). Progress monitoring data are typically collected more frequently and only on students participating in intervention using a tool such as AIMSweb, Fastbridge, easyCBM, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS).

6. In your school, when are 1^st and 2^nd grade students typically screened to identify those at risk of reading difficulty and who may benefit from Tier II reading intervention?

Mark each month that applies. If screening times take place over two months, but are part of the same screening process, please mark only the first month (e.g., if students are screened in the last week of January through the first week of February, please mark “January”).

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students	2nd Grade Students
a.	August	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
b.	September	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
c.	October	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
d.	November	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
e.	December	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
f.	January	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
g.	February	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
h.	March	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
i.	April	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
j.	May	o Yes o No	o Yes o No
k.	June	o Yes o No	o Yes o No

Schools that select No for each month and grade will skip to the next section.

7. What is the primary tool that is used to screen 1^st and 2^nd grade students for reading difficulty?

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students Select one	2nd Grade Students Select one
a.	Acadience	o	o
b.	AIMSweb	o	o
c.	DIBELS Next	o	o
d.	easyCBM	o	o
e.	FASTBridge	o	o
f.	i-Ready Diagnostic and Growth Monitoring	o	o
g.	Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP)	o	o
h.	MAP	o	o
i.	STAR	o	o
j.	District developed tool, specify: ________________	o	o
k.	Other, specify:_________________________	o	o

8. Please indicate if your school uses any of the following tools to supplement the primary tool used to screen 1^st and 2^nd grade students for reading difficulty.

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students Select all that apply	2nd Grade Students Select all that apply
a.	We do not use a supplementary tool	o	o
b.	Acadience	o	o
c.	AIMSweb	o	o
d.	DIBELS Next	o	o
e.	easyCBM	o	o
f.	FASTBridge	o	o
g.	i-Ready Diagnostic and Growth Monitoring	o	o
h.	Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP)	o	o
i.	MAP	o	o
j.	STAR	o	o
k.	District developed tool, specify: ________________	o	o
l.	Other, specify:_________________________	o	o

9. Does your school have a rule that is consistently followed to determine which 1^st and 2^nd grade students are at risk for reading difficulties and are assigned to receive Tier II reading intervention, or is it up to the discretion of individual(s) at the school?

		A rule that is consistently followed	Discretion of individual(s) at the school
a.	1st grade students’ risk for reading difficulties are determined by…	o	o
b.	2nd grade students’ risk for reading difficulties are determined by…	o	o

10. Who assigns students at your school to Tier II reading intervention, or who decides which students at your school should receive Tier II reading intervention?

Select all that apply.

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students	2nd Grade Students
a.	One of our teams (e.g., MTSS-R Leadership Team, Professional Learning Communities)	o	o
b.	Individual classroom teachers	o	o
c.	Individual interventionists	o	o
d.	Parents of students	o	o
e.	School-based reading specialist(s)	o	o
f.	Reading specialist(s) that works at several schools	o	o
g.	Other, specify: ___________________________	o	o

11. Approximately how many 1^st and 2^nd grade students who are identified for being at risk for reading difficulties receive Tier II reading intervention?

• All students à Skip to question 13

• Nearly all (>90%)

• Most (>60% and <90%)

• About half (>40% and <60%)

• Some (>10% and <40%)

• A few (<10%)

• None

12. To what extent do the follow reasons explain why some 1^st or 2^nd grade students in your school who were identified for being at risk for reading difficulties do not receive Tier II reading intervention?

		This is a major reason	This is a minor reason	This is not a reason
a.	Parents do not allow their child to participate in Tier II reading intervention.	1	2	3
b.	Not enough staff are available to provide Tier II reading intervention to all students identified for being at risk for reading difficulties.	1	2	3
c.	Tier II reading intervention times conflict with core instruction time.	1	2	3
d.	Tier II reading intervention times conflict with intervention time for other academic subjects (e.g., math).	1	2	3
e.	Tier II reading intervention times conflict with intervention time for dyslexia.	1	2	3
f.	Tier II reading intervention times conflict with time needed to deliver services such as special education instructional hours, related services, or English language instruction.	1	2	3
g.	Other, specify: ___________________________	1	2	3

13. Does your school have a consistently followed rule specifying how often progress in reading should be monitored for 1^st or 2^nd grade students who receive Tier II reading intervention?

• Yes, we have a consistently followed rule on the frequency of progress monitoring for students receiving Tier II reading intervention

• No, we do not have a consistently followed rule on the frequency of progress monitoring

14. How often are 1^st and 2^nd grade students who are receiving Tier II reading intervention supposed to have their progress tracked in reading using your school’s progress monitoring assessment(s)?

• A few times per year

• About once a month

• About twice a month

• Nearly every week

• At least once a week

15. Does your school have a rule that is consistently followed to determine which 1^st and 2^nd grade students assigned to Tier II reading intervention should exit intervention, receive more intensive supports, or should be referred to special education, dyslexia evaluation, or English learner services?

		A rule that is consistently followed	Discretion of individual(s) at the school
a.	Exit intervention altogether	o	o
b.	Referral to receive more intensive supports (i.e., Tier III)	o	o
c.	Referral to special education evaluation	o	o
d.	Referral to dyslexia evaluation	o	o
e.	Referral to English learner services	o	o

16. Who decides which students at your school may exit Tier II reading intervention altogether, and who decides which students may exit Tier II reading intervention to get more intensive supports (i.e., Tier III intervention)?

If your school has a rule, please indicate who implements the rule.

		Decides if student exits intervention altogether	Decides if student should receive more intensive supports (i.e., Tier III)
a.	An MTSS-R or data team (e.g., including teachers)	o	o
b.	Individual classroom teachers	o	o
c.	Individual interventionists	o	o
d.	School-based reading specialist(s)	o	o
e.	Reading specialist(s) that works at several schools	o	o
f.	Other, specify: _____________________	o	o

17. Does your school use the same primary tool to screen English learners for reading difficulty in 1^st and 2^nd grade?

• We use the same tool, and administer it in English

• We use the same tool, but administer it in the student’s home language

• We use a different tool, and administer it in English

• We use a different tool, and administer it in the student’s home language

• We do not screen English learners

18. What is the primary tool your school uses to screen English learners in 1^st and 2^nd grade students for reading difficulty?

Please specify: _____________________________________________________

Respondents will only receive question 18 if they selected one of the ‘We use a different tool’ options in question 17.

19. Do 1^st and 2^nd grade students who have difficulty reading based on the screener (i.e., students who need Tier II support), and who are English learners receive both Tier II intervention for reading and additional supports to learn English (i.e., EL services)?

Please answer only about students who are screened as needing Tier II reading intervention. Do not answer about students who are screened as needing intensive intervention (i.e., Tier III).

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students Select one	2nd Grade Students Select one
a.	Students receive both Tier II support and EL services	o	o
b.	Students receive Tier II support only	o	o
c.	Students receive EL services only	o	o

20. To what extent are data gathered as part of the MTSS-R process used in the special education eligibility and determination process?

• No at all

• Minor extent

• Moderate extent

• Major extent

We’d now like to learn a little about your school’s processes for screening students for dyslexia.

21. What tool(s) does your school use to screen for dyslexia in 1^st and 2^nd grade?

Select all that apply.

• Acadience

• AIMSweb

• DIBELS Next

• easyCBM

• FASTBridge

• i-Ready Diagnostic and Growth Monitoring

• Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP)

• MAP

• STAR

• District developed tool, specify: ________________

• Other, specify:_________________________

22. Does your school implement intervention for 1^st or 2^nd grade students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia?

• Yes

• No à Skip to question 25

23. Please indicate which intervention(s) are used for 1^st and 2^nd grade students with dyslexia?

Please select all that apply.

• Barton Reading and Spelling System

• Sonday System

• Wilson Reading System

• Other Orton-Gillingham or multi-sensory approach, specify: _______________________

• Other, specify:_________________________

24. Do 1^st and 2^nd grade students who have difficulty reading based on the screener (i.e., students who need Tier II support), and who have been diagnosed with dyslexia receive both Tier II intervention for reading and the intervention for dyslexia?

Please answer only about students who are screened as needing Tier II reading intervention. Do not answer about students who are screened as needing intensive intervention (i.e., Tier III).

Please answer separately for 1^st and 2^nd grade students.

		1st Grade Students Select one	2nd Grade Students Select one
a.	Students receive both Tier II support and intervention for dyslexia	o	o
b.	Students receive Tier II support only	o	o
c.	Students receive intervention for dyslexia only	o	o

Supplemental funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act

This section will only be asked during the first year.

We’d now like to learn whether your school received funding from the 2020 CARES Act or 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, and how your school has used these funds.

25. Has your school received funding from the CARES Act, or the American Rescue Plan Act?

• Yes à Continue

• No à End of the survey

• I don’t know à End of the survey

26. How much funding from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act did your school receive for the 2021-22 school year?

$

,

,

27. Please indicate whether your school used the funds for any of the following purposes.

Select all that apply.

• Improving infrastructure or new construction

• Purchasing instructional materials

• Purchasing educational technology

• Hiring additional 1^st grade general education teachers

• Hiring additional 2^nd grade general education teachers

• Hiring additional general education teachers for kindergarten, or grades 3+

• Hiring reading specialist or coach for my school

• Hiring special education teacher

• Hiring an English Learners specialist

• Hiring a dyslexia specialist

• Hiring math specialist or coach for my school

• Hiring school psychologist

• Hiring school administrator

• Hiring support staff (e.g., paraprofessionals)

• Professional development for teachers for reading instruction

• Professional development for teachers for math instruction

• Other professional development

• Other, please specify: ____________________________________

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