Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School

MTSS-R

Post-Observation Interview Protocol

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 10 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 Teacher:

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 important and appreciated, but you do have the right to skip any question that you do not wish to answer. Below are the answers to some general questions concerning your participation.

What is the purpose of this interview?

The purpose of this interview is to obtain information about your planning activities for reading instruction.

Who is conducting this interview?

The MTSS-R Study was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and the interview is administered by American Institutes for Research.

Why should you participate in this survey?

Policymakers and educational leaders rely on findings from studies like this one to inform their decisions about resource allocation. 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 by federal statute (P.L. 107-279, Title I, Part E, Sec.183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purposes, unless otherwise compelled by law.

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 email address with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!

1. I see that you broke students into small groups during today’s reading block. I wasn’t able to note if you were able to work with each group. Were you able to work with each of the groups during today’s reading instruction?

• Yes

• No

2. How did you decide which students would be grouped together today?

Select all that apply.

• Students work well together

• Students were sitting close to each other already

• The students were grouped based on behavior

• The students were grouped by reading ability/performance, using same-level groupings

• The students were grouped by reading ability/performance, using mixed-level groupings

• Other, specify:____________________________

3. [If ‘grouped by reading ability/performance’ was selected in the prior question…] You indicated that you grouped kids in part by performance. What information did you use to determine students’ ability level for the topic/task?

• Screening data for reading (e.g., AIMSweb, DIBELS, collected a few times per year)

• Progress monitoring data for reading (e.g., AIMSweb or DIBELS, collected periodically, such as monthly, across the year)

• Performance on teacher-administered assessments (e.g., end of unit tests, classroom quizzes)

• Other, specify:____________________________

4. [Materials] Did your instruction cover the same reading content area for all the small groups you worked with today (e.g., you worked on phonics or fluency with all the groups)

• Same content  Continue to 5

• Different content  Skip to 6

5. Did you use the same or different materials for all the small groups you worked with today?

• Same Materials

• Different Materials

6. Did your delivery of the instruction vary by the group you worked with. For example, did you do more multi-sensory instruction with one group compared to others?

• Yes

• No