Frequently Asked Questions

How/When should I bring a student to CIT?

After the teacher has met with the PLC team and determined that documented Tier 1 strategies/accommodations were unsuccessful.

Break it down for me. What should I be doing as the teacher?

Identify concerns

  • Is there a skill weakness or a 'will' issue

Determine the cause

  • Which parts of the standard are causing the student to struggle

  • Do they need more time to master the standard

  • Motivation

  • Doesn’t understand the way the standard was taught

  • Missing foundational prerequisite skills from prior years

  • Missing immediate prerequisite skills to master

Target desired outcome

Rather than discuss what students have not been able to do, the team states exactly what it wants them to be able to do.

  • The more targeted the intervention, the more likely it will work.

Design intervention steps

  • Teacher team brainstorms potential intervention strategies for each targeted group and shares any resources available with the team.

Monitor progress

  • Team decides what tools to use to monitor the progress of students receiving the supplemental interventions (questions on unit tests, progress monitoring probes, quick checks, software, etc.)

Follow-up

  • PLC Meetings - Follow-up during PLC meetings to discuss progress. Learning Specialists will be available to assist in facilitating these discussions.

For the Students

  • Teach students the reasoning behind the bell schedule, the goal of the intervention time, the specific steps in the process, and the why.

How do I access the current plans for my students?

Branching Minds platform


When am I supposed to conduct intervention lessons?

Each campus has a built in time (intervention or advisory) that teachers will use to conduct intervention lessons.

For elementary students: Those who attend an HMH intervention, teachers may pull students on Fridays to work on specific goals. You may also utilize time during your 90min content block to rotate groups.

What happens if my student is not making progress during small group interventions?

If insufficient progress is being made, teachers may schedule one-on-one sessions. Interventions may be conducted either asynchronously and/or synchronously based on individual student needs.

How often are we meeting to discuss student progress?

Campus Intervention Teams will meet with district staff at least 3 times per year (BOY, MOY, EOY) to review universal screener (MAP) data. Campus Intervention Teams should meet at least monthly to review progress on goals. PLC teams should meet at least once every two weeks. Learning Specialists will be available to assist in these discussions.

What am I working on during intervention/advisory time?

TEKS/Essential Standards - For students that are unable to master the TEKS at grade level, use the TEKS vertical alignment document to pinpoint the specific area of weakness keeping the student from mastering the standard.

Please note: Since TEKS were recently identified, there may be students with an intervention plan who are not working toward mastery one of these identified standards. Our goal is to master the current standard identified in the plan. If upon mastery, the student continues to need intervention, a new goal will be based on TEKS.

TEKS can be found in your ClassLink via the PLC Site.

Essential Standards by Grade Level

Are all students who receive Title 1 services automatically considered Tier 2 students?

While some students that are receiving Title 1 services may be tier 2, this is not true for all. Ferris ISD utilizes the Title 1 classrooms in order to differentiate core reading instruction.

The longer I leave my student in the RtI process, the more likely he/she will be tested for Special Education?

No. The length for which a student participates in tiered interventions does not impact/speed up the process for referring to special education. RtI is not a pathway to special education. It is a process to identify deficits, provide intensive intervention and close gaps. It's about getting students that they need, when they need it.

Is MTSS a process where students progress sequentially from tier to tier?

Not necessarily. Movement among tiers should be fluid and based on level of need. A student with acute needs does not have to progress through the tiers to get intensive, individualized support. The level of intervention should match the level of need. Important to note is that tier 2 and tier 3 are always in addition to Tier 1; a student who is performing below grade level and needs additional support should not miss the core instruction provided in Tier 1.

How do students “qualify” for Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports and services?

Students are identified for intervention support through a careful process of problem-solving using data. School staff analyze results from universal screeners and diagnostic tests to determine students who need additional academic and/or behavioral support to maximize their potential. Depending on the student’s level of need and how they have responded to previous efforts, the problem-solving team decides to continue at Tier 1 with differentiation and extra support, begin a Tier 2 (targeted) intervention, or begin a more intensive and individualized Tier 3 intervention. The decision is made by campus staff and based on student need.

How do I document my interventions? What about progress monitoring data?

You should document intervention lessons with your students. Using the goal created by the CIT, documenting interventions & progress monitors will be tracked in Branching Minds.


Do I have to progress monitor with graphing data points?

Best practice says that progress monitoring with graphing is the most definitive way to determine growth towards closing the identified gap. Progress monitoring should not be overwhelming to the teacher or the student. That is why quick and easy "probes" are highly recommended. Branching Minds does all of this for you, if the program is used with fidelity.

When recommending State Assessment accommodations for my students receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions, must the accommodations match the LPAC recommendations?

No. LPAC make accommodations decisions based on language needs while CIT committees make decisions based on academic needs. While these accommodations do not need to match, the LPAC and CIT committee should collaborate when making decisions for each student.

Is there another way to have Intervention Meetings besides adding one more meeting on the plate of teachers?

Intervention meetings should not be one more thing teachers have to worry about. They already have ARD meetings, 504 meetings, and LPAC meetings. Instead look at how you're already having teachers meet. Do you have team/content meetings already slated during the week? Do you have norms outlined for these meetings? It is very easy to start talking about specific students during these times. If you are looking at students that need to grow (whether through enrichment or intervention) at the same time you are looking at lesson design and curriculum, then you are already having an authentic intervention meeting.

We are filled to the brim with intervention students. How can we possibly meet the needs of all these students?

There are multiple reasons why you may be inundated with intervention students. Possible hidden culprits can be found in Core Instruction and the entrance/exit criteria used to tier students in the Intervention Process. One factor to consider that is often hidden from view are pacing guides. Created to aid teachers in staying on track with TEKS, it can cause the need to accelerate the instruction when sometimes we need to slow down. This acceleration could be skewing intervention numbers. For example, students needing additional time to understand a concept may be among those that are identified as needing intervention. It's okay to take a time out and go back to the foundations of teaching. In order to meet the needs of the students, we need to look at how we are delivering the instruction the first time. Do we plan out our unit with the end in mind? Are we pre-assessing at the beginning and giving probes during the course of the journey through the unit? More importantly, do we have the students tiered correctly?

Does my student qualify for oral administration (text-to-speech) for STAAR?

According to TEA, a student must have a documented evidence of reading difficulties. This means the student is at least one grade level behind on: NWEA MAP Universal Screener or HMH intervention Lexile Level.

What all needs to be in Branching Minds?

  1. Goals, progress monitoring (this creates a graph)

  2. Notes (this narrative is important to paint the picture of the whole child)

  3. Supporting documents - upload information that supports the narrative/notes

Refer to the Branching Minds How-To Document

In the event that a Campus Intervention Team determines a student is suspected of having a disability, will the SpEd Department 'reject' our campus referral?

The campus intervention team should be made up of knowledgeable persons who are skilled in content, strategies and know the child. If the team determines a referral for a special education evaluation is warranted, then it should be submitted (with all components - see attached) to the Department of Special Populations.