Assessment and Intervention/Use of Data Strategies are:

In the Context of a Tiered Approach

• The Primary Literacy Assessment Battery (PLAB) is administered three times a year to all kindergarten and grade one students in District School Board Ontario North East. Developmentally appropriate sections of the PLAB are administered to junior kindergarten students two times each year, beginning in January. Teachers input PLAB assessment data into an electronic data collection system. Electronic, colour-coded student profiles displaying PLAB data are brought to Professional Learning Community meetings so that effective Tier 1, 2 and 3 interventions can be planned at the school level. [North Bay/Sudbury Region Final Report]
• In the London Region, the tier 1 intervention, Kindergarten Language and Literacy in the Classroom (KLLIC), is used in conjunction with the Tier 2 intervention, Class Act (Phonological Awareness Kits). Differentiated instruction is used as an intervention and accommodations are put in place, reviewed and communicated. [London Region Final Report]
• In the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, a multi-disciplinary team including speech pathologists and psychological education consultants developed a visual assessment portfolio for language and learning for students in junior kindergarten-grade one. This team developed a common framework for assessing, analyzing and using student achievement data within the schools. To support school teams and parents, the team developed a comprehensive visual portfolio with graphs, charts and next steps. Kindergarten and grade one teachers complete tier one assessment data, which includes gathering information on print awareness (Marie Clay), sound knowledge, and oral language for listening, speaking and social interactions. Relevant background information is also studied—e.g., report cards and IEPs. Members of the speech and language department, in consultation with the psychology department, complete Tiers 2 and 3 of the assessment process as needed. Tier 2 involves assessment in the areas of oral language, phonological awareness, and social, emotional and behavioural functioning for students with a history of challenges in those areas. Tier 3 approaches involve additional assessments, intervention strategies and consultations for teachers and parents. [Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario Final Report]
• Evidence-based interventions are used in the Thunder Bay Region to support a tiered approach. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) provides for reading and fluency intervention. It is data-driven, led by students and monitored by teachers. Team meetings are used to plan next steps. Two programs, Success by Seven and Good Readers Club, are used to provide small group reading intervention withdrawal. The instruction is administered outside the literacy block and provides guided reading, word work and shared reading activities. [Thunder Bay Region Final Report]
• At the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the implementation of Learning for All is grounded in the universal design concept of "necessary for some, good for all". A tiered approach to instruction and intervention infuses the work of the special services and curriculum departments. The board's Early Identification for Assessment and Intervention Strategy document is built upon the principles of universal design and the tiered approach. A flowchart was created to capture the processes and components of early intervention for all students, students at risk and students with special needs. The flowchart links school entry and assessment and intervention processes with community agencies and supports. [Final CODE Report, p. 23]