Marlene

Reading Interventionist
Culver City School District

1. How do you manage your classroom when you meet with your students on a limited
basis?
I have consistent expectations of procedures and routines that are being reinforced by
positive language. I make a concentrated effort to build relationships with the students.

2. How do you define your role?

I am a Reading Interventionist for grades K-5 and the Instructional Aide coordinator.

3. Describe your typical day/daily schedule?

I have nine pull out reading groups and one push in group. I have one push in Tier 2
reading group in 1st grade and WIN (what I need) reading rotations. This consists of 4
rotations: 1 sight word rotation with an aide, the teacher has a phonemic awareness
rotation, and I have a phonics rotation, and the 4th station is Lexia. I have three one on
one pull outs for newcomer ELLs. By grade level, I have two kindergarten groups, two
1st grade groups, one 1st grade WIN group, one 2nd, one 3rd, one 4th and 5th, and
three one on one ELL groups.

4. Do you plan your own curriculum or is it mandated?

Our curriculum is not mandated. Our RTI model we use is research or evidence based
curriculum. However, I plan my curriculum based on what the student needs. I only make
daily lesson plans not weekly ones. It changes based on what I see from the student.

5. Is being literacy specialist what you expected?

The honest answer to this question is yes and no. The work with the students is what I
expected. However, what has been unexpected sometimes is the challenges with staff.

6. How do you manage your responsibilities?

I work all the time. I need to get better at managing my responsibilities. I need a better
work life balance.

7. Can you give me some examples of your recent work?

In Kindergarten, we are working on phonemic awareness, more specifically syllabication
and rhyming. We are also working on letter sounds by using Zoo Phonics. We are also
working on the alphabetic principle.
8. Do you work with groups to promote conversations about instruction?
I meet with different grade levels during PLC on Wednesdays. I also provide
Professional Development for our instructional aides.

9. Do you feel you are providing teachers with support or are you limited? If so, how do you
collect that info and provide?
I am limited on supporting teachers due to time constraints. Also, previous administrative
support has been lacking.

10. What is your role in the SST/IEP?

I was previously the SST coordinator and I attend all SSTs for students on my case load.
I create smart goals, collect data, and present to the team. Our RTI model maintains
categorical differences between students with IEPs and intervention.

11. Explain how you would create a positive, supportive environment to help
children/parents resistance to intervention?
Fortunately, I have not had any resistance. If there was resistance, I would set aside a
meeting with the parents and educate them on the purpose of intervention. I would
create a communication system with the parents. I would also pull the student one on
one and have a check in with that student once a week.

12. Which do you prefer: pulling students out of the classroom or sitting in their classes?
I prefer pushing in, however, both settings are equally important. Pull out allows more
intensive intervention, especially with students who are easily distracted. Push in allows
me to work with more students. Push in lets me work with around 20 students and push
out lets me work with about 5.

13. How has your role changed since you began in your position?
When I started 5 years ago, I was given a utility room and nothing else. Currently, our
RTI model has a universal screener, diagnostic assessments, progress monitoring, and
entrance and exit criterion. We have tiers of intensity: tiers 2 and 3. We can’t have an
RTI model without tiers, and problem solving period. I am always looking for ways on
how to improve our model. There is always a way to improve upon the current model.
14. How often do you communicate with the classroom teacher?
It depends on the need of the students. But at least once a week via my intervention
newsletter.

15. What is the biggest issue you consistently see students having?
The biggest issue for grades K-2 is phonics. The biggest issue for grades 3-5 is
comprehension.

16. How often do you assess and monitor students’ progress?

I monitor students’ progress daily, I am a very responsive teacher. I do data probs once
a week.

17. Describe the support you get from your administration.

With my previous administration, they allowed me to create and execute our RTI model
without providing additional support. Additionally, some administrators support RTI but
do not understand the daily function of the program.

18. How do you handle non-supportive or difficult staff members?

I try to build relationships with the teachers. I try to offer it from a framework of how can I
be helpful. I try to convey the message that I am not trying to change anything. I also try
to keep the conversations student centered. I also change the way I talk based on the
personality I am working with. Some can handle bluntness and others eed a soft sell
approach.

19. Do you pull the students out or provide support for the teachers?
Both. However, our school has a coach so there’s a limit of how much support I can
provide.

20. How often do you work with each student?

I see Tier 3 students 5 times a week. I see Tier 2 students 4 times a week.

21. What are your favorite literacy assessments for struggling students?
Depends on the grade level. Some examples of assessments I use are DIBELS, ORF,
AMZE, DORF, NWF, concepts of print, San diego quick, and an informal reading
inventory.
22. What reading series do you use in your lab? What do you like or dislike about it?
I use a few reading series in my lab. Some of these include Fountas and Pinnel leveled
reading intervention, Wilson Fundations, Wilson just words, and SIPPS. I like that they
all target different learning outcomes. I dislike some of the word work, I feel as though it
is weak.

23. Would you choose a different series than the one you use? Why?
I would add a different series. I would love to be trained in the WIlson/Orton Gillingham
tier 3 reading program.

24. How do you approach parents who are in denial?

I partner with the teacher. We come up with a plan based on what we know about the
parents. We highlight the students strengths and show how we will help their child grow
as a reader. We listen to their concerns and address those concerns. If necessary, we
will give them a time frame. For example, “Let’s try intervention for six weeks and see
how it goes and meet again.”

25. How do you decide what students will attend the reading program or get interventions?
We have a four quadrant intervention system. They must be the criterion of all four
quadrants to determine the tier of intervention.
Andrea
Intervention Coordinator
Los Angeles Unified School District

1. How do you define your role?

I am the intervention coordinator. I oversee the academy time. During academy, kids go
to different classrooms. Doesn’t matter who your classroom teacher is. I make sure
teachers have the materials they need. I oversee all the data. I work with Tier 2. I push in
for Kindergarten. I am in charge of SSPTs. I meet with TAs weekly to make sure they
know what they are doing.

2. Describe your typical day.

I get to work at 7. I do gate duty. 8:30 is my first academy push in group. 9:15-10:00 is
sitting at my computer trying to do paperwork. 10:00 is yard supervision. 10:45 push in
Kindergarten. 1130-on is various duties. I could be assessing. Meeting with a teacher.
Tuesdays we do grade level meetings. Sometimes I run those meetings. Those
meetings go from 1:30-3:30 meetings.

3. Do you plan your own curriculum?

Yes I plan my own curriculum. I teach letter sounds with hand motions. The other
teacher and TAs work on sight words. phonemic awareness, and explode the code in
rotations. In other classes I use Core Lexia. I also use Phonics for Reading to help my
students.

4. What is your role in the SSTs?

I lead the meeting. I type into the document. I run the whole meeting. I do not do IEPs.
Sometimes I am brought in as a general ed perspective in an IEP.

5. How often do you communicate with classroom with the classroom teacher? Formal?
Informal?
Informally, weekly. Formally, a few times a week.

6. How often do you assess and monitor student progress?

I should be assessing every two weeks. Teachers should be assessing every 3 to 4
weeks. I have not been assessing. I need to work on improving that.

7. What is the biggest issue you consistently see students having?

My struggling students are still learning the sounds of the letters and learning what to do
with them. I have 3rd graders still learning CVC words and consonant blends with short
vowels.

8. How often do you work with each student?

4 days a week. 40 minutes a day.
9. How do you approach parents who are in denial?
I see parents at SSPTs. I have to use data if the parents are in denial.

10. How do you decide what students will attend?

Based on data. Only second and third graders come.

11. What are your favorite literacy assessments?

I really do like DIBELS, Core Phonics, San Diego Quick, and IRI.