AIS is :

• • A service for students identified as needing extra academic help, IN ADDITION to their regular classroom instruction are AIS students.
  • A supplementary education program.
  • A required program to serve students that “are not” or are “at-risk of not” attaining the learning standards

RtI is: 

• • The process, not the service.
  • A general education initiative and support. 
  • A multi-level (tiered) framework developed to maximize student achievement by providing specific and intentional support to students at risk for poor learning outcomes. 

What are the components of RTI?

• Systematic approach to assessment and identification of student needs
• Early identification and prevention
• Universal screening
• Multiple tiers of intervention
• Monitoring of student progress
• Decision making process
• Parent involvement
• Consistency of implementation

An intervention is the instructional approach and content - any strategy or program used in addition to regular classroom instruction to help students progress.

Interventions are determined by the areas of weakness/concern as indicated by the district assessments.

Tier 1 is the core instruction provided to all students in the general education setting.  It provides a foundation of curriculum, instruction and school organization that has a high probability of bringing the largest number of students possible to acceptable levels of proficiency.

• It is provided to students within the classroom setting by the classroom teacher.
• Data collection is used to determine which students are at-risk of not meeting the learning standards.

It is a set of targeted, short-term interventions in the form of supplemental instruction which is provided to those students who display poor response to the group instructional procedures used in Tier 1.

• • This service is provided in addition to core instruction and can be developed through a problem-solving process between classroom teacher and service providers (i.e., teacher, teacher assistant, reading specialist, special education teacher), and is typically provided within the classroom or a pull-out setting.  
  • Data collection is required for examples of differentiated instruction and progress monitoring.
  • Typically represents 15-20% of the student population

Tier 2 Model - Lawrence Avenue Elementary School

• • Targeted, intentional long-term interventions in the form of supplemental instruction 
  • Services provided outside of the general classroom setting by Tier 3 teacher in the smallest group possible (i.e., Teacher, Reading Specialist, Special Education Teacher, Teaching Assistant)
  • Typically represents 1-5% of the student population

Tier 3 Model - Lawrence Avenue Elementary School

• • Monitoring an identification of RED (iReady and Dibels/mClass)
• Assessment administered on a weekly basis.
• Includes activities such as regular progress checks, further assessments, and meetings with the classroom teacher to adjust instruction, if necessary
• Probes completed as specified in District RTI Plan
• Records of this service will be maintained, as for all AIS services
• Pull-out or Push-in models (or a combination of both)

• Monitoring an identification of YELLOW (iReady and Dibels/mClass)

• Assessment administered on a biweekly basis.
• Includes activities such as regular progress checks, further assessments, and meetings with the classroom teacher to adjust instruction, if necessary
• Probes completed as specified in District RTI Plan
• Records of this service will be maintained, as for all AIS services
• General Education Setting or pull-out by classroom teacher, teacher assistant or Reading Specialist.

Districts must use staff to provide academic intervention services who are appropriately certified under Part 80 of the Commissioner’s Regulations for the area(s) of their instructional assignment, i.e., reading, English language arts, mathematics, social studies, or science, or for the area of their student support service assignment, i.e., pupil personnel services.  The following are examples for teachers who currently hold valid New York State teaching certificates:

• At the elementary level, appropriate certifications for instructional assignments in mathematics, social studies, and science include Common Branch, PreK-6, and N-6 as defined in Section 80.15 of Commissioner’s Regulations.  For the provision of AIS in reading, however, a reading certificate (Section 80.7 of Commissioner’s Regulations) is strongly recommended.
• At the secondary level (grades 7-12) approvable certifications for AIS instructional assignments include certification in reading (80.7) and content certifications in English, mathematics, science, and social studies as specified in Section 80.16 of Commissioner’s Regulations.  Grade 5-6 annotations to these content certificates are also appropriate at the elementary level.
• At both elementary and secondary levels, appropriate certifications for providing AIS include those for bilingual education (Section 80.9) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (Section 80.10) of Commissioner’s Regulations.
• At both elementary and secondary levels, appropriate certifications for providing AIS include those for special education as defined in Section 80.6 of Commissioner’s Regulations.  However, if a special education teacher provides AIS to a student, it is not a special education service.
• Appropriate certifications for the provision of student support services include those pupil personnel certifications defined under Section 80.3 of Commissioner’s Regulations.

In addition to certification requirements, school districts should consider other factors such as experience, unique training, etc. to determine the qualifications of staff hired to provide AIS.

Each school should analyze its population of students eligible for AIS and select scheduling and intensity of service options from the district description to implement services in that school that best meet the needs of its students.  Factors to consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The number of eligible students at each grade level and standards area;
• The range of performance levels of eligible students as determined through State assessment results and/or measures included in the district-adopted or district-approved procedure; and 
• Staff and instructional approaches to implement services at the level of intensity needed by all students in the school requiring AIS.
• AIS Services can and often are provided by the General Education/regular classroom teacher

Intensity of service means the provision of services for students based on the level of their needs as determined through multiple measures and sources of evidence (data).  Students with the most intense needs would receive more scheduled services, for a longer duration, and with more individualization.  Students with the least intensive needs might only receive progress monitoring as a student support service.

The district and schools should include as many scheduling options as are necessary to meet the range of student needs in the district.  Such options include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Extra period(s)/time during the regular school day
• Within-class staffing that reduces student-teacher ratios (e.g., co-teaching, team-teaching)
• Summer school (Grades K-4, as offered) 

Caution should be exercised in scheduling so students are not taken out of regular instruction.  Some schools use study halls, activity or enrichment periods