Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 133 No. 2 Winter 2011-2012 | Page 5

Books, Books and
MORE Books
The second and third graders enjoyed a trip to the
Janesville’s Hedberg Public Library. While the
students toured each section of the library, they were
mesmerized by the enormity of the building and the
multitudes of books, videos, magazines and other
resources. The best part was saved for last. Two hours
of uninterrupted reading time in the children’s section
was definitely the highlight of the day. Each student
was able to check out TWENTY books to bring back
to WSD. Eagerly, students shared their books with one
another and are looking forward to visiting the library
again in the spring.

Response to Intervention Efforts at WSD

By Contributing Writers: Connie Gartner and Marla Walsh

One major initiative for WSD administration and staff for the 2011 – 2012 school year has been
implementing Response to Intervention (RtI) strategies for both academic and behavioral programs at school.
In Wisconsin, there are three key components of RtI programs that include high quality instruction, balanced
assessment and collaboration among professionals. RtI programs seek to achieve high levels of academic and
behavioral success for all students. Additionally, RtI programs attempt to understand and address academic
and behavioral challenges in students within the classroom prior to needing intervention services. That
is, if a student is having a problem with academics, the teacher uses several strategies and documents the
effectiveness of those strategies prior to seeking specialist help. Once a specialist is called, further in-class
strategies may be used, assessments may be recommended and/or a special learning or behavior plan may be
implemented in a child’s IEP.
This year, Marla Walsh, WSD principal and Director of Student Services, and Connie Gartner, Director
of Instruction, have planned a series of staff development sessions to be presented during faculty and
department meetings for teachers and learning specialists focusing on universal strategies that can benefit
all students in the classroom. For example, in September, Connie focused on “listening strategies” as a
universal intervention. In this strategy, teachers help WSD students to develop their “listening” skills. This
might include telling students what specific facts to “look for” during a presentation, movie, or lecture;
it might include teachers writing the learning outcomes for the lesson on the board and referring to them
during instruction. Marla challenged teachers and staff to focus on their ‘5:1’ ratios in which all staff strive
to provide five positive comments for every one corrective comment. Throughout the school year, Marla and
Connie will design staff development to focu ́