Texas District Helps Fill Learning Gaps with Response to Intervention Tool

Case Studies > Texas District Helps Fill Learning Gaps with Response to Intervention Tool

Hondo ISD implements Skyward’s RtI tool to improve intervention and adjust to changing education landscape

When a student is struggling, school personnel need to respond quickly and efficiently to ensure that they stay on track. The multi-tiered process of identifying and documenting a student’s needs and responding to them accordingly is called response to intervention (RTI).

But what happens when this documentation is stored in ways that are poorly organized? What are the results when employees can’t access information when needed? And who takes responsibility for updating requirements when new legislation occurs? The possible effects on a student could make it even more difficult to keep up.

That’s why an effective, customizable tool designed especially for RTI is essential.

Hondo Independent School District (ISD) in Hondo, Texas has been using Skyward as their SIS since the early 2000s, but just recently started using the Response to Intervention (RtI) feature in the 2021-2022 school year. Technology director Sandra Sexton and RTI coordinator Gabrielle Haby oversaw the implementation and adoption of the new tool. As former teachers turned administrators, Sexton and Haby know the importance of intervention from all angles.

"As teachers became compartmentalized, they would have to share folders among teams. If there was an RTI meeting, someone would have to track down a folder, and it would get messy."

Paper processes, be gone

Prior to using Skyward’s RtI tool, Hondo ISD used a paper system with folders that would travel with a student. This posed an issue for the district because information wasn't easily accessible to those who needed it, and folders often got lost as students changed campuses.

“When a teacher needed to see how a student was struggling, they would have to track down a folder,” said Haby. “As teachers became compartmentalized, they would have to share folders among teams. If there was an RTI meeting, someone would have to track down a folder, and it would get messy.”

Noticing the downfalls of this system, Hondo ISD wanted to shift to a system where people could access the information they needed, when they needed it. Enter Skyward’s RtI tool.

To get started with using the new tool, Hondo ISD began rolling it out to different campuses at different times to catch potential flaws along the way. They also hired a data clerk to enter all of the information from paper to the online system. Once it was fully up and running, the district saw the benefits quickly.

“We like that everything is tied directly to a student, so as they transfer and get promoted to the next grade level, that grade level has all of their information on what was successful and what really helped,” said Sexton. “Even if the student goes a couple of years without needing intervention, the record is still there. It makes a more permanent record to help that student.”

The introduction of the RtI feature didn’t just benefit students — thanks to Skyward, parents, teachers, and interventionists all have access to the student's path.

“Another reason the RtI tool worked well for us was because our teachers were already familiar with Skyward and use it on a daily basis,” said Haby. “We really didn’t want our teachers having to go back and forth between two systems. Now there’s just a new piece of Skyward to look at rather than something new altogether.”

With changes in education in recent years, Hondo ISD is glad to be on a system that is effective in moving students forward and helping educators be on the same page.

"We like that everything is tied directly to a student, so as they transfer and get promoted to the next grade level, that grade level has all of their information on what was successful and what really helped."

An increased need for intervention

When COVID-19 hit and required students to juggle online and hybrid classes, many schools began noticing learning losses, especially in younger students.

“With thinking about how COVID-19 affected students, you really have to dig into why the students are struggling,” said Haby. “Was it loss in instructional time, or something else? While the RtI tool doesn’t necessarily give us those answers, it does help us address the issues.”

At Hondo ISD, students were struggling when moving from the K-2 campus to the 3-5 campus.

“Math and reading skills were a large stumbling block for some kids,” said Haby. “As they moved from one campus to another, it was essential that their new teachers could see how certain students were struggling, what worked in the past, and any progress that was made the year before.”

Hondo ISD uses four tiers to place students, depending on whether they are meeting grade-level expectations or have a skill gap. For example, students who are not at grade level and would benefit from some extra help are placed in a tier two intervention. Tier three intervention is a response to a gap of multiple grade levels. Tier three intervention is deeper than additional practice; instead, students master foundational skills to close the gap between their abilities and grade-level expectations.

After using the RtI tool, Hondo ISD saw students who needed a tier three intervention do so well that they’ve exited the RtI program completely — a jaw-dropping success.

“They’re done and we were able to exit them, which is really exciting,” said Haby.

While COVID-19 had some major implications when it came to education, Texas districts like Hondo ISD faced additional challenges in recent years that affected RTI.

"Other Texas districts struggling with how to approach House Bill 4545 should definitely consider Skyward"

Unique needs call for customization

Effective June of 2021, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) passed House Bill 4545, which accelerated instruction practices required during the 2021-2022 school year for all students, based on results from Spring 2021.

House Bill 4545 also required students who failed the STARR standardized test be given supplemental instruction complete with progress monitoring—tracking the number of hours, the support needed, what should be shared with parents, and more. However, these requirements aren't considered a true intervention. To comply with these requirements, Hondo ISD customized their RtI tool by adding a tier zero.

“By adding a tier zero, teachers could focus on teaching the material and not all of the tracking,” said Haby. “We really wanted to make this an automated process that was tied to the student’s schedule, attendance, teacher, assignment, etc., and have it be something that parents had access to.”

With multiple intervention tier levels to keep track of and the implications of House Bill 4545, Hondo ISD has found the customization of Skyward’s RtI feature highly successful.

“We’ve seen some big challenges, and Skyward’s RtI has helped a lot,” said Haby.

Looking ahead

Going forward, Hondo ISD looks forward to exploring more that the RtI feature can do for their district.

For other districts, especially those in Texas, considering using Skyward’s RtI feature, Hondo ISD highly recommends the helpful tool.

“We all know that House Bill 4545 was a tall order, and the ability to add a tier zero has been a life saver,” said Haby. “Other Texas districts struggling with how to approach House Bill 4545 should definitely consider Skyward.”

Skyward and Hondo ISD are excited to see how their relationship will continue to grow in the years to come, helping many students along the way.