East Alton School District is committed to work together to give Every Child, Every Day the best opportunity to reach their highest potential.

The East Alton School District #13 Response to Intervention (RTI) plan focuses on delivering high‐quality instruction and interventions based on data that document learning rates and levels of performance. This data will guide teachers, interventionists, and administrators in making important decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions for individual students. The core components of the RTI plan are universal screening, research based interventions, progress monitoring, and intervention efficacy and fidelity.

The RTI model consists of a three-tiered system of student support. All students receive Tier I (core) instruction. This instruction includes high-quality, scientifically based instruction, that is differentiated to meet student needs. Students are screened on a periodic basis to identify struggling learners who need additional support. Approximately 80% of students should achieve sufficient levels of success under the Tier 1 program. In Tier 2, students not making adequate progress in the core curriculum are provided with increasingly intensive interventions matched to their needs on the basis of performance level and progress rates. Interventions at this tier are considered to be supplemental to the core curriculum, should be delivered in small groups of students, and consist of 5-15% of the student population. At Tier 3, students receive individualized, intensive interventions that target the student’s skill deficits for the remediation of existing problems and the prevention of more severe problems. Approximately 1-5% of students will require this intensive level of intervention.

The East Alton School District #13 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) plan is a data-driven decision making framework for establishing the social culture and multi-tiered behavioral supports needed for EASD#13 schools to be effective learning environments for all youth and staff. Key features of PBIS include an investment in preventing undesired behavior, use of data for decision making, and organizational systems. Focusing on prevention means shifting from responding to problem behavior with negative consequences to proactively and explicitly teaching desired behavior. Interventions are provided for students needing additional behavioral support. PBIS teams (Tier 1 Universal Team, Tier 2/3 Systems Team, and Tier 2/3 Problem Solving Team) use data to implement appropriate interventions for students that require them. 

The PBIS model consists of a three-tiered system of student support. All students receive Tier I social-emotional instruction. This includes school-wide prevention systems in the form of social-emotional learning for all as well as clearly defined and practiced school rules and routines. Teaching and reteaching expectations and a clearly defined consequence system are key components to Tier 1 instruction. Approximately 80% of students should achieve sufficient levels of behavioral success under the Tier 1 program. 

In Tier 2, students receiving multiple office discipline referrals in a month are provided with increased behavioral support for adhering to Tier 1 behavior expectations. Tier 2 interventions include check-in, check-out (CICO), individualized CICO, social academic instructional groups (SAIG), and simple behavior intervention plans (Simple BIP). Students requiring a Tier 2 intervention should consist of approximately 15% of the student population. 

At Tier 3, students receive individualized, intensive interventions that target the student’s behavioral deficits for the remediation of existing problems and the prevention of more severe problems. Tier 3 interventions include a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and subsequent behavior intervention plan (BIP). Approximately 5% of students will require this intensive level of intervention.

East Alton School District #13 offers a full continuum of services for students eligible for special education and related services in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA ensures that all eligible children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. Parents/guardians who believe their child may require special services should contact the local building principal or Heather Strebel, Director of Student Services, at (618) 433-2202 or hstrebel@easd13.org. If a case study evaluation is determined to be necessary to assess eligibility for special education under IDEA, parental consent is required before the evaluation can proceed. Parents have the right to receive the results of the evaluation and to participate in meetings to determine their child's eligibility and appropriate educational programming. For any questions regarding the referral or evaluation process, please contact Heather Strebel.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal civil rights law that ensures students with disabilities have equal access to education in public schools. Under Section 504, students who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities may be eligible for accommodations and supports to help them fully participate in school. East Alton School District #13 is committed to identifying and supporting students who may qualify under Section 504. If parents/guardians believe their child may have a disability that requires accommodations, they should contact the school principal or Heather Strebel, Director of Student Services, at (618) 433-2202 or hstrebel@easd13.org. The school will conduct a review of relevant information to determine eligibility and, if appropriate, develop a 504 Plan outlining necessary accommodations. Parents have the right to participate in the evaluation and planning process and to receive notice of their rights under Section 504.