Instructional Consultation Teams (ICT)

In Fall of 2008 the Virginia Department of Education’s Instructional Support Team (IST) Priority Project aligned itself more closely with the Instructional Consultation Assistance Teams (ICAT)® Resources of Catonsville, MD. T/TAC coordinators are becoming familiar with revised training materials and procedures. Below is a brief description of Instructional Consultation Teams (ICT).

As with the IST model in Virginia, ICT or the ICAT® Lab resources are based upon the research and practice of Todd Gravois and Sylvia Rosenfield (1996). The goal of ICT is to “enhance, improve and increase student and staff performance” (Gravois, Rosenfield, and Gickling, VA IST manual 2004). It employs a case-manager approach to collaborative problem solving.

Problem solving begins with a teacher’s request for assistance and progresses through a multi-step process. Requesting teachers and case managers work as partners using discussion, student products and Instructional and/or behavioral assessments to prioritize concerns. Then they collect baseline data, design, implement, and monitor interventions.

ICT teams must include general and special educators, and the principal or designee. They may include support staff, such as counselors and school psychologists. Each team has a facilitator who, with a buddy and school administrator, receive intensive advance orientation and training in collaborative communication skills, systematic problem solving as well as in instructional and behavioral assessment. (Note: The Gickling model of Instructional Assessment or IA is a hallmark of ICT). The ICT facilitator receives additional training relative to team functioning, and program monitoring. The facilitator in turn is responsible for training the team in the problem solving process. Each team member is or will be a case manager. Services are phased in as the team leader and members become proficient in their skills. Team meetings are held weekly.

Data collection is an integral part of the ICT model. Systems tracking provides the big picture of team activity. Case by case, student performance data is collected and graphed to provide the basis for instructional decisions. A “Level of Implementation” process supports fidelity to the program and process. Teams receive feedback that helps them plan their own professional development.

The IST model supports any “Tier” of a tiered approach to Response to Intervention (RtI) and has been noted in the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) RtI document. Assistance is available to any and all teachers in a school. Instructional decisions are data based. Classroom teachers implement intervention(s) and a system of data collection monitors the efficacy of the instructional change. ICT supports the tenets of NCLB and IDEA 2004. Student performance is enhanced, not only case by case, but also class by class, as teachers learn instructional strategies applicable to many situations.

Longitudinal data from model schools in rural, urban, and suburban schools demonstrates the power of this process. In general, fewer students are retained. Early and immediate systematic intervention addresses academic and/or behavior issues before they escalate. Schools have reported a drop in the number of teacher referrals to child study and, of those referred, a higher percentage of students are found eligible.

Data from sites in Virginia indicate that in schools with fully functioning ICT teams, the number of referrals for child study has decreased, the percentage of those referred found eligible for special education services has risen, and fewer children are recommended for retention.

ICTs promote the precepts of NCLB by:

• Providing the structure for increased accountability.
• Emphasizing data based decision making and evidence based practice.
• Focusing on student outcomes in general education.
• Building upon the professional skills of teachers.

Contact:

T/TAC Region 4
Judith Fontana jfontan1@gmu.edu
703-993-4496

VA Department of Education
Wayne Barry, Ed.D, Office of Student Services Wayne.Barry@doe.virginia.gov
804-692-0396

Resources
Website: (Please note:This website does not reflect the current status of ICT)
Virginia Department of Education: Office of Student Services: The IST Initiative in Virginia
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/studentsrvcs/IST/