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Getting Started with MIND: Skill Remediation

MIND: Skill Remediation uses a standard protocol approach for intervention delivery. A standard protocol approach provides a standardized set of activities (e.g., instructional placement, intervention procedures) and materials (e.g., assessment probes, intervention worksheets) that are pre-arranged and scripted for teachers. Approaches such as these are popular with educators because teachers spend less time locating, printing, and organizing materials and more time delivering empirically-validated interventions that produce improved student outcomes. Teachers simply need to follow the outlined procedures and accompanied decision making rules then print out the prescribed intervention Unit to begin remediating the skill deficit of the student. For a detailed overview of the MIND: Skill Remediation program read the corresponding intervention manual.

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Step 1: Assess Student in Basic Fact Areas

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Students are assessed across the basic fact skills they have been previously taught using Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) procedures.  Test in the order they are taught (i.e., start with addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, lastly division). Print materials and administer and score assessments.

 

Step 2: Select Target Operation

 

To identify which fact skill to begin you will need to print the MIND placement grid

and record the student's digit correct per minute (DC/M) score in the spaces provided. Start with addition and move across the skills (subtraction, multiplication, division) until you locate the operation where the student’s score falls below 40 DC/M. This is the identified target skill. Note: Only work on one target operation at a time.

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Step 3: Determine Initial Intervention Unit

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Now that the target operation is identified. Now take the students DC/M score and compare it to the recommendations on the MIND placement grid located in the intervention Unit the student is placed in. If the student’s score is below 20 DC/M, begin with Unit 1.1a. If the student scores above 20 DC/M begin with Unit 1.4 of the target operation.

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Step 4: Print & Implement Intervention Unit

 

Congratulations! You have assessed the student, determined the operation that needs to be targeted, and the intervention unit to start with. It is time to begin implementation! Below are links to pages for each operation that contain the intervention units. Select the identified operation, locate the intervention unit, print it out, and implement the intervention! Note: If this is the first time implementing the MIND: Skill Remediation packets, you will need to read the Intervention Summaries & Protocols for each of the interventions you will be implementing

 

Tips for Success with the MIND: Skill Remediation

TIP #1: Follow the prescribed sequence

 

Proficiency of computation skills is critical for students to learn more complex skills. For example, mastery of basic addition assists students in learning subtraction, mastery of multiplication aids in the learning of division facts. Addition and subtraction skills are vital to multi-digit multiplication and division skills. Do not skip remediation of prerequisite skills because they are not taught in the current grade.

 

TIP #2: Adhere to the mastery criteria 

 

Student automaticity in subskills is very important and will increase the rates that more complex skills will be learned (e.g., teaching multi-digit regrouping is much more efficient when basic addition facts are mastered). Make sure students surpass the mastery DC/M criteria.

 

TIP #3: Match dose (amount) with problem intensity

 

If you are working with a 5th grader whose addition skills need remediation, it would be wise to provide a double dose each day. As with most remedial programs the earlier a problem is detected the more quickly students can be caught up. Intense problems require aggressive treatment. At a bare minimum, math facts will need to be practiced daily to confer benefit for most students.

 

TIP #4: Incorporate performance feedback & reinforcement 

 

Fluency building activities can get stale quickly. Teachers who show they are excited for the student to practice hard and increase their speed will get the best results. Examples of how to do this include setting goals ("Let’s see if you can get to 40 DC/M!"), challenging students ("I bet you can’t finish an entire sheet in 6 minutes!"), and providing performance feedback ("You improved 5DC/M, great job!"). It is imperative that the teacher strives to maximize student response rates.

 

TIP #5: Group students anytime possible

 

To maximize the efficiency of resource delivery work with multiple students simultaneously. The MIND: Skill Remediation program uniformly uses 4 - 2 minute tasks across all operations. Furthermore, the sequence of using Cover, Copy, Compare and Explicit Timing is also uniform. This was done so that teachers could simultaneously teach students working on different target operations and skills.

 

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