Approved by Nat'l
center on Progress Monitoring.
STEEP cited as NCLB Success story
STEEP in the Federal Register
Louisiana adopts Steep
Arizona  Adopts iSTEEP
Virgin islands Adopts STEEP
STEEP cited as NCLB Success story

News & Events
2009

National Center for Response to Intervention Rates STEEP Reading Screening as Most Accurate Among Response to Intervention Screening Tools.
The National Center for Response to Intervention has posted its first annual review of screening tools for reading. The STEEP Reading screening and benchmarking tool was the only tool to receive the highest rating in the area of “Classification Accuracy”. Classification accuracy is widely regarded as the most important attribute of any screening tool. This means the tool does its main job very well: it accurately identifies those students needing intervention vs. those who do not need tier 2 interventions. The STEEP reading screener was also the most time efficient: it required the least amount of time to administer and yet was the most accurate. The review of screening tools can be found on the National RTI Center website at:  www.rti4success.org .

STEEP RTI Data Management System is SIF Certified
The iSTEEP Data Management System has undergone the SIF certification process and is now fully certified.  The SIF Certification process is coordinated by the Schools Interoperability Framework Association (SIFA).  SIFA helps to address the question of how to get different, and sometimes competing, software applications to quickly and easily share data.  This can reduce administrative overhead and increase the power of data analysis.  To achieve SIF Certification, applicants must complete a multi-step process that includes extensive testing of the technology to insure that it meets standards for technology, security and data portability. The iSTEEP data management system underwent 72 separate tests and passed 100% of the tests. The iSTEEP Data Management System is the first RTI focused system to achieve certification.

2008

Journal Paper on STEEP selected as Scholarly Article of the Year. 
Each year the Society for the Study of School Psychology selects a Journal of School Psychology Article of the Year.  For 2008 the award went to a a research paper entitled: A multi-year evaluation of the effects of a response to intervention (RTI) model on identification of children for special education by Amanda W. VanDerHeyden, Joseph C. Witt and Donna Gilbertson.  The paper reported on an extensive multi-year evaluation of STEEP RTI.  It indicated that as STEEP was implemented in schools that achievement increased and there was a reduced need for special education.  Interested practitioners and researchers may contact us on how to obtain the paper. 
2007

iSTEEP Assessments are Approved by National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
STEEP progress monitoring assessments were reviewed by the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring.  The assessments met the criteria established by the center in 7 out of 7 areas. More information about the reading progress monitoring assessments is available on their web site: 
http://www.studentprogress.org/chart/progressmonitoringtools/iSTEEPReadingFluency.htm

Wyoming Selects iSTEEP for State RTI Rollout
The Wyoming Department of Education selected iSTEEP Learning to provide training, products and data management for the statewide implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI). 

2006


Louisiana Department of Education Selects iSTEEP Learning for statewide RTI Initiative in Literacy
 The Louisiana Department of Education has chosen to adopt STEEP RTI as the model to be used statewide for  literacy. The goal is to decrease the number of low performing students and to improve state test scores.  iSTEEP Learning will provide training, products, and data management services for the participating schools.  iSTEEP was selected because it met or exceeded requirements set forth by the state including:  previous successful experience with states implementing RTI, use of a standard protocol process, experience integrating other assessment systems (e.g., DIBELS) into a comprehensive RTI process that includes intervention, and research demonstrating improved achievement as a result of implementing the STEEP model.  

Districts of National Distinction Announced
The iSTEEP Districts of National Distinction Program commemorates people and organizations who provide exceptional service to students, teachers, parents and schools. They are "heroes" who do astonishing things daily and inspire and guide others through their generosity, compassion, ethics, and outcomes. The award went to two districts who inspired the creation of the award because of sustained contributions over several years.
  • Biloxi Schools. Biloxi, Mississippi. The Biloxi schools began implementation of STEEP RTI in 2004. From the beginning their plan was to take small steps and implement with fidelity. They began in one school (Beauvoir Elementary) and gradually spread across the elementary schools and into the middle and high schools. The 2005 hurricane season was devastating to this community on the Gulf coast but they were undeterred. They have seen improvements in achievement for at-risk students and decreased need for special education referrals. Last year, across all seven participating elementary schools, they did not refer any students to special education and only seven students reached Tier 3 intervention. This represents a significant decrease in referrals from approximately 20-25 per school. They have achieved these results by realizing their grand vision via making small things occur on a daily basis with fidelity. District professionals have given their time liberally to assist others (e.g., other districts, the state of Mississippi, other states, and the Federal government). Their single-minded focus and courage in the face of events in 2005 are heroic, astonishing, and inspirational.
  • Vail School District. Vail, Arizona. The Vail School District was one of the first in the country to implement an RTI model. The district began with STEEP in one elementary school (Acacia Elementary) and is now implementing in all elementary and middle schools. Their approach has been to proceed systematically, to implement with precision, and to carefully evaluate each step. Their evaluation and implementation efforts (led by Amanda VanDerHeyden) have been rigorous enough that several studies have been published in high quality scholarly journals from their efforts. Because of their efforts, their RTI work has been recognized by appearances in several national forums including a national television production produced by the U.S. Department of Education and aired on the Discovery network. They have hosted visits and assisted numerous groups from around the U.S. (e.g., school districts, state leadership groups). Certainly, they are heroes and role models who show us the way and inspire the journey.
STEEP cited in Federal Register as Exemplifying Feasibility and Efficacy of Large Scale Implementation of RTI
 The U.S. Department of Education released final regulations and comments pertaining to IDEA on August 14, 2006. The regulations published in the Federal Register noted that STEEP was one of three models (including Heartland Iowa and Minneapolis Schools) which have demonstrated with large-scale implementations that "... there is an evidence base to support the use of RTI models to identify children with SLD on a wide scale, including young children and children from minority backgrounds."   

Computer Based Assessments are Announced

Computer administered fluency assessments are available for reading comprehension (Grades 1-8) and reading fluency (Grades 1-5). The assessment process has the following key elements::
  • Fewer adults are required to conduct the assessment. Assessments are computer administered rather than computer assisted. Students receive the assessment through a normal computer work station. This is in contrast with computer assisted assessment which requires the same number of adults to conduct, for example, the DIBELS assessment and the computer or hand held merely assists with scoring. With these assessments, the computer administers, scores and interprets the assessment and one adult can assess several students simultaneously. Instead of 10 teachers testing, there are 9 teachers teaching and 1 teacher testing.
  • Assessments are fluency based. Most computer based assessments are not truly fluency based because of the technical problems associated with the internet. A slow internet connection can cause the student to obtain a lower score because the student is ready but the computer is not. STEEP assessments rely on a new technology such that the computer can go as fast as the fastest student.
  • New equipment is not needed This assessment process makes use of existing computers. There is no need to purchase handheld computers (e.g., Palm) or costly pens and special paper. Consequently, there is no need for staff to learn to use and maintain new technology. Related to this, there is less equipment to break and replace. For more information, contact us.
2005

iSTEEP Selected by Arizona Department of Education for Statewide RTI Model
The Arizona Department of Education selected iSTEEP Learning to be the exclusive provider for all training, products and data management for statewide implementation of RTI.  The STEEP model was chosen because the STEEP standard protocol provides a step-by-step intervention process which facilitates rapid training and implementation in a state with large population growth and the need to quickly train many new professionals.  

U.S. Virgin Islands Selects STEEP for RTI
 The Department of Education chose iSTEEP Learning to provide training, products, technical assistance and support for implementation of RTI on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. 

STEEP recognized as NCLB Success Story
The U.S. Department of Education recognized STEEP as one of 8 national success stories evolving out of NCLB.  STEEP implementation in Vail, AZ was featured in a television broadcast distributed by the U.S. DOE and Discovery Television.