Problem Solving Process

In this district, we encourage a model of intervention that is based on a collaborative problem solving approach and
process that links functional assessments to the development of effective interventions. It is a proactive process
that describes the activities that should occur early in intervention, rather than focusing exclusively on
categorizing students for the purpose of determining eligibility. Problem solving is based on the following process:

1. Problem Statement
 Specific, Observable, Measurable

2. Problem Analysis
 Instruction, Curriculum, Environment, Learner
 Review, Interview, Observe, Test
 Functional Behavioral Analysis

3. Develop an Intervention/Action Plan

 Goals – Specific, Observable, Measurable
 Intervention Strategies – Proactive. Reactive
 Implementation Strategies
 Monitoring Strategies

4. Implement the Interventions and Collect Data

5. Review and Evaluate

The problem solving process involves the following steps (summarized on the chart):

– Problem solving starts in the classroom with the teacher and the parent. Problem solving begins
when either the teacher or the parent believes that a student’s performance is different from that of peers.
Problem solving at this level tends to be informal, and the intent is for the parent and teacher to collaborate in
defining and assessing the problem as well as in designing, implementing and evaluating interventions.

– Problem solving occurs when little or no success has been encountered at Level 1. Problem solving
at this level taps into the expertise of school-based staff and becomes somewhat more formalized. Best practice
at this level for school-based assessment would include:

 Documentation of parent participation,

 Review and documentation of educational and health history.

 Interview of the teacher for perceptions of the problem, and documentation of interventions to date
as well as intervention outcomes,
 Observations of the problem behavior, whether it is in academic or behavior areas
 Test with informal reading inventories, or other Level B assessment instruments, including CBM scores.
Consideration is given to several sources of information in order to elaborate the identified difficulty:

INSTRUCTION – consider instructional design, decision-making and practices that affect student progress such
as planning, management, and instructional procedures.

Questions to Consider
Do planning procedures
 include accurate diagnosis of the student’s skill level?
 assign tasks clearly matched with the student’s skill level?
 set realistic expectations and academic standards?
 ensure sufficient coverage of content?
 ensure opportunity to practice/apply skills?
 provide opportunities for review?

Do management procedures
 result in efficient classroom management?
 provide well-established, efficient instructional organization and routines?
 establish productive instructional time?
 ensure positive and supportive classroom interactions?

Do instructional procedures
 clearly communicate expectations?
 provide extensive teacher-student interaction during lesson presentation?
 clearly demonstrate procedures?
 provide systematic error correction procedures?
 include guided practice prior to independent practice?
 include systematic, explicit feedback and reinforcement procedures for practice activities?
 provide active monitoring of independent practice activities?
 match the length of assignments with student attention/concentration skills?
 make provision for student accountability?
 include direct, frequent measurement of student progress?
 ensure an appropriate relationship between goals (what is to be taught), instruction (what is taught)
and assessment (what is tested)?
 provide a good match between instructional style/procedures and student learning style/needs?

CURRICULUM – consider the process and materials used to ensure student learning and mastery.

Questions to Consider
Is the Curriculum
 too easy or too difficult?
 relevant to the student’s experiences or understanding?
 presented in a way that relates to the student’s needs?
 presented at an appropriate pace for student learning rate?
 presented using a variety of styles, techniques, strategies (e.g. phonics, whole language, experiential,
concrete, abstract, etc.)?
ENVIRONMENT – consider the nature of the classroom environment, as well as the home environment.

Questions to Consider
Classroom environment
 How many students are in the class?
 What is the general make-up of the class (e.g. academic levels, students with special or discipline
needs, etc.)?
 How many adults work within the classroom (e.g., teachers, teacher assistants, volunteers, etc.)?
 Do classroom rules and expectations promote student success?
 Are the discipline programs/philosophies consistent between adults who interact with the student?
 What is the general seating arrangement in the classroom?
 Where does the student sit in the classroom?
 Is the schedule of daily activities consistent with the needs of the students?
 Are specific materials/resources needed by the student readily available?
 Do the student’s peers provide appropriate/adequate modeling?
 Do the student’s peers instigate or reinforce inappropriate behavior?
 Are the social/academic skills of peers significantly different from the student’s?

Home environment
 Are the parents able/willing to reinforce school-related academic/behavior strategies in the home?
 Are the parents behavioral/academic expectations for the student appropriate?
 What is the style of parenting, supervision and discipline in the home situation?

LEARNER – consider students characteristics and behaviors that directly relate to progress in developing
academic and social skills.

Questions to Consider
Does the student demonstrate

 adequate short and long-term memory (auditory and visual)?

 adequate length of attention span?
 self-monitoring skills?
 impulse control/self-control?
 appropriate social skills?
 beliefs that support appropriate behavior (e.g. my parents want me to do well in school. I expect to
succeed, I can resolve arguments without fighting, etc.)?
 disabilities in hearing, vision, or motor skills?
 a specific health condition?
 side effects of medication that affect student activity/success rate?
 high activity levels, less ability to focus, etc?
 a pattern of excessive absences?
 speech/language difficulties?
 is English the student’s first language?
 is English the language spoken at home?
 – Problem solving includes consultation with extended team members. This is the most formalized
level of problem solving. An extended problem solving team is generally comprised of one or more district staff,
which reviews interventions conducted to date. An extended problem solving team may be able to provide further
intervention services and/or assist with assessment activities for the purpose of intervention planning.

Best practices for problem solving at this level includes systematic review and documentation of these areas:
 education and health factors,
 prior interventions/accommodations,
 problem definition/redefinition,
 magnitude and pervasiveness of the problem,
 intervention decisions based on the reanalysis of the problem
 effects of intervention (monitoring outcomes).

– Problem solving addresses all the issues explored at Level 3. In addition, Level 4 requires
documentation of sufficient assessment information for making decisions regarding eligibility and need for
additional resources. It is at this point that interventions are further reviewed systematically and evaluated with
these criteria in mind:
 is there a written plan based on an individual student’s problem,
 is there a clear statement or description of the problem behavior,
 is there a problem analysis which leads to an intervention decision,
 is there a description of the actual intervention (what is to be done, when, how, by whom),
 is there a plan for measuring outcomes (including baseline performance, monitoring schedule,
performance level at end of the intervention).

Psycho-educational assessment may occur at this stage of the process, and the purpose would be to gather further
information for the purposes of designing intervention that is a “closer fit” to the student’s problem.

Problem solving procedures are not in place in order to cause undue delays in obtaining further information about a
student. The intent is to assist educational personnel in becoming effective problem solvers who make good
educational decisions based on sound outcome data. In many cases, there is already useful information and data
that leads to interventions; it is often a matter of analyzing and using it effectively.