Iris Center at Vanderbilt University – DBI
What is the Iris Center? “The IRIS Center offers high-quality online, open educational resources (OERs) that translate research to practice for use in personnel preparation and ongoing professional development so that educators have the knowledge and skills they need to use evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for all students, especially struggling learners and those with disabilities. (Iris Center, 2019).”
Click here to access the Iris Centers Information Brochure.
The Iris Center at Vanderbilt University offers a wide variety of professional development for teachers, administrators and those in the education field. The modules are created by leaders in the field and are backed by research. Each professional development module includes a course with step-by-step training, videos and case studies on a variety of topics.
Here are a the topics that the Iris Center has created high-quality modules for:
(Source: Iris Center, 2019)
The modules that we will focus on for this page, are the two modules, that the Iris Center created for Intensive Intervention using the DBI process. Located below is information on each of the modules and links to access the resources.
The modules are set up in five parts:
(Source: Iris Center, 2019)
- Challenge – Begins the module with what will be discussed and covered in the module.
- Initial Thoughts – Asks questions about what you know about the topic being covered
- Perspective and Resources – Provides objectives for the modules and connections to professional learning standards – CEC, InTasc, CAEP, NCATE
- Wrap-Up – Summarizes the information from the module and has a section to revise your initial thoughts with the new information required from the module
- Assessment – Provides an assessment to both identify the knowledge you gained from the module and an application based question to apply your new knowledge
If you would like to take one of the modules, all you have to do is sign up for a free account. You can also get access to professional development certificates that can be used for professional development credits for your district.
Let’s look at these modules.
(Source: Iris Center, 2019)
Description of the module: “This module, first in a series of two, overviews data-based individualization and provides information about adaptations for intensifying and individualizing instruction. Developed in collaboration with the National Center on Intensive Intervention at American Institutes for Research and the CEEDAR Center, this resource is designed for individuals who will be implementing intensive interventions (Iris Center, 2019).”
To access the module, click here.
Topics covered in this Module:
- Overview of Intensive Intervention
- Data-Based Intervention
- Intensifying and Individualizing Interventions
- Change Intervention Dosage and Time
- Change the Learning Environment
- Teach Cognitive Process Strategies
- Modify Delivery of Instruction
- Implementation Considerations
- Making Instructional Decisions for Reading
- Making Instructional Decisions for Mathematics
Who does the module apply to and how long does to complete it?
Who? – Special education teachers, reading and math specialists, interventionists, etc.
Time to complete – 3 hours
(Source: Iris Center, 2019)
Description of Module: “This module, the second in a series on intensive intervention, offers information on making data-based instructional decisions. Specifically, the resource discusses collecting and analyzing progress monitoring and diagnostic assessment data. Developed in collaboration with the National Center on Intensive Intervention at American Institutes for Research and the CEEDAR Center, this resource is designed for individuals who will be implementing intensive interventions (Iris Center, 2019).”
To access the module, click here.
Topics Covered in Module:
- Overview of Data-Based Individualization
- Collecting and Evaluating Data
- Progress Monitoring
- Analyzing Progress Monitoring Data
- Diagnostic Assessment
- Error Analysis for Reading
- Error Analysis for Mathematics
- Making Data-Based Instructional Decisions for Reading
- Making Data-Based Instructional Decisions for Mathematics
Who does the module apply to and how long does to complete it?
Who? – Special education teachers, reading and math specialists, interventionists, etc.
Time to complete – 3 hours
The Iris Center has high-quality modules created by the leaders and researches in the field of education. To access these free professional development resources, visit the Iris Center here. You can create a free account and access all of the rich resources the Iris Center has to offer.
Please consider completing the Module Feedback form for the modules you complete. This feedback helps the Iris Center and their incredible employees create and adapt their high-quality resources to support teacher and others in the education field.
References:
The IRIS Center. (2015). Intensive Intervention (Part 1): Using Data-Based Individualization To Intensify Instruction. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi1/
The IRIS Center. (2015). Intensive Intervention (Part 2): Collecting and Analyzing Data for Data-Based Individualization. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi2/