Response to Intervention: Roles and Implications for Educators

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Response to Intervention Roles and Implications
for Educators
Part 1. Dr. Michael Abell, Univ. of Louisville,
m.abell_at_louisville.edu Part 2. Interview with Dr.
Kevin Buehler. Knox County (TN) Schools.
buehlerk_at_k12tn.net
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Moving to a Response to Intervention Model
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Key Assumptions

• Assumptions
• Many children who are struggling do so as a
  result of the quality and intensity of
  instruction.
• Some children will require more intense
  instruction in smaller groups in order to respond
  well.
• Some children will not respond adequately even
  with the best intervention and will require even
  more time and more intensive intervention.

(NASDSE), Response to Intervention Policy
Considerations and Implementation, 2005
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Staffing and Roles

• School staff play numerous and significant roles
  in the RTI process that works to identify
  students with disabilities and support at-risk
  learners
• Roles will require fundamental changes in the way
  general education and special education engage in
  assessment and intervention activities

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Staffing for RTI

• These may include
• classroom teachers
• curriculum specialists
• school psychologists
• reading specialists
• Intervention coach/specialist
• school social workers
• school counselors
• instructional assistants
• library media specialists
• occupational therapists
• physical therapists
• bus monitors
• speech-language pathologists
• learning disabilities specialists
• other specialized instructional support personnel

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Rti Components Personnel Linkages

• Rti Components
• Administrative Support
• Preparation Training
• Universal Screening
• Tier 1 Benchmark School-wide Interventions for
  All Students
• Data Analysis
• Tier 2 Strategic Targeted Interventions
• Tier 2 Progress Monitoring
• Tier 3 Intensive Interventions
• Tier 3 Progress Monitoring
• Collaboration with RTI team
• Determine Eligibility

• Personnel
• classroom teachers
• curriculum specialists
• school psychologists
• reading specialists
• Intervention coach/specialist
• school social workers
• school counselors
• instructional assistance
• library media specialists
• occupational therapists
• physical therapists
• bus monitors
• speech-language pathologists
• learning disabilities specialists

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KEY COMPONENTS

• Interventions specifically target students
  difficulties at the needed level of intensity
• Decision making by a collaborative team using
  response data and other relevant info.
• High quality instructional and behavioral
  supports
• Interventions delivered by qualified personnel
• Student progress meticulously monitored
• Data-based documentation maintained on each
  student
• Systematic documentation affirms interventions
  are implemented with fidelity, integrity, and the
  appropriate intensity

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RTIStaff Working Together

• Necessitates authentic collaboration among
  administrators, educators, related services
  personnel and parents
• Encourages all staff to expand their traditional
  roles and responsibilities, to engage in a
  broader array of service delivery options and
  take on new leadership opportunities.

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New Roles and Opportunities

• Roles
• Intervention Coach
• Data Manager
• Reading, Writing, Math specialists
• New opportunities
• Provide PD on RTI
• Data analysis
• Research based intervention program evaluation
• Three types of assessment (Assessment Specialist)
• Screening
• Progress monitoring
• Diagnostic (normative)

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Roles for Specialists on RTI Team

• Develop and lead professional development
• Consult with teachers on student needs and
  intervention implementation
• Serve as a resource on interventions and for
  teachers, administrators, and parents
• Contributing member of RTI team

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Intervention Specialist or Coach

• Provide intensive instruction to struggling
  students in core area (reading, writing, math)
• Observe students to identify appropriate
  interventions, barriers to intervention, response
  to intervention
• Coach teachers on intervention activities in the
  classroom and data collection techniques
• Demonstrate informal assessment and assist in
  interpreting data for decision-making

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School Psychologists and Reading Specialists

• Important Considerations
• Must work closely with RTI team members
• Must work more directly with regular education
  teachers in the RTI process
• Must adapt to a new approach toward serving
  students at risk
• how students are identified for intervention,
• how interventions are selected, designed,
  implemented,
• how student performance is measured and
  evaluated,
• how decisions are made

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Tier I Effective Teaching Principles

• Tier I
• Direct supervised teaching
• Engagement time
• Scaffolded instruction
• Organizing, storing and retrieving data
• Strategic instruction
• Positive behavior supports

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Tier I Results

• Continue effective instruction or practices for
  responders
• Move non-responders to Tier 2

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Tier 2 Interventions

• Tier 2
• Scientifically based intervention programs
• Core instruction with supplemental interventions
• Intervention specialists assist with instruction
  in gen ed.

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Tier 2 Results

• Cycle responders back to tier 1
• Move non-responders to Tier 3

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Tier 3 Interventions

• Tier 3
• Scientifically based intervention programs
• Core instruction with supplemental interventions
• Intervention specialists assist with instruction
  in gen ed.
• Outside the gen ed. Classroom
• Small intensive groups
• 10-18 week duration

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Tier 3 Results

• Cycle responders back to tier 2
• Refer non-responders for evaluation for special
  education

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Final Thoughts Comments

• RTI is most significant change since Public Law
  94-142 founded Spec. Ed. in 1975)
• IDEA does not mandate significant change or
  prohibit traditional practices but encourages
  adoption of new practices
• Reduces the time a student waits before receiving
  additional instructional assistance, including
  special education if needed
• Reduces the overall number of students referred
  for special education services
• Provides critical information about the
  instructional needs of the student
• Limits the amount of unnecessary testing that has
  little or no instructional relevance