Title: Response to Intervention: A Guide for Schools Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org
1Response to Intervention A Guide for
SchoolsJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
2Download PowerPoints and Handouts from this
workshop athttp//www.interventioncentral.org/
rtitoolkit.php
3The quality of a school as a learning community
can be measured by how effectively it addresses
the needs of struggling students.--Wright
(2005)
Discussion Read the quote below
Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Why?
Source Wright, J. (2005, Summer). Five
interventions that work. NAESP Leadership
Compass, 2(4) pp.1,6.
4Essential Elements of RTI (Fairbanks, Sugai,
Guardino, Lathrop, 2007)
- A continuum of evidence-based services available
to all students" that range from universal to
highly individualized intensive - Decision points to determine if students are
performing significantly below the level of their
peers in academic and social behavior domains" - Ongoing monitoring of student progress"
- Employment of more intensive or different
interventions when students do not improve in
response" to lesser interventions - Evaluation for special education services if
students do not respond to intervention
instruction"
Source Fairbanks, S., Sugai, G., Guardino, S.,
Lathrop, M. (2007). Response to intervention
Examining classroom behavior support in second
grade. Exceptional Children, 73, p. 289.
5What are advantages of RTI?
- One advantage of RTI in the diagnosis of
educational disabilities is that it allows
schools to intervene early to meet the needs of
struggling learners. - Another advantage is that RTI maps those specific
instructional strategies found to benefit a
particular student. This information can be very
helpful to both teachers and parents.
6Why is RTI now being adopted by schools?
- Congress passed the revised Individuals With
Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in
2004. - This Federal legislation provides the guidelines
that schools must follow when identifying
children for special education services. - Based on the changes in IDEIA 2004, the US
Department of Education (USDE) updated its
regulations to state education departments. The
new USDE regulations - Explicitly ALLOW states to use RTI to identify LD
- FORBID states from forcing schools to use a
discrepancy model to identify LD
7IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education)
Regulations What do they say about LD diagnosis?
In 2004, Congress reauthorized the Individuals
With Disabilities Education Improvement Act
(IDEIA 2004), including landmark language in that
law to encourage schools to break free of their
reliance on the discredited IQ-Achievement
Discrepancy method for identifying Learning
Disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education
then developed regulations based on IDEIA 2004 to
guide state practices. These regulations (34
C.F.R. 300 301, 2006) direct that states cannot
require the use of a severe discrepancy between
intellectual ability and achievement for
determining whether a child has a specific
learning disability Discrepancy
ModelFurthermore, states must permit the use
of a process based on the childs response to
scientific, research-based intervention (34
C.F.R. 300 301, 2006 p. 46786). RTI Model
8IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education)
Regulations What do they say about LD diagnosis?
(Cont.)
- The federal regulations also require that
schools ensure that underachievement in a child
suspected of having a specific learning
disability is not due to lack of appropriate
instruction (34 C.F.R. 300 301, 2006 p.
46787) by - demonstrating that the child was provided
appropriate instruction in regular education
settings, delivered by qualified personnel and - collecting data-based documentation of repeated
assessments of achievement at reasonable
intervals, reflecting formal assessment of
student progress during instruction.
9What does RTI look like when applied to an
individual student?
- A widely accepted method for determining whether
a student has a Learning Disability under RTI is
the dual discrepancy model (Fuchs, 2003). - Discrepancy 1 The student is found to be
performing academically at a level significantly
below that of his or her typical peers
(discrepancy in initial skills or performance). - Discrepancy 2 Despite the implementation of one
or more well-designed, well-implemented
interventions tailored specifically for the
student, he or she fails to close the gap with
classmates (discrepancy in rate of learning
relative to peers).
10Target Student
Dual-Discrepancy RTI Model of Learning
Disability (Fuchs 2003)
11The steps of RTI for an individual case
- Under RTI, if a student is found to be
performing well below peers, the school will - Estimate the academic skill gap between the
student and typically-performing peers - Determine the likely reason(s) for the students
depressed academic performance - Select a scientifically-based intervention likely
to improve the student's academic functioning - Monitor academic progress frequently to evaluate
the impact of the intervention - If the student fails to respond to several
well-implemented interventions, consider a
referral to Special Education
12How can a school restructure to support RTI?
- The school can organize its intervention efforts
into 3 levels, or Tiers, that represent a
continuum of increasing intensity of support.
(Kovaleski, 2003 Vaughn, 2003). Tier I is the
lowest level of intervention and Tier III is the
most intensive intervention level.
Universal intervention Available to all
students Example Additional classroom literacy
instruction
Tier I
Individualized Intervention Students who need
additional support than peers are given
individual intervention plans. Example
Supplemental peer tutoring in reading to increase
reading fluency
Tier II
Intensive Intervention Students whose
intervention needs are greater than general
education can meet may be referred for more
intensive services. Example Special Education
Tier III
13Tier I Interventions
Tier I interventions are universalavailable to
all students. Teachers often deliver these
interventions in the classroom (e.g., providing
additional drill and practice in reading fluency
for students with limited decoding skills).
Tier I interventions are those strategies that
instructors are likely to put into place at the
first sign that a student is struggling. Tier I
interventions attempt to answer the question Are
routine classroom instructional modifications
sufficient to help the student to achieve
academic success?
14Key Questions About Implementing Classroom
Interventions
15Tier II Interventions
Tier II interventions are individualized,
tailored to the unique needs of struggling
learners. They are reserved for students with
significant skill gaps who have failed to respond
successfully to Tier I strategies. Tier II
interventions attempt to answer the question Can
an individualized intervention plan carried out
in a general-education setting bring the student
up to the academic level of his or her peers?
16Tier II Interventions
There are two different vehicles that schools can
use to deliver Tier II interventions Problem-solv
ing (Classroom-Based Intervention).
Individualized research-based interventions match
the profile of a particular students strengths
and limitations. The classroom teacher often has
a large role in carrying out these interventions.
A plus of the problem-solving approach is that
the intervention can be customized to the
students needs. However, developing intervention
plans for individual students can be
time-consuming.Standard-Protocol (Standalone
Intervention). Group intervention programs based
on scientifically valid instructional practices
(standard protocol) are created to address
frequent student referral concerns. These
services are provided outside of the classroom. A
middle school, for example, may set up a
structured math-tutoring program staffed by adult
volunteer tutors to provide assistance to
students with limited math skills. Students
referred for a Tier II math intervention would be
placed in this tutoring program. An advantage of
the standard-protocol approach is that it is
efficient and consistent large numbers of
students can be put into these group
interventions to receive a highly standardized
intervention. However, standard group
intervention protocols often cannot be
individualized easily to accommodate a specific
students unique needs.
17Tier III Interventions
Tier III interventions are the most intensive
academic supports available in a school and are
generally reserved for students with chronic and
severe academic delays or behavioral problems.
In many schools, Tier III interventions are
available only through special education. Tier
III supports try to answer the question, What
ongoing supports does this student require and in
what settings to achieve the greatest success
possible?
18Levels of Intervention Tier I, II, III
Tier I Universal100
Tier II Individualized10-15
Tier III Intensive5-10
19Secondary Students Unique Challenges
- Struggling learners in middle and high school
may - Have significant deficits in basic academic
skills - Lack higher-level problem-solving strategies and
concepts - Present with issues of school motivation
- Show social/emotional concerns that interfere
with academics - Have difficulty with attendance
- Students at the secondary level are also
moving toward being self-managing learners
20RTI Were in Dragon Country Now!Jim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
21Hic sunt dracones. Latin for Here be
dragons Phrase appearing on the Lenox Globe
circa 1503, denoting unknown dangers on the
unexplored east coast of Asia. This term now is
used to describe any instance in which
decision-making or action is difficult because
the situation is so complex or because so many
variables are unknown. Source Wikipedia
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragonsDrag
ons_on_maps
22Two Ways to Solve Problems Algorithm vs.
Heuristic
- Algorithm. An explicit step-by-step procedure for
producing a solution to a given problem. Example
Multiplying 6 x 2 - Heuristic. A rule of thumb or approach which may
help in solving a problem, but is not guaranteed
to find a solution. Heuristics are exploratory in
nature. Example Using a map to find an
appropriate route to a location.
23As Knowledge Base Grows, Heuristic Approaches
(Exploratory, Open-Ended Guidelines to Solving a
Problem) Can Sometimes Turn into Algorithms
(Fixed Rules for Solving a Problem )Example
Recipes Through History
MODERN DARYOLS RECIPE (ALGORITHM)INGREDIENTS 2
(9 inch) unbaked pie crusts 1/2 cup blanched
almonds 1 1/4 cups cold water 1
cup half-and-half cream 1 pinch saffron powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 eggs
3/4 cup white
sugar 1 teaspoon rose water DIRECTIONS Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Press
pie crusts into the bottom and up the sides of
two 9 inch pie pans. Prick with a fork all over
to keep them from bubbling up. Bake pie crusts
for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until
set but not browned. Set aside to cool. Make an
almond milk by placing almonds in the container
of a food processor. Process until finely ground,
then add water, and pulse just to blend. Let the
mixture sit for 10 minutes, then strain through a
cheesecloth. Measure out 1 cup of the almond
milk, and mix with half and half. Stir in the
saffron and cinnamon, and set aside. Place the
eggs and sugar in a saucepan, and mix until well
blended. Place the pan over low heat, and
gradually stir in the almond milk mixture and
cinnamon. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly
until the mixture begins to thicken. When the
mixture is thick enough to evenly coat the back
of a metal spoon, stir in rose water and remove
from heat. Pour into the cooled pie shells. Bake
for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until
the center is set, but the top is not browned.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until
serving.
DARYOLS ORIGINAL14th CENTURY ENGLISH RECIPE
(HEURISTIC)Take cream of cow milk, or of
almonds do there-to eggs with sugar, saffron and
salt. Mix it fair. Do it in a pie shell of 2 inch
deep bake it well and serve it forth.
24RTI is a Work in Progress Some Areas Can Be
Managed Like an Algorithm While Others Require a
Heuristic Approch
- Reading Fluency. Can be approached as a fixed
algorithm. - DIBELS allows universal screening and
progress-monitoring - DIBELS benchmarks give indication of student risk
status - Classroom-friendly research-based fluency
building interventions have been validated - Study Skills. A complex set of skills whose
problem-solving approach resembles a heuristic. - Students basic set of study skills must be
analyzed - The intervention selected will be highly
dependent on the hypothesized reason(s) for the
students study difficulties - The quality of the research on study-skills
interventions varies and is still in development
25What Are 5 dragon regions of RTI?
26Implementing Response to Intervention in Schools
Key Challenges to Changing a SystemJim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
27Making RTI Work in Your Schools Key Expectations
28Making RTI Work in Your Schools Key Expectations
- Teachers try a larger number of research-based
classroom strategies before referring a student
to the schools RTI Team. - Schools are able to find time and personnel
coverage to schedule RTI Team meetings. - The job descriptions of key people in a school
change to match the needs of RTI (e.g., school
psychologist, special education teacher). - The school recognizes that RTI is an umbrella
problemsolving approach that helps the district
to address a range of important school issues
such as low state test scores, deficient academic
skills, absenteeism, and drop-outs.
29Making RTI Work in Your Schools Key Expectations
(Cont.)
- Administrators show strong support for RTI, using
their influence to encourage teacher
follow-through with classroom interventions,
helping to rework job descriptions to match
RTIs needs, etc. - RTI is accepted by the school community as a
mainstream initiative, with the majority of
representatives on the RTI Steering Group drawn
from general education (e.g., Curriculum
Director). - RTI is given the resources that it needs to grow,
including funds for staff development and for the
purchase of assessment services or products and
intervention materials. - The district has a multi-year plan to implement
RTI that builds the model at an ambitious but
sustainable rate.
30Preventing Your School from Developing RTI
Antibodies
- Schools can anticipate and take steps to address
challenges to RTI implementation - This proactive stance toward RTI adoption will
reduce the probability that the host school or
district will reject RTI as a model
31Innovations in Education Efficacy vs.
Effectiveness
- A useful distinction has recently emerged
between efficacy and effectiveness (Schoenwald
Hoagwood, 2001). Efficacy refers to intervention
outcomes that are produced by researchers and
program developers under ideal conditions of
implementation (i.e., adequate resources, close
supervision ). In contrast, effectiveness refers
to demonstration(s) of socially valid outcomes
under normal conditions of usage in the target
setting(s) for which the intervention was
developed. Demonstrations of effectiveness are
far more difficult than demonstrations of
efficacy. In fact, numerous promising
interventions and approaches fail to bridge the
gap between efficacy and effectiveness.
Emphasis added
Source Walker, H. M. (2004). Use of
evidence-based interventions in schools Where
we've been, where we are, and where we need to
go. School Psychology Review, 33, 398-407. p. 400
32Role of School Culture in the Acceptability of
Interventions
- school staffs are interested in
strategies that fit a group instructional and
management template intensive strategies
required by at-risk and poorly motivated students
are often viewed as cost ineffective. Treatments
and interventions that do not address the primary
mission of schooling are seen as a poor match to
school priorities and are likely to be rejected.
Thus, intervention and management approaches that
are universal in nature and that involve a
standard dosage that is easy to deliver (e.g.,
classwide social skills training) have a higher
likelihood of making it into routine or standard
school practice.
Source Walker, H. M. (2004). Use of
evidence-based interventions in schools Where
we've been, where we are, and where we need to
go. School Psychology Review, 33, 398-407. pp.
400-401
33Barriers in Schools to Innovations in
Interventions
- Factors that have been identified as
barriers to acceptance and implementation by
educators of effective behavioral interventions
for at at-risk students include characteristics
of the host organization, practitioner behavior,
costs, lack of program readiness, the absence of
program champions and advocates within the host
organization, philosophical objections, lack of
fit between the program's key features and
organizational routines and operations, and weak
staff participation.
Source Walker, H. M. (2004). Use of
evidence-based interventions in schools Where
we've been, where we are, and where we need to
go. School Psychology Review, 33, 398-407. p. 400
34Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
35RTI Can Serve as the Organizing Umbrella Under
Which a Districts Efforts Are Organized to
Support Struggling Learners of Any Age
36Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
- Establish an RTI Steering Group
37Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
- Educate Staff and Other Stakeholders to Build
Support for RTI
38Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
- Create an Inventory of the District/Schools RTI
Resources
39Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
- Establish an RTI Intervention Team
40Establishing RTI in Your School or District
First Steps
- Train Staff in Techniques to Monitor Short-Term
Student Academic and Behavioral Progress
41Measuring the Intervention Footprint Issues of
Planning, Documentation, Follow-ThroughJim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
42Essential Elements of Any Academic or Behavioral
Intervention (Treatment) Strategy
- Method of delivery (Who or what delivers the
treatment?)Examples include teachers,
paraprofessionals, parents, volunteers,
computers. - Treatment component (What makes the intervention
effective?)Examples include activation of prior
knowledge to help the student to make meaningful
connections between known and new material
guide practice (e.g., Paired Reading) to increase
reading fluency periodic review of material to
aid student retention. As an example of a
research-based commercial program, Read Naturally
combines teacher modeling, repeated reading and
progress monitoring to remediate fluency
problems.
43Interventions, Accommodations Modifications
Sorting Them Out
- Interventions. An academic intervention is a
strategy used to teach a new skill, build fluency
in a skill, or encourage a child to apply an
existing skill to new situations or settings.
An intervention is said to be research-based
when it has been demonstrated to be effective in
one or more articles published in peerreviewed
scientific journals. Interventions might be based
on commercial programs such as Read Naturally.
The school may also develop and implement an
intervention that is based on guidelines provided
in research articlessuch as Paired Reading
(Topping, 1987).
44Interventions, Accommodations Modifications
Sorting Them Out
- Accommodations. An accommodation is intended to
help the student to fully access the
general-education curriculum without changing the
instructional content. An accommodation for
students who are slow readers, for example, may
include having them supplement their silent
reading of a novel by listening to the book on
tape. An accommodation is intended to remove
barriers to learning while still expecting that
students will master the same instructional
content as their typical peers. Informal
accommodations may be used at the classroom level
or be incorporated into a more intensive,
individualized intervention plan.
45Interventions, Accommodations Modifications
Sorting Them Out
- Modifications. A modification changes the
expectations of what a student is expected to
know or dotypically by lowering the academic
expectations against which the student is to be
evaluated. Examples of modifications are
reducing the number of multiple-choice items in a
test from five to four or shortening a spelling
list. Under RTI, modifications are generally not
included in a students intervention plan,
because the working assumption is that the
student can be successful in the curriculum with
appropriate interventions and accommodations
alone.
46Evaluating the Quality of Intervention Research
The Research Continuum
47Intervention Research Continuum
- Evidence-Based Practices
- Includes practices for which original data have
been collected to determine the effectiveness of
the practice for students with disabilities. The
research utilizes scientifically based rigorous
research designs (i.e., randomized controlled
trials, regression discontinuity designs,
quasi-experiments, single subject, and
qualitative research).
Source The Access Center Research Continuum
(n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from
http//www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/d
ocuments/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf
48Intervention Research Continuum
- Promising Practices
- Includes practices that were developed based on
theory or research, but for which an insufficient
amount of original data have been collected to
determine the effectiveness of the practices.
Practices in this category may have been studied,
but not using the most rigorous study designs.
Source The Access Center Research Continuum
(n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from
http//www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/d
ocuments/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf
49Intervention Research Continuum
- Emerging Practices
- Includes practices that are not based on
research or theory and on which original data
have not been collected, but for which anecdotal
evidence and professional wisdom exists. These
include practices that practitioners have tried
and feel are effective and new practices or
programs that have not yet been researched.
Source The Access Center Research Continuum
(n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from
http//www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/d
ocuments/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf
50How Do We Define a Tier I (Classroom-Based)
Intervention?Jim Wrightwww.interventioncentral
.org
51Tier I Interventions
Tier I interventions are universalavailable to
all students. Teachers often deliver these
interventions in the classroom.Tier I
interventions are those strategies that
instructors are likely to put into place at the
first sign that a student is struggling. These
interventions can consist of -Effective
whole-group teaching management
strategies -Modest individualized strategies that
the teacher uses with specific students. Tier I
interventions attempt to answer the question Are
routine classroom instructional supports and
strategies sufficient to help the student to
achieve academic success?
52Tier I Ideas to Help Students to Complete
Independent Seatwork
53Independent Seatwork A Source of Misbehavior
- When poorly achieving students must work
independently, they can run into difficulties
with the potential to spiral into misbehaviors.
These difficulties can include - Being unable to do the assigned work without help
- Not understanding the directions for the
assignment - Getting stuck during the assignment and not
knowing how to resolve the problem - Being reluctant to ask for help in a public
manner - Lacking motivation to work independently on the
assignment
54Elements to Support Independent Seatwork
55Discussion Question
Why would a teacher at your school be very happy
to see an RTI model adopted? What is in it for
him or her?
56Common Student Problems What Works?
57How Do Schools Standardize Expectations for
Tier I Interventions? A Four-Step Solution
- Develop a list of your schools top five
academic and behavioral referral concerns (e.g.,
low reading fluency, inattention). - Create a survey for teachers, asking them to jot
down the good teaching ideas that they use
independently when they encounter students who
struggle in these problem areas. - Collect the best of these ideas into a menu. Add
additional research-based ideas if available. - Require that teachers implement a certain number
of these strategies before referring to your RTI
Intervention Team. Consider ways that teachers
can document these Tier I interventions as well.