RTI: An Overview for Schools Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

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RTI An Overview for SchoolsJim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
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RTI Assumption Struggling Students Are Typical
Until Proven Otherwise

• RTI logic assumes that
• A student who begins to struggle in general
  education is typical, and that
• It is general educations responsibility to find
  the instructional strategies that will unlock the
  students learning potential
• Only when the student shows through
  well-documented interventions that he or she has
  failed to respond to intervention does RTI
  begin to investigate the possibility that the
  student may have a learning disability or other
  special education condition.

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Essential Elements of RTI (Fairbanks, Sugai,
Guardino, Lathrop, 2007)

1. A continuum of evidence-based services available
   to all students" that range from universal to
   highly individualized intensive
2. Decision points to determine if students are
   performing significantly below the level of their
   peers in academic and social behavior domains"
3. Ongoing monitoring of student progress"
4. Employment of more intensive or different
   interventions when students do not improve in
   response" to lesser interventions
5. 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.
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NYSED RTI Guidance Memo April 2008
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The Regents policy framework for RtIDefines
RtI to minimally include Appropriate
instruction delivered to all students in the
general education class by qualified personnel.
Appropriate instruction in reading means
scientific research-based reading programs that
include explicit and systematic instruction in
phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary
development, reading fluency (including oral
reading skills) and reading comprehension
strategies.Screenings applied to all students
in the class to identify those students who are
not making academic progress at expected rates.
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Instruction matched to student need with
increasingly intensive levels of targeted
intervention and instruction for students who do
not make satisfactory progress in their levels of
performance and/or in their rate of learning to
meet age or grade level standards.Repeated
assessments of student achievement which should
include curriculum based measures to determine if
interventions are resulting in student progress
toward age or grade level standards.The
application of information about the students
response to intervention to make educational
decisions about changes in goals, instruction
and/or services and the decision to make a
referral for special education programs and/or
services.
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Written notification to the parents when the
student requires an intervention beyond that
provided to all students in the general education
classroom that provides information about the
-amount and nature of student performance data
that will be collected and the general education
services that will be provided-strategies for
increasing the students rate of learning
and-parents right to request an evaluation for
special education programs and/or services.
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The Regents policy framework for RtIDefines
RtI to minimally include Requires each school
district to establish a plan and policies for
implementing school-wide approaches and
prereferral interventions in order to remediate a
students performance prior to referral for
special education, which may include the RtI
process as part of a districts school-wide
approach. The school district must select and
define the specific structure and components of
its RtI program, including, but not limited to
the -criteria for determining the levels of
intervention to be provided to students, -types
of interventions, amount and nature of student
performance data to be collected, and -manner
and frequency for progress monitoring.
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What previous approach to diagnosing Learning
Disabilities does RTI replace?

• Prior to RTI, many states used a Test-Score
  Discrepancy Model to identify Learning
  Disabilities.
• A student with significant academic delays would
  be administered an battery of tests, including
  an intelligence test and academic achievement
  test(s).
• If the student was found to have a substantial
  gap between a higher IQ score and lower
  achievement scores, a formula was used to
  determine if that gap was statistically
  significant and severe.
• If the student had a severe discrepancy gap
  between IQ and achievement, he or she would be
  diagnosed with a Learning Disability.

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Target Student
Dual-Discrepancy RTI Model of Learning
Disability (Fuchs 2003)
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RTI Pyramid of Interventions
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Source New York State Education Department.
(October 2010). Response to Intervention
Guidance for New York State School Districts.
Retrieved November 10, 2010, from
http//www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oc
t10.pdf p. 12
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Tier 1 Core Instruction

• Tier I core instruction
• Is universalavailable to all students.
• Can be delivered within classrooms or throughout
  the school.
• Is an ongoing process of developing strong
  classroom instructional practices to reach the
  largest number of struggling learners.
• All children have access to Tier 1
  instruction/interventions. Teachers have the
  capability to use those strategies without
  requiring outside assistance.
• Tier 1 instruction encompasses
• The schools core curriculum.
• All published or teacher-made materials used to
  deliver that curriculum.
• Teacher use of whole-group teaching
  management strategies.
• Tier I instruction addresses this question Are
  strong classroom instructional strategies
  sufficient to help the student to achieve
  academic success?

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Tier I (Classroom) Intervention

• Tier 1 intervention
• Targets red flag students who are not
  successful with core instruction alone.
• Uses evidence-based strategies to address
  student academic or behavioral concerns.
• Must be feasible to implement given the resources
  available in the classroom.
• Tier I intervention addresses the question Does
  the student make adequate progress when the
  instructor uses specific academic or behavioral
  strategies matched to the presenting concern?

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Tier 1 Grade-Level Team or Consultant

• Who consults on the student case?
• Choice A The teacher brings the student to a
  grade-level meeting to develop an intervention
  plan, check up on the plan in 4-8 weeks.
• Choice B The teacher sits down with a consultant
  (selected from a roster or assigned to the
  classroom or grade level). Together, consultant
  and teacher develop an intervention, check up on
  the plan in 4-8 weeks.

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Tier 1 Grade-Level Team or Consultant

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The student case is referred to the school or
  grade-level Tier 2 Data Team. The Team places the
  student into appropriate Tier 2 services if
  availableor may decide to refer directly to the
  Problem-Solving Team.

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Source New York State Education Department.
(October 2010). Response to Intervention
Guidance for New York State School Districts.
Retrieved November 10, 2010, from
http//www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oc
t10.pdf p. 13
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Tier 2 Supplemental (Group-Based)
Interventions(Standard Treatment Protocol)

• Tier 2 interventions are typically delivered in
  small-group format. About 15 of students in the
  typical school will require Tier 2/supplemental
  intervention support. Group size for Tier 2
  interventions is limited to 3-5 students.
  Students placed in Tier 2 interventions should
  have a shared profile of intervention need.
• Programs or practices used in Tier 2
  interventions should be evidence-based.
• The progress of students in Tier 2
  interventions are monitored at least 2 times per
  month.

Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools. Routledge New
York.
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Tier 2 Data Team

• Who makes up the Data Team and what is its
  purpose?
• The Data Team is a school-wide or grade-specific
  team that typically includes classroom teachers,
  a school administrator, and perhaps other
  participants.
• The Data Team reviews school-wide screening data
  (e.g., DIBELS NEXT, AimsWeb) three times per year
  to determine which students are at risk and
  require supplemental (Tier 2) intervention.
• The Team continues to meet (e.g., monthly) to
  review student progress and to move students out
  of, into or across Tier 2 groups depending on
  progress and classroom performance.

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Tier 2 Data Team

• Who makes up the Data Team and what is its
  purpose? (Cont)
• The Data Team can also take Tier 1 (classroom)
  referrals for struggling students who were not
  picked up in the academic screening(s) but are
  showing serious academic difficulties.

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Scheduling Elementary Tier 2 Interventions
Option 3 Floating RTIGradewide Shared
Schedule. Each grade has a scheduled RTI time
across classrooms. No two grades share the same
RTI time. Advantages are that outside providers
can move from grade to grade providing push-in or
pull-out services and that students can be
grouped by need across different teachers within
the grade.
Anyplace Elementary School RTI Daily Schedule
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade K
900-930
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 1
945-1015
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 2
1030-1100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 3
1230-100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 4
115-145
Grade 5
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
200-230
Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools Procedures to
assure scientific-based practices. New York
Routledge.
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Tier 2 Data Team

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The Data Team refers the student to the Tier 3
  RTI Problem-Solving Team if the student fails to
  make acceptable progress during at least one
  intervention trial.

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Source New York State Education Department.
(October 2010). Response to Intervention
Guidance for New York State School Districts.
Retrieved November 10, 2010, from
http//www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/RTI/guidance-oc
t10.pdf p. 14
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Tier 3 Intensive Individualized
Interventions(Problem-Solving Protocol)

• Tier 3 interventions are the most intensive
  offered in a school setting.
• Students qualify for Tier 3 interventions
  because
• they are found to have a large skill gap when
  compared to their class or grade peers and/or
• They did not respond to interventions provided
  previously at Tiers 1 2.
• Tier 3 interventions are provided daily for
  sessions of 30 minutes or more. The
  student-teacher ratio is flexible but should
  allow the student to receive intensive,
  individualized instruction.
• The reading progress of students in Tier 3
  interventions is monitored at least weekly.

Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools. Routledge New
York.
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Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• How does a referral come in to the
  Problem-Solving Team?
• Referral route A The Tier 2 Data Team meets
  periodically to review student progress. If a
  student is found not to be making expected
  progress, he or she can then be referred on to
  the RTI Team.
• Referral route B If the school lacks a standard
  treatment Tier 2 intervention for a student
  concern (e.g., behavior, math), the student may
  be referred directly from Tier 1 to Tier 3 via a
  teacher referral.

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Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• Who consults on the student case?
• The RTI Problem-Solving Team is a
  multi-disciplinary team that consults with the
  teacher at the RTI Team Meeting.
• The school may also want to have other staff
  (e.g., school nurse, math title teacher)
  available to attend RTI Team meetings on an
  as-needed basis for specific student cases.

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Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The school district should adopt uniform
  decision rules that indicate when a student
  should be referred on to the Special Education
  Eligibility Team. Example A district decided
  that across Tiers 2 and 3a student should go
  through at least 3 separate interventions of 6-8
  instructional weeks each before that student
  could be designated a non-responder and
  referred to Special Education.

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Tier 1 Developing the Capacity for Classroom
Teachers to Become Intervention First
RespondersJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.or
g
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RTI Pyramid of Interventions
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The Key Role of Classroom Teachers in RTI 6 Steps

1. The teacher defines the student academic or
   behavioral problem clearly.
2. The teacher decides on the best explanation for
   why the problem is occurring.
3. The teacher selects evidence-based
   interventions.
4. The teacher documents the students Tier 1
   intervention plan.
5. The teacher monitors the students response
   (progress) to the intervention plan.
6. The teacher knows what the next steps are when a
   student fails to make adequate progress with Tier
   1 interventions alone.

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher 7 Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Interventions
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Teacher Tolerance as an Indicator of RTI
Intervention Capacity

• I call the range of students whom teachers
  come to view as adequately responsive i.e.,
  teachable as the tolerance those who are
  perceived to be outside the tolerance are those
  for whom teachers seek additional resources. The
  term tolerance is used to indicate that
  teachers form a permissible boundary on their
  measurement (judgments) in the same sense as a
  confidence interval. In this case, the teacher
  actively measures the distribution of
  responsiveness in her class by processing
  information from a series of teaching trials and
  perceives some range of students as within the
  tolerance. (Gerber, 2002)

Source Gerber, M. M. (2003). Teachers are still
the test Limitations of response to instruction
strategies for identifying children with learning
disabilities. Paper presented at the National
Research Center on Learning Disabilities
Responsiveness-to-Intervention Symposium, Kansas
City, MO.
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RTI Teacher Reluctance

• The willingness of teachers to implement
  interventions is essential in any school to the
  success of the RTI model. Yet general-education
  teachers may not always see themselves as
  interventionists and indeed may even resist the
  expectation that they will provide individualized
  interventions as a routine part of their
  classroom practice (Walker, 2004).
• It should be remembered, however, that teachers
  reluctance to accept elements of RTI may be based
  on very good reasons. Here are some common
  reasons that teachers might be reluctant to
  accept their role as RTI intervention first
  responders

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher 7 Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Interventions

• Lack of Skills. Teachers lack the skills
  necessary to successfully implement academic or
  behavioral interventions in their content-area
  classrooms (Fisher, 2007 Kamil et al., 2008).
• Not My Job. Teachers define their job as
  providing content-area instruction. They do not
  believe that providing classwide or individual
  academic and behavioral interventions falls
  within their job description (Kamil et al., 2008).

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher 7 Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Interventions(Cont.)

• No Time. Teachers do not believe that they have
  sufficient time available in classroom
  instruction to implement academic or behavioral
  interventions (Kamil et al., 2008 Walker,
  2004).
• No Payoff. Teachers lack confidence that there
  will be an adequate instructional pay-off if they
  put classwide or individual academic or
  behavioral interventions into place in their
  content-area classroom (Kamil et al., 2008).

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher 7 Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Interventions (Cont.)

• Loss of Classroom Control. Teachers worry that if
  they depart from their standard instructional
  practices to adopt new classwide or individual
  academic or behavior intervention strategies,
  they may lose behavioral control of the classroom
  (Kamil et al., 2008).
• Undeserving Students. Teachers are unwilling to
  invest the required effort to provide academic or
  behavioral interventions for unmotivated students
  (Walker, 2004) because they would rather put that
  time into providing additional attention to
  well-behaved, motivated students who are more
  deserving.

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher 7 Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Interventions (Cont.)

• The Magic of Special Education. Content-area
  teachers regard special education services as
  magic (Martens, 1993). According to this view,
  interventions provided to struggling students in
  the general-education classroom alone will be
  inadequate, and only special education services
  have the power to truly benefit those students.

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Team Activity Engaging the Reluctant Teacher
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Building Teacher Capacity to Deliver Tier 1
Interventions An 8-Step Checklist p. 12
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Team Activity Building Tier 1 Capacity

• At your tables
• Consider the eight steps to building Tier 1
  teacher capacity to deliver effective classroom
  interventions.
• Discuss the strengths and challenges that your
  school or district presents in promoting
  classroom teachers appropriate and effective use
  of Tier 1 interventions.
• Be prepared to share your discussion with the
  larger group!

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Implementing Response to Intervention in
Secondary Schools Key Challenges to Changing a
SystemJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
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Barriers 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
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Preventing Your School from Developing RTI
Antibodies

• Schools can anticipate and take steps to address
  challenges to RTI implementation in schools
• This proactive stance toward RTI adoption will
  reduce the probability that the host school or
  district will reject RTI as a model

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RTI Research Questions

• Q What Conditions Support the Successful
  Implementation of RTI?
• Continuing professional development to give
  teachers the skills to implement RTI and educate
  new staff because of personnel turnover.
• Administrators who assert leadership under RTI,
  including setting staff expectations for RTI
  implementation, finding the needed resources, and
  monitoring the fidelity of implementation.
• Proactive hiring of teachers who support the
  principles of RTI and have the skills to put RTI
  into practice in the classroom.
• The changing of job roles of teachers and other
  staff to support RTI.
• Input from teachers and support staff
  (bottom-up) about how to make RTI work in the
  school/district, as well as guidance from
  administration (top-down).

Source Fuchs, D., Deshler, D. D. (2007). What
we need to know about responsiveness to
intervention (and shouldnt be afraid to ask)..
Learning Disabilities Research Practice,
22(2),129136.
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Tier 1 Case Example Collin Letter Identification
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Case Example Letter Identification

• The Concern
• In a mid-year (Fall) school-wide screening for
  Letter Naming Fluency, a first-grade student new
  to the school, Collin, was found have moderate
  delays when compared to peers. In his school,
  Collin fell at the 15th percentile compared with
  peers (local norms).
• Screening results, therefore, suggested that
  Collin has problems with Letter Identification.
  However, more information is needed to better
  understand this student academic delay.

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Case Example Letter Identification

• Instructional Assessment
• Collins teacher, Ms. Tessia, sat with him and
  checked his letter knowledge. She discovered
  that, at baselline, Collin knew 17 lower-case
  letters and 19 upper-case letters. (Ms. Tessia
  defined knows a letter as When shown the
  letter, the student can correctly give the name
  of the letter within 2 seconds.)
• Based on her findings, Ms. Tessia decided that
  Collin was just acquiring this letter
  identification skill. He needed direct-teaching
  activities to learn to identify all of the
  letters.

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Case Example Letter Identification
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Case Example Letter Identification

• Intervention
• Ms. Tessia decided to use incremental rehearsal
  (Burns, 2005) as an intervention for Collin. This
  intervention benefits students who are still
  acquiring their math facts, sight words, or
  letters. Students start by reviewing a series
  of known cards. Then the instructor adds
  unknown items to the card pile one at a time,
  so that the student has a high ratio of known to
  unknown items. This strategy promotes
  near-errorless learning.
• Collin received this intervention daily, for 10
  minutes.
• NOTE A paraprofessional, adult volunteer, or
  other non-instructional personnel can be trained
  to deliver this intervention.

Source Burns, M. K. (2005). Using incremental
rehearsal to increase fluency of single-digit
multiplication facts with children identified as
learning disabled in mathematics computation.
Education and Treatment of Children, 28,
237-249.
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East Carolina University Evidence-Based
Intervention Projecthttp//www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/psy
c/rileytillmant/EBI-Network-Homepage.cfmIncremen
tal Rehearsal Guidelines
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Case Example Letter Identification

• Goal-Setting and Data Collection
• Ms. Tessia set the goals that, within 4
  instructional weeks, Collin would
• identify all upper-case and lower-case letters.
• move above the 25th percentile in Letter Naming
  Fluency when compared to grade-level peers.
• The teacher collected two sources of data on the
  intervention
• At the end of each tutoring session, the tutor
  logged any additional formerly unknown letters
  that were now known (that the student could now
  accurately identify within 2 seconds).
• Each week, the teacher administered a one-minute
  timed Letter Naming Fluency probe and charted the
  number of correctly identified letters.

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Case Example Letter Identification

• Outcome
• Ms. Tessia discovered that Collin attained the
  first goal (able to identify all upper-case and
  lower-case letters) within 2 weeks.
• Collin attained the second goal (move above the
  25th percentile in Letter Naming Fluency when
  compared to grade-level peers) within the
  expected four instructional weeks.

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Tiers 12 Case Example Angela Reading Fluency
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DIBELS Case Example Angela

• Angela is a 3rd grade student.
• Angela struggled in her classroom with reading
  fluency. Her teacher tried a series of classroom
  strategies to promote fluency for the student,
  including providing Angela with additional
  opportunities to listen to fluent text modeling
  from an adult and opportunities to read aloud
  with corrective feedback.

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DIBELS Case Example Angela

• In the mid-year schoolwide literacy screening in
  January, Angela read 77 words per minute on the
  DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency measure.
• According to DIBELS benchmark guidelines, Angela
  falls within the strategic intervention range
  (between 67 and 92 WPM).

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Source Good, R. H., Kaminski, R. A. (Eds.).
(2002). Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills (6th ed.). Eugene, OR Institute
for the Development of Educational Achievement.
Available http//dibels.uoregon.edu/.
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• After the mid-year screening, the 3rd grade
  teachers, building administrator, and reading
  teacher gathered for a data meeting.
• At that meeting, the group considered the
  screening results and discussed how to improve
  core literacy instruction to assist those
  students who fell within the some risk and at
  risk categories.
• The group next sorted students from the some
  risk and at risk categories into supplemental
  (Tier 2) groups, according to intervention need.
  Teacher knowledge of the student, classroom
  assessments, state test results, and other
  information was used to supplement the DIBELS
  data during this sorting process.

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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• At the data meeting, it was decided that Angela
  and other students in the 3rd grade needed
  supplemental intervention support to increase
  their reading fluency, as well as to build their
  phonics (alphabetics) skills.
• The reading teacher agreed to start a Corrective
  Reading group that would meet for 4 days per week
  in 45 minute sessions. (The Corrective Reading
  program met the schools guidelines as an
  evidence-based program, based on findings from
  the What Works Clearinghouse website.)
• Angela and 5 other children were placed in this
  Corrective Reading group.

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Corrective Reading Description

• Corrective Reading is designed to promote
  reading accuracy (decoding), fluency, and
  comprehension skills of students in third grade
  or higher who are reading below their grade
  level. The program has four levels that address
  students' decoding skills and six levels that
  address students' comprehension skills. All
  lessons in the program are sequenced and
  scripted. Corrective Reading can be implemented
  in small groups of four to five students or in a
  whole-class format. Corrective Reading is
  intended to be taught in 45-minute lessons four
  to five times a week. For the single study
  reviewed in this report, only the word-level
  skills components of the Corrective Reading
  program were implemented.
• Corrective Reading was found to have
  potentially positive effects on alphabetics and
  fluency and no discernible effects on
  comprehension.

Source What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved on
October 6, 2009 from http//ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/re
ports/beginning_reading/cr/c
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• BASELINE Before Angela began the Corrective
  Reading group, her reading teacher collected
  baseline data. The teacher used grade 3
  progress-monitoring probes supplied by DIBELS.
  The student was administered Oral Reading Fluency
  probes across three separate days.
• At baseline, Angela was found to be reading 76
  words per minute in grade 3 text. This became the
  starting point for setting a student goal for
  intervention.

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Goal
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• GOAL-SETTING. Because Angela would be monitored
  using grade 3 ORF probes, it was decided to
  select an ambitious rate of progress. Using
  research norms, the reading teacher estimated
  that Angela should increase her reading rate by
  1.5 additional words per week. Because the
  intervention would be in place for 6
  instructional weeks, the teacher estimated that
  the student should read an additional 9 words per
  minute at the end of 6 weeks. Because the
  students baseline reading rate was 76 words per
  minute, her goal at the end of the 6 weeks is 85
  words per minute. In other words, if the group
  intervention is successful, Angela should read at
  least 85 WPM at the end of the intervention
  period.

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Table 2 Predictions for Reading Growthby Grade
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERVENTION. When the
  Corrective Reading program began, Angela was
  assessed weekly (progress-monitoring) using grade
  3 ORF probes from DIBELS.
• After six instructional weeks, the data team and
  reading teacher met to consider Angelas
  progress.

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Goal
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• INTERVENTION CHECK-UP. At the end of 6 weeks,
  Angela had made promising progress but had not
  quite hit her intervention goal of 85 WPM.
• The school kept Angela in the Corrective Reading
  program, but decided to add an intervention
  component. A high school student was recruited
  and trained in Paired Reading. The tutor met with
  Angela 3 times per week for 25 minutes and used
  the Paired Reading strategy. Additionally,
  Angelas parent was recruited to use Paired
  Reading at home for at least 2 times per week.
  The intervention goal was reset for 94 WPM.

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• The student reads aloud in tandem with an
  accomplished reader. At a student signal, the
  helping reader stops reading, while the student
  continues on. When the student commits a reading
  error, the helping reader resumes reading in
  tandem.

Paired Reading
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• INTERVENTION CHECK-UP 2. At the end of the second
  6-week intervention, the reading teacher examined
  the students monitoring data and discovered that
  she had met her intervention goal of 94 words per
  minute.

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Goal
Goal
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DIBELS Case Example Angela Cont.

• While the student had attained success, the
  school continued the intervention (Corrective
  Reading group and Paired Reading) for 3 more
  weeks to continue to strengthen Angelas reading
  fluency. The school then discontinued the Tier 2
  intervention.
• Although Angelas teacher admitted that she was a
  bit anxious about the students ability to
  maintain success without the Tier 2 intervention,
  she was reassured that Angela would immediately
  be given RTI intervention support again if she
  were to be flagged as at risk in a future
  grade-wide reading screening.

85
RTI for Elementary Schools Next Steps Planning
Exercise
86
Scaling Up Four Stages of RTI
DevelopmentJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.or
g
87
RTI Development Four Stages of Scaling Up

1. Preparation. Planning activities creating
   readiness in the school system for the RTI
   component.
2. Initial Implementation. Bringing the component
   into the school setting.
3. Institutionalization. Institutionalizing the RTI
   component as a part of routine school and
   district practices.
4. Ongoing Development/Updating. Ensuring that the
   RTI component stays current with changing
   revisions in state and federal guidelines and
   emerging findings in RTI research.

Source Ervin, R. A., Schaughency, E. (2008).
Best practices in accessing the systems change
literature. In A. Thomas J. Grimes (Eds.), Best
practices in school psychology V (pp. 853-873).
Bethesda, MD National Association of School
Psychologists.
88
RTI Steering Committee Using the Four Stages of
Scaling Up in Planning

• First, the RTI Steering Committee selects a
  series of RTI Implementation Goals. These
  goals should be more general, global goals that
  will require attention through all stages of the
  RTI implementation process.
• The RTI Steering Committee then takes each of the
  general RTI Implementation Goals and breaks the
  global goal into a series of specific subtasks.
  Subtasks are sorted by stage of implementation.

89
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90
RTI Implementation Planning Sheet Example

• Stage 1 Preparation List any preparation steps
  such as development of materials or staff
  training.
• Examples of Preparation Tasks
• Download and preview DIBELS training materials
  from the official DIBELS website
  (https//dibels.uoregon.edu/).
• Select district-level DIBELS trainers.
• Schedule sessions to train classroom teachers in
  grades K-4 to administer DIBELS assessments
  appropriate to their grade level.

91
RTI Implementation Planning Sheet Example

• Stage 2 Initial Implementation Describe the
  tasks required to actually implement the goal.
• Examples of Initial Implementation Tasks
• Meet with the principal to schedule 3 DIBELS
  benchmarking days (fall/winter/spring) across the
  school year.
• Create DIBELS team of school-wide personnel to
  assist classroom teachers to collect DIBELS data
  on benchmarking days
• Schedule grade-level data meetings at which
  teachers review DIBELS benchmarking data to
  determine which students will require more
  intensive intervention services for reading
  delays.

92
RTI Implementation Planning Sheet Example

• Stage 3 Institutionalization Once the goal is
  initially carried out successfully, devise a plan
  to weave various activities that support the goal
  into the day-to-day institutional routine of the
  school.
• Examples of Institutionalization Tasks
• Set guidelines for classroom teachers to
  independently collect DIBELS data on any student
  falling significantly below grade level in
  reading skills and use that data to develop
  individualized reading interventions at Tier 1.
• Revise the elementary school report card format
  to allow for the entry of DIBELS benchmarking
  data.

93
RTI Implementation Planning Sheet Example

• Stage 4 Ongoing Development/Updating The RTI
  model is steadily evolving as new research
  indicates better methods for data collection,
  intervention planning, etc. The RTI
  Implementation Plan should include Ongoing
  Development/Updating tasks--ongoing activities to
  ensure that the districts practices confirm to
  best practices over time.
• Examples of Ongoing Development/Updating Tasks
  
• Monitor the DIBELS website (https//dibels.uorego
  n.edu/) on a regular basis to ensure that
  district DIBELS monitoring practices align with
  those recommended by DIBELS developers.
• Monitor DIBELS research published in
  peer-reviewed education journals to track DIBELS
  standing in the research community as an RTI
  progress-monitoring tool.
• Visit the National Center on Student Progress
  Monitoring website (http//www.studentprogress.org
  /) regularly to stay abreast of the sites rating
  of DIBELS materials in comparison to similar
  progress-monitoring materials from other
  organizations or companies.

94
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95
RTI Next Steps Planning Activity

• Element 1 Build Classroom Teacher Understanding
  Support for RTI p.36
• Element 2 Create Teacher Capacity to Deliver
  Effective Classroom (Tier 1) Interventions p.38
• Element 3 Inventory Evidence-Based Supplemental
  Intervention Programs Available at Tiers 2 3
  p.40
• Element 4 Establish an RTI Problem Solving Team
  at Tier 3 p.43
• Element 5 Select Measures for Universal
  Screening and Progress Monitoring to Evaluate
  Student Response to Intervention p.45

• At your tables
• Select one of the key RTI tasks listed to the
  right..
• Discuss the steps needed to accomplish the task.
• Write down those steps on the RTI Goals Planning
  Sheet included in your packet.
• Be prepared to report out.

96
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97
RTI Teams Improving Problem-Solving Through
Effective Case Management
98
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99
Case Manager Role

• Meets with the referring teacher(s) briefly prior
  to the initial RTI Team meeting to review the
  teacher referral form, clarify teacher concerns,
  decide what additional data should be collected
  on the student.
• Touches base briefly with the referring
  teacher(s) after the RTI Team meeting to check
  that the intervention plan is running smoothly.

100
Case Manager Pre-Meeting

• Prior to an initial RTI Problem-Solving Team
  meeting, it is recommended that a case manager
  from the RTI Team schedule a brief (15-20 minute)
  pre-meeting with the referring teacher. The
  purpose of this pre-meeting is for the case
  manager to share with the teacher the purpose of
  the upcoming full RTI Team meeting, to clarify
  student referral concerns, and to decide what
  data should be collected and brought to the RTI
  Team meeting.

101
Case Manager Pre-Meeting Steps

• Here is a recommended agenda for the case
  manager-teacher pre-meeting
• Explain the purpose of the upcoming RTI
  Problem-Solving Team meeting The case manager
  explains that the RTI Team meeting goals are to
  (a) fully understand the nature of the students
  academic and/or behavioral problems (b) develop
  an evidence-based intervention plan for the
  student and (c) set a goal for student
  improvement and select means to monitor the
  students response to the intervention plan.

102
Case Manager Pre-Meeting Steps

1. Define the student referral concern(s) in clear,
   specific terms. The case manager reviews with the
   teacher the most important student referral
   concern(s), helping the teacher to define those
   concern(s) in clear, specific, observable terms.
   The teacher is also prompted to prioritize his or
   her top 1-2 student concerns.

103
Case Manager Pre-Meeting Steps

1. Decide what data should be brought to the RTI
   Team meeting. The case manager and teacher decide
   what student data should be collected and brought
   to the RTI Team meeting to provide insight into
   the nature of the students presenting
   concern(s).

104
Case Manager Pre-Meeting Steps
105
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106
Team Activity Defining the RTI Team Pre-Meeting

• At your table
• Discuss how your school can structure the
  pre-meeting in which the case manager and
  teacher meet to clarify the teachers referral
  concern(s) and to decide what data to bring to
  the actual RTI Team meeting.
• Brainstorm ideas for finding the time for such
  pre-meetings.

107
Tier II Resources Maintain Flexibility by
Assigning to Grade Levels

• If there are personnel resources available to
  support classroom RTI (e.g., paraprofessional
  time, push-in support available from a reading
  teacher), those resources should be allocated to
  the grade level, not to individual classrooms.
  This permits greater flexibility in moving
  resources around to target shifting student needs.

Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools Procedures to
assure scientific-based practices. New York
Routledge.
108
Tier 1 Grade-Level Team or Consultant

• Who consults on the student case?
• Choice A The teacher brings the student to a
  grade-level meeting to develop an intervention
  plan, check up on the plan in 4-8 weeks.
• Choice B The teacher sits down with a consultant
  (selected from a roster or assigned to the
  classroom or grade level). Together, consultant
  and teacher develop an intervention, check up on
  the plan in 4-8 weeks.

109
Tier 1 Grade-Level Team or Consultant

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• Choice A The student case is referred to a
  single clearinghouse person in the school
  (e.g., reading teacher, school psychologist,
  assistant principal) who can review the case and
  match the student to any appropriate Tier 2
  services if available. If the student case is
  unique, it may be referred directly to the Tier 3
  Problem-Solving Team.
• Choice B Preferred The student case is
  referred to the school or grade-level Tier 2 Data
  Team. The Team places the student into
  appropriate Tier 2 services if availableor may
  decide to refer directly to the Tier 3
  Problem-Solving Team.

110
Tier 2 Data Team

• Who makes up the Data Team and what is its
  purpose?
• The Data Team is a school-wide or grade-specific
  team that typically includes classroom teachers,
  a school administrator, and perhaps other
  participants.
• The Data Team reviews school-wide screening data
  (e.g., DIBELS NEXT, AimsWeb) three times per year
  to determine which students are at risk and
  require supplemental (Tier 2) intervention.
• The Team continues to meet (e.g., monthly) to
  review student progress and to move students out
  of, into or across Tier 2 groups depending on
  progress and classroom performance.

111
Tier 2 Data Team

• Who makes up the Data Team and what is its
  purpose? (Cont)
• The Data Team can also take Tier 1 (classroom)
  referrals for struggling students who were not
  picked up in the academic screening(s) but are
  showing serious academic difficulties.

112
Scheduling Elementary Tier 2 Interventions
Option 3 Floating RTIGradewide Shared
Schedule. Each grade has a scheduled RTI time
across classrooms. No two grades share the same
RTI time. Advantages are that outside providers
can move from grade to grade providing push-in or
pull-out services and that students can be
grouped by need across different teachers within
the grade.
Anyplace Elementary School RTI Daily Schedule
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade K
900-930
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 1
945-1015
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 2
1030-1100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 3
1230-100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 4
115-145
Grade 5
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
200-230
Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools Procedures to
assure scientific-based practices. New York
Routledge.
113
Tier 2 Data Team

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The Data Team refers the student to the Tier 3
  RTI Problem-Solving Team if the student fails to
  make acceptable progress during at least one
  intervention trial.

114
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• How does a referral come in to the
  Problem-Solving Team?
• Referral route A The Tier 2 Data Team meets
  periodically to review student progress. If a
  student is found not to be making expected
  progress, he or she can then be referred on to
  the RTI Team.
• Referral route B If the school lacks a standard
  treatment Tier 2 intervention for a student
  concern (e.g., behavior, math), the student may
  be referred directly from Tier 1 to Tier 3 via a
  teacher referral.

115
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• Who consults on the student case?
• The RTI Problem-Solving Team is a
  multi-disciplinary team that consults with the
  teacher at the RTI Team Meeting.
• The school may also want to have other staff
  (e.g., school nurse, math title teacher)
  available to attend RTI Team meetings on an
  as-needed basis for specific student cases.

116
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The school district should adopt uniform
  decision rules that indicate when a student
  should be referred on to the Special Education
  Eligibility Team. Example A district decided
  that across Tiers 2 and 3a student should go
  through at least 3 separate interventions of 6-8
  instructional weeks each before that student
  could be designated a non-responder and
  referred to Special Education.

117
Tier 3 RTI Teams Following a Structured
Problem-Solving Model Jim Wrightwww.interventio
ncentral.org
118
Tier 3 Interventions Are Developed With
Assistance from the Schools RTI
(Problem-Solving) Team

• Effective RTI Teams
• Are multi-disciplinary and include classroom
  teachers among their members
• Follow a structured problem-solving model
• Use data to analyze the academic problem and
  match the student to effective, evidence-based
  interventions
• Develop a detailed research-based intervention
  plan to help staff with implementation
• Check up on the teachers success in carrying out
  the intervention (intervention integrity)

119
The Problem-Solving Model Multi-Disciplinary
Teams

• A school consultative process (the
  problem-solving model) with roots in applied
  behavior analysis was developed (e.g., Bergan,
  1995) that includes 4 steps
• Problem Identification
• Problem Analysis
• Plan Implementation
• Problem Evaluation
• Originally designed for individual consultation
  with teachers, the problem-solving model was
  later adapted in various forms to
  multi-disciplinary team settings.

Source Bergan, J. R. (1995). Evolution of a
problem-solving model of consultation. Journal of
Educational and Psychological Consultation, 6(2),
111-123.
120
Team Roles

• Coordinator
• Facilitator
• Recorder
• Time Keeper
• Case Manager

121
RTI Team Consultative Process

• Step 1 Assess Teacher Concerns 5 Mins
• Step 2 Inventory Student Strengths/Talents 5
  Mins
• Step 3 Review Background/Baseline Data 5 Mins
• Step 4 Select Target Teacher Concerns 5-10 Mins
• Step 5 Set Academic and/or Behavioral Outcome
  Goals and Methods for Progress-Monitoring 5 Mins
• Step 6 Design an Intervention Plan 15-20 Mins
• Step 7 Plan How to Share Meeting Information
  with the Students Parent(s) 5 Mins
• Step 8 Review Intervention Monitoring Plans 5
  Mins

122
RTI Teams Managing Those RTI EmergenciesJim
Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
123
Managing Those RTI Emergencies
The initial teacher referral suggested that the
students classroom needs are primarily
behavioral. At the RTI Team meeting, it becomes
clear that ACADEMIC concerns are probably driving
the behavioral problems. You have little targeted
information about the students academic
skills.How can your team respond (or avoid this
situation in the first place)?
124
Managing Those RTI Emergencies
When asked to state her main referral concern,
the referring teacher at the RTI Team meeting
declares that The problem is that the student
just cant do the work. We need to find a better
placement for him than my classroom!How can
your team respond (or avoid this situation in the
first place)?
125
Managing Those RTI Emergencies
The referring teacher appears highly reluctant
to participate in the RTI Team meeting. At one
point, he says, I am only here because the
principal said that I had to refer this
student. How can your team respond (or avoid
this situation in the first place)?
126
Managing Those RTI Emergencies
Your RTI Team feels stuck in selecting an
intervention (Step 6 Design an Intervention
Plan) for a student whose referral concerns have
been identified as poor reading comprehension
and disruptive behavior. How can your team
respond (or avoid this situation in the first
place)?
127
Managing Those RTI Emergencies
During the RTI Team meeting, the team recommends
a number of research-based intervention ideas for
a student with academic delays. For each idea,
the teacher says, Ive already tried
that. How can your team respond (or avoid this
situation in the first place)?
128
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• How does a referral come in to the
  Problem-Solving Team?
• Referral route A The Tier 2 Data Team meets
  periodically to review student progress. If a
  student is found not to be making expected
  progress, he or she can then be referred on to
  the RTI Team.
• Referral route B If the school lacks a standard
  treatment Tier 2 intervention for a student
  concern (e.g., behavior, math), the student may
  be referred directly from Tier 1 to Tier 3 via a
  teacher referral.

129
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• Who consults on the student case?
• The RTI Problem-Solving Team is a
  multi-disciplinary team that consults with the
  teacher at the RTI Team Meeting.
• The school may also want to have other staff
  (e.g., school nurse, math title teacher)
  available to attend RTI Team meetings on an
  as-needed basis for specific student cases.

130
Tier 3 RTI Problem-Solving Team

• What is the next step if the student is a
  non-responder?
• The school district should adopt uniform
  decision rules that indicate when a student
  should be referred on to the Special Education
  Eligibility Team. Example A district decided
  that across Tiers 2 and 3a student should go
  through at least 3 separate interventions of 6-8
  instructional weeks each before that student
  could be designated a non-responder and
  referred to Special Education.

131
Small-Group Activity Evaluate YourCurrent RTI
Problem-Solving Team

• Discuss your current Problem-Solving Team.
• How closely does your current Team match the
  expectations of RTI?

• Effective RTI Teams
• Are multi-disciplinary and include teachers among
  their members
• Follow a structured problem-solving model
• Use data to analyze the academic problem and
  match the student to effective, evidence-based
  interventions
• Develop a detailed research-based intervention
  plan to help staff with implementation
• Check up on the teachers success in carrying out
  the intervention (intervention integrity)

132
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133
Tier 2 Group-Based Interventions
134
Tier 2 Supplemental (Group-Based)
Interventions(Standard Treatment Protocol)

• Tier 2 interventions are typically delivered in
  small-group format. About 15 of students in the
  typical school will require Tier 2/supplemental
  intervention support. Group size for Tier 2
  interventions is limited to 4-7 students.
  Students placed in Tier 2 interventions should
  have a shared profile of intervention need.
• Programs or practices used in Tier 2
  interventions should be evidence-based.
• The progress of students in Tier 2
  interventions are monitored at least 1-2 times
  per month.

Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools. Routledge New
York.
135
Group-Based Tier 2 Services How Much Time Should
Be Allocated?

• Emerging guidelines drawn largely from reading
  research suggest that standard protocol
  interventions should consist of at least three to
  five 30-minute sessions per week, in a group size
  not to exceed 7 students. Standard protocol
  interventions should also supplement, rather than
  replace, core instruction taking place in the
  classroom.

Sources Burns, Al Otaiba, S. Torgesen, J.
(2007). Effects from intensive standardized
kindergarten and first-grade interventions for
the prevention of reading difficulties. In S. R.
Jimerson, M. K. Burns, A. M. VanDerHeyden
(Eds.), Response to intervention The science and
practice of assessment and intervention (pp.
212-222). National Reading Panel. (2000).
Teaching children to read An evidence-based
assessment of the scientific research literature
on reading and its implications for reading
instruction. Bethesda, MD National Institute of
Child Health Human Development, National
Institutes of Health.
136
Scheduling Elementary Tier 2 Interventions
Option 3 Floating RTIGradewide Shared
Schedule. Each grade has a scheduled RTI time
across classrooms. No two grades share the same
RTI time. Advantages are that outside providers
can move from grade to grade providing push-in or
pull-out services and that students can be
grouped by need across different teachers within
the grade.
Anyplace Elementary School RTI Daily Schedule
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade K
900-930
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 1
945-1015
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 2
1030-1100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 3
1230-100
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Grade 4
115-145
Grade 5
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
200-230
Source Burns, M. K., Gibbons, K. A. (2008).
Implementing response-to-intervention in
elementary and secondary schools Procedures to
assure scientific-based practices. New York
Routledge.
137
Level Tier 2 RTI Services Programming

• Tier 2 intervention programs may be group-based
  or computer-administered.
• A good source for possible Tier 2 intervention
  programs is the What Works Clearinghouse
  athttp//ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

138
RTI Intervention Key Concepts
139
Core Instruction, Interventions, Accommodations
Modifications Sorting Them Out

• Core Instruction. Those instructional strategies
  that are used routinely with all students in a
  general-education setting are considered core
  instruction. High-quality instruction is
  essential and forms the foundation of RTI
  academic support. NOTE While it is important to
  verify that good core instructional practices are
  in place for a struggling student, those routine
  practices do not count as individual student
  interventions.

140
Core Instruction, Interventions, Accommodations
Modifications Sorting Them Out

• Intervention. 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 can be thought of as a set of
  actions that, when taken, have demonstrated
  ability to change a fixed educational trajectory
  (Methe Riley-Tillman, 2008 p. 37).

141
Core Instruction, Interventions, Accommodations
Modifications Sorting Them Out

• Accommodation. An accommodation is intended to
  help the student to fully access and participate
  in the general-education curriculum without
  changing the instructional content and without
  reducing the students rate of learning (Skinner,
  Pappas Davis, 2005). An accommodation is
  intended to remove barriers to learning while
  still expecting that students will master the
  same instructional content as their typical
  peers.
• Accommodation example 1 Students are allowed to
  supplement silent reading of a novel by listening
  to the book on tape.
• Accommodation example 2 For unmotivated
  students, the instructor breaks larger
  assignments into smaller chunks and providing
  students with performance feedback and praise for
  each completed chunk of assigned work (Skinner,
  Pappas Davis, 2005).

142
Teaching is giving it isnt taking away.
(Howell, Hosp Kurns, 2008 p. 356).


Source Howell, K. W., Hosp, J. L., Kurns, S.
(2008). Best practices in curriculum-based
evaluation. In A. Thomas J. Grimes (Eds.), Best
practices in school psychology V (pp.349-362).
Bethesda, MD National Association of School
Psychologists..
143
Core Instruction, Interventions, Accommodations
Modifications Sorting Them Out

• Modification. A modification changes the
  expectations of what a student is expected to
  know or dotypically by lowering the academic
  standards against which the student is to be
  evaluated. Examples of modifications
• Giving a student five math computation problems
  for practice instead of the 20 problems assigned
  to the rest of the class
• Letting the student consult course notes during a
  test when peers are not permitted to do so

144
RTI Leadership Team Setting a Course for
Response to InterventionJim Wrightwww.intervent
ioncentral.org
145
What is the Purpose of the RTI Leadership team?

• The RTI Leadership Team guides the overall RTI
  process.
• The group meets periodically (e.g., monthly) on
  an ongoing basis to evaluate the RTI project,
  shape its future direction, determine what
  resources the project requires, and allocate
  those resources.
• The RTI Leadership