Response to Intervention: Intervening Early for Students who Struggle

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Response to InterventionIntervening Early for
Students who Struggle

• Stephanie Wood-Garnett
• Director, Center for Comprehensive School Reform
  and Improvement
• November 2007

www.centerforcsri.org
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Learner Objectives

• Learn about The Center and its resources
• Understand
• What is Response to Intervention (RtI)?
• Why should we consider using RtI?
• What are some models for RtI?
• Learn about 1 school districts approach to RtI
• Acquire multiple resources

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Center for Comprehensive School Reform and
Improvement

• The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and
  Improvement provides reliable information and
  online technical assistance regarding school
  improvement for schools and school districts,
  state agencies, educational researchers, and
  policymakers.

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Center for Comprehensive School Reform and
Improvement

• Searchable Databases
• Publications
• Newsletters
• Issue Briefs
• Research Briefs
• Ask the Expert
• Guides and Tools

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Designing School-wide Systems for Student Success
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What is RtI?

• RtI is a multi-tiered approach to providing
  interventions for students who struggle to learn
  in general education classrooms.
• RtI is an alternative to the discrepancy model
  used for identifying students with learning
  disabilities.
• RtI requires a systematic approach to
  intervention.

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What is RtI?

• RtI is a model that benefits ALL students.
• RtI could benefit culturally and linguistically
  diverse students who have historically been
  over-referred to special education.
• Implementation of RtI varies across the country
  particularly the number of tiers featured.

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What is RtI?

• RtI is also an effective approach to general
  school improvement
• RtI is more than prereferrals services it is a
  comprehensive service delivery system that
  requires significant changes in how a school
  serves all students

National Association of State Directors of
Special Education (2006, May). Myths about
response to intervention (RtI). Retrieved online
October 31, 2007, from http//www.nasdse.org
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What is RtI?

• The practice of providing high-
• quality instruction/intervention
• matched to student needs and
• using learning rate over time
• and level of performance to
• inform educational decisions.

National Association of State Directors of
Special Education (2005). Response to
Intervention policy considerations and
implementation. Alexandria, VA Author.
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Why RtI?

• Individuals with Disabilities Education
  Improvement Act (2004)
• Reflects heightened intensity that we must do
  more before referring children to special
  education
• Early Intervening Services
• Disproportionality
• Response to Intervention

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Why RtI?
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Why RtI?

• Currently 44 of all students with disabilities
  are classified as learning disabled (LD) (U.S.
  Department of Education, Office of Special
  Education Programs, 2007).
• The number of students classified as LD has
  increased 200 since 1977 (Bradley, Danielson
  Doolittle, 2005).

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Why RtI?

• Nearly 80 of students who are classified as LD
  are struggling readers (U.S. Department of
  Education, Office of Special Education and
  Rehabilitative Services, 2002).

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BOYS OVER-REPRESENTED

• 2.1 million girls and 4.4 million boys are
  classified as special education (ideadata.org,
  2006)
• Boys dominate the emotionally disturbed category
• 90 in Kansas City
• 55 in Milwaukee
• 76 in Washington, DC

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Rhode Island

• By Gender
• Boys 20,479 (67)
• Girls 9,764 (32)

• By Disability
• LD 11,835

40 of all students with disabilities in RI are
Learning Disabled
U.S. Department of Education Office of Special
Education Programs (2006). IDEAdata. Retrieved
online October 31, 2007, from http//www.ideadata.
org
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Models for RtI

1. Multi-tiered approach that emphasizes
   individualized interventions at Tier 2 using
   problem-solving teams (e.g. SST, TST, TAT, and
   etc.).
2. Multi-tiered approach that provides systemic
   supports for groups of students at Tier 2 using a
   standard treatment protocol (Fuchs Fuchs, 2006).

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Case Study Urban Implementation of RtI
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Demographic Information
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Special Education Disability by (2005)
Source SETS February 18, 2005
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Special Education Referrals by Grade Level 2004
- 2005
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(No Transcript)
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Example of Problem-Solving Model Student
Support Teams
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What are Problem-Solving Teams?
School-based committees charged with helping
local schools provide all students with
opportunities to learn and progress in the
general education curriculum. The process
recognizes that many variables affect learning.
The primary purpose is to help general education
teachers and/or other school staff to meet
diverse student needs within general education
settings. Help may be requested for an individual
student or groups of students.
Wood-Garnett, S., Warger, C. (2007). Student
support teams manual Finding the keys to student
success (Third Edition). Washington, DC District
of Columbia State Improvement Grant.
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History of Intervention Teams

• Began as a special education mandate in the 1975
  Education for all Handicapped Children Act which
  required the use of multidisciplinary teams in
  the referral/placement process (Rosenfeld
  Gravois, 1999).
• The function and purpose of intervention teams
  changed as schools and families discovered the
  benefits of intervening earlier for students. By
  1979 Chalfant and colleagues developed Teacher
  Assistance Teams (Safran,1996).

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Who Serves on the Team?

• General education teachers.
• Requesting teacher and/or other school staff
  members.
• Parent or guardian.
• Building administrator (if he or she is not
  chairing the team).

Wood-Garnett, S., Warger, C. (2007). Student
support teams manual Finding the keys to student
success (Third Edition). Washington, DC District
of Columbia State Improvement Grant.
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Who Serves on the Team?

• Other teachers and building administrators.
• School counselors.
• School nurse.
• Department chairs.
• Head Start personnel.
• Bilingual and/or English as a second language
  specialists, as appropriate.
• Agency personnel (e.g., Department of
• Mental Health, Department of Social Services,
  etc.).

• Staff specialists (e.g., literacy coaches,
  numeracy coaches, lead teachers, etc.).
• Special education personnel.
• Interpreters, as needed.
• Individuals from the school and/or community with
  particular knowledge and expertise relative to
  the student
• Security personnel.
• Other family members.
• Students who present the concern.

Wood-Garnett, S., Warger, C. (2007). Student
support teams manual Finding the keys to student
success (Third Edition). Washington, DC District
of Columbia State Improvement Grant.
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Overview of Problem-Solving Process

1. Identify the concern.
2. Share concern with chair.
3. Collect available information (data).
4. Convene a meeting.
5. Develop an intervention plan (individual or
   group).
6. Monitor and evaluation the interventions.
7. Hold an ongoing/final meeting.

Wood-Garnett, S., Warger, C. (2007). Student
support teams manual Finding the keys to student
success (Third Edition). Washington, DC District
of Columbia State Improvement Grant.
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Sample Evaluation Questions

• Did we consider all of the data?
• Is there enough information to warrant continuing
  with the intervention or trying a new
  intervention?
• Did the student or group of students benefit from
  the intervention?
• Was the intervention instituted and modified for
  sufficient time?
• Did the student or group of students increase
  academic proficiency?
• Did the student or group of students understand
  the reason for the intervention and was he or she
  apprised of progress and pitfalls during the
  period of intervention?

Wood-Garnett, S., Warger, C. (2007). Student
support teams manual Finding the keys to student
success (Third Edition). Washington, DC District
of Columbia State Improvement Grant.
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How Can Our Team Become More Effective?

• Update your materials and policies (as needed).
• Analyze your student data and identify trends.
• Select 1-3 priority areas from the data.
• Involve all staff in the process.
• Meet regularly (bi-weekly at a minimum).
• Conduct training on related topics.
• Inform and involve parents and students about the
  process.

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How Can Our Team Become More Effective?

• Provide support for each person implementing
  interventions.
• Monitor and document progress regularly.
• Provide regular updates to all faculty on the
  success stories.
• Communicate with families.
• Honor parental rights to evaluation.

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Impact of Effective Intervention Teams

• Reduce referrals to special education
• Improve academic achievement
• Improve student behavior
• Improve school-parental communication and
  relationships
• Improve teacher comfort with strategies
• Increase collaboration in schools

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Impact of SSTs in DC
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Presenter Name Phone [phone] E-Mail
Stephanie.Wood-Garnett _at_learningpt.org 1100 17th
Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC
20036 General Information 877-277-2744