rti presentation

A short Introduction to Response to Intervention

EDA 600 SUNY Brockport

Getting Started With ‘Response to Intervention’: A Guide for Schools

EDA 600 Final Project Working through a Mandated Change

adapted from a PowerPoint by Jim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org

January 2006

Response to Intervention

EDA 600 SUNY Brockport 2

RTI Workshop Goals…As a result of this workshop, you will:Better understand the ‘Response to

Intervention’ (RTI) model

Know where to find resources on the Internet to start RTI in your school

Understand the next steps that your school should take to implement RTI



“The quality of a school as a learning community can be measured by how effectively it addresses the needs of struggling students.”--Wright (2005)

Source: Wright, J. (2005, Summer). Five interventions that work. NAESP Leadership Compass, 2(4) pp.1,6.

Discussion: Read the quote below:

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?



IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education) Regulations: What do they say about LD diagnosis?§ 300.307 Specific learning disabilities. (a) General. A State must adopt criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability…. the criteria adopted by the State—

(2) May not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in § 300.8;

(3) Must permit the use of a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention…

Translation : States must adopt a method, but can not force a specific method nor deny a particular method. (Lobbying)

Source: IDEA (2004, 2005). Proposed Regulations from US Department of Education (§ 300.307)



Why is RTI now being adopted by schools?

The new lawExplicitly allows states to use RTI to identify LD

Forbids states from forcing schools to use a ‘discrepancy model’ to identify LD

Basically the use of an IEP to change the graduation requirements for a student requires proof that the child is Learning Disabled. RTI can be used to make that determination.



NYS take on RTI• RTI Must include…

– Appropriate instruction delivered to all students – screens all students in class – instruction matched to student need with increasingly

intensive levels of targeted intervention – repeated assessments of student achievement – Information acquired through RTI must be used in decisions

about changes in goals, instruction, services and referrals to special education;

– Notify parents when intervention exceeds general classroom interventions (details)



What is ‘Response to Intervention’ (RTI)?

'Response to Intervention' is an emerging approach to the diagnosis of Learning Disabilities that holds considerable promise. In the RTI model:

• A student with academic delays is given one or more research-validated interventions.

• The student's academic progress is monitored frequently to see if those interventions are sufficient to help the student to catch up with his or her peers.

• If the student fails to show significantly improved academic skills despite several well-designed and implemented interventions, this failure to 'respond to intervention' can be viewed as evidence of an underlying Learning Disability.



What is the purpose of RTI?

• It’s two-fold…

• To provide early intervention

• To provide an alternative method of LD identification



What 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.



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 a 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.



Learning Disabilities: Test Discrepancy Model

“Traditionally, disability is viewed as a deficit that resides within the individual, the severity of which might be influenced, but not created, by contextual variables.” (Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003)



Limitations to the ‘test-score discrepancy model’ (Gresham, 2001):

• Requires chronic school failure BEFORE remedial/special education supports can be given.

• Fails to consider that outside factors such as poor or inconsistent instruction may contribute to a child's learning delay.

• A ‘severe discrepancy’ between test scores provides no useful information about WHY the student is doing poorly academically.

• Different states (and even school districts within the same state) often used different formulas to diagnose LD, resulting in a lack of uniformity in identifying children for special education support.



• What is the process of identifying Learning Disabled (LD) students in your district?



Target Student

Discrepancy 1: Skill Gap (Current Performance Level)

Avg Classroom Academic Performance Level

‘Dual-Discrepancy’: RTI Model of Learning Disability (Fuchs 2003)

Discrepancy 2:Gap in Rate of Learning (‘Slope of Improvement’)



What 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).



The steps of RTI for an individual case…

Under RTI, if a student is found to be performing well below peers, the school will:

1. Estimate the academic skill gap between the student and typically-performing peers

2. Determine the likely reason(s) for the student’s depressed academic performance

3. Select a scientifically-based intervention likely to improve the student's academic functioning

4. Monitor academic progress frequently to evaluate the impact of the intervention

5. If the student fails to respond to several well-implemented interventions, consider a referral to Special Education



Tier ITier I

Tier IITier II

Tier IIITier III

How 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 studentsExample: Additional classroom literacy instruction

Individualized Intervention: Students who need additional support than peers are given individual intervention plans. Example: Supplemental peer tutoring in reading to increase reading fluencyIntensive Intervention: Students whose intervention needs are greater than general education can meet may be referred for more intensive services.Example: Special Education



RTI: School-Wide Three-Tier Framework (Kovaleski, 2003; Vaughn, 2003)

Tier IIITier III‘Long-Term Programming for Students Who Fail to Respond to Tier II Interventions’ (e.g., Special Education)

Tier ITier I

‘School-Wide Screening & Group Intervention’

Tier IITier II‘Non-Responders’ to Tier I Are Identified & Given ‘Individually Tailored’ Interventions (e.g., peer tutoring/fluency)



Brainstorm InterventionsTry to come up with interventions for reading comprehension, reading fluency, writing, content area vocabulary, spelling, language, math, organizational concerns, behavioral concerns, and social concerns.

Tier One Tier Two Tier Three

Universal intervention: Available to all students

Individualized Intervention:Students who need additionalsupport than peers are given individual intervention plans.

Intensive Intervention: Students whose intervention needs are greater than general education can meet may be referred for more intensive services.



Putting The RTI Model into Practice: 5 Recommended ‘Next Steps’ for Schools



What do schools have to do differently under the RTI model?

To implement RTI effectively, schools must develop a specialized set of tools and competencies, including:

• A structured format for problem-solving.• Knowledge of a range of scientifically based interventions

that address common reasons for school failure.• The ability to use various methods of assessment to

monitor student progress in academic and behavioral areas.



Implementing RTI: Next Steps

1. Adopt evidence-based intervention strategies. Academic interventions will have a higher chance of success if they are based on sound empirical research.




Web resources for evidence-based intervention strategies

• Big Ideas in Beginning Reading (U of Oregon):reading.uoregon.edu

• What Works Clearinghouse (US Dept of Education): www.w-w-c.org

• Intervention Central: www.interventioncentral.org




2. Train staff to collect frequent progress-monitoring data. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) can be used to assess a student’s accuracy and speed in basic-skill areas such as reading fluency, math computation, writing, spelling, and pre-literacy skills.

Teachers also can measure the behavior of struggling learners on a daily basis by using classroom Daily Behavior Report Cards: simple, convenient rating forms to track a child’s work completion, attention to task, compliance with teacher directions, and other behaviors that influence learning.




Web resources for progress-monitoring

• CBM Warehouse: www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/cbmwarehouse.shtml

• The Behavior Reporter (Behavior Report Card Generator): http://www.jimwrightonline.com/php/tbrc/tbrc.php




3. Develop building-level intervention programs to address common academic concerns. When faced with large numbers of students with shared academic concerns (e.g., reading fluency), schools can create a building-level intervention program to meet this need. For example, older children could tutor younger students by using simple, research-based techniques to boost their tutees’ reading fluency (Wright & Cleary, 2006).




Web resource for a building-level intervention program: peer-tutoring/reading fluency

• Kids as Reading Helpers Peer Tutoring Manual:www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/rdngfluency/prtutor.shtml




4. Establish a building intervention team. Made up of teachers and support staff, the intervention team can help referring teachers design feasible strategies for struggling students.

Intervention teams also foster a sense of collegiality and mutual support among educators, promote the use of evidence-based interventions, and assist busy teachers in carrying out intervention plans.



• Step 1: Assess Teacher Concerns

• Step 2: Inventory Student Strengths and Talents

• Step 3: Review Background/Baseline Data

• Step 4: Select Target Teacher Concerns

• Step 5: Set Academic or Behavioral Goals

• Step 6: Design an Intervention Plan

• Step 7: Select Method for Progress Monitoring

• Step 8: Plan How to Share Information with the Student’s Parent(s)

• Step 9: Review the Intervention and Monitoring Plans

Sample Intervention Team Model: SBIT Consultative Steps



Implementing RTI: Next StepsWeb resources on building intervention teams

• School-Based Intervention Teams (Syracuse City Schools):http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/sbit.shtml

• Screening to Enhance Educational Performance: STEEP (Joe Witt, Ph.D.):http://www.joewitt.org/steep.htm

• Instructional Consultation Teams (Sylvia Rosenfield, Ph.D.)http://www.icteams.umd.edu/




5. Align Current Intervention & Assessment Efforts With 3-Tier Model. Many schools already have intervention & assessment initiatives in place. Mapping out those initiatives, standardizing their content, and tying them to the appropriate level of the 3-tier intervention framework can help schools to better coordinate intervention programming while avoiding duplication of services.



Tier ITier I

Tier IITier II

Tier IIITier III

Inventory all universal programs in the school intended to prevent student academic or behavioral failure

Inventory programs or supports (e.g., Intervention Team, cross-age peer tutoring, Math or Reading Remedial Lab) that can be individualized and matched to students with emerging academic or behavioral difficulties

Inventory the most intensive programs (e.g., Special Education services, Wrap-Around Teams, Individual Counseling) reserved for students with severe and chronic academic or behavioral problems that have not responded to Tier I or Tier II supports



References• Chafouleas, S.M., McDougal, J.L., Riley-Tillman, T.C., Panahon, C.J., & Hilt, A.M. (2005).

What do Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRCs) measure? An initial comparison of DBRCs with direct observation for off-task behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 42(6), 669-676.

• Fuchs, L. (2003). Assessing intervention responsiveness: Conceptual and technical issues. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 18(3), 172-186.

• Gresham, F. (2001). Responsiveness to Intervention: an Alternative Approach to the Identification of Learning Disabilities. Retrieved January 9, 2006, from http://www.air.org/ldsummit/download/Gresham Final 08-10-01.doc

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, P.L. 108-466 (2004, 2005). 34 C.F.R. 300 (Proposed Regulations). Retrieved January 15, 2006, from http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-11804.pdf



References• Kovaleski, J. F. (2003). The three-tier model of identifying learning disabilities: Critical

program features and system issues. Paper presented at the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Responsiveness-to-Intervention Symposium, Kansas City, MO.

• Shapiro, E. S. (1996). Academic skills problems: Direct assessment and intervention (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

• Shinn, M. R. (1989). Identifying and defining academic problems: CBM screening and eligibility procedures. In M. R. Shinn (Ed.), Curriculum based measurement: Assessing special children (pp.90-129). New York: The Guilford Press.

• Wright, J. (2005, Summer). Five interventions that work. NAESP [National Association of Elementary School Principals] Leadership Compass, 2(4) pp.1,6.

• Wright, J., & Cleary, K. S. (2006). Kids in the tutor seat: Building schools' capacity to help struggling readers through a cross-age peer-tutoring program. Psychology in the Schools, 43(1), 99-107.



RTI Workshop Goals…As a result of this workshop, do you:Have a better understand the

‘Response to Intervention’ (RTI) model?

Know where to find resources on the Internet to start RTI in your school?

Understand the next steps that your school should take to implement RTI?



END

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