1. Anna Keating and Devin Koehne
Reading Programs for Students in Grades 3-5 on Tier 2 and 3 RTI
Anna Keating and Devin Koehne
Longwood University
Results
Response to intervention or RTI is a three step approach to identify and support students with learning or behavioral needs. Screenings and testing is done for all children and if students are observed to be struggling during these measures, they will be put on a level of intervention. The first level is noninvasive. The student will continue to go up a level if the student does not meet their specific goals. By tier three, if the student is still struggling then the student will be referred for an evaluation and eligibility of special education services. However, does RTI really work? Which programs being used are most effective in helping at-risk students make needed growth? The research that was shared with us was from a title one accredited school in Norfolk, Virginia. The data received was collected through STAR testing from third, fourth, and fifth grade classroom students on tiers two and three of RTI. STAR testing are reading tests given to students at multiple points in the year and are used to observe whether RTI programs are effectively being implemented. We chose STAR reading tests because unlike Benchmarks, these tests are not seen as a big test to students, and give more accurate data in which teachers can really see students growth in their skills.
Abstract
Materials and Procedure
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At Risk students
“the term at risk is often used to describe children how have personal characteristics or who live in families that display characteristics that are associated with problems in school. Using education as a frame of reference, children and youth at risk are then students who are in situations that can lead to academic, personal, and behavioral problems that could limit there success in school and later life (Smith et al. 313).”
Recommendations and future directions
- Future research could be done to see is there are changes that could be made to pull students up to a sixth grade reading level at the end of their fifth grade year were they need to be.
After analyzing the data given to us, we found that programs being used in the fifth grade reading classroom were the most effective for students in tiers two and three of RTI.
In fifth grade, the program being used is RTI in done in tutoring sessions before school by the classroom teacher (this is a voluntary program) and during daily instruction during small guided reading groups.
Background
C. This Elementary School is an urban district that serves 669 students in grades PK-5.  Of those students 60% receive free or reduced lunch. It is 47.4 % Caucasian, 28.4 African American, 12.7% Hispanic, and 10.5% Multiracial.  
Renaissance STAR Enterprise  measures reading growth with standards-based, computer-adaptive assessments that measure students’ reading comprehension, monitor achievement and growth, and track understanding of focus skills aligned to your state-specific learning standards. Renaissance Star Reading® combines screening and progress monitoring.
The students on all three lists were identified as Tier 3 and Tier 2 in September based on STAR Reading IRL Score (Instructional Reading Level). The STAR test is an online program purchased by Norfolk Public Schools to assess students throughout the year.  Students are tested three times a year assessing for growth. Tier 2 and 3 students are retested more often based on need. Growth is measured in two ways: IRL and SGP (Student Growth Percentile) Students receiving an SGP of 35 or better are considered to have made adequate yearly progress. 0.7 IRL Growth is also of importance.
Groups are formed based on reading level from STAR and data from District Benchmark Scores.  District benchmarks are administered three times a year (after first quarter, after second quarter, and all SOLs are tested during the fourth quarter).  3rd Quarter District Benchmark is cumulative for the year.
Discussion
While it had been found that fifth grade has the best results with their RTI program, there are still flaws, as made obvious by students still only being on a fifth grade reading level at the end of fifth grade.
Further research should be done to see why even though these programs are working, students are still not on the next grade level by the end of the year as they should be and need to be in order for their future teacher to not have to play “catch-up” with students. Fifth graders in April should be nearing a sixth grade reading level, if not already be on it, so why are a majority of these fifth grade students not up to this level, but only on the grade level which they’re currently in. More research needs to be done in order to see why this is.
Rationale/Purpose
We preformed this research in order to look at programs being used for students on tier two and three RTI in reading in third, fourth, and fifth grades to see which programs being used were the most effective. This being a new field in education, this schools across the nation.
References
Method
K-12 Educational Software Solutions & Learning Analytics. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Smith, T. E., Polloway, E. A., Doughty, T. T., Patton, J. R., & Dowdy, C. A. (2016). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings. Boston: Pearson.
Participants
Third grade – 47 students, Fourth grade – 42 students, Fifth grade – 47 students
Age ranges from 8– 11 years old
All students are on either tier two or three of response to Intervention
Material used to test students – STAR test by renaissance
Independent Variable – RTI programs
Dependent Variable – High performance and growth in reading
Procedure
Students were tested at the start of the year then tested again in April by their teacher. His data was provided to us by the school. The data was used to determine the effectiveness of programs used in third, fourth, and fifth grade RTI in reading for students on tier two and three. 1