1. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Teams: Following a Structured Problem- Solving Model Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

2. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 2 “Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but they’re not entitled to their own facts. The data is the data.” Dr. Maria Spiropulu, Physicist New York Times, 30 September 2003 (D. Overbye) Other dimensions? She’s in pursuit. F1, F4

3. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 3 RTI Team Meeting Process Student Assessment Research-Based Interventions

4. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 4 Teams of educators at a school are trained to work together as effective problem-solvers. RTI Teams are made up of volunteers drawn from general- and special-education teachers and support staff. These teams use a structured meeting process to identify the underlying reasons that a student might be experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties The team helps the referring teacher to put together practical, classroom-friendly interventions to address those student problems. The RTI Team: Definition

5. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 5 believe referring to the RTI Team is a sign of failure do not think that your team has any ideas that they haven’t already tried believe that an RTI Team referral will mean a lot more work for them (vs. referring directly to Special Education) don’t want to ‘waste time’ on kids with poor motivation or behavior problems when ‘more deserving’ learners go unnoticed and unrewarded don’t want to put effort into learning a new initiative that may just fade away in a couple of years Teachers may be reluctant to refer students to your RTI Team because they…

6. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 6 can engage in collegial conversations about better ways to help struggling learners learn instructional and behavior-management strategies that they can use with similar students in the future increase their teaching time are able to access more intervention resources and supports in the building than if they work alone feel less isolated when dealing with challenging kids have help in documenting their intervention efforts Teachers may be motivated to refer students to your RTI Team because they…

7. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 7 Core Elements The RTI Team has diverse representation including classroom teachers Team members have a relationship with the referring teacher based on equity and a collegial relationship The RTI Team process is collaborative and confidential Parents are involved in the RTI Team process. At a minimum, they are informed about the referral and meeting outcome.

8. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 8 Core Elements (Cont.) The RTI Team process is defined and conducted in a structured problem-solving format The focus of RTI Team is on the student within the classroom/school environment The referring teacher’s concerns are explored, defined, and prioritized The RTI Team recommends interventions that have been documented to be effective in school settings

9. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 9 Team Roles Coordinator Facilitator Recorder Time Keeper Case Manager

10. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 10 Team Roles Coordinator –The only non-rotating role –Makes sure referrals are complete and that a case liaison is assigned –Notifies RTI Team members of days, times, and locations of meetings –Coordinates the assignment of substitutes for teachers attending the RTI Team meeting

11. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 11 Facilitator –Establishes and maintains a supportive atmosphere –Keeps the meeting agenda goal oriented –Pay special attention to process issues –Attempts to elicit an appropriate level of agreement throughout the process –Helps resolve conflicts in the group Team Roles

12. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 12 Recorder –Keeps an accurate, concise record of the meeting using the meeting minutes form –Asks for clarification about key information –Assures all relevant information is obtained and recorded Team Roles

13. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 13 Time Keeper –Monitors how far a team has progressed given the guidelines in the meeting minutes forms –Prompts the team to keep focused on the issue at hand –Helps the team come to closure when time is running out Team Roles

14. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 14 Case Manager –Supports the referring teacher throughout the process –Helps referring teacher complete the referral form –Consults with referring teacher about types of assessment techniques that might be useful Team Roles

15. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 15 Case Manager (con’t) –Assists the teacher in collecting information prior to the meeting –Consults with the teacher concerning interventions and assessment strategies planned during the RTI Team meeting –Assesses the degree to which the interventions and assessment procedures were implemented as designed Team Roles

16. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 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 Student’s Parent(s) 5 Mins Step 8: Review Intervention & Monitoring Plans 5 Mins RTI Team Consultative Process

17. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 17 RTI Team Teacher Referral Form pp. 66-67

18. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 18 RTI Team Companion Guide pp. 69-75

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23. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 23 RTI Team Meeting Minutes p. 60

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27. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 27 RTI Team Meeting Minutes p. 61

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31. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 31 RTI Team Introductory Script: Share With Referring Teacher at the Start of the Initial Meeting Welcome to this initial RTI Team meeting. We are meeting with you today to discuss concerns that you have about a student, _________________. The purpose of this meeting is for us all to work together to come up with practical ideas to help this student to be more successful in school. I am the facilitator for today’s meeting. The person taking notes during the meeting will be _________________. The case manager for this student is ___________. The time-keeper for the meeting is __________________. You can expect this meeting to last about ____ minutes. By the time you leave, we should have a complete student intervention plan put together to help address your concerns. Our team and you have a lot to do today and only limited time in which to do it. To help us to work efficiently and not waste your time, we will follow a structured problem-solving model that goes through several stages. RTI Team Meeting Introductory Script p. 68

32. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 32 RTI Team Introductory Script: Share With Referring Teacher (Cont.) Together, our team and you will:  Assess your major concerns about the student  Help you to pick the one or two most important student concerns for us to work on today  Set specific student goals for improvement  Design an intervention plan with strategies to help that student improve, and  Decide how to share information about this plan with the student’s parent(s) As the student’s teacher, you are the most important participant in this meeting. Please let us know at any time if you disagree with, or have questions about, our suggestions. Our meeting will not be a success unless you feel that the intervention ideas that we offer will address the student’s difficulties and are feasible for you to do. Our meeting notes will document the student’s referral concerns and the intervention plan that we come up with. These notes may be shared with others who are not here today, including child’s parent(s) and the building administrator. However, we ask that everyone here keep the conversations that take place at this meeting confidential. Do you have any questions?