1. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Response to Intervention: A Guide for Schools Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

2. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 2 Download PowerPoints and Handouts from this workshop at: http://www.interventioncentral.org/ rtitoolkit.php

3. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 3 “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?

4. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 4 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.

5. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 5 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.

6. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 6 Why is RTI now being adopted by schools? Congress passed the revised Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in 2004. This Federal legislation provides the guidelines that schools must follow when identifying children for special education services. Based on the changes in IDEIA 2004, the US Department of Education (USDE) updated its regulations to state education departments. The new USDE regulations: –Explicitly ALLOW states to use RTI to identify LD –FORBID states from forcing schools to use a ‘discrepancy model’ to identify LD

7. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 7 IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education) Regulations: What do they say about LD diagnosis? In 2004, Congress reauthorized the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA 2004), including landmark language in that law to encourage schools to break free of their reliance on the discredited IQ-Achievement Discrepancy method for identifying Learning Disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education then developed regulations based on IDEIA 2004 to guide state practices. These regulations (34 C.F.R. 300 & 301, 2006) direct that states cannot “require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability” [Discrepancy Model] Furthermore, states “must permit the use of a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention” (34 C.F.R. 300 & 301, 2006; p. 46786). [RTI Model]

8. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 8 The federal regulations also require that schools “ensure that underachievement in a child suspected of having a specific learning disability is not due to lack of appropriate instruction” (34 C.F.R. 300 & 301, 2006; p. 46787) by: –demonstrating that “the child was provided appropriate instruction in regular education settings, delivered by qualified personnel” and; –collecting “data-based documentation of repeated assessments of achievement at reasonable intervals, reflecting formal assessment of student progress during instruction.” IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education) Regulations: What do they say about LD diagnosis? (Cont.)

9. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 9 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).

10. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 10 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’)

11. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 11 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

12. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 12 Tier I Tier II Tier 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 students Example: 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 fluency Intensive Intervention: Students whose intervention needs are greater than general education can meet may be referred for more intensive services. Example: Special Education

13. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 13 Tier I Interventions Tier I interventions are universal—available to all students. Teachers often deliver these interventions in the classroom (e.g., providing additional drill and practice in reading fluency for students with limited decoding skills). Tier I interventions are those strategies that instructors are likely to put into place at the first sign that a student is struggling. Tier I interventions attempt to answer the question: Are routine classroom instructional modifications sufficient to help the student to achieve academic success?

14. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 14 Key Questions About Implementing Classroom Interventions 7. How can we assess the quality of the intervention ‘follow- through’? 1. What are the likely reason(s) for the student’s academic skill or performance deficit(s)? 2. What research-based interventions best match the student’s needs? 3. Where can we find the resources necessary to implement the intervention plan? 4. How can the intervention best be ‘packaged’ to increase the likelihood that it will be done right? 5. How can we support teachers as they implement the plan in the classroom? 6. What are ways we can motivate students so that they will be motivated to engage in the intervention plan?

15. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 15 Tier II Interventions Tier II interventions are individualized, tailored to the unique needs of struggling learners. They are reserved for students with significant skill gaps who have failed to respond successfully to Tier I strategies. Tier II interventions attempt to answer the question: Can an individualized intervention plan carried out in a general-education setting bring the student up to the academic level of his or her peers?

16. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 16 Tier II Interventions There are two different vehicles that schools can use to deliver Tier II interventions: Problem-solving (Classroom-Based Intervention). Individualized research-based interventions match the profile of a particular student’s strengths and limitations. The classroom teacher often has a large role in carrying out these interventions. A plus of the problem-solving approach is that the intervention can be customized to the student’s needs. However, developing intervention plans for individual students can be time-consuming. Standard-Protocol (Standalone Intervention). Group intervention programs based on scientifically valid instructional practices (‘standard protocol’) are created to address frequent student referral concerns. These services are provided outside of the classroom. A middle school, for example, may set up a structured math-tutoring program staffed by adult volunteer tutors to provide assistance to students with limited math skills. Students referred for a Tier II math intervention would be placed in this tutoring program. An advantage of the standard-protocol approach is that it is efficient and consistent: large numbers of students can be put into these group interventions to receive a highly standardized intervention. However, standard group intervention protocols often cannot be individualized easily to accommodate a specific student’s unique needs.

17. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 17 Tier III Interventions Tier III interventions are the most intensive academic supports available in a school and are generally reserved for students with chronic and severe academic delays or behavioral problems. In many schools, Tier III interventions are available only through special education. Tier III supports try to answer the question, What ongoing supports does this student require and in what settings to achieve the greatest success possible?

18. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Tier I: Universal 100% Tier II: Individualized 10-15% Tier III: Intensive 5-10% Levels of Intervention: Tier I, II, & III

19. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 19 Secondary Students: Unique Challenges… Struggling learners in middle and high school may: Have significant deficits in basic academic skills Lack higher-level problem-solving strategies and concepts Present with issues of school motivation Show social/emotional concerns that interfere with academics Have difficulty with attendance *Students at the secondary level are also moving toward being ‘self-managing’ learners…

20. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI: We’re in Dragon Country Now! Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

21. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 21 Hic sunt dracones. [Latin for “Here be dragons…”] Phrase appearing on the Lenox Globe circa 1503, denoting unknown dangers on the unexplored east coast of Asia. This term now is used to describe any instance in which decision-making or action is difficult because the situation is so complex or because so many variables are unknown. Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons#Dragons_on_maps

22. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 22 Two Ways to Solve Problems: Algorithm vs. Heuristic Algorithm. An explicit step-by-step procedure for producing a solution to a given problem. Example: Multiplying 6 x 2 Heuristic. A rule of thumb or approach which may help in solving a problem, but is not guaranteed to find a solution. Heuristics are exploratory in nature. Example: Using a map to find an appropriate route to a location.

23. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 23 As Knowledge Base Grows, Heuristic Approaches (Exploratory, Open-Ended Guidelines to Solving a Problem) Can Sometimes Turn into Algorithms (Fixed Rules for Solving a Problem ) Example: Recipes Through History DARYOLS: ORIGINAL14th CENTURY ENGLISH RECIPE (HEURISTIC): Take cream of cow milk, or of almonds; do there-to eggs with sugar, saffron and salt. Mix it fair. Do it in a pie shell of 2 inch deep; bake it well and serve it forth. MODERN DARYOLS RECIPE (ALGORITHM): INGREDIENTS 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts 1/2 cup blanched almonds 1 1/4 cups cold water 1 cup half-and-half cream 1 pinch saffron powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon rose water DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Press pie crusts into the bottom and up the sides of two 9 inch pie pans. Prick with a fork all over to keep them from bubbling up. Bake pie crusts for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until set but not browned. Set aside to cool. Make an almond milk by placing almonds in the container of a food processor. Process until finely ground, then add water, and pulse just to blend. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then strain through a cheesecloth. Measure out 1 cup of the almond milk, and mix with half and half. Stir in the saffron and cinnamon, and set aside. Place the eggs and sugar in a saucepan, and mix until well blended. Place the pan over low heat, and gradually stir in the almond milk mixture and cinnamon. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. When the mixture is thick enough to evenly coat the back of a metal spoon, stir in rose water and remove from heat. Pour into the cooled pie shells…. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is set, but the top is not browned. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving.

24. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 24 RTI is a Work in Progress: Some Areas Can Be Managed Like an Algorithm While Others Require a Heuristic Approch Reading Fluency. Can be approached as a fixed algorithm. –DIBELS allows universal screening and progress-monitoring –DIBELS benchmarks give indication of student risk status –Classroom-friendly research-based fluency building interventions have been validated Study Skills. A complex set of skills whose problem-solving approach resembles a heuristic. –Student’s basic set of study skills must be analyzed –The intervention selected will be highly dependent on the hypothesized reason(s) for the student’s study difficulties –The quality of the research on study-skills interventions varies and is still in development

25. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 25 What Are 5 ‘dragon regions’ of RTI? Scarcity of research demonstrating the effectiveness of RTI vs. traditional methods of special education identification (Fuchs, Mock, Morgan, & Young, 2003) Indeterminate decision rules for length of time an intervention should be implemented, number of intervention trials required, etc. (Barnett, Daly, Jones, & Lentz, 2004; Gresham 2001) Gaps in the intervention literature—limited information about effective interventions for certain target concerns (e.g., reading comprehension) and for higher age-groups (e.g., high school) (Gresham 2001; Gresham, 1998; Kratochwill & Shernoff, 2003; Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003) Questions of how scalable and cost-effective the RTI model is (Gresham 2001; Gresham, 1998; Kratochwill & Shernoff, 2003; Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003) Lack of clarity regarding how RTI fits in to the Special Education referral process (34 C.F.R. 300 & 301, 2006)

26. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Implementing Response to Intervention in Schools: Key Challenges to Changing a System Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

27. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 27 Making RTI Work in Your Schools: Key Expectations

28. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 28 Making RTI Work in Your Schools: Key Expectations Teachers try a larger number of research-based classroom strategies before referring a student to the school’s RTI Team. Schools are able to find time and personnel coverage to schedule RTI Team meetings. The job descriptions of key people in a school change to match the needs of RTI (e.g., school psychologist, special education teacher). The school recognizes that RTI is an ‘umbrella’ problem=solving approach that helps the district to address a range of important school issues such as low state test scores, deficient academic skills, absenteeism, and drop-outs.

29. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 29 Administrators show strong support for RTI, using their influence to encourage teacher follow-through with classroom interventions, helping to rework job descriptions to match RTI’s needs, etc. RTI is accepted by the school community as a mainstream initiative, with the majority of representatives on the RTI Steering Group drawn from general education (e.g., Curriculum Director). RTI is given the resources that it needs to grow, including funds for staff development and for the purchase of assessment services or products and intervention materials. The district has a multi-year plan to implement RTI that builds the model at an ambitious but sustainable rate. Making RTI Work in Your Schools: Key Expectations (Cont.)

30. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 30 Preventing Your School from Developing ‘RTI Antibodies’ Schools can anticipate and take steps to address challenges to RTI implementation This proactive stance toward RTI adoption will reduce the probability that the ‘host’ school or district will reject RTI as a model

31. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 31 Innovations in Education: Efficacy vs. Effectiveness “A useful distinction has recently emerged between efficacy and effectiveness (Schoenwald & Hoagwood, 2001). Efficacy refers to intervention outcomes that are produced by researchers and program developers under ideal conditions of implementation (i.e., adequate resources, close supervision …). In contrast, effectiveness refers to demonstration(s) of socially valid outcomes under normal conditions of usage in the target setting(s) for which the intervention was developed. Demonstrations of effectiveness are far more difficult than demonstrations of efficacy. In fact, numerous promising interventions and approaches fail to bridge the gap between efficacy and effectiveness.” [Emphasis added] 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

32. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 32 Role of ‘School Culture’ in the Acceptability of Interventions “…school staffs are interested in strategies that fit a group instructional and management template; intensive strategies required by at-risk and poorly motivated students are often viewed as cost ineffective. Treatments and interventions that do not address the primary mission of schooling are seen as a poor match to school priorities and are likely to be rejected. Thus, intervention and management approaches that are universal in nature and that involve a standard dosage that is easy to deliver (e.g., classwide social skills training) have a higher likelihood of making it into routine or standard school practice.” 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. pp. 400-401

33. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 33 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

34. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 34 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps

35. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 35 RTI Can Serve as the Organizing ‘Umbrella’ Under Which a District’s Efforts Are Organized to Support Struggling Learners of Any Age

36. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 36 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps 1.Establish an ‘RTI Steering Group’

37. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 37 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps 2.Educate Staff and Other Stakeholders to Build Support for RTI

38. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 38 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps 3.Create an Inventory of the District/School’s RTI Resources

39. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 39 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps 4.Establish an ‘RTI Intervention Team’

40. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 40 Establishing RTI in Your School or District: First Steps 5.Train Staff in Techniques to Monitor Short- Term Student Academic and Behavioral Progress

41. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Measuring the ‘Intervention Footprint’: Issues of Planning, Documentation, & Follow-Through Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

42. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 42 Essential Elements of Any Academic or Behavioral Intervention (‘Treatment’) Strategy: Method of delivery (‘Who or what delivers the treatment?’) Examples include teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, volunteers, computers. Treatment component (‘What makes the intervention effective?’) Examples include activation of prior knowledge to help the student to make meaningful connections between ‘known’ and new material; guide practice (e.g., Paired Reading) to increase reading fluency; periodic review of material to aid student retention. As an example of a research-based commercial program, Read Naturally ‘combines teacher modeling, repeated reading and progress monitoring to remediate fluency problems’.

43. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 43 Interventions, Accommodations & Modifications: Sorting Them Out Interventions. 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 is said to be research-based when it has been demonstrated to be effective in one or more articles published in peer–reviewed scientific journals. Interventions might be based on commercial programs such as Read Naturally. The school may also develop and implement an intervention that is based on guidelines provided in research articles—such as Paired Reading (Topping, 1987).

44. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 44 Interventions, Accommodations & Modifications: Sorting Them Out Accommodations. An accommodation is intended to help the student to fully access the general-education curriculum without changing the instructional content. An accommodation for students who are slow readers, for example, may include having them supplement their silent reading of a novel by listening to the book on tape. An accommodation is intended to remove barriers to learning while still expecting that students will master the same instructional content as their typical peers. Informal accommodations may be used at the classroom level or be incorporated into a more intensive, individualized intervention plan.

45. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 45 Interventions, Accommodations & Modifications : Sorting Them Out Modifications. A modification changes the expectations of what a student is expected to know or do—typically by lowering the academic expectations against which the student is to be evaluated. Examples of modifications are reducing the number of multiple-choice items in a test from five to four or shortening a spelling list. Under RTI, modifications are generally not included in a student’s intervention plan, because the working assumption is that the student can be successful in the curriculum with appropriate interventions and accommodations alone.

46. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 46 Evaluating the Quality of Intervention Research: The ‘Research Continuum’

47. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 47 Intervention ‘Research Continuum’ Evidence-Based Practices “Includes practices for which original data have been collected to determine the effectiveness of the practice for students with disabilities. The research utilizes scientifically based rigorous research designs (i.e., randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity designs, quasi-experiments, single subject, and qualitative research).” Source: The Access Center Research Continuum (n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/documents/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf

48. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 48 Intervention ‘Research Continuum’ Promising Practices “Includes practices that were developed based on theory or research, but for which an insufficient amount of original data have been collected to determine the effectiveness of the practices. Practices in this category may have been studied, but not using the most rigorous study designs.” Source: The Access Center Research Continuum (n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/documents/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf

49. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 49 Intervention ‘Research Continuum’ Emerging Practices “Includes practices that are not based on research or theory and on which original data have not been collected, but for which anecdotal evidence and professional wisdom exists. These include practices that practitioners have tried and feel are effective and new practices or programs that have not yet been researched.” Source: The Access Center Research Continuum (n.d.). Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/documents/ACResearchApproachFormatted.pdf

50. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org How Do We Define a Tier I (Classroom-Based) Intervention? Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

51. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 51 Tier I Interventions Tier I interventions are universal—available to all students. Teachers often deliver these interventions in the classroom. Tier I interventions are those strategies that instructors are likely to put into place at the first sign that a student is struggling. These interventions can consist of: -Effective ‘whole-group’ teaching & management strategies -Modest individualized strategies that the teacher uses with specific students. Tier I interventions attempt to answer the question: Are routine classroom instructional supports and strategies sufficient to help the student to achieve academic success?

52. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 52 Tier I Ideas to Help Students to Complete Independent Seatwork

53. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 53 Independent Seatwork: A Source of Misbehavior When poorly achieving students must work independently, they can run into difficulties with the potential to spiral into misbehaviors. These difficulties can include: Being unable to do the assigned work without help Not understanding the directions for the assignment Getting stuck during the assignment and not knowing how to resolve the problem Being reluctant to ask for help in a public manner Lacking motivation to work independently on the assignment

54. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 54 Elements to Support Independent Seatwork Directions & Instructional Match. The teacher ensures that the student understands the assignment and can do the work. Help Routine. The student knows how to request help without drawing attention (e.g., by asking a peer). Reference Sheets. The student has a reference sheet with steps to follow to complete the assignment or other needed information. Completed Models. The student has one or more models of correctly completed assignment items for reference. Performance Feedback. The student can access an answer key (if appropriate) to check his or her work. Teacher Feedback & Encouragement. The teacher circulates around the room (proximity), spending brief amounts of time checking students’ progress and giving feedback and encouragement as needed.

55. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 55 Discussion Question Why would a teacher at your school be very happy to see an RTI model adopted? What is in it for him or her?

56. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 56 Common Student Problems: What Works?

57. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 57 How Do Schools ‘Standardize’ Expectations for Tier I Interventions? A Four-Step Solution 1.Develop a list of your school’s ‘top five’ academic and behavioral referral concerns (e.g., low reading fluency, inattention). 2.Create a survey for teachers, asking them to jot down the ‘good teaching’ ideas that they use independently when they encounter students who struggle in these problem areas. 3.Collect the best of these ideas into a menu. Add additional research-based ideas if available. 4.Require that teachers implement a certain number of these strategies before referring to your RTI Intervention Team. Consider ways that teachers can document these Tier I interventions as well.