Getting Started With

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Getting Started With Response to Intervention
A Guide for SchoolsJim Wrightwww.interventionce
ntral.org
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Response to Intervention An Introduction
Today we will work toward the 6 goals of
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For a comprehensive directory of up-to-date RTI
Resources available for free on the Internet,
visit RTI_Wire athttp//www.jimwrightonline.com
/php/rti/rti_wire.php
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The quality of a school as a learning community
can be measured by how effectively it addresses
the needs of struggling students.--Wright
(2005)
Discussion Read the quote below
Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Why?
Source Wright, J. (2005, Summer). Five
interventions that work. NAESP Leadership
Compass, 2(4) pp.1,6.
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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.

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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.

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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 an 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.

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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)

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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.

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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

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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
ModelFurthermore, states must permit the use
of a process based on the childs response to
scientific, research-based intervention (34
C.F.R. 300 301, 2006 p. 46786). RTI Model
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IDEIA 2004-05 Federal (US Dept of Education)
Regulations What do they say about LD diagnosis?
(Cont.)

• 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.

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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).

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Target Student
Dual-Discrepancy RTI Model of Learning
Disability (Fuchs 2003)
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The steps of RTI for an individual case

• Under RTI, if a student is found to be
  performing well below peers, the school will
• Estimate the academic skill gap between the
  student and typically-performing peers
• Determine the likely reason(s) for the students
  depressed academic performance
• Select a scientifically-based intervention likely
  to improve the student's academic functioning
• Monitor academic progress frequently to evaluate
  the impact of the intervention
• If the student fails to respond to several
  well-implemented interventions, consider a
  referral to Special Education

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

• There are three general methods for estimating
  the typical level of academic performance at a
  grade level
• Local Norms A sample of students at a school are
  screened in an academic skill to create grade
  norms (Shinn, 1989)
• Research Norms Norms for typical growth are
  derived from a research sample, published, and
  applied by schools to their own student
  populations (e.g., Shapiro, 1996)
• Criterion-Referenced Benchmarks A minimum level,
  or threshold, of competence is determined for an
  skill. The benchmark is usually defined as a
  level of proficiency needed for later school
  success (Fuchs, 2003)

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Baylor Elementary School Grade Norms Correctly
Read Words Per Min Sample Size 23 Students
Group Norms Correctly Read Words Per Min Book
4-1 Raw Data
31 34 34 39 41 43 52 55 59 61 68 71
74 75 85 89 102 108 112 115 118 118 131

• LOCAL NORMS EXAMPLE Twenty-three 4th-grade
  students were administered oral reading fluency
  Curriculum-Based Measurement passages at the
  4th-grade level in their school.
• In their current number form, these data are not
  easy to interpret.
• So the school converts them into a visual
  displaya box-plot to show the distribution of
  scores and to convert the scores to percentile
  form.
• When Billy, a struggling reader, is screened in
  CBM reading fluency, he shows a SIGNIFICANT skill
  gap when compare to his grade peers.

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Baylor Elementary School Grade Norms Correctly
Read Words Per Min Sample Size 23 Students
Group Norms Correctly Read Words Per Min Book
4-1 Raw Data
31 34 34 39 41 43 52 55 59 61 68 71
74 75 85 89 102 108 112 115 118 118 131
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Research Norms Example
Norms for typical growth are derived from a
research sample, published, and applied by
schools to their own student populations
Estimates of Typical Instructional Reading Fluency Level Ranges By Grade Based on a Research Sample (from Shapiro, 1996) Estimates of Typical Instructional Reading Fluency Level Ranges By Grade Based on a Research Sample (from Shapiro, 1996) Estimates of Typical Instructional Reading Fluency Level Ranges By Grade Based on a Research Sample (from Shapiro, 1996)
Grade Correctly Read Words Per Min Reading Errors
1 40-60 Fewer than 5
2 40-60 Fewer than 5
3 70-100 Fewer than 7
4 70-100 Fewer than 7
5 70-100 Fewer than 7
6 70-100 Fewer than 7
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Criterion-Referenced Benchmarks Example

• The benchmark represents a level of proficiency
  needed for later school success. A good example
  of a commonly used set of benchmarks for reading
  are those that were developed for use with the
  DIBELS Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
  Literacy Skills.
• Using the DIBELS benchmarks, for example,
  3rd-grade students are at low risk for reading
  problems if they reach these reading-fluency
  goals
• Start of School Year 77 Correctly Read Words
  Per Min
• Middle of School Year 92 Correctly Read Words
  Per Min
• End of School Year 110 Correctly Read Words Per
  Min

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Determine the likely reason(s) for the students
depressed academic performance

• There can be several possible underlying reasons
  why a student is doing poorly in an academic
  area. It is crucial to determine the reason(s)
  for poor performance in order to select an
  appropriate intervention
• Skill Deficit The student lacks the necessary
  skills to perform the academic task.
• Fragile Skills The student possesses the
  necessary skills but is not yet fluent and
  automatic in those skills.
• Performance (Motivation) Deficit The student has
  the necessary skills but lacks the motivation to
  complete the academic task.

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

• Any intervention idea chosen for the student
  should be backed by scientific research (e.g.,
  research articles in peer-reviewed professional
  journals) demonstrating that the intervention is
  effective in addressing the students underlying
  reason(s) for academic failure.

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Monitor academic progress frequently to evaluate
the impact of the intervention

• Under RTI, interventions are monitored
  frequently (e.g., weekly) using valid and
  reliable measures that are sensitive to
  short-term gains in student performance
• Measures for Basic Academic Skills
  Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) probes are
  short, timed assessments that have been developed
  to measure phonemic awareness, oral reading
  fluency, math computation, writing, and spelling
  skills (Shinn, 1989).
• Measures for Classroom Academic and General
  Behaviors
• Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRCs) These
  customized teacher rating forms allow the
  instructor to evaluate the students behaviors
  each day (Chafouleas et al. 2005).
• Direct Observation An external observer visits
  the classroom to observe the students rates of
  on-task and academically engaged behaviors.
  (Shapiro, 1996)

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

• In the RTI model, the student would be referred
  for a special education evaluation if
• A series of research-based interventions have
  been attempted
• There is documentation that the interventions
  were carried out as designed (treatment/interventi
  on integrity)
• Progress-monitoring data shows that the student
  failed to meet the goal set for his or her
  improvement (that is, the student shows a
  discrepancy in rate of learning relative to
  grade-peers).

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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
Tier I
Individualized Intervention Students who need
additional support than peers are given
individual intervention plans. Example
Supplemental peer tutoring in reading to increase
reading fluency
Tier II
Intensive Intervention Students whose
intervention needs are greater than general
education can meet may be referred for more
intensive services. Example Special Education
Tier III
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Tier I Interventions
Tier I interventions are universalavailable 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?
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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?
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Tier II Interventions
There are two different vehicles that schools can
use to deliver Tier II interventions Problem-solv
ing (Classroom-Based Intervention).
Individualized research-based interventions match
the profile of a particular students 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
students 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
students unique needs.
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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?
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RTI School-Wide Three-Tier Framework
(Kovaleski, 2003 Vaughn, 2003)
Tier III Long-Term Programming for Students Who
Fail to Respond to Tier II Interventions (e.g.,
Special Education)
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Levels of Intervention Tier I, II, III
Tier I Universal100
Tier II Individualized10-15
Tier III Intensive5-10
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END