Engaging the Reluctant Teacher: Seven Reasons Why Middle

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher Seven Reasons Why
Middle High School Instructors May Be Reluctant
to Implement Classroom RTI Literacy Interventions
Jim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher Seven Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Literacy Interventions

1. Teachers believe that their job is to provide
   content-area instruction, not to teach vocabulary
   and reading-comprehension strategies (Kamil et
   al., 2008).
2. Teachers believe that they lack the skills to
   implement classroom vocabulary-building and
   reading-comprehension strategies. (Fisher, 2007
   Kamil et al., 2008).
3. Teachers feel that they dont have adequate time
   to implement vocabulary-building and
   reading-comprehension strategies in the
   classroom. (Kamil et al., 2008 Walker, 2004).

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher Seven Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Literacy Interventions (Cont.)

1. Teachers are not convinced that there will be an
   adequate instructional pay-off in their
   content-area if they implement literacy-building
   strategies in the classroom (Kamil et al., 2008).
2. Teachers are reluctant to put extra effort into
   implementing interventions for students who
   appear unmotivated (Walker, 2004) when there are
   other, more deserving students who would
   benefit from teacher attention.
3. Teachers are afraid that, if they use a range of
   classroom strategies to promote literacy (e.g.,
   extended discussion, etc.), they will have
   difficulty managing classroom behaviors (Kamil et
   al., 2008).

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Engaging the Reluctant Teacher Seven Reasons Why
Instructors May Resist Implementing Classroom RTI
Literacy Interventions (Cont.)

1. Teachers believe that special education is
   magic (Martens, 1993). This belief implies that
   general education interventions will be
   insufficient to meet the students needs and that
   the student will benefit only if he or she
   receives special education services.

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Team Activity Engaging the Reluctant Teacher
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Scaling Up Four Stages of RTI
DevelopmentJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.or
g
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RTI Development Four Stages of Scaling Up

1. Preparation. Planning activities creating
   readiness in the school system for the RTI
   component.
2. Initial Implementation. Bringing the component
   into the school setting.
3. Institutionalization. Institutionalizing the RTI
   component as a part of routine school and
   district practices.
4. Ongoing Development/Updating. Ensuring that the
   RTI component stays current with changing
   revisions in state and federal guidelines and
   emerging findings in RTI research.

Source Ervin, R. A., Schaughency, E. (2008).
Best practices in accessing the systems change
literature. In A. Thomas J. Grimes (Eds.), Best
practices in school psychology V (pp. 853-873).
Bethesda, MD National Association of School
Psychologists.
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RTI Implementation Planning Sheet ExampleGOAL
Creating Consistent Use of Effective Tier 1
Academic Strategies in Content-Area Classrooms

• Stage 1 Preparation List any preparation steps
  such as development of materials or staff
  training.
• Examples of Preparation Tasks
• Inventory Tier 1 Interventions Already in Use
• Create a Standard Menu of Evidence-Based Tier 1
  Intervention Ideas for Teachers

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RTI Implementation Planning Sheet ExampleGOAL
Creating Consistent Use of Effective Tier 1
Academic Strategies in Content-Area Classrooms

• Stage 2 Initial Implementation Describe the
  tasks required to actually implement the goal.
• Examples of Initial Implementation Tasks
• Train Teachers to Write Specific, Measureable,
  Observable Problem Identification Statements
• Establish Tier 1 Coaching and Support Resources
• Provide Classroom (Tier 1) Problem-Solving
  Support to Teachers
• Create Formal Guidelines for Teachers to Document
  Tier 1 Strategies

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RTI Implementation Planning Sheet ExampleGOAL
Creating Consistent Use of Effective Tier 1
Academic Strategies in Content-Area Classrooms

• Stage 3 Institutionalization Once the goal is
  initially carried out successfully, devise a plan
  to weave various activities that support the goal
  into the day-to-day institutional routine of the
  school.
• Examples of Institutionalization Tasks
• Develop Decision Rules for Referring Students
  from Tier 1 to Higher Levels of Intervention

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RTI Implementation Planning Sheet ExampleGOAL
Creating Consistent Use of Effective Tier 1
Academic Strategies in Content-Area Classrooms

• Stage 4 Ongoing Development/Updating The RTI
  model is steadily evolving as new research
  indicates better methods for data collection,
  intervention planning, etc. The RTI
  Implementation Plan should include Ongoing
  Development/Updating tasks--ongoing activities to
  ensure that the districts practices confirm to
  best practices over time.
• Examples of Ongoing Development/Updating Tasks
  
• Set Up a System to Locate Additional
  Evidence-Based Tier 1 Intervention Ideas

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RTI Steering Committee Using the Four Stages of
Scaling Up in Planning

• First, the RTI Steering Committee selects a
  series of RTI Implementation Goals. These
  goals should be more general, global goals that
  will require attention through all stages of the
  RTI implementation process.
• The RTI Steering Committee then takes each of the
  general RTI Implementation Goals and breaks the
  global goal into a series of specific subtasks.
  Subtasks are sorted by stage of implementation.

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Implementing Response to Intervention in
Secondary Schools Key Challenges to Changing a
SystemJim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org
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RTI Research Questions

• Q What Conditions Support the Successful
  Implementation of RTI?
• RTI requires
• Continuing professional development to give
  teachers the skills to implement RTI and educate
  new staff because of personnel turnover.
• Administrators who assert leadership under RTI,
  including setting staff expectations for RTI
  implementation, find the needed resources, and
  monitor the fidelity of implementation.
• Proactive hiring of teachers who support the
  principles of RTI and have the skills to put RTI
  into practice in the classroom.
• The changing of job roles of teachers and support
  staff (school psychologists, reading specialists,
  special educators, etc.) to support the RTI
  model.
• Input from teachers and support staff
  (bottom-up) about how to make RTI work in the
  school or district, as well as guidance from
  administration (top-down).

Source Fuchs, D., Deshler, D. D. (2007). What
we need to know about responsiveness to
intervention (and shouldnt be afraid to ask)..
Learning Disabilities Research Practice,
22(2),129136.
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RTI Systems Change Recommended First Steps

• Establish a district-level RTI Steering Group
• Promote stakeholder understanding support
• Inform stakeholders about the RTI model
• Solicit stakeholder feedback about the proposed
  RTI model
• Develop a plan to build stakeholder RTI support
• Create and update a multi-year RTI implementation
  plan
• Inventory existing resources to support
  implementation of RTI
• Build capacity in the district RTI model to
  evolve as conditions change (e.g., by tracking
  emerging research and changes in state/federal
  regulations networking with other school
  districts).

Source McDougal, J. L., Graney, S. B., Wright,
J. A., Ardoin, S. P. (in press). RTI in
practiceA practical guide to implementing
effective evidence-based interventions in your
school. New York Wiley.
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Systems-Level Factors That Can Influence Failure
of Students to Graduate

• many models of dropout prevention fail to
  recognize the role that school environmental
  factors play in school droput. For example, large
  school size is positively correlated with
  decreased attendance, lower grade point averages
  and standardized test scores, higher dropout
  rates, and higher crime than smaller schools
  serving similar children. School practices, such
  as tracking and grade retention, have a negative
  correlation with school completion rates
  independent of the students ability level. Other
  school-related factors such as high
  concentrations of low-achieving students and less
  qualified teachers are also associated with
  higher dropout rates.

Source Jimerson, S. R., Reschly, A. L., Hess,
R. S. (2008). Best practices in developing
academic local norms. In A. Thomas J. Grimes
(Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V
(pp. 1085-1097). Bethesda, MD National
Association of School Psychologists. p. 1089
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Preventing Your School from Developing RTI
Antibodies

• Schools can anticipate and take steps to address
  challenges to RTI implementation in schools
• This proactive stance toward RTI adoption will
  reduce the probability that the host school or
  district will reject RTI as a model

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Middle High School RTI Targeting the Reform of
Classroom Practices

• Restructuring efforts that appear promising are
  those that focus on changing what happens within
  classrooms, specifically on improving curriculum
  and instruction however, programs typically
  welcomed by districts are those that accommodate
  the district and school.

Source Jimerson, S. R., Reschly, A. L., Hess,
R. S. (2008). Best practices in developing
academic local norms. In A. Thomas J. Grimes
(Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V
(pp. 1085-1097). Bethesda, MD National
Association of School Psychologists. p.1090
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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
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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
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Team Activity Create an RTI Secondary Action Plan

• In your elbow groups
• Review the RTI Readiness Inventory--Top Tasks
  for Implementing RTI at the Middle High School
  Level.
• Select the top 2-3 areas that you would like to
  work on in the coming school year to implement an
  RTI model in your secondary school.
• Be prepared to share main points of your
  discussion.

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Team Activity Create a Plan for One RTI Literacy
Action Item

• Directions Select one important RTI literacy
  initiative that your school would like to
  undertake in the coming school year. On the RTI
  Implementation Planning Sheet, begin to
  brainstorm how to move forward with initiative
  through the Preparation, Initial Implementation,
  Institutionalization, and Ongoing
  Development/Updating phases. (Use a separate page
  for each stage.)

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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