RTI and Special Education: Making sense of it all!

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RTI and Special EducationMaking sense of it all!
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Training Objectives

• Think critically about Specific Learning
  Disabilities (SLD)
• Explore the relationship between Response to
  Intervention and SLD
• Gain a deeper understanding of the SLD Criteria
  Checklist

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Specific Learning Disability

• is a disorder in one or more of the
• basic psychological processes
• involved in understanding or in using
• language, spoken or written, which
• disorder may manifest itself in the
• imperfect ability to listen, think,
• speak, read, write, spell, or do
• mathematical calculations
• - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA)

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Response to Intervention

• is the practice of providing high
• quality instruction to all students
• while using ongoing assessments to
• monitor student progress to make
• data-based instructional decisions
• through collaborative team processes.
• -Montana RTI Framework Guide
• http//www.opi.mt.gov/RegForms/RTI

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The State of Learning Disabilities
www.LD.org/stateofld
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• UP to 40 of children identified for special
  education were there because they werent taught
  to read rather than because they had a true
  disability.
• -Presidential commission on special education
  report, 2002.

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Academic Skill Deficits

• In both academic areas, at least a fifth of
  students with LD are five or more grade levels
  behind their enrolled grade.
• Close to half of students with LD (45 for
  reading, 44 for math) test more than three grade
  levels behind.
• Cortiella, C. (2009). The State of Learning
  Disabilities. New York, NY National Center for
  Learning Disabilities.

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• Number of students with LD has declined each year
  since 2000, falling by 9 between 2000 and 2007.
• Cortiella, C. (2009). The State of Learning
  Disabilities. New York, NY National Center for
  Learning Disabilities.

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Possible Reasons for Decrease

• Expansion and attention to early childhood
  education
• Improvements in reading instruction, making
  reading difficulties less prevalent
• Shift in identification approaches, including the
  use of RTI
• Changes in definitions of various special
  education disability categories.

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What RTI Is and What RTI Is Not What RTI Is and What RTI Is Not
RTI IS RTI IS NOT  
An initiative that supports general education school improvement goals A stand-alone special education initiative
Intended to help as many students as possible meet proficiency standards without special education A means for just getting more students into special education
A method to unify general and special education in order to benefit students through greater continuity of services A method for just increasing or decreasing special education numbers
Focused primarily on effective instruction to enhance student growth Focused primarily on disability determination and documented through a checklist
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• RTI is about showing whether any intervention
  general or special achieves the goal of
  improving student outcomes.
• Brown-Chidsey, R. (2005). Response to
  Intervention Principles and Strategies for
  Effective Practice. New York, NY The Guilford
  Press.

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What has OPI developed to support the RTI and
Special Education processes?

• Criteria for Specific Learning Disability (RTI)
• http//www.opi.mt.gov/PDF/SpecED/forms/CriteriaChc
  klst.pdf
• RTI Documentation side-by-side
• http//www.opi.mt.gov/pub/rti/Resources/RTI20Docu
  mentation.pdf
• RTI Evidence Report for LD Criteria Checklist
  (RTIE)
• http//www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/forms/RTISumRptLD
  CriteriaChklst.pdf

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Why was the RTI Evidence Report developed?

• Districts were using the RTI process before they
  were ready.
• We started to see some huge files at the pilot
  schools.
• Other states had started.
• We like developing forms.

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Intended use

• Summarize the RTI Process.
• To assist in documenting the requirements of the
  RTI criteria checklist.
• Cut down on paper work.

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RTI Evidence Report

• Is this form required?
• NO, but the documentation asked for in the report
  is required.
• If we use this form, where does it go?
• Attach it as a part of the Evaluation Report

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Example
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Example
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Example
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Example
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Interventions should be

• Linked to a defined goal.
• Specific and systematically applied.
• Responsive to student need.

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Interventions are not

• Accommodations
• Assessments, evaluations, screenings
• Classroom observations
• Advice or consultations
• Places/Locations

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Examples of Interventions

• Research-based Reading Intervention (corrective
  reading, reading mastery)
• Re-teach and Pre-teach of specific skills
  (teaching vowel patterns).
• Walk to Math (small groups)
• Number Worlds (small group re-teach)

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Example
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Example
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Example
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Self Assessment

• Does your school have each of these essential
  components in place?
• Would you have the information necessary to fill
  out this form completely?

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How do I know if my district is ready to use the
RTI Criteria Checklist?

• It will be explicitly stated in the program
  narrative.
• Ask the Authorized Rep (typically the
  Superintendent)
• If you are not sure what the district program
  narrative says, ask your sped director, principal
  or superintendent.

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Program Narrative Excerpt

• C. IN-SCHOOL (AGES 6 THROUGH 18)
• (1)Referral procedures, including teacher
  assistance teams,
• parent referrals and referrals from other
  sources and
• follow-up procedures for referral and evaluation.
  
• (2) Include a description of the procedures the
  district uses
• to ensure that all initial evaluations are
  conducted within
• the 60-day timeline established in 34 CFR 300.301
  (c).
• (3) This district uses the following procedures
  for SLD
• identification
• RTI Discrepancy.
• If the district has elected to use a response to
  scientific
• research based intervention in learning
  disability
• identification, it must identify the subject
  areas (language
• arts, math, reading), grades and schools for
  which such
• procedures apply.

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If our district is not ready, what should we do
in the meantime?

• Continue good work on implementation.
• Keep the special education requirements in mind
  while developing RTI policies and procedures.

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• RTI is about showing whether any intervention
  general or special achieves the goal of
  improving student outcomes.
• Brown-Chidsey, R. (2005). Response to
  Intervention Principles and Strategies for
  Effective Practice. New York, NY The Guilford
  Press.

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Questions, Comments Feedback

• Paula Schultz
• Office of Public Instruction
• 406-444-2046
• pschultz2_at_mt.gov