Making RTI Work for Children, Teachers, and Schools

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Making RTI Work for Children, Teachers, and
Schools

• Mary K. Lose
• Assistant Professor
• Oakland University
• Rochester, Michigan
• International Reading Association Annual
  Conference
• Atlanta, Georgia
• May 2008

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Overview

• Effect of IDEA
• Fundamental Principles of an Effective RTI
  Approach
• Policy Implications
• Decisions and Actions

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Revised Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEA)

• Option 1
• 15 special education funds for EIS and
  professional development

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Revised Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEA)

• Option 1
• 15 special education funds for EIS and
  professional development
• Option 2
• Early intervention
• No labeling of students

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Important

• USDE does not require or endorse any particular
  model of RTI
• SEA may establish the criteria for identifying
  children with LD, but the state criteria must
  permit local agencies to choose an RTI model

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Goal Limit Unnecessary Referrals

• Based on inadequate instruction or limited
  English proficiency
• Reduce number of children identified for LD
  services

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Goal Appropriate and Timely Response to
Students in Support of Their Learning
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Fundamental Principles of a Successful RTI
Approach

• A child, not a group, learns to read
• Identify child using authentic assessments
• Intervene early, not later in support of the child

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Fundamental Principles of a Successful RTI
Approach, cont.

• The most struggling child requires the most
  expert teacher
• Teacher expertise requires high-quality,
  sustained professional development
• The only valid RTI approach is one in which the
  child responds successfully
• Invest in evidence-based interventions in support
  of the child

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Keys to Successful Response to Intervention
(RTI)

• Evidence-based approaches that emphasize
• Teacher expertise
• Sustained teacher development
• Scalable
• Can be implemented immediately by schools

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Keys to Successful Response to Intervention
(RTI), cont.

• Intensive interventions
• Tiers of support
• Collaboration among
• Classroom teachers
• Literacy specialists
• Special educators
• Emphasis
• What matters most is what the teacher does

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Fundamental Principles of a Successful RTI
Approach
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A Child, Not a Group, Learns to Read
Child 1 I am a bunny. Child 2 This is a kid
in a bunny costume. Child 3 I am a
rabbit. Child 4 (Smiling)
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Identify Child Using Authentic Assessments
Reading and Writing Connected Text
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Intervene Early, Not Later, in Support of the
Child

• Children who are low performing in first grade
  are very likely to be low performing in fourth
  grade
• Juel, C. (1988).

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The Most Struggling Child Requires the Most
Expert Teacher

• Skilled teachers teach and prompt in response to
  the child

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Skilled Teachers Prompt in Response to the Child
Child I am a bunny. Teacher Option A It
could be, but something doesnt look right at the
beginning Option B (on noticing the childs
hesitancy) That makes sense, but what letter
would you see at the beginning of bunny? Option
C Try that again Option D (No response
child continues reading)
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Teacher Expertise Requires High-Quality,
Sustained Professional Development
Emphasis on theory and practice Teachers
teaching and childrens learning.
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Invest in Evidence-Based Interventions in
Support of the Child

• What Works Clearinghouse
• http//ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc//

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What Works Clearinghouse Beginning Reading
Reports
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What Works Clearinghouse Beginning Reading
Reports (cont.)
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(No Transcript)
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Our Responsibility to Children

• Always keep children as the focus of our work

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Our Responsibility to Children

• Always keep children as the focus of our work
• Implement highly rated evidence-based approaches

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Our Responsibility to Children

• Always keep children as the focus of our work
• Implement highly rated evidence-based approaches
• Provide proven interventions

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Our Responsibility to Children

• Always keep children as the focus of our work
• Implement highly rated evidence-based approaches
• Provide proven interventions
• Delivered by skilled responsive teachers

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Policy Implications

• Excellent professional development can yield
  outstanding results and this can be replicated

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Policy Implications

• Excellent professional development can yield
  outstanding results and this can be replicated
• Institutional commitment makes a difference

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Policy Implications

• Excellent professional development can yield
  outstanding results and this can be replicated
• Institutional commitment makes a difference
• Even under optimum conditions, not all teachers
  are likely to achieve excellent results

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Policy Implications

• Excellent professional development can yield
  outstanding results and this can be replicated
• Institutional commitment makes a difference
• Even under optimum conditions, not all teachers
  are likely to achieve excellent results
• Teacher selection and retention need to reflect
  this if student achievement is to be the primary
  purpose of an educational enterprise

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Response toInterventionLayersof
SupportBased on the Needs of the ChildKey
PersonnelClassroom TeachersLiteracy
CoachesIntervention SpecialistsSpecial
EducatorsPrincipals
Longer-term Support Special Education for those
who did not respond to early intervention/s
Tier III
INTERVENTIONS

Tier II
Classroom Instruction
and
Individualized instruction with an expert teacher
for the lowest performing students who did not
respond to classroom instruction in Kindergarten
or early first grade.
Tier I
High quality small group instruction in
elementary grades for students who are performing
at slightly higher levels but who still need
support
Lose, M. K. (2008, January).
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Teachers, not prescriptive one-size-fits-all
approaches to instruction, matter most!
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What will it take to make RTI work?

• What staff development plan do we have that
  supports learning to implement research-based
  literacy instruction?
• What safety nets are in place for children who
  need support beyond excellent classroom
  instruction?
• Do we have a school team, including the
  principal, that closely monitors progress and
  makes informed instructional decisions about the
  lowest achieving readers and writers?

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What will it take to make RTI work? (cont.)

• Are assessment data used to inform instruction
  and to monitor student progress?
• Does the climate in our school promote
  collaborative planning and problem-solving?

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Decisions

• Abandon the phrase slow learner

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Decisions

• Abandon the phrase slow learner
• Commit to a schoolwide philosophy that all
  children can learn and it is the shared
  responsibility of our staff to realize this goal

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Decisions

• Abandon the phrase slow learner
• Commit to a schoolwide philosophy that all
  children can learn and it is the shared
  responsibility of our staff to realize this goal
• Decide to invest in early, rather than later,
  intervention for learners

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Action Steps

• Assist struggling learners through
  individualized, intensive instruction

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Action Steps

• Assist struggling learners through
  individualized, intensive instruction
• Invest in teacher expertise versus prescriptive
  approaches to students learning difficulties

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Action Steps

• Assist struggling learners through
  individualized, intensive instruction
• Invest in teacher expertise versus prescriptive
  approaches to students learning difficulties
• Allocate resources to implement evidence-based
  interventions

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Thank you!