Completing Your Masters Degree

1
Overview of RTI Masters Project
Department of Special Education Portland State
University
2
RTI Masters Project

• Overview of RTI Project
• Selecting an area of interest
• Sample data from practice
• Next steps

3
Overview RTI Reading

• Work with Dr. Amanda Sanford and Dr. Julie
  Esparza Brown
• Target students with reading IEPs and English
  Learners in the Response to Intervention (RTI)
  framework
• Assess and diagnos students instructional needs
• Develop and implement a targeted reading support
  plan
• Develop expertise as RTI team leader

4
Overview RTI Masters Project

• Courses offered in winter and spring, with an
  option to begin lit review in summer or fall
• Select from the team options provided or
  brainstorm with a team about additional options
• Early in the process (winter term or before), you
  will complete an IRB application, literature
  review, and write the method of the project with
  team
• During winter and spring terms you will collect
  your data, analyze the data, and write up the
  results with your team

5
Selecting an area of interest

• RTI Els (in collaboration with Dr. Brown)

• RTI tech tools (in collaboration with Dr.
  Sennott)

• Conduct literature review on what works for RTI
  with English learners
• Design and implement a single subject research
  study with your team
• Multiple Baseline
• Alternating Treatment
• Reversal
• Implement the intervention with your students and
  measure outcome

• Conduct literature review on effective
  instructional design principles for content area
• Create a tool to evaluate the presence of
  effective instructional design principles
• Identify technology tools, family resources,
  student resources and evaluate them for the
  presence of design elements

6
Sample data from practice

• Research questions
• Literature review
• Participants in school intervention
• School based intervention design results
• Limitations
• Next steps

7
Research questions

• Can PLUSS instructional adaptations be
  implemented in a typical school setting?
• What are the effects of adding the PLUSS
  instructional modifications to an evidence-based
  reading intervention for English learners who are
  identified as needing additional support in
  reading on reading

8
Literature review

• English Learners (ELs) in public schools rose
  from 4.7 to 11.2 million between 1980 and 2009
  (NCES, 2011)
• Significant gap between performance on ELs and
  non-El students in reading (NAEP, 2010)
• 4th grade 36 point gap
• 8th grade 47 point gap
• 12th grade 50 point gap

9
Literature review

• ELs face dual cognitive load of learning language
  and content (Goldenburg, 2008)
• Currently we have
• interventions for ELs (SIOP, SDAIE) in general
  education
• Research based interventions for students
  struggling in reading
• There is a gap in research to practice in
  systematically applying what works for ELs who
  also have disabilities or struggle with reading

10
Literature review

• PLUSS is a model designed to overlay research
  based interventions to address the unique
  instructional needs of ELs (Sanford, Brown, and
  Turner, 2013)
• PLUSS stands for
• Pre-teaching language, vocabulary, and priming
  background knowledge
• Language use and modeling
• Using visuals and graphic organizers
• Systematic and Explicit instruction
• Strategic use of native language and teaching for
  transfer

11
Participants from intervention

• Permission from parents granted to use this
  information for educational purposes (but not
  research purposes at this point)
• Utilized a single subject reversal design
• 2 students who were English Learners and also
  needed additional support in reading
• Rosa 2nd grade, 7 year old female who spoke
  Spanish, English, and Mandarin
• Dorotea 3rd grade, 8 year old female who spoke
  Spanish, English, and Mandarin

12
Results of school-based intervention
Rosa
Research based intervention
Research based intervention
Research based intervention including PLUSS
13
Results of school-based intervention
Rosa
Research based intervention including PLUSS
Research based intervention including PLUSS
Research based intervention
Research based intervention
14
Results of school-based intervention
Dorotea
Research based intervention including PLUSS
Research based intervention
Research based intervention
15
Results of school-based intervention
Dorotea
Research based intervention including PLUSS
Research based intervention including PLUSS
Research based intervention
Research based intervention
Words Read Correctly per Minute
Percent Accuracy
Errors
16
Limitations

• Conducting a more rigorous research study may
  allow data to be published and used to inform the
  field
• The following would strengthen study and
  conclusions that could be drawn
• More data points in each phase
• Fidelity measure that involve an independent
  observer
• Independence of participants so intervention
  could be adjusted based on unique individual
  needs
• Interobserver agreement procedure

17
Next steps

• This study could be strengthened with YOUR help!
• Notify me of your interest in either research
  study
• Begin literature review including readings on one
  of the following
• ELs
• Effective instruction for English Learners
• Single subject research design
• OR
• Tech tools and resources and effective
  instructional design princples

18
RTI Masters Project Next Steps

• Identify area of interest in the project
• Communicate with me your area of interest and I
  can provide some support in guiding your
  literature review
• Conduct a literature review as part of your 596
  coursework
• Connect with me or Dr. Loman with any questions
  (asanford_at_pdx.edu)

19
Remember You Need to Choose and Apply to Join a
Masters Project Group

• The SPED 597 course and the SPED 506 course are
  taught by same faculty member focused on a topic
  and project.

20
How to Apply for These Projects

• Complete application describing your
• Project preference and interest
• Qualifications and skills
• Current occupation and access to schools
• Register for and take SPED 596 Research in
  Special Education (3 cr) in Summer 2014 Session
  1 (81269) or Session 2 (81270)

21
Technology and Education

• You can serve individuals with a diverse set of
  disabilities autism, communication disorders,
  physical disabilities, learning disabilities
• You will combine new technology and effective
  practice to create positive results
• Discover important principles of technology
  integration

Dr. Samuel Sennott