530 likes | 653 Views
Overview and Benefits of Using RTI for SLD Determination. Session 1: Introduction to the Series. In this initial session, we will be presenting: 1. an overview of the Response to Intervention (RtI) p rocess
E N D
Overview and Benefits of Using RTI for SLD Determination Session 1
Session 1: Introduction to the Series In this initial session, we will be presenting: 1. an overview of the Response to Intervention (RtI) process 2. the benefits of the RtI model as a means to identify students with learning disabilities
“Schools in America have substantial populations of students who struggle to succeed and require some degree of individualized assistance.” Wright, 2007, p. 1
Did You Know? • “More than one in five young people who graduate from high school do not meet the minimum academic standards required to enlist in the U.S. Army.” • “Employers estimate that 45% of recent graduates who have entered the workforce lack the academic preparation they need to advance beyond entry level jobs.” • Gibbons, Response to Intervention (2013)
What Schools Do Matters “Dropout prevention strategies which focus on improving school climate, academic rigor, and student support and monitoring have been found to reduce dropout rates by as much as 50%.” Gibbons, Response to Intervention (2013)
“RtI assumes that all students can learn and it is the work of all teachers to find the solution for school success.” Brown-Chidsey, Bronaugh, and McGraw, 2009, p. 9
“With the new era of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), RtI becomes increasingly important. These standards are rigorous and focus on higher-order thinking skills that require students to master more highly complex tasks. Therefore, students who struggle academically and/or behaviorally will need support and assistance.” Casbarro, RTI: Response to Intervention (2013)
The History of RtI RtI has been developed across the last several decades. Wright, 2007
The History of RtI • The 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) shifted the focus of educators from a previous discrepancy model. Berkeley, Bender, Peaster, & Saunders, 2009; Howard, 2009
The History of RtI • The focus was changed to a new model utilizing high quality, research-based instruction and behavioral support, universal screening, and consistent progress monitoring. Berkeley, Bender, Peaster, & Saunders, 2009; Howard, 2009
The History of RtI • On the heels of NCLB, the implementation of RtI and progress monitoring were recommendations that came from the findings of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education report (2002). Prasse, 2006
The History of RtI • The real push in RtI initiatives being implemented has occurred within the last five years, although some schools have been implementing the process long before it was a part of federal legislation. VanDerHeyden & Burns, 2010
The History of RtI • Buffum, Mattos, and Weber (2009) state that the roots of RtI can be traced back to the landmark work of Deno through the use of his cascade model (1970), where a continuum of services to educate students with disabilities in a setting as much like their peers as possible was developed.
Defining RtI • Response to intervention (RtI) integrates assessment and intervention within a school-wide, multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and reduce behavior problems. www.RtI4success.org
Defining RtI • With RtI, schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions based on a student’s responsiveness, and RtI may be used as part of the determination process for identifying students with specific learning disabilities. www.RtI4success.org
RtI as a Preventive Framework • RtI is a multi-level instructional framework aimed at improving outcomes for ALLstudents. • RtI is preventive and provides immediate support to students who are at risk for poor learning outcomes. • RtI may be acomponent of a comprehensive evaluation for students with learning disabilities. www.RtI4success.org
Important to note… • RtI is not an easier way to identify students for SLD. • The ultimate goal of RtI is not to place students in special education (one final hoop to jump through).
The Benefits of a Problem-Solving Model • Hayas and Klingner (2010) describe the problem-solving process as one that provides help to classroom teachers and parents by providing support and intervention to students who struggle academically and behaviorally. • Problem-solving is an essential component of the RtI model.
The Benefits of a Problem-Solving Model • The problem-solving model is "preferred by practitioners in the school setting in that it allows more flexibility with interventions and focuses more on the individual needs of the student" (Shores & Chester, 2009, p. 9).
Problem-Solving in RtI • The Problem Solving Approach involves an in‐depth analysis of skill deficits and instructional and environmental variables that compromise a student’s academic performance. • Information obtained from the examination of instructional variables is used to identify sub-skill deficits and inform targeted interventions. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Problem-Solving in RtI • The steps in the Problem Solving Approach: 1. Definevery specifically, the area in which the student is having problems. 2. Analyzefactors that contribute to the difficulty for each individual student. 3. Implement targeted or individualized interventions to address the problem. 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Standard Protocol Approach • Along with the Problem-Solving Model, another commonly used approach in RtI is the Standard Protocol Approach. • The Standard Protocol Approach involves the use of aspecific intervention that is consistently used to address one or more particular skill deficits within an RtI model. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Standard Protocol in RtI • The Standard Protocol Approach involves the provision of research‐validated interventions for a specific amount of time, duration, and frequency with small groups of students exhibiting similar needs. • Intervention groups are formed by identifyingthe general nature of the deficit and matching it to prescribed treatment/intervention. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Standard Protocol in RtI • The steps in Standard Protocol Approach: 1. Groups of students are identified by examining the general nature of student problems utilizing a universal screening tool. 2. Groups of students are then matched to a particular treatment/intervention that has been aligned to addressing the general nature of the student problem. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Standard Protocol in RtI • The steps in Standard Protocol Approach: 3. The process or specifics of the interventions are well defined and must be followed exactly to assure integrity of implementation, which will lead to a higher probability of producing improved outcomes for students. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (n.d.)
Essential RtI Components • Screening • School-wide, Multi-level Prevention System • Primary Level • Secondary Level • Tertiary Level • Progress Monitoring • Data-Based Decision Making for: • Instruction • Movement within the multi-level system • Disability identification (in accordance with state law) www.RtI4success.org
Essential Components of RtI www.RtI4success.org
Screening • The RtI framework accurately identifies students at risk of poor learning outcomes or challenging behavior. www.RtI4success.org
Screening • PURPOSE: identify students who are at risk of poor learning outcomes • FOCUS: all students • TOOLS: brief assessments (i.e., CBMs) that are valid, reliable, and demonstrate diagnostic accuracy for predicting learning or behavioral problems • TIMEFRAME: administered multiple times per year (e.g., Fall, Winter, Spring) www.RtI4success.org
Screening Answers the questions: • Is our core curriculum working? • Is instruction effective? • Which students need additional assessment and instruction? www.RtI4success.org
Essential Components of RtI www.RtI4success.org
Progress Monitoring • Ongoing and frequent monitoring of progress quantifies rates of improvement and informs instructional practice and the development of individualized programs. www.RtI4success.org
Progress Monitoring • PURPOSE: monitor student’s response to primary, secondary, or tertiary instruction in order to estimate rates of improvement, identify students who are not demonstrating adequate progress, and compare the efficacy of different forms of instruction www.RtI4success.org
Progress Monitoring • FOCUS: students identified through screening as at risk for poor learning outcomes • TOOLS: brief assessments that are valid, reliable, and evidence-based • TIMEFRAME: students are assessed at regular intervals (e.g., weekly, biweekly, or monthly) www.RtI4success.org
Progress Monitoring • Answers the questions: • Are students meeting short-and long-term performance goals? • Are students making progress at an acceptable rate? • Does the instruction need to be adjusted or changed? www.RtI4success.org
NCRtI Progress Monitoring Tools Chart www.RtI4success.org
Essential Components of RtI www.RtI4success.org
SCHOOL-WIDE, MULTI-LEVEL PREVENTION SYSTEM • The RtI framework includes a school-wide, multi-level system for preventing school failure. www.RtI4success.org
Essential Tiered System Components • Tertiary Level: • Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with Intensive Needs 5% • Secondary Level: Supplemental Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Response to Primary Level • Primary Level: • School-/Classroom-Wide Instruction for All Students, Including Differentiated Instruction 15 % 80% of Students
Primary Level • FOCUS: all students • INSTRUCTION: District curriculum and instructional practices that are evidence-based; aligned with state or district standards; incorporate differentiated instruction • SETTING: general education classroom • ASSESSMENTS: screening, continuous progress monitoring, and outcome measures www.RtI4success.org
Secondary Level • FOCUS: students identified through screening as at-risk for poor learning outcomes • INSTRUCTION: targeted, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups • SETTING: general education classroom or other general education location within the school • ASSESSMENTS: progress monitoring; diagnostic www.RtI4success.org
Tertiary Level • FOCUS: students who have not responded to primary or secondary level prevention • INSTRUCTION: intensive, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups or individually • SETTING: general education classroom or other general education location within the school • ASSESSMENTS: progress monitoring, diagnostic www.RtI4success.org
Changing the Intensity and Nature of Instruction • Duration • Frequency • Interventionist • Group size • Intervention www.RtI4success.org
NCRtI Instruction Tools Chart www.RtI4success.org
Essential Components of RtI www.RtI4success.org
Data-Based Decision Making • Data-based decision making processes are used to inform instruction, movement within the multi-level system, and for disability identification (in accordance with state law). www.RtI4success.org
Data-Based Decision Making: The Basics • Data analysis is at all levels of RtI implementation (e.g., state, district, school, grade level) as well as all levels of prevention (e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary) • Establish routines and procedures for making decisions • Use explicit decision rules for assessing student progress (e.g., state and district benchmarks, level and/or rate) • Data is used to compare and contrast the adequacy of the core curriculum and the effectiveness of different instructional and behavioral strategies www.RtI4success.org
Data-Based Decision Making: Types of Decisions • Instruction • Movementwithin the multi-level prevention system • Disability identification (in accordance with state law) www.RtI4success.org
Data-based Decision Making: Learning Disability Eligibility To ensure that underachievement in a child suspected of having a specific learning disability is not due to lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math, the group must consider, as part of the evaluation described in 34 CFR 300.304 through 300.306: • Data that demonstrate that prior to, or as a part of, the referral process, the child was provided appropriate instruction in regular education settings, delivered by qualified personnel; and • Data-based documentation of repeated assessments of achievement at reasonable intervals, reflecting formal assessment of student progress during instruction, which was provided to the child’s parents. www.RtI4success.org