Response to Intervention: Where Do the States Stand

1. Darren Woodruff, NCRTI Tina Diamond, OSEP Amy Klekotka, NCRTI Response to Intervention: Where Do the States Stand?

2. Overview of RTI Center Activities Review of the OSEP Model for TA Current Status of States’ RTI Implementation and Level of TA Need Today’s Presentation Will Discuss

3. National Center on RTIActivities to Date RTI Summit in December, 2007 Sponsored by Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of English Language Acquisition, and Institute of Education Sciences. Attended by over 700 educators, state affiliates of national organizations, and parents from 56 states and territories as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Defense

4. Who Participated onthe State Teams? From the SEA: Chief State School Officer or designee Director of Special Education or designee Director of Reading First or designee Coordinators of Title I, Title III, Curriculum & Instruction, and/or School Improvement From State Affiliates: PTI/PIRC Centers NAESP AASA NEA AFT Core Members of State Teams: National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), Chair American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Education Association (NEA) American Federation of Teachers( AFT) Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) /Parent Resource and Information Centers (PIRC) Planning Committee, Facilitators and Presenters: Other organizations in the IDEA Partnership, including Title I directors, secondary principals (NASSP), school psychologists (NASP), speech and language therapists( ASHA), etc.Core Members of State Teams: National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), Chair American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Education Association (NEA) American Federation of Teachers( AFT) Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) /Parent Resource and Information Centers (PIRC) Planning Committee, Facilitators and Presenters: Other organizations in the IDEA Partnership, including Title I directors, secondary principals (NASSP), school psychologists (NASP), speech and language therapists( ASHA), etc.

5. State Implementation of RTI 71 percent of SEA respondents reported that their state or territory is currently implementing RTI Of the responding SEAs, just under 100% reported RTI implementation in reading, 61% reported implementation in math; 30% noted behavior-related implementation Top grade levels in which RTI is being implemented: First, Second, and Third Evaluations from the Summit revealed that the event was highly successful. For example, 93.6 percent of the respondents said that the information they received at the Summit will be used to support their states’ efforts to implement RTI in schools, while 85.7 percent said their participation improved their understanding of the federal resources available to assist them in implementing RTI. Seventy-one percent of SEA respondents reported that their states are currently implementing RTI, with 99 percent noting that their states are involved in RTI reading efforts and 60 percent in mathematics. Evaluations from the Summit revealed that the event was highly successful. For example, 93.6 percent of the respondents said that the information they received at the Summit will be used to support their states’ efforts to implement RTI in schools, while 85.7 percent said their participation improved their understanding of the federal resources available to assist them in implementing RTI. Seventy-one percent of SEA respondents reported that their states are currently implementing RTI, with 99 percent noting that their states are involved in RTI reading efforts and 60 percent in mathematics.

6. Perceived Challenges to RTI Implementation Lack of resources Absence of authority to implement state-wide Shifting focus away from special education Differing levels of knowledge about and understanding of RTI models

7. What Kinds of TA support is needed?Info from State Action Plans 1. What is RTI?  What is the common language around RTI? 2. Where are examples of successful RTI implementation or problem solving in other states? 3. How to coordinate funding for RTI (e.g., info on Title I, Title III, Part B funds) 4. RTI and secondary schools 5. Evaluating RTI (e.g., school/district readiness for RTI, the components of an RTI model, student outcomes) 6. Coordinating RTI Across State Departments and Agencies 7. Families and RTI  (e.g. communication strategies for parents) We are putting together information and examples of success for each of these areas. Wednesday, May 14 was our 1st webinar on “What is RTI”?? The next event will be on funding for RTI.We are putting together information and examples of success for each of these areas. Wednesday, May 14 was our 1st webinar on “What is RTI”?? The next event will be on funding for RTI.

8. National Center on RTIActivities to Date RTI Implementation Support – Center TA Liaisons provide support to SEAs for scaling up evidence-based RTI models in local school districts State action plans from Summit collected, analyzed, and summarized by Center TA Liaisons Ongoing working relationships with SEA established by Liaisons and Center outreach to other TA Centers and Associations.

9. National Center on RTIActivities to Date Knowledge Production - Technical Review Committees will review scientific rigor of RTI tools and practices and determine which are appropriate for Center-sponsored TA to States. TRC on K–8 Screening – Members confirmed, initial planning meeting held (April 2008) and review protocols developed TRC on K–8 Student Progress Monitoring – Members confirmed, initial planning meeting held (April 2008) and review protocols developed TRC on Tiered Interventions –Initial planning meeting scheduled for Fall, 2008 Workgroups on RTI Topics – RTI Scaling up, Secondary RTI, Evaluation, SLD. Scheduled for 2009. Immediately following the Summit, our Technical Assistance Liaisons will be reviewing the state action plans that each of the state teams have completed in order to identify specific resource and information needs and to help us work efficiently and effectively with each of the states and territories in their efforts to implement RTI. Some of the areas we anticipate providing support in include . . . scaling up for statewide RTI implementation, problem solving around any barriers to RTI implementation, and information sharing across various stakeholder groups. TA Liaisons will be introduced later in the presentation . . . Immediately following the Summit, our Technical Assistance Liaisons will be reviewing the state action plans that each of the state teams have completed in order to identify specific resource and information needs and to help us work efficiently and effectively with each of the states and territories in their efforts to implement RTI. Some of the areas we anticipate providing support in include . . . scaling up for statewide RTI implementation, problem solving around any barriers to RTI implementation, and information sharing across various stakeholder groups. TA Liaisons will be introduced later in the presentation . . .

10. National Center on RTIActivities to Date Conference and Other Presentations: Online Chat on RTI with Education Week, Maurice McInerney and Evelyn Johnson, Boise State University, February, 2008. Southeast RRC Meeting, Atlanta. March, 2008 Leveraging Resources: 3rd Annual Meeting of OESE Comprehensive and Equity Assistance Centers & OSEP TA&D Projects. Washington, DC. March, 2008. Mountain Plains RRC Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, April, 2008, with West and South Central Regional Equity Centers. Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention. April, 2008. Presentations in Louisiana, Maine, and Rhode Island.

11. National Center on RTIActivities to Date Trainings and Support provided by Center Staff: Onsite training to Georgia SEA to develop the state RTI scaling-up plan. Onsite training to New England SEAs to develop RTI scaling-up plans. RTI Center Webinar: What is RTI? with Daryl Mellard, Univ of Kansas, May, 2008 (200+). Review of State RTI Guidance Documents Upcoming RTI summits in California, North Central, Northeast, Midsouth Regions

12. National Center on RTIActivities to Date Information Dissemination - target audience is state and local administrators, educators, parents, state and national TA centers and member associations. The Center launched its website (www.rti4success.org). The Center has identified and posted on its website over 250 informational products on RTI. Our newsletter, the RTI Responder about to release its 3rd issue, with a feature on the Center’s model of varied TA intensity for working with states The Center established partnerships with 23 groups, including 11 strategic partners and 12 association partners.

14. TA & D Categories

15. General/Universal TA Category “Let it Happen” --  Passive TA and information provided to independent users through their own initiative resulting in minimal interaction with TA Center staff.  May include one-time, invited or offered conference presentations by TA Center staff.  Access to information or products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded from the TA Center's website by independent users.  Brief communications by TA Center Staff with recipients, either by telephone or email are also considered General/Universal TA.

16. Targeted/Specific TA Category “Help it Happen” -- Technical assistance service is developed based on needs common to multiple recipients and is not extensively individualized.  A relationship is established between the recipient and one or more TA Center staff.  Services can be one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating strategic planning or hosting regional or national conferences.  TA may be episodic, less labor-intensive events that extend over a period of time, such as facilitating a series of conference calls on single or multiple topics that are designed around the needs of the recipients. Examples: Facilitating a Communities of Practice (CoPs) can also be considered Targeted/Specific TA.

17. Intensive/Sustained TA Category “Make it Change” -- Technical assistance services that require a stable, on-going negotiated relationship between the TA Center staff and the TA recipient. Includes a purposeful, planned series of activities designed to reach an outcome that is valued by the individual recipient.  Intensive/Sustained TA services should result in changes to policy, program, practice, or operations that support increased recipient capacity and/or improved outcomes at one or more systems levels.  Evaluation and continuous feedback are a requisite of Intensive/Sustained TA.

18. Where Do the States Stand?Levels of RTI Implementation Four levels of implementation Rubric based on the work of Dean Fixsen and the Center’s Capacity Building Checklist TA liaisons categorizing states by implementation level Validation calls with states

19. Stage One – Exploration and Conceptualization 20 states/territories/entities at Stage One What does that mean? What elements make up a Stage 1 categorization? What activities are happening in the state?

20. Stage Two – Initial Implementation 27 states/territories/entities at Stage Two What does that mean? What elements make up a Stage 2 categorization? What activities are happening in the state?

21. Stage Three – Full Implementation and Innovation 10 states/ territories/ entities at Stage Three What does that mean? What elements make up a Stage 3 categorization? What activities are happening in the state?

22. Stage Four – Sustained Practice No states/territories/entities at Stage Four What does that mean? What elements make up a Stage 4 categorization? What activities would be happening in a Stage 4 state?

23. Our Proposed TA Strategy Providing TA to all states at various levels of intensity Three levels Low: provided to all states through website and at least 4 states per region Medium: provided to at least 2-3 states per region High: provided to at least one state per region

24. Levels of TA Intensity High intensity 12% of states Medium intensity 23-35% of states Low Intensity 53-65 % of states

25. Examples of TA at each Level High Medium Low

26. Current and Upcoming TA Activities TA Liaisons working across 6 regions Website: www.rti4success.org Webinars on requested RTI topics Online training modules State information sharing communities State, regional, and national events

27. Questions, comments, more info? Contact us: Darren Woodruff, Ph.D. Co-Director Email: dwoodruff@air.org Amy Klekotka, Ph.D. Co-Deputy Director Email: aklekotka@air.org Thank You!