RTI: Academics

1. RTI: Academics A NEW APPROACH TO IDENTIFYING LEARNING DISABILITIES

2. Review of One SLD Diagnostic Model • Often referred to as: Discrepancy Model • How it is done: • Teacher referred child for assessment • Psychologist performed assessment (IQ and Achievement test) • Psychologist subtracted the achievement score from the IQ score • Psychologist determined if any significant discrepancy b/w IQ and achievement • Eligibility team meets and decides if a disability exists. • Child is either placed or not placed in special education

3. Report back to the law. • When determining whether a pupil has a specific learning disability, the public agency may use a process that determines if the pupil responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures described in subsection 6. • Other assessments in subsection 6: IQ, ACH, Social/ Emotional, Ed. hx, Dev. hx, Med. hx, Observation, Current status

4. Review of a Newer SLD Diagnostic Model • Often referred to as: RtI (Response to Intervention) • How it is done: • School provides a common educational experience with common interventions for all children (Tier I). • Teacher referred child for additional intervention when Tier I is not enough (Tier II). • A team (often including a school psychologist, a school counselor, a lead teacher, and the referring teacher) confers to provide guidance. • Baseline data is collected on the child. • A “research based” intervention is administered with frequent data collection or “progress monitoring.” • The team reconvenes to determine if the child has responded to the Tier II intervention. • Either the child has improved, further services are provided at the general education level, or the child goes into special education.

5. Why is someone referred? • Local norms (teacher compares child to others in class or in school) • Socio-cultural differences • Contextual factors (e.g., Teacher/Child fit, frequent absences, abuse, etc.)

6. Problems with Discrepancy • No direct link b/w assessment and intervention • Not consistent from state to state • What is an “educationally significant discrepancy”? • How discrepancy is diagnosed (not standardized) • Deviation from grade • Expectancy formulas (deviation from grade taking into account IQ • Simple Standard-score differences • Standard regression analysis (account for measurement error)

7. What is RTI? • Discrepancy is not between IQ and ACH • Discrepancy is between pre-intervetion scores and post-intervention scores.

8. RTI Considers… • Did child have adequate opportunity to learn? • Is this child’s skills falling w/in what would would be expected in his/her classroom? • The difference b/w acquisition (can’t do it) vs. motivation (won’t do it). • Can do this by performing an assessment w/out reward and later providing it with reward and seeing if there is a significant difference.

9. Interventions • Data supports interventions that use a combination of direct instruction and strategy. • Given the various effective interventions available, practitioners may have to decide what is best for this child, in this school, at this time. • Length will depend on student’s responsiveness to intervention (individual to each child.

10. Change in Treatment Special Ed.: IEP Determination Tertiary: Selected Intervention Secondary: Consultation Primary: Whole Class

11. RTI: Assumptions • Intensity of intervention is matched to the degree of unresponsiveness. • Change in intensity is based on inadequate response to empirically supported interventions. • Decisions regarding movement are made from empirical data from multiple sources • Get more data at each stage. • SPED should only be an option once it has been determined that child has an inadequate response to intervention.

12. Requirements for RTI Dx • Availability of measures to evaluate growth. • Availability of research based intervention. • Ability of the person providing the intervention. • Ability of the person making the decision as to the child’s responsiveness.

13. Ways to Measure Response • Measure pretest/posttest scores and calculate statistics • ANCOVA using control and treatment groups. • ANOVA using repeated measure design. • Growth curve analysis (GCA) using hierarchical linear models • Determine common growth curves for a class of students or an intervention group • Determine an individual’s growth curve • Compare the individual growth curve to the group’s growth curve

14. RTI Models of Diagnosis • Dual-Discepancy Model (CBM-DD) • Fuchs and Fuchs • Functional Assessment Model • Applied Behavioral Analysis groups

15. Dual-Discrepancy Model (CBM-DD) • Student performs below classroom peers. • Student shows a learning rate below that of peers.

16. Two-Stage Process for CBM-DD • Problem Identification • Is student’s achievement sufficiently deficient to justify more testing? • Screen by giving 3-5 CBMs on different days (look at median score) • Compare CBM data for that child w/local norm data OR with another child in the class with average skills. • Prob. Certification • Does the child’s problems warrant SPED? • After giving 3-5 CBMs if the child is scoring between 25th-75th percentile, then they are average.

17. 3 Phase Process for LD Eligibility: Phase I • Document that the child is receiving adequate classroom instruction. • Do this by providing weekly CBM for all students for 6 weeks. • Look to see if any child: • A. Has a 1 SD difference b/w his/her scores and rest of class • B. Has a 1 SD difference b/w his/her slope of improvement (growth)

18. 3 Phase Process for LD Eligibility: Phase II • Assessment team member and general education teacher design an intervention for the child. • CBM data are collected to judge the effectiveness of the intervention. • Teacher provides at least 2 interventions if first doesn’t work. • If both don’t work, go to Phase III.

19. 3 Phase Process for LD Eligibility: Phase III • Design and implementation of extended intervention plan • Provide an ~8 week IEP and then meet again. The team may: • Decide to keep IEP on long-term. • Consider a more intensive intervention. • Consider a less intensive intervention. • Ask for more data

20. Functional Assessment Model • Understand academic failure related to child’s environment. • Analyze the factors that explain poor performance and intervene accordingly

21. Functional Assess. Model5 Reasons Kids Fail • “Won’t do it” • Lack of practice and feedback • Not enough help doing it • Has not had to do it before (instructional demands do not promote mastery) • It is too hard (poor match b/w child and instruction).

22. RTI Assignment • The set-up: • 8 y.o. boy is performing poorly in reading comprehension compared to others in class. • The data: • Test based on the first 100 words on the “Fry List” • Baseline scores are: 5, 7, 12. Class average=30; SD =4 • An intervention is put in place (direct instruction). • During the intervention, his scores are: 12, 18, 20. • Following the intervention, his scores are: 12, 12, 14. • Answer the following: • Did the teacher correctly refer the child? • Did the teacher use the correct tool for assessment? • Did the teacher use a researched based intervention? • Did the child respond to the intervention? • Does the child need special education?