By: Jill Mullins

RtI is… the practice of providing high-quality instruction/intervention matched to student needs and using learning rate over time and level of performance to inform educational decisions (National Center on Response to Intervention)

Definitions AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)- A statewide accountability system mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 which requires each state to ensure that all schools and districts make Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by states and approved by the US Department of Education Aimline- Line on a graph that represents expected student growth over time Co-teaching (as an instructional improvement strategy)- A collegial process wherein two colleagues share responsibility for instruction, assessment, and student progress for a particular classroom of student

Definitions (cont.) Tiered Instruction- Levels of instructional intensity within a tiered model Trendline- Line on a graph that connects data points; compare against aimline to determine responsiveness to intervention Universal screening- A process of reviewing student performance through formal and/or informal assessment measures to determine progress in relation to student benchmarks; related directly to student learning standards

Definitions (cont.) Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA)- Measurement that uses direct observation and recording of a student’s performance in the local curriculum as a basis for gathering information to make instructional decisions Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM)- Tools for measuring student competency and progress in the basic skill areas of reading fluency, spelling, mathematics and written language Data Points- Points on a graph that represent student achievement or behavior relative to a specific assessment at a specific time

Definitions (cont.) Learning Rate- Average progress over a period of time, i.e. one-year’s growth in one year’s time Progress Monitoring- A scientifically based practice used to assess students’ academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring can be implemented with individual students or an entire class. Also, the process used to monitor implementation of specific interventions. Scientific, Research-based Instruction- Curriculum and educational interventions that have been proven to be effective for most students based on scientific study

Why? 1975: Initial purpose to provide FAPE in LRE 1980s: Shift from access to schools to access to curriculum and instruction, and to results in learning Now: Accountability for learning language in NCLB and IDEA ’04 are similar 707 KAR 1:300 under Child Find there are specific requirements under Section 3. Referral System; 707 KAR 1:310 for learning disabilities

Research

Your role in RtI 1. Establish a goal to implement research-based academic practices and utilize data for decision making to improve student achievement, 2. Identify and organize a school leadership team that is representative of the building, administration, grade level faculty, support staff and parents consisting of individuals with collective knowledge and experience in leadership, curriculum, data-based decision-making and systems change, 3. Identify on member of this leadership team to serve as a coach for leading implementation efforts and provide time and resources for the coach to effectively support implementation, 4. Participate in professional development events and on-going networking meetings,

Your Role (cont.) 5. Implement a team-based, problem-solving process to provide interventions for all student at the universal, targeted and intensive levels, 6. Develop and implement a plan to ensure parent involvement with implementation effort in my building, 7. Secure cooperation from the faculty to commit to training and the practice of reviewing academic and/or discipline data for decision-making, 8. Reallocate resources based on data outcomes,

Your role (cont.) 9. Review the district’s special education procedure manual and take steps to ensure it reflects problem solving and RtI 10. Develop a dissemination strategy to increase visibility, and 11. Budget funds for supplies, materials, travel for team trainings/meeting, etc. (Bergstrom, 2008, p.29)

Implementing RtI 1. Introduce the three-tier Problem solving model. 2. Universal Screening for Identification and Intervention A. Decide on a universal screener B. Set dates for collecting data. This should be done three times a year. 1) Beginning of year- student who need immediate attention 2) Winter- student who begin to lose ground as material gets more difficult and he/she cannot keep up any longer 3) Spring- to discuss intervention for next year or for summer C. Setting of criteria using the universal screener and other school- wide academic issues. This criterion is then used to decide if intervention is needed.

Implementing RtI (cont.) 3. Identify research based instructional practices for three-tier model. It is best to start with what resources you have available and add only what you need and can, of course, afford. Make sure they are research based! 4. Implementation of progress monitoring and how to document. Why is it important? Curriculum-based progress measurement should be used to measure student progress. When graphed, a teacher can easily make instructional decisions as well as increase student performance. 5. Moving between tiers Continual use of curriculum-based progress measurement will allow teachers to see discrete changes in student performance. Teachers will need support to move students between tiers as students may first need supports and strategies of higher tiers. Then after learning skills, be moved back to the regular classroom.

Professional Development trainings Must focus on school-wide improvement Need to increase student achievement Span across time Increase educator networking Plan for staff turnover Understanding of Progress Monitoring is crucial (Bergstrom, 2008, pg. 27)

Don’t Forget! RtI is an approach not a program Continual need for training in each area Assessment is for more than just one thing 1. To screen 2. Diagnostic 3. Monitor progress