1. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Teams: Following a Structured Problem- Solving Model Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

2. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 2 RTI Problem-Solving Teams: Top 5 ‘To Do’ List Ensure that the RTI Team follows a structured problem-solving process that reliably matches student concern(s) to interventions. Develop procedures to accept student referrals from multiple sources (e.g., teachers, parents, administrators, support staff). Develop guidelines for teachers to let them know when a referral to the RTI Team is recommended. Implement a ‘pre-meeting’ prior to the initial RTI Team meeting to clarify teacher concerns and decide on what data to collect. Inventory your school resources that can be used to create RTI Team-level interventions (e.g., expert consultation services; staff available to implement interventions, commercial instruction/intervention resources, etc.).

3. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 3 RTI ‘Pyramid of Interventions’ Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 1: Universal interventions. Available to all students in a classroom or school. Can consist of whole-group or individual strategies or supports. Tier 2: Individualized interventions. Subset of students receive interventions targeting specific needs. Tier 3: Intensive interventions. Students who are ‘non- responders’ to Tiers I & II may be eligible for special education services, intensive interventions.

4. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 4 Tier 3 Targets: Intervention, Curriculum, and Environment “For [a tier 3] intervention to be effective and robust, it must focus on the specific needs of the student. It should also address the reason that the student is experiencing difficulty…. Rather than considering a [student] problem to be the result of inalterable student characteristics, teams are compelled to focus on change that can be made to the intervention, curriculum or environment that would result in positive student outcome. The hypothesis and intervention should focus on those variables that are alterable within the school setting. These alterable variables include learning goals and objectives (what is to be learned), materials, time, student-to-teacher ratio, activities, and motivational strategies.” p. 95 Source: Burns, M. K., & Gibbons, K. A. (2008). Implementing response-to-intervention in elementary and secondary schools. Routledge: New York.

5. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 5 Tier 3 Interventions Are Developed With Assistance from the School’s RTI (Problem-Solving) Team Effective RTI Teams: Are multi-disciplinary and include classroom teachers among their members Follow a structured ‘problem-solving’ model Use data to analyze the academic problem and match the student to effective, evidence-based interventions Develop a detailed research-based intervention plan to help staff with implementation Check up on the teacher’s success in carrying out the intervention (‘intervention integrity’)

6. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 6 The Problem-Solving Model & Multi-Disciplinary Teams A school consultative process (‘the problem-solving model’) with roots in applied behavior analysis was developed (e.g., Bergan, 1995) that includes 4 steps: –Problem Identification –Problem Analysis –Plan Implementation –Problem Evaluation Originally designed for individual consultation with teachers, the problem-solving model was later adapted in various forms to multi-disciplinary team settings. Source: Bergan, J. R. (1995). Evolution of a problem-solving model of consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 6(2), 111-123.

7. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 7 Teams of educators at a school are trained to work together as effective problem-solvers. RTI Teams are made up of volunteers drawn from general- and special-education teachers and support staff. These teams use a structured meeting process to identify the underlying reasons that a student might be experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties The team helps the referring teacher to put together practical, classroom-friendly interventions to address those student problems. The RTI Team: Definition

8. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 8 can engage in collegial conversations about better ways to help struggling learners learn instructional and behavior-management strategies that they can use with similar students in the future increase their teaching time are able to access more intervention resources and supports in the building than if they work alone feel less isolated when dealing with challenging kids have help in documenting their intervention efforts Teachers may be motivated to refer students to your RTI Team because they…

9. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 9 Team Roles Coordinator Facilitator Recorder Time Keeper Case Manager

10. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org Step 1: Assess Teacher Concerns 5 Mins Step 2: Inventory Student Strengths/Talents 5 Mins Step 3: Review Background/Baseline Data 5 Mins Step 4: Select Target Teacher Concerns 5-10 Mins Step 5: Set Academic and/or Behavioral Outcome Goals and Methods for Progress-Monitoring 5 Mins Step 6: Design an Intervention Plan 15-20 Mins Step 7: Plan How to Share Meeting Information with the Student’s Parent(s) 5 Mins Step 8: Review Intervention & Monitoring Plans 5 Mins RTI Team Consultative Process

11. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 11 RTI Problem-Solving Teams at the Secondary Level: The Necessary Art of ‘Satisficing’ “The word satisfice was coined by Herbert Simon as a portmanteau of "satisfy" and "suffice". Simon pointed out that human beings lack the cognitive resources to maximize: we usually do not know the relevant probabilities of outcomes, we can rarely evaluate all outcomes with sufficient precision, and our memories are weak and unreliable. A more realistic approach to rationality takes into account these limitations: This is called bounded rationality.” ( Satisficing, 2008) Source: Satisficing (2008). Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 2, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing

12. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 12 How Is a Secondary RTI Team Like a MASH Unit? The RTI Team must deal with complex situations with limited resources and tight timelines, often being forced to select from among numerous ‘intervention targets’ (e.g., attendance, motivation, basic skill deficits, higher-level deficits in cognitive strategies) when working with struggling students. The ‘problem-solving’ approach is flexible, allowing the RTI Team quickly to sift through a complex student case to identify and address the most important ‘blockers’ to academic success. Timelines for success are often short-term (e.g., to get the student to pass a course or a state test), measured in weeks or months.

13. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 13 Secondary RTI Teams: Combining Consistency & Flexibility Schools should ensure that RTI Teams follow a structured problem-solving model. Schools do have flexibility in when and where they use the RTI problem-solving model. For example: –If a person (e.g., school psychologist, school administrator) is trained to facilitate an RTI Team meeting, that meeting can be scheduled during shared teacher planning times or during parent- teacher conferences.

14. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 14 Secondary RTI Teams: Recommendations Secondary RTI Teams should be multi- disciplinary, to include teachers, administration, and support staff (e.g., school psychologist, guidance counselors). Fixed times should be set aside each week for the RTI Team to meet on student referrals. Sufficient time (i.e., 30 minutes) should be reserved for initial student referrals to allow adequate discussion and intervention planning.

15. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 15 RTI Team Effectiveness Self- Rating Scale

16. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 16 As a group, use the RTI Team Self-Rating Scale to evaluate your current student problem- solving team’s level of functioning. If your school does not have a formal problem- solving team in place, rate your school’s current informal problem-solving efforts. Appoint a spokesperson to share your findings with the large group. Small-Group Activity: Complete the RTI Team Effectiveness Self-Rating Scale Effective RTI Teams: Are multi-disciplinary and include teachers among their members Follow a structured ‘problem-solving’ model Use data to analyze the academic problem and match the student to effective, evidence-based interventions Develop a detailed research-based intervention plan to help staff with implementation Check up on the teacher’s success in carrying out the intervention (‘intervention integrity’)

17. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 17 RTI Team: Demonstration Video

18. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org RTI Teams: Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’ Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org

19. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 19 Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’… The initial teacher referral suggested that the student’s classroom needs are primarily behavioral. At the RTI Team meeting, it becomes clear that ACADEMIC concerns are probably driving the behavioral problems. You have little targeted information about the student’s academic skills. How can your team respond (or avoid this situation in the first place)?

20. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 20 Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’… The referring teacher appears highly reluctant to participate in the RTI Team meeting. At one point, he says, “I am only here because the principal said that I had to refer this student.” How can your team respond (or avoid this situation in the first place)?

21. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 21 Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’… When asked to state her main referral concern, the referring teacher at the RTI Team meeting declares that “The problem is that the student just can’t do the work. We need to find a better placement for him than my classroom!” How can your team respond (or avoid this situation in the first place)?

22. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 22 Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’… Your RTI Team feels ‘stuck’ in selecting an intervention (Step 6: Design an Intervention Plan) for a student whose referral concerns have been identified as “poor reading comprehension” and “disruptive behavior.” How can your team respond (or avoid this situation in the first place)?

23. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 23 Managing Those ‘RTI Emergencies’… During the RTI Team meeting, the team recommends a number of research-based intervention ideas for a student with academic delays. For each idea, the teacher says, “I’ve already tried that.” How can your team respond (or avoid this situation in the first place)?

24. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 24 Discuss the problem-solving team that your middle or high school uses to create individualized RTI intervention plans for students. What are strengths of your team? What are areas of your team’s functioning that could be targeted for improvement? Small-Group Activity: Rate Your RTI Problem- Solving Team Effective RTI Teams: Are multi-disciplinary and include teachers among their members Follow a structured ‘problem-solving’ model Use data to analyze the academic problem and match the student to effective, evidence-based interventions Develop a detailed research-based intervention plan to help staff with implementation Check up on the teacher’s success in carrying out the intervention (‘intervention integrity’)

25. Response to Intervention www.interventioncentral.org 25 RTI Problem-Solving Teams: Top 5 ‘To Do’ List Ensure that the RTI Team follows a structured problem-solving process that reliably matches student concern(s) to interventions. Develop procedures to accept student referrals from multiple sources (e.g., teachers, parents, administrators, support staff). Develop guidelines for teachers to let them know when a referral to the RTI Team is recommended. Implement a ‘pre-meeting’ prior to the initial RTI Team meeting to clarify teacher concerns and decide on what data to collect. Inventory your school resources that can be used to create RTI Team-level interventions (e.g., expert consultation services; staff available to implement interventions, commercial instruction/intervention resources, etc.).