Building an RTI System

Gresham-Barlow School District

Dec 2, 2010

Core RTI Principles

• We can effectively teach all children• Intervene early• Use a multi-tier model of service delivery• Use a problem-solving method to make decisions

within a multi-tier model• Use research-based, scientifically validated

interventions/instruction to the extent available• Monitor student progress to inform instruction• Use data to make decisions• Use assessment for 3 different purposes

– Screening, diagnostic, progress monitoringNASDSE, 2006

RTI Misconception: What it is and what it’s notIs Not Is

An instructional program A framework to implement effective practices

A group of students that leaves your room for extra instruction

A system of matching resources to each individuals student’s needs

Possible to implement alone A collaborative effort

The same for every school Uniquely designed for each building

A special ed, a general ed, a Title 1, a Talented and Gifted initiative

An “Every” Education Initiative

An educational fad A systematic method for delivering instruction, based on research and effective large scale implementation examples including Minneapolis Public Schools, Heartland AEA (Iowa), Ohio, and Pennsylvania

Differences Learning to ReadEstimates from NICHD Research

Population %

Journey to Reading Instructional Requirements

5 Easy: children read before starting school

Need no formal decoding instruction

35 Relatively Easy Learn to read regardless of instructional approach

40 Formidable Challenge Need systematic and explicit instruction

20 One of the most difficult tasks to be mastered in school

Need intensive, systematic, direct, explicit instruction

Pre-referral team (CARES)reviews what teacher

has tried

Jessie participates in the general curriculum

Jessie isn’t doing well

Teacher tries again

Exits intervention?

Jessiedoesn’t

improve

Jessieimproves

Teacher’s effort is deemed sufficient

Special Education referral is initiated by the teacher

Jessie’s teacher does his best to differentiate instruction and keeps

anecdotal data

The

pre referral/discrepancy

approach

Teacher is told to try again

Jessie is tested, usually by special education personnel, using IQ, achievement, and other tests

In The Past

GeneralEducation

Title Reading or

Other Reading Support

Special Education

Some “Fell’”Through

Some “Fell’”Through

Heartland Educational Agency

Daisy participates in the general curriculum with

strong instruction

Screening data showsDaisy isn’t doing well Second Group

Intervention

Team designs individualized intervention

Exits intervention?

Daisydoesn’t

improve

Daisyimproves

Daisydoesn’t

improve

Daisyimproves

Intervention is intense and LD is suspected

Improvement is good and other

factors are suspected as

cause

Special Education referral is initiated

Team reviews screening data and places Daisy in group intervention

Parents Notified

How RTI Works from a Student’s Perspective

Progress and intervention data is used

In The Past

GeneralEducation

Title Reading or

Other Reading Support

Special Education

Some “Fell’”Through

Some “Fell’”Through

Heartland Educational Agency

RTI: Full Continuum of Support

GeneralEducation

Title Reading & Reading Support,

Gifted Ed.

Special Education,Gifted Ed.IIIIIIII

all along the continuum!I =Heartland Educational Agency

RTI focus is on General Education!

• Teachers don’t fail students, systems do.

• RTI is a system for differentiation of instruction!

• RTI is a system that is predicated on the general education teachers’ skill and knowledge of instruction, assessment, curriculum, and children.

Nuts and Bolts: System Requirements

Leadership at all levels Teaming Use of a research based core reading curriculum Universal screening Implementation of research based interventions Progress monitoring Decision Rules Policy and procedure development

(standardization) Professional development including fidelity of

implementation.

#1 Leadership

District LevelStrong administrative support to ensure commitment and resources

AND

School Level

Strong teacher support to share in the common goal of improving instruction

#2 Teaming

Collaboration is the key: Membership might include…

PrincipalClassroom TeachersSpecialistsSchool CounselorSchool Psychologist

The Team is only as strong as the least invested member

14

School Data Teams

Schoolwide Data Team

InterventionTeam

Individual Problem Solving Team

#3 Research-Based CORE Program

RTI is predicated on effective, research-based programs

that include the BIG 5 components of reading:

Phonemic Awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension

Phonics

Fluency

Phonemic AwarenessComprhensionVocabulary

Delivered for 90 minutes daily for all students!

Effective core instruction is the most important

thing you can do in RTI.

Teaching is like running a relay

• We want to be sure that we know what has and what will be taught.

• Mastery of skills looks different at all levels

• Repeated opportunities to learn

Teaching is like running a relay

Tier 1 is for all students

How does it help a struggling reader to be in core?

• They need the most instruction• Need to be exposed to grade

level material• If they miss grade level material,

they will never catch up• Just because there is a deficit in

one area, does not mean there is a deficit in all areas of reading

• Interventions are limited in scope

#4 Universal Screening

Universal screening for ALL students at least three times per year

Procedures must identify which students are proficient (80%) and which are deficient (20%).

Good screening measures:

Are not intended to measure everything about a student, but provide an efficient an unbiased way to identify students who will need additional support (Tier 2 or Tier 3)

Help you assess the overall health of your Core program

(Are 80% of your students at benchmark/proficiency?)

Why Use Fluency Measures for Screening?

• Oral Reading Fluency and Accuracy in reading connected text is one of the best indicators of overall reading comprehension (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, & Jenkins, 2001)

• We always examine fluency AND accuracy

• Without examining accuracy scores, we are missing a BIG piece of the picture

• Students MUST be accurate with any skill before they are fluent.

• Oral reading fluency does not tell you everything about a student’s reading skill, but a child who cannot read fluently cannot fully comprehend written text and will need additional support.

#5 Interventions

– Must be designed to match identified needs (based on data)

– Almost always given in small groups (Not necessarily 1:1)

– On-going data determines need to continue, discontinue, or

change curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment

– Is in addition to and aligns with the district core curriculum

– Does NOT replace core

– Uses more explicit instruction

– Provides more intensity

• Additional modeling and guided feedback

• Immediacy of feedback

Interventions

• Students pulled out for interventions may be “missing” something else…

BUT• If a student can’t read, how much are they

already missing in the classroom?“No one seems to notice that it is only during that single period each day [intervention time] that the struggling readers are provided with texts and lessons that theory and research support. The other 5 hours each day are largely comprised of texts and lessons that are over their heads.” Richard Allington

Who receives interventions?

• Start with what’s manageable– You may not be able to provide

interventions to all students that need them initially

– Must weigh the amount of resources vs. the number of students in need

– Be consistent:• Ex., Lowest 20% at each grade level

• Remember… ALL students will receive Core Instruction

Which students:– All receiving

intervention – Borderline scores

or performance-as resources allow

#6 Progress Monitoring

Tools Must Be:• Brief• Valid • Reliable• Repeatable• Easy to Administer

Frequency:• Every 2 weeks (minimum)• Every week (ideal)

Are the children learning? How can we tell?

#7 Decision Rules

• Provide the “now what” after teams have analyzed student data

• Guide decisions for all tiers• Take the guesswork out of “what to do

next”• Ensure equity across schools

I think… I feel… I believeWhat data do you have that makes you think/feel/believe that?

-Dr. Ed Shapiro

10

20

30

40

Dec.S cores

Feb.S cores

J an.S cores

Marc hS cores

AprilS cores

MayS cores

J uneS cores

60

50

Aimline

Decision Rule Example: 4 Points Below the Goal Line

Ora

l Rea

ding

Flu

ency

Add 15 minutes to intervention

Reduce group size to 3 students

Districts must adopt common procedures for doing this work:

Decision RulesFormsSPED Procedures

Think of RTI as a

standardized test

Students should be identified similarly

from school to school

#8 Policy and Procedure Development (Standardization)

# 9 Professional Development and Fidelity

Content:– Core curriculum &

instruction – Assessment– Interventions– Teaming– Data-based decision

making– SPED procedures

Delivery:• Ongoing• Sufficient time to collaborate and plan• Incorporates fidelity checks

Data ALSO used to drive professional development needs

Professional DevelopmentLeadershipData based teaming

Universal Screener

Decision Rules and protocolProgress Monitoring

Core Curriculum with strong instruction

Interventions

Benefits of an RTI System

RTI will help you to: – Know immediately, “Is what we are doing working?” – Know which students need more/different– Know what each student needs– Provide structures to deliver what students need– Reduce rates of identification of student learning

disabilities– Prevent reading problems before they occur– Raise student achievement

– Heartland Educational Agency

Tigard-Tualatin School District OAKS Reading Proficiency

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-20100

20

40

60

80

100

83.1 80.8 78.8 82.4 83.975.6 73.6 73.6 76.1 77.1

Reading

TTSD total popOR total pop

Tigard-Tualatin School District OAKS Math Proficiency

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-20100

20

40

60

80

100

82.176.4 77.3 78.3 80.8

73.768.2 70.3 72.2 74.1

Math

TTSD total popOR total pop

A Tale of Two Districts

District 1: RTI for 4-5 years District 2: Non RTI

Small, rural school district Small, rural school district

350 elementary students(PK-5)

470 elementary students(PK-5)

Title 1 services Title 1 services

31% students on Free and Reduced Lunch

19% students on Free and Reduced Lunch

A Tale of Two DistrictsDistrict 1: RTI

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-20090

20

40

60

80

100

5162

8679

36 32

51913

6 8 2

BenchmarkStrategicIntensive

3rd Grade ORF

A Tale of Two DistrictsDistrict 2: Non RTI

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-20090

20

40

60

80

100

6251 52 49

22

41 41 37

148 7

13

BenchmarkStrategicIntensive

3rd Grade ORF

RTI District:3rd Grade ITBS Reading

Comprehension

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-20080

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

8296 90

74 77 75

District Proficient and AboveIA Proficient and Above

The Process is Ongoing and Long-Term

Adapted from

CONSENSUS