HIGH SCHOOLRESPONSE TO

INTERVENTION

Erica Riggs3/20/15

LITERATURE REVIEW

http://www.rtinetwork.org/professional/videos/podcasts/jay-engeln-rti-at-the-secondary-level

IMPLEMENTING RTI IN A HIGH SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY

• 2 yr. study on small urban high school in southwest

• Question: How can high schools organize their resources and staff to implement RtI to address the complexities associated with adolescent learners?

• Found five main themes from their work:1. Focus on quality core instruction

2. Use course competencies to monitor progress

3. Schedule interventions to supplement, not replace, core instruction

4. Have dedicated resources to support intervention efforts

5. Adopt a school wide approach to RtI

• Their data suggests that lacking assessment information results in an inability to provide meaningful intervention

(Fisher & Frey, 2013)

PROBLEM ANALYSIS WITHIN AN RTI FRAMEWORK AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL• Key finding: examine student engagement• high absenteeism (20%)• office discipline referrals• GPA• number of credits

• Engagement is multidimensional• academic engagement (credit hours completed, GPA)• cognitive engagement (self-regulation, value of learning)• psychological engagement (sense of belonging)

• The Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) is one of the most psychometrically sound methods of assessing cognitive and psychological engagement.

• To help ensure that interventions work problem analysis should be the foundation to the RTI process.

(Burns & Pettersson, 2011)

A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTING RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION IN THREE COLORADO HIGH SCHOOLS• District 189 – over three years they tracked each school’s RTI

• Goal: better understand the conditions that contribute to or inhibit implementation of RTI

• Colorado has identified as 6 components to support RTI implementation:1. Leadership2. Problem Solving3. Curriculum and Instruction4. Assessment and Progress Monitoring5. Positive School Climate and Culture6. Family and Community Engagement

• Findings:• Create a coherent vision and structures that support the implementation process• Build efficient data systems• Provide professional development

• Overall, the RTI process proved to be successful in District 189 and helped the students with higher academic achievement.

(Duffy & Scala, 2012)

RTI DATA PROJECT Harrison High School

PROPOSAL Who: 1st Semester 2014 Harrison High School Students brought to RTI team in A-Go alphabet (5 Students)

How: Track identified students’ grades over semester. Baseline data will be the initial set of grades students have at the beginning of the RtI process.

Data points: Grades, Parent/Student contacts, Number of RtI Meetings

Why: RtI progress monitoring is essential for RtI to work properly, as shown by recent research (Brown-Chidsey & Steege,

2010). Progress data provides information to track whether interventions are working properly.

NULL HYPOTHESIS

Students, in the A-Go counselor alphabet, that have been identified and accepted into RtI process will show no grade improvement over the course of the 2014 fall semester as indicated by course grades, regardless of interventions.

DATA POINTS/COLLECTION• Grades will be collected, at a fixed-interval, from data teachers have posted in Infinite Campus. Grades will be entered into a spreadsheet to determine grades patterns.

• RtI meeting notes will be used to indicate the number of times students are on RtI agenda. Interventions will be the primary outcome of meetings.

• Intern/Counselor contacts will be collected from the Infinite Campus contact log. Contacts can be either parent or student centered and include intervention check-ins, attendance check-ins, and transmission of information or items need for interventions.

RTI STUDENT DATA

2014 Fall Semester 1

STUDENT 1: D.C.Student/Parent Contacts: 8RTI Mtgs: 6Entered Passing: 1Ended Passing: 3

Interventions:• Schedule Change• Teacher Mentor• Parent IC access• Behavior

Plan/Weekly Progress Monitoring

• Planner

STUDENT 2: J.C.Student/Parent Contacts: 5RTI Mtgs: 5Entered Passing: 1Ended Passing: 1

Interventions:• Goal Setting/Check

ins• Seminar• Planner

STUDENT 3: C.D.Student/Parent Contacts: 12RTI Mtgs: 8Entered Passing: 1Ended Passing: 4

Interventions:• Weekly check-ins• Multiple teacher

contacts• Mtgs on attendance• Alternative school

options

STUDENT 4: D.F.Student/Parent Contacts: 4RTI Mtgs: 4Entered Passing: 0Ended Passing: 1

Interventions:• Seminar• Parent IC access• Teacher to parent

contact• Bi-weekly Check-

ins

STUDENT 5: D.FM.Student/Parent Contacts: 5RTI Mtgs: 4Entered Passing: 1Ended Passing: 3

Interventions:• Schedule Change• Goal Setting• Seminar

LIMITATIONS

• Small sample size

• No control group

• Personal factors influencing performance

• Teacher differences

• Grade data points start only when student entered RtI process

DEMOGRAPHICS & IMPACTS

N = 5 Students

• 100% (5) Male : 0% (0) Female

• 60% (3) Hispanic/Latino : 40% (2) Non-Hispanic White

• Entered RtI Passing: 4 Classes – 15% pass rate

• Ended Semester Passing: 12 Classes – 46% pass rate

• 31% overall improvement to passing grades

CONTACT FACTORS

Passing Chg Contacts:Improved

Student 1: 14 1 to 3 2 14:2

Student 2: 10 1 to 1 0 10:0

Student 3: 20 1 to 4 3 20:3

Student 4: 8 0 to 1 1 8:1

Student 5: 9 1 to 3 2 9:2

Students 3 & 1 showed the most improvement and had the most contacts, however Student 2 had the third highest contacts but had no change. Also, Student 5 improved by 2 passing grades but had a lower number of contacts.

RESULTS• Overall the 5 students identified in the 2014 Fall Semester (from the A-Go alphabet) as needing to enter the Response to Intervention process at Harrison High School showed a 31% increase in passing classes as indicated by having a grade of 70% or higher.

• Based on this data, I reject the null hypothesis as overall the students have shown some improvement in grades to the end of the semester.

• The grade improvement can not be linked directly to number of parent/student contacts or RtI meetings on a student. This study was limited in scope and did not include correlations to types of interventions or other personal factors.

INDICATIONS OF RESULTS• Involvement in the RtI process is an important part of a counselor’s role and can improve student performance.

• Tracking data can help guide the RtI process and aid in collaboration efforts.

• Student’s identified for needing interventions can benefit from collaboration and contacts.

MOVING FORWARD

• HHS will begin tracking each student in the RtI process on a spreadsheet to indicate dates on agendas, goals, interventions discussed, and progress toward goals.

• Key players will have RtI meeting involvement by either attending bi-monthly meetings or providing input to the RtI prior to meetings.

• Counselors will provide data results for each semester to the RtI team.

INVOLVEMENT

• Counselors play a critical role in the RtI process. Beyond data tracking and meeting involvement, counselors can advocate for students and parents in unique ways.

• Counselors can also provide professional development in key areas of the RtI process.

• It is also important that counselors help the school view RtI has a whole school process. Counselors play a key role, but without involvement across the school RtI will not be as effective.

REFERENCES Burns, M., Sarlo, R., & Pettersson, H. (2011). Problem Analysis Within an RTI Framework at a Secondary School. Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/rti-in-secondary-schools/problem-analysis-within-an-rti-framework-at-a-secondary-school.

Duffy, H., & Scala, J. (2012). A Systemic Approach to Implementing Response to Intervention in Three Colorado High Schools. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.betterhighschools.org/documents/NHSC_CORTI_Mar12.pdf.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2013). Implementing RTI in a High School: A Case Study. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 46(2), 99-114.

Franklin, C. (2013). The school services sourcebook (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hughes, C., & Dexter, D.D. (2010). Field studies of RTI programs, revised. Penn State University.

Jimerson, S., & Gresham, F. (2007). Evolution of the Response-to-Intervention Concept: Empirical Foundations and Recent Developments. In Handbook of response to intervention the science and practice of assessment and intervention. New York: Springer.