Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 29(3), 90–92C© 2014 The Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children

Intensive Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities in the RTI Era:Position Statement of the Division for Learning Disabilities Council for

Exceptional Children

Sharon VaughnUniversity of Texas at Austin

Rebecca ZumetaAmerican Institutes for Research

Jeanne WanzekFlorida State University

Bryan CookUniversity of Hawaii

Janette K. Klingner∗

University of Colorado Boulder

Response to intervention (RTI) reforms have changed thestructure of many aspects of special education for studentswith and at risk for learning disabilities (LD). Regardless ofthe structure of services, the core of special education for stu-dents with LD remains intensive instruction. Many studentswith LD are not being provided with appropriate instructionthat consists of intensive, individualized interventions basedon the best available evidence. To encourage schools and dis-tricts to examine the intensity, individualization, and researchbase of their instructional approaches for students with LD,the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for LearningDisabilities offers the following position statement:

RTI reforms provide a structure for delivering instruction tostudents with and at risk for LD. Students with LD require ap-propriate instruction that includes intensive, individualizedinterventions based on the best available evidence to helpthem improve in their areas of need, successfully access thegeneral education curriculum, and make progress towardstandards. Special education for students with LD shouldnot be either accommodations/adaptations OR intensive in-terventions, but both. We suggest that the design and imple-mentation of these intensive, individualized, research-basedinterventions will likely require changes in how schooling isnow provided to the vast majority of students with LD.

Despite the potential advantages of RTI reforms, manystudents with LD do not make the academic progress neededto meet grade-level expectations and to succeed in postsec-

∗Dr. Janette Klingner passed away in March 2014. Her contributions inthe field of special education will continue to shape the direction of learning.

Requests for reprints should be sent to S. Vaughn, University of Texas atAustin. Electronic inquiries should be sent to srvaughn@austin.utexas.edu.

ondary settings. We propose that interventions that are inten-sive, individualized, and based on the best available evidenceare necessary for many students with LD. Effective imple-mentation will require changes from the typical modes ofinstructional delivery as well as in the training and supportcommonly provided for school personnel.

Extant research provides several directions for enhancingthe effectiveness of interventions by intensifying their con-tent and features. Students with LD require intensive treat-ments over time that are characterized by small group or 1:1instruction; explicit, systematic instruction addressing thecritical elements associated with success in reading, writing,and/or math; frequent occurrence (e.g., daily); and meaning-ful duration for each instructional session. These featuresof intensive instruction will facilitate active engagement, in-terest and motivation, and abundant opportunities for prac-tice and feedback. Continued research on how interventionsmight be constructed to meet the individual needs of studentswith LD is vital.

Best available research evidence serves as the foundationfor designing and implementing appropriate interventions forstudents with LD. For example, one means for individualizinginstruction is to make data-based decisions using ongoingprogress-monitoring data. These data may also be used inconjunction with data collected on implementation fidelityto assess and refine the impact of individualized adaptationsand modifications to interventions.

Additionally, many programs and practices also meet cri-teria as evidence-based for many students with LD. Despitethese resources, some students with LD do not respond ad-equately to research-based interventions that typically areeffective, and practices with substantial research support do

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH 91

not exist that universally meet the individualized needs ofall students with LD in all instructional and behavioral ar-eas. In these cases, we recommend that special educators usepractices supported by the best available evidence (e.g., apractice comprising elements that are research-based). Ad-ditional research should continue to develop evidence aboutintensive interventions that have a high probability for suc-cess for students with LD and that take into account learnercharacteristics that may impact their efficacy, such as Englishlanguage proficiency.

The provision of intensive, individualized interventionsbased on the best available evidence for students with LDshould occur at the more intensive tiers of service provi-sion within an RTI model. Such instruction is likely to re-quire adjusting the organization of students’ schedules toensure that these interventions can be implemented (e.g.,making time in the day for this instruction) in a manner thatmaximizes engaged instructional time for students with LD.The provision of appropriate instruction also requires highlytrained personnel (e.g., special education teachers) with rel-evant expertise and clinical skills. Ongoing training and sup-ports are necessary to: (1) enable school personnel to useprogress-monitoring data to individualize instruction and (2)identify and utilize the best available evidence when select-ing, implementing, and adapting instructional practices andprograms.

The following questions may assist in guiding school per-sonnel as they consider the appropriateness of their interven-tions for students with LD:

� Is the intervention provided for a sufficient duration andintensity to allow for success?

� Is a well-prepared professional with appropriate creden-tials, experience, and training providing the intervention?

� Is the intervention provided in groups that are smallenough to maximize learning, provide adequate oppor-tunities for students to respond with feedback, and al-

low teachers to individualize instruction to meet students’needs?

� Is the intervention provided in combination with the col-lection of ongoing, valid, and reliable progress-monitoringdata that are sensitive to change to ensure that appropri-ate adjustments to instruction may occur as needed as afunction of student data?

� Is the amount and type of intervention adjusted based onstudents’ response data to ensure that students are makingadequate progress?

� Does the best available evidence suggest the interventionmay be effective for students with LD?

� Are other factors that could affect students’ responsesto interventions considered when making decisions abouthow to adjust instruction (e.g., language proficiency, be-havior)?

In 1996, Kauffman (1996) argued that,

Compared to the general practice of education, special ed-ucation is instruction that is more urgent, more intensive,more relentless, more precisely delivered, more highly struc-tured and direct, and more carefully monitored for proceduralfidelity and effects. (p. 206)

Fifteen years later, we believe that the field still does notadequately meet the needs of the majority of students withLD. And, we propose we can do better, as evidence sug-gests that feasible changes in the structure, delivery, and con-tent of intervention can result in improved outcomes for thispopulation.

REFERENCES

Kauffman, J. M. (1996). The challenge of nihilism. Teacher Educationand Special Education, 19(3), 205–206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/088840649601900305.

About the Authors

Dr. Sharon Vaughn, H. E. Hartfelder/Southland Corp. Regents Chair in Human Development, is the Executive Directorof The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. Sheis the recipient of the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, The University of Texas Distinguished faculty award, and theJeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of LD from CEC. She is the author of more than 35books and 250 research articles. She is currently Principal Investigator on several Institutes for Education Sciences, NationalInstitute for Child Health and Human Development, and U.S. Department of Education research grants.

Rebecca Zumeta, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she serves as the DeputyDirector of the National Center on Intensive Intervention. She also oversees services for the Response to Intervention Centerat AIR, and works on the IES national impact evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavior Support, a multisite randomizedcontrolled trial. She earned a Ph.D. in Special Education with a concentration in quantitative research methods from VanderbiltUniversity, an M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Psychology and Politics fromWhitman College. Her research interests include implementation of tiered intervention systems, intensive intervention forstudents with disabilities, and special education policy.

Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., is an associate professor in special education at Florida State University and on the research faculty atthe Florida Center for Reading Research. Her research interests include learning disabilities, reading, effective instruction, andresponse to intervention.

92 VAUGHN ET AL.: INTENSIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS

Bryan G. Cook, Ph.D., is a Professor in Special Education at the University of Hawaii. He received his Ph.D. from Universityof California at Santa Barbara. His research interests include evidence-based practices in special education, sources of bias inresearch, and health outcomes (e.g., obesity, physical activity) for youth with high incidence disabilities. He has a wonderfulwife, two amazing children, two big dogs, and an indifferent cat.

Janette Klingner, Ph.D., was a professor of bilingual special education at the University of Colorado Boulder. She was a K-8bilingual special education teacher for 10 years before earning a Ph.D. in Reading and Learning Disabilities from the Universityof Miami. In addition to her influential work with Collaborative Strategic Reading and the disproportionate representation ofstudents of color in special education, she dedicated her research to empowering culturally and linguistically diverse exceptionalstudents and to sustaining and scaling up effective practices. Over the course of her career, Janette published 15 books andover 115 articles and book chapters. She was also the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2004 Early CareerAward at AERA, the 2013 Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special Education Research SIG at AERA, and the 2014Leadership for the Special Education Field Award conferred by the Department of Special Education at the University ofKansas, all for her contributions to the field on behalf of students with disabilities, their families, teachers, and schools.