RTI Discussion Threads

[lholdheide]

Dr. Reschly,

Can you articulate the differences between accommodations and
interventions? Are these differences taught currently in teacher
preparation and professional development for both general and special
education teachers?

Thanks

[dreschly]

Dr. Reschly,

Can you articulate the differences between accommodations and
interventions? Are these differences taught currently in teacher
preparation and professional development for both general and special
education teachers?

Thanks

From Dan Reschly, I don't have a textbook in front of me, but the critical differences are in purpose and activity.

The purpose of accommodations is to ensure students can access the curriculum or test content/responses. Frequent activities involve changing presentation and response modes so that students can participate educational activities associated with the curriculum.

An intervention is some intentional change in the environment designed to produce changes in student skills and/or performance in critical developmental domains includng academics, behavior, and emotional regulation.

I don't think that we as teacher educators do enough with either accommodations or interventions.

Another 2 cents worth. Questions, comments?

[lholdheide]

Additional information on progress monitoring tools can be located at:

Intervention Central at http://www.jimwrightonline.com/php/rti/rti_wire.php

University of Minnesota’s Institute at http://progressmonitoring.net.

[lholdheide]

Dr. Reschly & other educators,

In your experience, do educators have the misconception that RTI is just one more "add on" to school programs? How has professional development been altered to demonstrate that RTI is focused on data based decision making and improved results?

Can anyone provide any insights?


Thanks

[lholdheide]

Dr. Reschly,

You stated in a previous posting that high school teachers need to to use the following in their classroom:

For example, high school teachers need to screen for poor achievement and productivity, often using naturally occurring data such as homework records, success in passing weekly quizes, unit tests, etc.

I am interested in learning more about the types of assessments that high school teachers can use to screen for achievement and how often they should be using these screening methods. Is a weekly quiz providing enough data?  How often are these results shared with students, parents?

Also, what types of behavioral screening can be used at the high school level?

In RTI at all grade levels we distinguish between screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostice measures.

In screening we are interested in finding those students at risk for poor academic and behavioral outcomes. Some useful screening measures for high school students are existing standardized achievement test results, prior performance on state benchmark tests, course grades, teacher screening (e. g., nominating students with poor academic performance or inappropriate behaviors), disciplinary referrals, etc. The purpose is to identiry student at risk for poor outcomes.

Once students are identified in a screening procedure, further examination of current performance is appropriate. Here we would look at performance in specific classes, interview the teacher(s) and student, and determine academic and/or behavioral domains needing interventions. More precise measures are then used or developed that reflect current status and can be used to monitor progress. Depending on current level of performance and the nature of the skills or performance deficits direct measures of academic skills may be used including CBMs, indirect measures such as classroom records of work completion and accuracy, grades on quizes, unit tests, etc.

Comments?

[skarr]

Dr. Reschly,

There has been some confusion regarding the role of related service providers on RTI teams. How do you see their role?

Thanks
Susan Karr

[dreschly]

Dr. Reschly,

There has been some confusion regarding the role of related service providers on RTI teams. How do you see their role?

Thanks
Susan Karr

Susan, others,

Related services personnel are key contributors to RTI systems. The roles are as varied as the related services specialties. Some related services personnel are in direct teaching roles while others work on a consultative basis with persons working directly with students. Regardless of the direct or indirect nature of the service role, all use RTI principles, that is,

Development of evidence based interventions matched to student needs, implemented with good fidelity

Frequent monitoring of progress

Changes in the interventions or goals depending on results, and

Decisions about needs and subsequent services based on results.

Many speech language therapists have used RTI principles for years to implement and evaluate interventions.

School psychologists usually provide several kinds of services in RTI including designing, implementing, and interpreting universal screening data, designing interventions, assisting others in implementing and evaluating interventions, determining needs for more intense services and exiting from services.

Similar roles exist for other related services personnel.

Thanks for the question.

[lholdheide]

Dr. Reschly,

There has been some confusion regarding the role of related service providers on RTI teams. How do you see their role?

Thanks
Susan Karr

Susan and others,

The Center on Instruction (http://www.centeroninstruction.org/index.cfm) offers a resource, New Roles in Response to Intervention: Creating Success for School and Children [K-12] that is a compilation of professional organization position papers regarding various school personnel’s roles in RTI. This resource can be accessed at: http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/rti_role_definitions.pdf

[dreschly]

Dr. Reschly & other educators,

In your experience, do educators have the misconception that RTI is just one more "add on" to school programs? How has professional development been altered to demonstrate that RTI is focused on data based decision making and improved results?

Can anyone provide any insights?


Thanks

Is RTI just one more add on to the already busy schedules of educators. This is a good question because it raises the issue of whether RTI is new (it is not) and whether it can become a fully integrated, functional, and effective component of educational practice.

RTI is, first, understoon best as a process of data-based decision making directed toward improving results.

The RTI process focuses on implementing the best interventions we have available, then assessing whether they are working in a specific context with a specific group of students. Progress is assessed frequently. Interventions are changed if they are not working.  Humans have made changes in what they did based on results for thousands of years. So what is new?

What is new is the following:

Legal authority to use RTI prior to or as a part of referral to special education.

Legal authority to use RTI in identification of disabilities

Well reserched models for improving educational results using RTI processes

Educational policies that emphasize results rather than inputs such as the amount of money spent per student, facilities, and professional ratios to students.  

A quality education increasingly is defined not by the resources committed to students, but rather by the outcomes achieved.

RTI would be just another "add on" if not for the changes just listed. Given these changes, RTI is fundamental to successful implementation of national and state educational policies.

[lholdheide]

Dr. Reschly and others-

Tier 1 of RTI takes place in the general education classroom. How has professional development within schools been modified to develop the “buy-in” from the general education teachers? What strategies have been successful?

Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks

[bgwyn]

Dr. Reschly,

My questions relate to the implemenation of RTI. How is professional development taking place in this area? Who is providing the professional development? Are there opportunties to blend RTI with other existing programs of similar values? How can schools make sure they are maintaing the fidelity of the RTI principles? 

Thanks!

[dreschly]

Dr. Reschly,

My questions relate to the implemenation of RTI. How is professional development taking place in this area? Who is providing the professional development? Are there opportunties to blend RTI with other existing programs of similar values? How can schools make sure they are maintaing the fidelity of the RTI principles? 

Thanks!

This is Dan Reschly. First my apolgy for not responding sooner. Your questions are highly relevant to the RTI discussion. Let me take them one at a time.

Professional development in RTI is available from a number of sources including professional associations, state agencies, and local agencies. One way to find out more about RTI professional development opportunities is to contact the professional associations in which you are a member, e. g., NEA, CEC, NASP.  You may also find professional development opportunities at the web sites maintained by professional associations. A second method is to contact you state education agency. Many state education agencies now have RTI information at their web sites. This same web site may have information on training events in your state. Third, there are national web sites with RTI information. Some of them are www.rtisummit.org, http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/   http://www.fcrr.org/  www.nifl.gov  www.interventioncentral.org   http://www.studentprogress.org/  www.pbis.org  These web sites have information related to RTI implementation and evidence based interventions.

Local education districts increasingly are offering RTI training professional personnel.

Plans to implement RTI in general and special education were requested from all states subsequent to the RTI Summit on December 6-7, 2007. I believe these plans can be obtained at the www.rtisummit.org web site or at your state department of education. The state RTI plans must address continuing professional development among other aspects of RTI

I think that RTI can be integrated with some existing educational and professional development programs, but, likely, not all. RTI has a strong results focus and a commitment to evidence based practices. RTI is, for example, closely compatible with scientifically-based reading instruction and school-wide positive behavior supports.

Fidelity of treatment, that is, ensuring that a program or model of services is actually implemented as intended and designed, is a major challenge for all educational programs. RTI is no different in that regard. Several papers have been written on treatment fidelity in RTI. Generally, we cannot assume that programs including RTI are implemented with good fidelity. Fidelity must be assessed. Treatment fidelity can be improved if the following steps are followed: a) Precise specification in written form of what is to be done, by whom, when, etc., b) Development and use of checklists that specify critical elements of the RTI process, c) Period checks on RTI treatment fidelity through self-report (weak method) or observation (better method).

Thanks for the question. I hope others will contribute. What are your ideas about professional development? What souces to you recommend?