Response To Intervention Implementation Research Articles

Comparing Tier 1 reading instruction with Tier 3 or special education intervention through an observational snapshot of school-implemented response to intervention across Grades 1–5

AbstractThere is limited research about Tier 3 interventions provided during typical school Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation. As part of a larger RTI exploration study designed to focus on students with the most intensive reading needs, our goal was to contrast their Tier 1 core reading instruction with their Tier 3 intervention. Schools identified participating students as receiving Tier 3 or special education for reading. We aimed to provide a snapshot of differences in Tier 1 and intensive interventions delivered to 264 students from 32 elementary schools. Our research team used the Instructional Content Emphasis-Revised (ICE-R; Edmond & Briggs, 2003) to observe differences in group size and the amounts and types of curricular content (e.g., code vs. meaning-focused) students received during both tiers. We explored whether these patterns were consistent across Grades 1–5 and if they differed in relation to students’ disability (reading disability vs. other disability vs. no disability). We also examined whether the Tier 3 observation data was consistent with administrators’ reports about RTI implementation within their school. Across the grades, we found significantly more small-group than whole-class instruction during Tier 3 than in Tier 1. We observed significantly lower proportions of code-focused instruction than meaning-focused instruction, particularly during Tier 1. Generally, code-focused instruction decreased across the grades in both tiers. Although we found a trend suggesting students with reading disabilities may have received higher proportions of code-focused instruction than other students, this was not significant after multiple comparisons. We discuss some similarities and differences between our observations and administrator data. We discuss implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

Implementation of Rtl as a Part of Multi-tiered Systems of Support: What Teachers, Administrators,Teacher Educators Need to Know

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an outgrowth of Response to Intervention (RtI). The various systems of support for students and school communities provided through these programs are integral to modern education and embedded in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. While there are many benefits to the implementation of MTSS and RtI, there are various obstacles that can hinder successful intervention programs. The absence of consensus across districts and states with respect to program development and implementation creates confusion. This article addresses considerations and concerns related to MTSS and RtI. Discussed are underlying principles, challenges to effective implementation, expertise and training of teachers, and usage for classification for special education services. The roles of general and special education teachers, administrators, and university preparation programs are examined, and recommendation providec

An implementation case study for the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach for oral language and reading instruction in the early years of primary school

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report the initial stages of Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation in one school that participated in the Getting it Right from the Start (GIRFTS) pilot study. Implementation of an RTI framework for oral language and reading was supported by teacher professional learning and a dedicated Implementation Support Partner (ISP). Participants were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the change process and identify barriers and enablers to implementation. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors that supported the implementation of RTI, including strategic collegial relationships, teacher motivation, and a desire to achieve consistency of assessment and instruction. The ISP was seen as a crucial coaching role for keeping implementation on track, providing feedback and advice, and helping teachers translate professional learning into their school context. This study highlights some key factors that schools and policy-makers should focus on to promote successful early implementation of RTI approaches.

Efficacy of Institution-wide RTI Reading Intervention in Disadvantaged Suburbs of South Korea: 3-Year Analysis on Elementary Students with Reading Difficulties

The study examined the efficacy of reading intervention based on the Response to Intervention implementation (RTI) with public elementary school students and students from childcare centers in Gyeonggi province of South Korea. After the institution-wide screening and selecting process, reading intervention programs were provided at either Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the RTI in reading domains of fluency, vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, or phonological awareness as needed. For each year, approximately 69 participants were selected and the grade ranges were between 1st and 6th grade. Pre-and post-test results in all intervention domains were analyzed both by year and grade, and between-grade comparison was further conducted. Significances relating to the middle grades were discussed from the findings. The need for the institution-wide RTI approach to successful intervention and educational implications are discussed.

Perceptions of response‐to‐intervention practices: results from a cross‐sectional survey of school‐board directors and support service professionals

The response‐to‐intervention (RtI) model is widely used to support students with special educational needs and their teachers. However, little is known about how educational and health care professionals support the implementation of this model in specific contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of educational and health care professionals (n = 101) regarding their involvement in RtI practices in Quebec, Canada. A cross‐sectional online survey was sent to school‐board directors responsible for overviewing support services (n = 35), and to professionals implementing those services (n = 66). Descriptive and content analyses were performed and perspectives of the two groups were compared. Regarding perspectives of RtI implementation, discrepancies were revealed between directors' perceptions of the involvement of their professionals versus the professionals' reported implementation of the RtI model in practice. Directors reported greater knowledge about RtI (84%) than professionals (72%). Professionals consistently reported lower involvement in supporting RtI implementation than did directors. Coaching was the most frequent activity reported and was mentioned by both directors and professionals as a service provided at all RtI tiers. Results reveal inconsistencies about tiered practices among administrators and school health care professionals, with individuals defining tiers differently and varying in practices implemented at specific tiers. Participants also provided useful suggestions to further implement RtI.

Principals and Professional Learning Communities: Breaking Down Barriers to Effective Response to Intervention in Secondary Schools

In the past decade, there has been a call for reform to improve adolescent literacy achievement. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a widely employed multi-tiered intervention system designed to identify and support the academic needs of at-risk students. Despite the success of RTI for younger students, there is little research documenting ways to effectively implement the model in secondary schools. This article identifies barriers that interfere with RTI implementation and highlights strategies to avoid failure. In particular, we emphasize the need for administrative support when initiating RTI and suggest building Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to ensure teachers are offered the time to collaborate on planning, implementing, and assessing the effects of RTI. Keywords: administration, differentiated instruction, literacy, professional development, secondary education, special education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-23-03 Publication date: August 31 st 2021

Alignment of School and Leadership Practices in Basic Education with Response-to-Intervention Model

This study assessed the implementation of school and leadership practices of the selected basic education schools and their alignment with the Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model components which enhanced the RTI implementation. The gaps in aligning the school and leadership practices with the RTI model were identified as concerns. As the RTI model is about preparing all students for success in their adult lives and careers, the school leaders hold a very significant position in improving the academic performance of all their learners. The study used the mixed method. The quantitative data analysis used a survey questionnaire and sent to the respondents through Google Forms. The descriptive statistics of frequency, mean and standard deviation was calculated using the IBM SPSS Statistics. For the qualitative data, an interview was conducted with the school principals, guidance counselors and selected class advisers, to clarify and support the responses in the survey questionnaire.
 Based on the findings, the researcher designed the contextualized RTI framework for basic education in Cebu City, Philippines. The recommendations of the study were: (1) include the RTI systems and procedures in the quality management system of the school; (2) for human resource departments and hiring committees, they should consider the qualification each potential new principal his or her previous experience working with students with special needs; (3) schools should consider providing professional development and training opportunities to principals whose sole or primary classroom teaching experience has been in general education; and, (4) for an individualized professional development planning process, principals might want to incorporate professional development opportunities that focus on leadership support for interventions.

Variations in RTI Literacy Implementation in Grades 6-12: A National Study

ABSTRACT Despite the need for Response to Intervention (RTI) in secondary grades, research is scant with most studies exploring state-level policy guidance and RTI implementation surveys in classrooms. Additionally, state and federal policy has generally been vague regarding specific information for RTI implementation in literacy. Our national survey reports data on RTI implementation from 209 secondary grade teachers. Response profiles and statistical significance tests were conducted, determining that many secondary level classrooms are using research-based recommendations for RTI implementation and practice across the country. However, significant regional differences exist in how RTI is being resourced and implemented.

Foundation phase teachers’ points of view on the viability of Response to Intervention in their school context

Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the qualitative case study reported on here provided insight into the points of view of 9 foundation phase teachers on whether they believed that Response to Intervention (RtI) could be a viable approach to implement within their own school context. A semi-structured, focus group interview was conducted to explore the participants’ views regarding the viability of RtI for their school. Through exploring these teachers’ views, we aimed at initiating further research into whether RtI could potentially be a viable approach to assessment and intervention within a South African context. The findings suggest that the participants envisioned numerous challenges in the implementation of RtI within their school context. These challenges related to a lack of resources and challenges associated with the curriculum. The participants envisioned such challenges as potentially preventing the effective implementation of RtI and, therefore, decreasing its viability in their school context. The participants believed that if certain challenges, such as a lack of time and a lack of qualified teaching staff could be addressed and overcome, then an RtI approach could become viable in their school context. They believed that an effective RtI implementation could yield benefits associated with improved overall service delivery to learners and their parents. Furthermore, the participants believed that RtI could potentially result in a reduced need for financial resources to pay for referrals to learner support specialists, which they perceived as a challenge in their learner support interventions. The insights obtained from this study may be useful in guiding further research endeavours into the perceived viability of RtI in other school contexts in South Africa.

Supporting Students with or at Risk of Emotional Disturbance within the Response to Intervention Model: A Systematic Review

The response to intervention (RtI) model is a pre-referral model adopted by schools in the United States to prevent academic failure and enhance students’ academic outcomes. Recent research in the educational field suggests that integrating behavioral components into this model can support students with or at risk of emotional disturbance (ED). This study provides a systematic review of studies published between January 2004 and April 2020 that employ experimental research designs to examine the implementation of RtI to support students with or at risk of ED. A total of seven studies were identified and reviewed. Results vary for the implementation of RtI to support students with or at risk of ED. Although some studies reported potential positive effects of implementing RtI to reduce disruptive behaviors among students, other studies reported that students were unresponsive to the received behavioral intervention within RtI. Further studies are thus needed to fill the gap in the literature on how students with or at risk of ED can be supported by schools adopting the RtI model. Keywords: Response to intervention, Emotional disturbance, Emotional and behavioral disorders, Behavioral challenges, Emotional challenges DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-36-08 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

The Use of Response to Intervention to Inform Special Education Eligibility Decisions for Students With Specific Learning Disabilities

This is an official position paper of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), of which the Council for Learning Disabilities has been a long-standing, active member. Response to intervention (RTI) is a critical component of a multi-tiered service delivery system. This NJCLD paper presents concerns related to the implementation of RTI and its use as the sole method of evaluation to determine the identification and eligibility for special education as a student with a specific learning disability (SLD) and implications for transition.

Response to Intervention (RTI) and Changes in Special Education Categorization

Response to intervention (RTI) is used as a prerequisite to referring children for special education eligibility for learning disabilities (LD). RTI provides schools with a framework for helping students with learning challenges. In the United States, while the number of students receiving services through RTI has remained consistent, the overall number of students receiving some educational intervention through an alternate path has increased. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence that the RTI model had upon eligibility numbers in a large special education co-operative spanning 21 rural school districts in southern Illinois that represented 15,128 students. Each of the school districts maintained its own policies and procedures governing RTI implementation, special education referral, and special education eligibility. The study revealed that while the number of students with LD dropped significantly over the past decade, the numbers of children eligible for other disability categories increased in a similar proportion. This changing trend may be the result of several factors including changes in school district policy, parent advocates pressing for quicker paths to treatment, treatment providers shifting categories for a wide variety of reasons, or some yet unknown factor. These possible explanations suggest that family issues, time, finances, and procedural dynamics may play a role in the changing categorizations and should be better understood. Future studies should focus on the inclusion of more culturally and economically diverse students, within and outside the Unites States. Last, school district policies and RTI implementation procedures should be investigated to better uncover any potential relationship to this shifting data trend.

Districtwide Evaluation of RTI Implementation: Success, Challenges, and Self‐Efficacy

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the role descriptive factors played in the perceptions of response to intervention (RTI) implementation success, challenges, and self‐efficacy in a large Midwestern school district. District staff were surveyed as part of an evaluation of RTI implementation. Factors analyzed included teacher descriptive information, RTI essential elements, and teacher self‐efficacy. Findings suggested that staff in elementary buildings rated overall success of RTI implementation higher on average than did staff in secondary buildings. This difference could be attributed to additional challenges to implementation presented by secondary building needs. In addition, no difference was found in overall elementary versus secondary staff perceptions of RTI implementation difficulty; there were, however, differences in the elements that were considered more or less difficult.

A Snapshot of RTI Implementation a Decade Later: New Picture, Same Story

Response to intervention (RTI) has evolved from its first decade of implementation. Because states guide and regulate policy and practice at the state and local education agency levels, it is important to understand their critical role in RTI implementation. A systematic review of all 50 state education agency websites was conducted to provide an updated “snapshot” of states’ interpretation of RTI a decade after IDEA regulations were finalized. Findings revealed substantive progress towards developing approaches to systematic supports to students, with a major trend in adoption of multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) models. Findings also documented continued variation in how states are communicating about tiered systems on such matters as the roles of tiered systems in schoolwide prevention frameworks, meeting special education requirements, and aligning multiple systems within schools. Implications for special education services for students with learning disabilities are discussed.

Implementing an RTI approach: a qualitative study of prerequisites and obstacles

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a preventive approach which is broadly implemented in the West, particularly in the USA for early identification and intervention of students with learning difficulties (LD). However, in the East, especially in the developing countries, neither has this kind of program been used extensively, nor is it even a prerequisite in any educational environment. The challenges of implementing this approach in real-life situations have been investigated in the present article, and the prerequisites, obstacles and outcomes of such a program have been taken into consideration. In this qualitative research, information was gathered by various means including semi-structured one-on-one interviews with six school staff members, three parents, informal conversations with a number of students with LD, and monitoring (with note taking) of the conditions and interactions of these students in the school environment. The findings helped shed light on the causal conditions that underlie the bases of Iran’s present educational system; the current situations with which LD students are faced in schools; the necessary strategies and actions for successful implementation of RTI in the country; the factors that can facilitate the needed strategies and actions; and the consequences of the implementation of those strategies. The implications of the findings in educational policy and practice have also been discussed.

Qualitative Investigation of RtI Coaches Roles, Responsibilities, and Experiences Supporting Schools Participating in a State Level RtI Implementation Project

ABSTRACTSystems coaching is a professional development approach focusing on the implementation fidelity of evidence-based practices and whole school reform efforts such as Response to Intervention (RtI). However, the roles, responsibilities, and supports required by systems coaches, and how the work of those tasked with facilitating capacity for RtI implementation manifests within complex and multifaceted school environments remains unclear. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to investigate coaches’ perspectives and experiences related to RtI implementation to illustrate systems coaching in context. Ten coaches providing job-embedded support for RtI implementation across 34 schools in one state participated in semi-structured interviews. A constant-comparative and matrix analysis approach was used to generate codes and themes. Results indicated systems coaches experience a number of systemic and contextually dependent facilitators and barriers to their work, providing implications for RtI coaches’ preparation, ongoing support, and current practices, as well as directions for future research.

Teachers’ perception of the response to intervention implementation feasibility in Chinese inclusive early childhood education

This exploratory study examined Chinese teachers’ perceptions of the practical uses of Response to Intervention (RTI) in preschool inclusive education settings. A survey and follow-up interviews were conducted to collect information about teachers’ perceptions of RTI implementation feasibility in Chinese inclusive early childhood education. Results indicated that even though preschool teachers had limited understanding of the RTI model, they held positive attitudes toward this model and were willing to participate in the learning of this model. However, teachers held negative attitudes toward use of the RTI model in the current situation. The influencing factors included cultural differences, different educational systems, teachers’ knowledge and experience, inclusive education supporting system, and teachers’ self-efficacy. It is recommended that Chinese teachers’ colleges and normal universities could develop and offer more special education courses for the preschool education major in order to enhance the knowledge and skills of inclusive education for all early childhood education teachers. Preschools should build up better inclusive education supporting systems to enable and support teachers’ practices. In addition, universities and colleges could provide more RTI model training seminars and learning opportunities.

Identity-Blind Intervention: Examining Teachers’ Attention to Social Identity in the Context of Response to Intervention

Limited qualitative work has examined how response to intervention (RTI) is shaping teachers’ understandings of intervention, the premise for conversation about referral, when serving diverse learners. In this case study, I use the lenses of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and intersectionality to examine (a) how educators at one public elementary school are attending to student identity in the context of RTI implementation, and (b) how RTI is mediating teachers’ approaches to academic intervention. Findings indicate that teachers struggled to develop differentiated, culturally relevant approaches to intervention. The results hold implications for the preparation of teachers to serve diverse learners using RTI.

An Empty Seat at the Table: Examining General and Special Education Teacher Collaboration in Response to Intervention

Response to Intervention (RTI) may create an opportunity for equitable approaches to special education evaluation, in part, through collaboration among general and special education teachers, who can combine their areas of expertise to better understand how to serve students’ unique academic needs, particularly in underresourced schools serving diverse learners. Historically ineffective attempts to improve collaboration between general and special education, however, may pose challenges to effective RTI implementation. In this study, the author uses Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine how RTI implementation and the intersection of other context-specific conditions impact the way general and special educators work together at one public elementary school serving a large population of diverse learners. Findings indicate that, outside of referral meetings, RTI implementation was primarily a general education endeavor. The results hold implications for the way teacher education programs prepare general and special candidates to foster collaborative approaches to RTI in unique K-12 contexts.

A Review and Synthesis of the Response to Intervention (RtI) Literature: Teachers Implementations and Perceptions

This paper briefly reviews the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework. It explains how Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enhanced RtI implementation in general education classrooms. The main focus of this paper is to identify general educators’ roles when implementing RtI components such as evidence-based interventions and assessment. In addition, empirical studies that focused on general educators perceptions of RtI reforms were presented. The reviewed of the RtI literature show the need for more research on the impact of professional development, general educators’ perceptions and implementation of RtI. Keywords: high quality instruction, learning disability, discrepancy model, identification. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-15-02 Publication date :May 31 st 2019