response to intervention making rti work at the middle and high school levels jim wright

Response to Intervention

www.interventioncentral.org

Making RTI Work at the Middle and High School Levels

Jim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org


www.interventioncentral.org 2

Download PowerPoints and Handouts from this workshop at:

http://www.interventioncentral.org/NASP_Atlantic_City_2008.php



Workshop Agenda…

RTI & Secondary Schools: An Introduction

The ‘Intervention Footprint’: Issues in Planning & Documentation

Tier II: Establishing an Effective RTI Problem-Solving Team

RTI & Secondary Schools: Preparing for Systems-Level Change

Tier I: Promoting (Classroom) Interventions at the Secondary Level

RTI Assessment & Progress-Monitoring in Secondary Settings

Empowering Students to Participate in Their Own RTI Plans

Next Steps: Creating an RTI Action Plan for Your School



“The quality of a school as a learning community can be measured by how effectively it addresses the needs of struggling students.”--Wright (2005)

Source: Wright, J. (2005, Summer). Five interventions that work. NAESP Leadership Compass, 2(4) pp.1,6.

Discussion: Read the quote below:

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?



Secondary Students: Unique Challenges…

Struggling learners in middle and high school may:• Have significant deficits in basic academic skills• Lack higher-level problem-solving strategies and

concepts• Present with issues of school motivation• Show social/emotional concerns that interfere with

academics• Have difficulty with attendance• Are often in a process of disengaging from learning

even as adults in school expect that those students will move toward being ‘self-managing’ learners…



Why Do Students Drop Out of School?: Student Survey

• Classes were not perceived as interesting (47 percent)• Not motivated by teachers to ‘work hard’ (69 percent)• Failing in school was a major factor in dropping out (35 percent)• Had to get a job (32 percent)• Became a parent (26 percent)• Needed to care for a family member (22 percent)

Source: Bridgeland, J. M., DiIulio, J. J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Seattle, WA: Gates Foundation. Retrieved on May 4, 2008, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf



What Are Some Attributes of High Schools That Address the Needs of Struggling Learners?

• Small schools (i.e., 400 students or fewer)• Well-articulated school mission that guides ‘development of a

coherent curriculum’; unified approach to effective instruction across classrooms; and cohesive school culture

• Strong relationships between staff and students• Close monitoring of student performance required for graduation

and college eligibility• ‘Challenging and coherent instruction’: ‘High school standards,

curricula, and textbooks are amile wide and an inch deep.’• Relevant, functional ‘real-world’ application of instructional

content and learning activitiesSource: Gates Foundation (n.d.). High schools for the new millenium: Imagine the possibilities. Retrieved on July 2, 2008, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/edwhitepaper.pdf



Overlap Between ‘Policy Pathways’ & RTI Goals: Recommendations for Schools to Reduce Dropout Rates• A range of high school learning options matched to the needs of

individual learners: ‘different schools for different students’• Strategies to engage parents• Individualized graduation plans• ‘Early warning systems’ to identify students at risk of school

failure• A range of supplemental services/’intensive assistance strategies’

for struggling students• Adult advocates to work individually with at-risk students to

overcome obstacles to school completionSource: Bridgeland, J. M., DiIulio, J. J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Seattle, WA: Gates Foundation. Retrieved on May 4, 2008, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf



Five Core Components of RTI Service Delivery

1. Student services are arranged in a multi-tier model 2. Data are collected to assess student baseline levels

and to make decisions about student progress 3. Interventions are ‘evidence-based’4. The ‘procedural integrity’ of interventions is measured5. RTI is implemented and developed at the school- and

district-level to be scalable and sustainable over time

Source: Glover, T. A., & DiPerna, J. C. (2007). Service delivery for response to intervention: Core components and directions for future research. School Psychology Review, 36, 526-540.



RTI ‘Pyramid of Interventions’

Tier I

Tier II

Tier III

Tier I: Universal interventions. Available to all students in a classroom or school. Can consist of whole-group or individual strategies or supports.

Tier II: Individualized interventions. Subset of students receive interventions targeting specific needs. An RTI Team may assist with the plan.

Tier III: Intensive interventions. Students who are ‘non-responders’ to Tiers I & II may be eligible for special education services, intensive interventions.



Tier I Interventions

Tier I interventions are universal—available to all students.

Teachers often deliver these interventions in the classroom (e.g., providing additional drill and practice in reading fluency for students with limited decoding skills).

Tier I interventions are those strategies that instructors are likely to put into place at the first sign that a student is struggling.

Tier I interventions attempt to answer the question: Are routine classroom strategies for instructional delivery and classroom management sufficient to help the student to achieve academic success?



Tier II Interventions

Tier II interventions are individualized, tailored to the unique needs of struggling learners.

They are reserved for students with significant skill gaps who have failed to respond successfully to Tier I strategies.

Tier II interventions attempt to answer the question: Can an individualized intervention plan carried out in a general-education setting bring the student up to the academic level of his or her peers?



Tier II InterventionsThere are two different vehicles that schools can use to deliver Tier II interventions:

Standard-Protocol (Standalone Intervention). Group intervention programs based on scientifically valid instructional practices (‘standard protocol’) are created to address frequent student referral concerns. These services are provided outside of the classroom. A middle school, for example, may set up a structured math-tutoring program staffed by adult volunteer tutors to provide assistance to students with limited math skills. Students referred for a Tier II math intervention would be placed in this tutoring program. An advantage of the standard-protocol approach is that it is efficient and consistent: large numbers of students can be put into these group interventions to receive a highly standardized intervention. However, standard group intervention protocols often cannot be individualized easily to accommodate a specific student’s unique needs.

Problem-solving (Classroom-Based Intervention). Individualized research-based interventions match the profile of a particular student’s strengths and limitations. The classroom teacher often has a large role in carrying out these interventions. A plus of the problem-solving approach is that the intervention can be customized to the student’s needs. However, developing intervention plans for individual students can be time-consuming.



Tier III Interventions

Tier III interventions are the most intensive academic supports available in a school and are generally reserved for students with chronic and severe academic delays or behavioral problems.

In many schools, Tier III interventions are available only through special education.

Tier III supports try to answer the question, What ongoing supports does this student require and in what settings to achieve the greatest success possible?



Tier I: Universal100%

Tier II: Individualized10-20%

Tier III: Intensive5-10%

Levels of Intervention: Tier I, II, & III



RTI & Secondary Schools: A Walk on the ‘Wild’ Side



RTI at the Secondary Level: ‘In a Perfect World’…Teachers are able and willing to individualize instruction in their classrooms to help struggling learners.

The school has adequate programs and other supports for students with basic-skill deficits.

The school can provide individualized problem-solving consultation for any struggling student.

The progress of any student with an intervention plan is monitored frequently to determine if the plan is effective.

Students are motivated to take part in intervention plans.



RTI is a Model in Development

“Several proposals for operationalizing response to intervention have been made…The field can expect more efforts like these and, for a time at least, different models to be tested…Therefore, it is premature to advocate any single model.” (Barnett, Daly, Jones, & Lentz, 2004 )

Source: Barnett, D. W., Daly, E. J., Jones, K. M., & Lentz, F.E. (2004). Response to intervention: Empirically based special service decisions from single-case designs of increasing and decreasing intensity. Journal of Special Education, 38, 66-79.



Two Ways to Solve Problems: Algorithm vs. Heuristic

• Algorithm. An explicit step-by-step procedure for producing a solution to a given problem. Example: Multiplying 6 x 2

• Heuristic. A rule of thumb or approach which may help in solving a problem, but is not guaranteed to find a solution. Heuristics are exploratory in nature. Example: Using a map to find an appropriate route to a location.



As Knowledge Base Grows, Heuristic Approaches

(Exploratory, Open-Ended Guidelines to Solving a Problem)

Can Sometimes Turn into Algorithms (Fixed Rules for

Solving a Problem )Example: Recipes Through History

DARYOLS: ORIGINAL14th CENTURY ENGLISH RECIPE (HEURISTIC):Take cream of cow milk, or of almonds; do there-to eggs with sugar, saffron and salt. Mix it fair. Do it in a pie shell of 2 inch deep; bake it well and serve it forth.

MODERN DARYOLS RECIPE (ALGORITHM):INGREDIENTS

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts 1/2 cup blanched almonds 1 1/4 cups cold water 1 cup half-and-half cream 1 pinch saffron powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon rose water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Press pie crusts into the bottom and up the sides of two 9 inch pie pans. Prick with a fork all over to keep them from bubbling up. Bake pie crusts for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until set but not browned. Set aside to cool.

Make an almond milk by placing almonds in the container of a food processor. Process until finely ground, then add water, and pulse just to blend. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then strain through a cheesecloth. Measure out 1 cup of the almond milk, and mix with half and half. Stir in the saffron and cinnamon, and set aside.

Place the eggs and sugar in a saucepan, and mix until well blended. Place the pan over low heat, and gradually stir in the almond milk mixture and cinnamon. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. When the mixture is thick enough to evenly coat the back of a metal spoon, stir in rose water and remove from heat. Pour into the cooled pie shells….

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is set, but the top is not browned. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving.



RTI is a Work in Progress: Some Areas Can Be Managed Like an Algorithm While Others Require a Heuristic Approch

• Reading Fluency. Can be approached as a fixed algorithm. – DIBELS allows universal screening and progress-monitoring– DIBELS benchmarks give indication of student risk status– Classroom-friendly research-based fluency building interventions have

been validated• Study Skills. A complex set of skills whose problem-solving

approach resembles a heuristic. – Student’s basic set of study skills must be analyzed– The intervention selected will be highly dependent on the

hypothesized reason(s) for the student’s study difficulties– The quality of the research on study-skills interventions varies and is

still in development



“RTI implementation has clearly focused on elementary grades, with few attempting it on the secondary level…However, school districts will need to decide when and how—rather than if—RTI will begin in their middle schools and high schools. We suggest focusing on elementary schools in the initial phase of implementation, but eventually including secondary schools in practice and throughout the planning process.”-- Burns & Gibbons (2008) p. 10

Source: Burns, M. K., & Gibbons, K. A. (2008). Implementing response-to-intervention in elementary and secondary schools: Procedures to assure scientific-based practices. New York: Routledge.



RTI: Research Questions

Q: How Relevant is RTI to Secondary Schools?

The purposes of RTI have been widely defined as:• Early intervention in general education• Special education disability determination

How relevant is RTI at the middle or high school level?

Source: Fuchs, D., & Deshler, D. D. (2007). What we need to know about responsiveness to intervention (and shouldn’t be afraid to ask).. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 22(2),129–136.



The Purpose of RTI in Secondary Schools: What Students Does It Serve?

While the dual use of the RTI model (1) for early identification/remediation of at-risk students and (2) for the classification of children needing special education is adequate for the elementary level, in middle and high school there are also significant numbers of students who have a long history of poor school performance yet will probably not quality for special education services. In secondary schools, RTI must expand its mission to help chronically struggling, unmotivated students in a systematic way. In particular, how does RTI manage the needs of the chronically underachieving secondary student who does not (and likely will not) qualify for special education but requires ongoing academic support?



The Purpose of RTI in Secondary Schools: What Students Should It Serve?

Early Identification. As students begin to show need for academic support, the RTI model proactively supports them with early interventions to close the skill or performance gap with peers.

Chronically At-Risk. Students whose school performance is marginal across school years but who do not qualify for special education services are identified by the RTI Team and provided with ongoing intervention support.

Special Education. Students who fail to respond to scientifically valid general-education interventions implemented with integrity are classified as ‘non-responders’ and found eligible for special education.



‘Big Ideas’ in Academic Interventions



Big Ideas: Student Social & Academic Behaviors Are Strongly Influenced by the Instructional Setting

(Lentz & Shapiro, 1986)

• Students with learning problems do not exist in isolation. Rather, their instructional environment plays an enormously important role in these students’ eventual success or failure

Source: Lentz, F. E. & Shapiro, E. S. (1986). Functional assessment of the academic environment. School Psychology Review, 15, 346-57.



Big Ideas: Learn Unit (Heward, 1996) p. 35

The three essential elements of effective student learning include:1. Academic Opportunity to Respond. The student is presented with

a meaningful opportunity to respond to an academic task. A question posed by the teacher, a math word problem, and a spelling item on an educational computer ‘Word Gobbler’ game could all be considered academic opportunities to respond.

2. Active Student Response. The student answers the item, solves the problem presented, or completes the academic task. Answering the teacher’s question, computing the answer to a math word problem (and showing all work), and typing in the correct spelling of an item when playing an educational computer game are all examples of active student responding.

3. Performance Feedback. The student receives timely feedback about whether his or her response is correct—often with praise and encouragement. A teacher exclaiming ‘Right! Good job!’ when a student gives an response in class, a student using an answer key to check her answer to a math word problem, and a computer message that says ‘Congratulations! You get 2 points for correctly spelling this word!” are all examples of performance feedback.

Source: Heward, W.L. (1996). Three low-tech strategies for increasing the frequency of active student response during group instruction. In R. Gardner, D. M.S ainato, J. O. Cooper, T. E. Heron, W. L. Heward, J. W. Eshleman,& T. A. Grossi (Eds.), Behavior analysis in education: Focus on measurably superior instruction (pp.283-320). Pacific Grove, CA:Brooks/Cole.



Big Ideas: The Four Stages of Learning Can Be Summed Up in the ‘Instructional Hierarchy’ pp. 35-36

(Haring et al., 1978)

Student learning can be thought of as a multi-stage process. The universal stages of learning include:

• Acquisition: The student is just acquiring the skill.• Fluency: The student can perform the skill but

must make that skill ‘automatic’.• Generalization: The student must perform the skill

across situations or settings.• Adaptation: The student confronts novel task

demands that require that the student adapt a current skill to meet new requirements.

Source: Haring, N.G., Lovitt, T.C., Eaton, M.D., & Hansen, C.L. (1978). The fourth R: Research in the classroom. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co.



Instructional Hierarchy: Stages of LearningAcquisition: Effective Intervention Ideas• Teacher actively demonstrates target skill• Teacher uses ‘think-aloud’ strategy-- especially for

thinking skills that are otherwise covert• Student has models of correct performance to consult

as needed (e.g., correctly completed math problems on board)

• Student gets feedback about correct performance• Student receives praise, encouragement for effort



Instructional Hierarchy: Stages of LearningFluency: Effective Intervention Ideas• Teacher structures learning activities to give student

opportunity for active (observable) responding• Student has frequent opportunities to drill (direct repetition

of target skill) and practice (blending target skill with other skills to solve problems)

• Student gets feedback on fluency and accuracy of performance

• Student receives praise, encouragement for increased fluency



Instructional Hierarchy: Stages of Learning

Generalization: Effective Intervention Ideas• Teacher structures academic tasks to require that the

student use the target skill regularly in assignments.• Student receives encouragement, praise, reinforcers for

using skill in new settings, situations• If student confuses target skill with similar skill(s), the

student is given practice items that force him/her to correctly discriminate between similar skills

• Teacher works with parents to identify tasks that the student can do outside of school to practice target skill

• Student gets periodic opportunities to review, practice target skill to ensure maintenance



Instructional Building Blocks…

Adaption: Effective Intervention Ideas• Teacher helps student to articulate the ‘big ideas’ or core

element(s) of target skill that the student can modify to face novel tasks, situations (e.g., fractions, ratios, and percentages link to the ‘big idea’ of the part in relation to the whole; ‘Thank you’ is part of a larger class of polite speech)

• Train for adaptation: Student gets opportunities to practice the target skill with modest modifications in new situations, settings with encouragement, corrective feedback, praise, other reinforcers.

• Encourage student to set own goals for adapting skill to new and challenging situations



Student academic problems cause many school behavior problems.

“Whether [a student’s] problem is a behavior problem or an academic one, we recommend starting with a functional academic assessment, since often behavior problems occur when students cannot or will not do required academic work.”

Big Ideas: Academic Delays Can Be a Potent Cause of Behavior

Problems (Witt, Daly, & Noell, 2000)

Source: Witt, J. C., Daly, E. M., & Moell, G. (2000). Functional assessments: A step-by-step guide to solving academic and behavior problems. Longmont, CO: Sopris West, p. 13

response to intervention making rti work at the middle and high school levels jim wright

Documents