Response-to-Intervention:Supporting Students through Integrated Systems of Prevention, Intervention,

Assessment and Problem Solving

Acknowledgement

Leah M. Nellis, PhD Blumberg Center for Interdisciplinary Studies Indiana State University

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What is RTI ?

A framework for prevention and early

intervention which involves determining

whether all students are learning and

progressing adequately when provided

with high quality instruction and

intervention.

• Clear School Mission• High Expectations for Success• Instructional Leadership• Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress• Opportunity to Learn and Student Time on Task• Safe and Orderly Environment• Home-School Relationships -Ron Edmonds

Director of Center for Urban Studies, Harvard University

Note: the only set of research-based characteristics of a school’s climate associated with improved, better student learning.

Correlates of Effective Schools

• Prevention is the best way to address a problem,• Early Intervention promotes academic, social-emotional and behavioral

success,• Timely assessment data is key to aligning instruction and intervention to

student need,• Supporting student success is a shared responsibility of educators, families

and the communityAdapted from Batsch, 2006; Gresham, 2002; Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003.

Why is RTI so important…

RTI legislative mandate

• Article 7• 511 IAC 7-40-2 Comprehensive and

coordinated early intervening services• General education direction in special

education law..

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IAC 7-40-2

Sec. 2. (a) A public agency may……..….to develop and implement comprehensive and

coordinated early intervening services, which may include interagency financing structures, for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on students in kindergarten through grade 3) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment.

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IAC 7-40-2..

• (1) Professional development, which may be provided by entities other than public agencies, for teachers and other school staff to enable such personnel to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, including the following: ….

• (2) Providing educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports, ……

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Parent Notification

• (f) The parent of a student who participates in a process that assesses the student's response to scientific, research based interventions must be provided with written notification when a student requires an intervention that is not provided to all students in the general education classroom. The written notification must contain the following information:

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Notification Information

• (1) The: • (A) amount and nature of student performance data

that will be collected; and • (B) general education services that will be provided. • (2) The evidence-based strategies that will be utilized

for increasing the student's rate of learning to grade level.

• (3) The parent's right to request an educational evaluation to determine eligibility for special education and related services.

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Notification Information

• (1) The: • (A) amount and nature of student performance data

that will be collected; and • (B) general education services that will be provided. • (2) The evidence-based strategies that will be utilized

for increasing the student's rate of learning to grade level.

• (3) The parent's right to request an educational evaluation to determine eligibility for special education and related services.

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Referral for an Educational Evaluation• (4) An explanation that: • (A) the public agency will initiate a request for an educational

evaluation if the student fails to make adequate progress after an appropriate period of time, as determined by the parent and the public agency, when provided with scientific, research based interventions; and

• (B) when the public agency initiates a request for a educational evaluation under clause (A), the public agency will provide written notice to the parent regarding the evaluation before requesting written parental consent for the evaluation as specified in section 4 of this rule. After obtaining written parental consent, the public agency must evaluate the student and convene the CCC within twenty (20) instructional days.

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Integrated System for Academic and Behavioral Supports

Core Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Environment

Targeted, Supplemental

Supports

Intense, Individualized

Support

Services are fluid and data-driven

Tier 2:•Small Group

Tier I:•All Students•Preventative, Proactive

Tier 3:•Few Students•Increased Frequency•Longer Duration

Building Core Team

District/Community TeamBuilding Core Team

Grade Level TeamsBuilding Core TeamSchool Improvement Team

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Essential Components of an Integrated System• Curricula, Instruction, and Intervention

– Evidence-based– Culturally responsive– Consistent and high quality

• Assessment and Progress Monitoring– Tools meet necessary measurement criteria, such as sensitivity to change (eg. Curriculum based measurement, CBM)

• Data-based Problem Solving Method– 5 step process

Integrated at all

Tiers to Meet

Students’

Needs

Tier One: For All Students

Data Based Problem Solving

Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Curriculum, Instruction, Learning Environment

Is designed to meet the needs of 80% of the student population in a given School/district.

Data Based Problem Solving

Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Tier One: For All Students

Data Based Problem Solving

Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Curriculum, Instruction,

Learning Environment

Core Curriculum

Differentiated Instruction

School and Classroom Environment

Universal Screening

Benchmarking

Progress Monitoring

Is designed to meet the needs of 80% of the student population in a given School/district.

School Improvement Team

School Core/Leadership Team

Grade Level Teams

Teacher-Parent Collaboration

Tier Two: Non-responders

Data Based Problem Solving

Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Curriculum, Instruction,

Learning Environment

When Tier I is effective at meeting the needs of 80% of students, supplemental supports needed for approximately 15% of the student population.

Tier Two: Non-responders

Data Based Problem Solving

Assessment & Progress Monitoring

Curriculum, Instruction,

Learning Environment

When Tier I is effective at meeting the needs of 80% of students, supplemental supports needed for approximately 15% of the student population.

Supplemental Supports

Interventions

Small groups

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic Assessments

Building Core Team

Grade Level Teams

Problem Solving Method

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Defining the Problem: “Is there a problem”?

“What is it”?“How significant”?

Analyzing the Problem:“Why is it

happening”?

Determining What to Do:

“What shall we do about it”?

Implementing the Plan with Fidelity

Evaluating Progress:

“Did the plan work”?

“What needs to happen next”?

Tier Three: Most In Need Students

Data Based Problem Solving

DBPS

A & PMC, I, I,

LE

When Tier I and Tier II are effective, intense interventions needed for approximately 5% of the student population.

Data Based Problem Solving

DBPS

A & PMC, I, I,

LE

When Tier I and Tier II are effective, intense interventions needed for approximately 5% of the student population.

Intense Interventions

Individualized

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic Assessments

Building Core Team

District/Community Teams

Tier Three: Most In Need Students

The Role of Assessment and Progress Monitoring

• School-wide universal screenings conducted with all students to reflect the effectiveness of the core curriculum and instruction and identify those students who are in need of intervention and/or extensions.

• Setting goals for student growth and outcomes. • Monitoring of student progress through ongoing, regular

formative assessments for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of instruction and intervention for all students.

• Informing instructional practices and decisions in a way that addresses each student’s needs, strengths, and challenges.

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Specifying Assessment ObjectivesScreening Assessments: Assessments used to determine if students are meeting grade level expectations and which students may be at risk.

Diagnostic Assessments: Assessment conducted for students identified as at-risk to gain more in-depth analysis of a student’s strengths and weaknesses . These assessments help target instruction and intervention.

Progress Monitoring Assessments: Assessment conducted frequently to estimate rates of student improvement, determine if adequate progress is being made, and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction and intervention strategies.

Entitlement Assessment: Assessment used to aid in the determination of entitlement to special services.

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What does this look like for Behavior?

• For all students as part of core curriculum & intervention, – School-wide data office discipline referrals (ODR), attendance,

suspension data – Other screening data as appropriate

• For students in need of targeted supplemental interventions, – Rating scales, observations, interviews, ODR– Often referred to as Functional Behavior Assessment, FBA

• For students in need of intensive individualized interventions– Rating scales, observations, interviews, ODR– FBA

• The difference between data collection across levels is the frequency at which data is collected, the targeted nature of the data, and the intensity of the provided interventions.

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Thinking about the Function of Behavior

Behaviors are learned.

Behaviors have a purpose or function because they meet needs/wants.

We engage in a behavior because we have learned that a desired outcome occurs.

The purpose for a certain behavior is sometimes obvious, other times the behavior needs to be explored more in depth.

A behavior can help get something we like (preferred, positive reinforcement):

Tangibles (food, toys, money)

Attention (smiles, conversation, hugs) Sensory or Internal State (taking a walk,

playing a game, watching a movie)

A behavior can help get away from something not liked (non-preferred, negative reinforcement):

Tangibles (disliked food, activities, school work)

Attention (scolding, conversation, touching)

Sensory or Internal State (fatigue, pain, anxiety)Adapted from Maximizing Family Involvement in the Positive Behavior Support Process. Florida Positive Behavior Support Project.

http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu/25

Considerations in Assessing Behavior

• What does the behavior of concern look like?

• What decisions will be made with the assessment data?

• What resources are available to collect the data (time,

training, cost, staff)?

• What’s the best method/tool to use to collect the data?

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What’s the Behavior of Concern?

• What does the behavior look like?

• How disruptive/dangerous is the behavior?

• How often does the behavior occur?

• How long does the behavior last?

• How long does it take for the behavior to occur?

“Topography”

“Frequency”

“Duration”

“Intensity”

“Latency”

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Measurable Characteristics of Behavior

Frequency Duration Latency Intensity

How often does the behavior occur

How long does the behavior last?

How long between request and response?

How disruptive or dangerous?

Which characteristic fits best with the behavior of concern?

Yelling Out Answers

Out of Seat

Doesn’t follow directions

when asked

Pushes and Shoves other

Students29

Observation-Direct, specific

behaviors-High flexibility &

frequency-High resources -Reliable/valid codes available

Rating Scales-Indirect, broad behavioral clusters

-Low frequency and flexibility-Medium/high resources

-Known reliability and validity

Direct Behavior Ratings-Direct, specific behaviors

-High flexibility and frequency-Low/medium resources

-Emerging reliability/validity information

Permanent Products-Specific

behaviors-High frequency

and flexibility-Low resources

-No reliability/validit

y informationAssessment

Methods

Chafouleas, Riley-Tillman, & Sugai (2007); Briesch & Volpe (2007).31

Progress Monitoring Methods Direct Observation

– Eg., BOSS (Behavior Observation of Students in Schools) Rating Scales

– Eg., Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Direct Behavior Ratings

– Eg., Daily Behavior Report Card; Intervention Central Permanent Products

– Eg., Reward/acknowledgment tickets, Office Discipline Referrals, attendance records, suspensions/expulsion records, intervention records

Briesch & Volpe (2007) Important considerations in the selection of progress-monitoring measures for classroom behaviors. School Psychology Forum: Research in Practice, 1, 59-74.

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Billy's Independent Work

81%88%

83%88%

25%

40%

50%

75%

0

5

10

15

20

10/24-10/27 10/30-11/03 11/06-11/10 11/13-11/17 11/20-11/24 11/27-12/01 12/04-12/08 12/11-12/15

Weeks

Ind

. W

ork

Ses

sio

ns

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Percent of Successful Ind. Work

Ind. Work Opportunities Worked Independently percent of Ind. Work

Week 10/24-10/27

10/30-11/03

11/06-11/10

11/13-11/17

11/20-11/24

11/27-12/01

12/04-12/08

12/11-12/15

IW Opp. 8 10 8 12 11 9 12 9

IW 2 4 4 9 9 8 10 8

% 25% 40% 50% 75% 81% 88% 83% 88%

Setting BL math math math math math math math 35

Frequency Duration Latency Intensity

How often does the behavior occur?

How long does the behavior last?

How long between request and response?

How disruptive or dangerous?

Nolan yelled out an answer without raising his hand 10 times during social studies.

Vince was out of his seat for 5 minutes.

Will stopped talking 45 seconds after he was asked to do so.

Brady pushes and shoves peers almost daily.

Direct behavior rating, Tickets earned for raising hand before answering

Direct Observation recording the number of times Vince is out of his seat and how long he remains out of seat.

Direct Observation recording the length of time between teacher request and Will’s response.

Behavior rating scale completed by parents and teachers; Direct Observation to determine frequency

Linking Behavior to PM Method

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Scenarios Define the Behavior

Important Characteristic(s)

PM Method

Kendra is off-task during class. She is often looking around the room, working on the wrong assignment, and staring into space.

Ryan does not get along well with his peers. He has few friends and tends to argue and tease his peers.

Mike is not productive in class. He often has the wrong materials, is off-task during instruction, and completes very little on his assignments (both in class and homework).

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The Connection for School Counselors, Psychologists and Social Workers

What’s the role in intervention design, implementation, and fidelity check?

What’s the role in assessment and progress monitoring?

What are the opportunities for collaboration? What are the professional development

needs?

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