What Do Special Education Directors

Say About RTIMargaret Gessler Werts, PhD

Monica Lambert, EdD

Purpose To determine the perceptions of district

special directors about the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) for identification of students with LD To examine the correlation of the use of RtI and

the continued use of standardized assessment instruments.

To examine what resources are in place for the implementation of RtI

Research Questions

1. What practices do administrators report in the implementation of RtI?

2. What do administrators report for the use of standardized assessments—especially those that result in an IQ score?

Research Questions

3. Do administrators report training in RtI?

4. What resources are provided and what resources are needed for successful implementation of RtI?

Procedures Questionnaire development

Systematic reviews Rewriting poorly worded questions Adding items

Distribution by e-mail through SurveyMonkey Initial mailing Reminders sent every two weeks until the end of

school year

Data was gathered electronically Some questions required hand entry

Entry reliability was above 99% All errors corrected

Return rate A total of 119 e-mail addresses Nine were undeliverable Ten persons declined to participate Total return rate of 50.9% Usable return rate of 41.8%

Participants Special education directors from each

district in North Carolina 86.4% were female All were in administrative jobs Experience in this job

mean = 8.8 years median = 7 years range = 1-30 years

Rural = 73.2% Suburban = 12.2% Urban = 14.6%

What percentage of your student body has a special education label?

 less than 5 percent   4.9% between 6 and 10 percent   12.2%  between 11 and 15 percent   58.5% between 15 and 20 percent   24.4% more than 20 percent  0.0%

What is the size of your student body?

less than 1000   7.5%  1000 but less than 2499   12.5%   2500 but less than 4999   35.0%  5000 but less than 9999   15.0% more than 10000   30.0%

Results District administrators indicated that

standardized assessment instruments are still being used Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale 47.1% Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 97.3% Wechsler Adult intelligence Scale 55.9% Kaufman Intelligence Scale 46.9%

…also still use achievement tests Woodcock Johnson 94.6% Brigance Comprehensive 72.2% WIAT 81.8% KTEA 50.0% KeyMath 42.4% Woodcock Reading Mastery 77.8%

Resources: Have and Need Paired t = -5.315 p<.001 Eta = .982

Difference in what is perceived as available and what is perceived as necessary

They need more than they have

Records and information Asked what was available in student folders …and what was needed to conduct RtI

Information in folders

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100

Comments fromparents

comments fromother teachers

developmentalinfo

current grades previous grades IEP

Have

Need

Information in folders

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100

Referral info Medical FBA EOG Academic testing IQ testing

Have

Need

Information in folders

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

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100

Commentsfrom parents

comments fromother teachers

developmentalinfo

current grades previousgrades

IEP

Have and NeedHave but don't needDon't have but needDon't have, don't need

Information in folders

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100

Referral info Medical FBA EOG Academictesting

IQ testing

Have and needHave but don't needDon't have but needDon't have; Don't need

Resource people We aked they read the item and then pull

down the menu indicating have or do not have the resource.

Then choose whether they would or would not need the resource or support for an effective program of identification of students with disabilities using RTI.

Support from people

0102030405060708090

100

Reading tutor Sp Teacher Gen teacher Administration Principal

HaveNeed

Support from people

0102030405060708090

100

Psychologist Parents:Spec Parents: Gen OT PT TA 1 to 1

Support from people

0

10

20

30

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50

60

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100

Counselor Reading SLP MSW Univ.Consultant Dist Consultant Secretary

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Access to information Have and need newsletters Have and need journals

30.4% of respondents do not have access to University libraries and do not need it.

21.7% had access and needed it

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100

Access toJournals

Access toNewsletters

Access tolibrary

HaveNeed

Educational journals Newsletters University library0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Training The majority of respondents report having

training. They report having training from the Department

of Public Instruction (DPI). Preferred training are inservices and

observations of other school districts.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

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100

Access to oneday in-service

programs

Access touniversitycourses

Access tomulti-daytrainingsessions

Beginning ofthe year in-

services

Observation ofother schools’

or districts’systems

On going in-services

Opportunity toattend

conferences

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s0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Meetings

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100

Withconsultants

With family With gradelevel team

Release time

Have it

Need it

Meetings (Have and need combined)

0102030405060708090

100

With consultants With family With grade levelteam

Release time

Have and need

Have, don't need

Don't have but need

Don’t have, don't need

Extra materials/ Space

0102030405060708090

100

Math Reading Science SocialStudies

Space

HaveNeed

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Questions on details of implementation

Who should determine a student's responsiveness? special education teacher   92.9%   general education teacher 92.9%     principal   47.6%   school psychologist   88.1%    parent   71.4%     guidance counselor   52.4%    reading teacher   92.9%   Other 42.9%  

How should evidence based programs be determined?

Educational literature   81.0%   Teacher evaluation   64.3%  Experience   42.9% Evaluated: curriculum committee   76.2% Determined by the state   59.5%  Other (please specify)   11.9%

How long should the testing phase (instruction) last?

1 week   12.5%   2 weeks   15.0%   1 month   20.0%   2 months   30.0%   Half a school year  0.0%  Other   22.5% 

How intensive should instruction be in the testing phase?

Twice a week   19.5%  Once a day   61.0%  Every other day   7.3%  Once a week   12.2%

How long should sessions in the testing phase last?

30 minute sessions   47.5% 1 hour sessions   20.0% 2 hour sessions  0.0% Half day sessions  0.0%  Whole day sessions  0.0% Other (please specify)   32.5%

Which professionals should take the data?

Special educators: work with student 80.0%

General educators: work with student   85.0%   Special educators: NOT work with student  

42.5%   General educators: NOT work with student  

37.5%   School psychologists  

87.5%  Guidance counselors   60.0%  Related services personnel   75.0%  Administrators   40.0%  Other

25.0%  

Should the intervention be individualized for the student in the testing phase? Yes   85.4%   No   7.3%   Other   7.3% 

Maybe, maybe not- should be child specific  Depends. Not during baseline, but probes

should be individualized.  Depends on the student and the plan. 

Should the discrepancy model be abandoned?

Yes   45.0%    No   32.5%   Other 22.5%  

Other responses to dropping the discrepancy model IDEA says that each LEA should decide this.     Perhaps the discrepancy could be a supplement to RTI data.  Used as supplement not primary indicator  Phased out slowly    Could be a combo    Yes for LD, OHI, EMD, BED, possibly DD    When the LEA has the necessary materials/staff/training to

implement RTI.    I think we should leave it as an option for those who don't feel

comfortable with RTI   Not sure

Resources Overall, there is a difference between what

is perceived as available and what is perceived as necessary

Reported more necessary than available

Use of standardized tests Administrators report use of IQ tests Administrators report use of achievement

tests Almost 1/5 said they did not have IQ

assessment and did not need it

Training There has been a high level of training

Primarily through the state department Administrators report they need more

training We did not ask if the training was for them

or for their teachers They reported having access to written

information

Implementation Administrators said teachers should

determine responsiveness Opinion of effectiveness determined by

research literature closely followed by a curriculum committee

Instruction should be once a day, for 30 minutes, and for 2 months

Implementation Instruction should be individualized No clear consensus on whether the

discrepancy model should be dropped