Frequently Asked Questions About Response to Intervention

Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Making Sense of the Basic Principles of RTI Question #1: What Is Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI)? Question #2: What Is the Purpose of RTI? Question #3: Why Is RTI Important? Question #4: What Are Other Benefits of RTI? Question #5: Is RTI a "New Approach"? Question #6: When Did RTI Become "Law"? Question #7: Why Was There a Movement for a Change Towards RTI? Question #8: What Are the Core Principles of RTI? Question #9: What Is a Tiered Service Delivery Model? Question #10: What Is the Three-Tier Model? Question #11 What Is the Focus of Tier I? Question #12: What Is the Focus of Tier II? Question #13: What Is the Focus of Tier III? Question #14: Is RTI Just Applicable to Special Education? Question #15: What Are Some Conditions and Activities of RTI? Question #16: Is There Federal Funding to Support RTI-Related Activities? Question #17: Does RTI Address Challenging Behavior? Question #18: Does a School District's "Child Find" Obligations Change Within RTI Systems? Question #19: Is Parent Involvement an Important Component for Successful RTI Programs? Question #20: Can RTI Promote Optimal Learning? Question #21: What Is Fidelity? Question #22: Does Implementation of RTI Methods Require a Serious Commitment? Question #23: What Does the RTI Process Mean for Teachers? Question #24: What Do Teachers Need in Terms of Professional Development and RTI? 2. Understand Why RTI Plays an Important Role in the Determination of Specific Learning Disabilities Question #25: How Does IDEA 2004 Define a Specific Learning Disability? Question #26: How Have Children Been Identified Under the Category of Specific Learning Disabilities? Question #27: What Events Led to Changes in LD Identification in IDEA 2004? Question #28: Why Replace the Discrepancy Model With RTI? Question #29: What Are Major Issues Related to the Use of the Concept of Achievement-Ability Discrepancy? Why Change? Question #30: Why Was RTI Considered in the Process of SLD Determination? Question #31: Today, What Role Should RTI Play in the Identification of Children With a Specific Learning Disability? Question #32: Can RTI Be Used as the Sole Determinant for SLD Classification? Question #33: Are There Other Indicators of LD That Are More Valid and Reliable? Question #34: If Authorities Believe Underlying Processing Disorders Are the Cause of Learning Disabilities, Why Doesn't IDEA 2004 Include a Model Based on Measuring Processing Problems? Question #35: In the Big Picture, How Does RTI Fit Into the Determination of LD Process? 3. Determine Your School's Capacity to Adopt RTI Question #36: What Basic Decisions Should a School or District Make Before Implementing RTI? Question #37: What Approaches Are Available for Implementing RTI? Question #38: How Do You Measure Academic Growth? Question #39: How Do You Use Validated Interventions? Question #40: How Do You Distinguish Between Types of Learning and Performance Problems? Question #41: How Do You Determine the Effects of Instruction and Make Decisions About Cutoff Criteria? Question #42: What Are the Different Types of Response to Intervention Models? Question #43: What Is Problem Solving or Hypothesis Testing? Question #44: What Are Pre-Referral Approaches? Question #45: What Is Tiered Intervention? Question #46: What Resources Are Necessary to Implement an RTI Approach? 4. Screening for "At-Risk" Students Question #47: What Is Screening? Question #48: What Considerations Are Part of the Selection of Appropriate Screening Measures? Question #49: How is Schoolwide Screening Done Within an RTI Model? 5. Determine How Progress Monitoring Will Be Done in an RTI Model Question #50: What Is Progress Monitoring? Question #51: How Can Progress Monitoring Be Useful in an RTI Context? Question #52: What Role Does Progress Monitoring Play in SLD? Question #53: How Is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Tier 1? Question #54: How is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Tier 2 and Tier 3? Question #55: How is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Special Education? Question #56: Will the Implementation of a Progress Monitoring System Within an RTI Model Require Shifts in School Structures? 6. Understand the Concept of a Multitiered Service-Delivery Model Question #57: What is a Multitiered Service Delivery Model? Question #58: Continuum of Intervention Support for At-Risk Students 7. Determine How Problem Solving Will Be Addressed in Making Decisions Question #59: What is Problem Solving in RTI? Question #60: Who Is Involved in the Problem Solving Process? Question #61: In Making Decisions, What Type of Approach Should the Team Follow? Question #62: What About Using a Standard Treatment Protocol? 8. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 1 Intervention Will Be Implemented Question #63: What Is Tier I-Core Instruction? Question #64: What Percentage of the Student Body Must Tier I Serve? Question #65: What Are the Core Features of a Tier 1 Intervention? Question #66: How Does Tier 1 Fit Within an RTI Model? Question #67: What is Universal Screening and/or Benchmarking? Question #68: How is Progress Monitoring Done in Tier I? Question #69: What if Students Do NOT reach a Proficiency Level at Tier I? Question #70: How Will Tier 1 Interventions Affect Staff and School Structures? 9. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 2 Intervention Will Be Implemented Question #71: What is an Intervention? Question #72: What is a Tier 2 Intervention? Question #73: When Does Tier 2 Intervention Start? Question #74: What Percentage of Students Need Tier II Interventions? Question #75: Are Strategic Interventions in Tier II Short or Long-Term? Question #76: What are the Core Features of a Tier 2 (and beyond) Intervention? Question #77: How Long Should Tier 2 Interventions Be? Question #78: What is a Problem-Solving Approach (Individually Designed Instructional Package)? Question #79: What is a Standard-Protocol Approach? Question #80: How is Progress Monitoring Done in Tier II? Question #81: What if Students are Successful at Tier II? What if They are Unsuccessful? Question #82: How Does Tier 2 (and Beyond) Fit Within an RTI Model? Question #83: Will Tier 2 (and Beyond) Interventions Affect Staff Roles, Responsibilities and School Structures? 10. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 3 Intervention Will be Implemented Question #84: What are Tier III Interventions? Question #85: What Percentage of Students Need Tier III Interventions? Question #86: Are Tier III Interventions Short-Term or Long-Term? Question #87: Who Delivers Tier III Interventions? Question #88: Is Progress Monitoring Still a Part of Tier III? Question #89: How are Tier III Interventions Delivered? Question #90: What if Students are Successful at Tier III? What if They are Unsuccessful? 11. In the RTI Model Used, Determine When Special Education Should Be Considered Question #91: Why is Special Education an Integral Step in a Multitiered Model Such as RTI? Question #92: How Does Special Education Fit Within an RTI Model? Question #93: When Should a School District Initiate a Special Education Referral in a RTI System? Question #94: If a Student is Determined Not Eligible for Special Education Services, How Long May That Student Continue to Receive the Intensive Interventions Provided at Tier III? Question #95: How Might Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Differ From the Tier III Interventions a Student May Have Been Receiving Prior to Qualifying for Special Education Services? Question #96: Can a School District use RTI Data to Support the Decision That a Student Has a Disability in a Special Education Disability Category Other Than SLD? Question #97: How Will Use of the RTI Process Affect Special Education Referrals? Question #98: What Changes Are Needed in Special Education to Staff Roles, Responsibilities, and School Structures? 12. Determine How Parents/Guardians Will Be Involved in the RTI Model Question #99: What Does IDEA State About Parental Involvement? Question #100: What Should Parents Know About the RTI Program in Their School? Question #101: What Questions Should Parents Ask About RTI in Their Schools? Question #102: Are There Standards for Judging Parent Involvement? Question #103: Are There Measures Used to Judge Parent Involvement? 13. Ensure Fidelity of Implementation Question #104: What Is Fidelity of Implementation? Question #105: Why Is Fidelity of Implementation Important? Question #106: How Can Schools Ensure Fidelity of Implementation? Question #107: What Are the Key Components and Indicators That Lead to Fidelity in General Education? Question #108: What Are the Three Dimensions That Keep Implementation of Fidelity Manageable for Schools? Question #109: How Does a School Achieve High Fidelity? Question #110: Does Fidelity of Implementation Affect School Structures and Staff's Roles and Responsibilities? 14. Review System Requirements for Response to Intervention Question #111: What Is a Leadership Team? Question #112: What Is Teaming? Question #113: How Do You Use a Research-Based Core Curriculum? Question #114: What Are Valid Screening or Identification Procedures and Decision Rules? Question #115: What Are Adopted Intervention Protocols and Progress Monitoring Intervention Protocols? Question #116: What Are Policy and Procedure Development Including Special Education Procedures? Question #117: What Is Capacity Building? Conclusion Glossary References Index