What do you do when you have a student who is far below grade level? How do you teach that child when he/she is so far below all of the other students? How do you know if the student should receive special education services? Perhaps one of the biggest challenges we, as classroom teachers, face is the wide range of students' skill levels within our class. No matter the grade level, there are students that are far below and far above grade level expectations. How can we possibly meet all of their needs? We can start with making sure we have an effective model of RTI (Response to Intervention).
This has been a post I have been meaning to write for awhile. One of my own personal goals for the past couple of years has been to refine my implementation of RTI . My approach and my school's approach has improved with each year. And although I know there is always room for growth, I feel like I now am doing RTI the way I know I should be. And the results...a definite increase in student learning.
What is RTI?
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. The RTI process begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children in the general education classroom. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning. These services may be provided by a variety of personnel, including general education teachers, special educators, and specialists. Progress is closely monitored to assess both the learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction. RTI is designed for use when making decisions in both general education and special education, creating a well-integrated system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome data.The definition above is from the RTI Action Network. There are many helpful resources on this site. Below is a description from the Center on Response to Intervention website which also offers a lot of valuable information.
Response to intervention integrates assessment and intervention within a multi‐level prevention system to maximize student achievement and reduce behavior problems. With RTI, schools use data to identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence‐based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities. The four essential components of an RTI framework are screening, progress monitoring, multi-level or multi-tier prevention system, and data-based decision making.
A Shift in Thinking
If I'm completely honest, there has been a gradual, but a very significant shift in my perspective over the years. I remember in my first years of teaching, feeling a sense of relief when a struggling student was identified as special ed. I believed that once they were identified then they would get the help that they needed. I know many teachers that felt relief too because these students were now the special ed teacher's responsibility. The special ed teacher gave the grades and was responsible for their learning and often the general education teacher felt that they were no longer truly their student or responsibility. In the early days of high-stakes testing, some of the best teachers I know worked so hard to advocate for their struggling students with hopes that they would qualify because a special ed student would receive testing accommodations or in some cases even be exempt. I know that none of this was done with ill intent. We were fighting hard to give what we thought these struggling students needed: an IEP, pull-out instruction, and testing accommodations.
Wow-that is so completely different than how I view the process now. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by very knowledgeable people that have helped shift my perspective. We now know how to provide our core instruction in such a way that we can meet the wide range of student needs in our classroom. We know about the three tiers of support. We know now how to effectively use assessment, provide interventions, and make adjustments based on our progress monitoring data. And research has shown us that when a student is identified as special education that the pullout method that we used to fight so hard for is actually, in most cases, more detrimental to the special education student's progress. We know now how to provide support to those that qualify for special education services in a way that will be beneficial.
I'd like to share the process of how I use RTI to help my struggling students because I know I can't be the only one who is still advancing my understanding and implementation of RTI. I certainly don't claim to be any kind of expert or authority on the subject. I'm just a teacher inspired by methods that help me reach all of my students.
If you have ever wondered..
When do you find the time? How do you manage the other students when providing interventions and progress monitoring? Where do you find the interventions? How to you track the growth? How often do you progress monitor? How do you organize the information? What do you do if the student isn't making gains? What do you do if the student is making gains? How do you manage it all?
...then I'm hoping this blog post will be helpful to you and the students that you serve.
A Classroom Teacher's Steps for RTI Implementation
Step 1: Growth Mindset
Growth mindset is trending right now. We are working hard at developing growth mindsets in our students. I also think we need to take the time to make sure we as teachers also develop our growth mindsets. Do we truly believe that we can reach every student? Do we truly believe that we can set up our classrooms so that every student learns? It can be a challenge at times. We might try things and they don't work. There might be moments where we think we just can't handle all of the demands. But just as we tell our students to persevere and learn from their mistakes, we too need to do the same. Effective RTI doesn't just happen. And I think reflecting on our perspective and mindset is the first step in making it happen.
Step 2: Universal Screeners & Assessments
The curriculum department in your district will determine which assessments all teachers at your grade level are required to administer. In my district, we use the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) as our universal screener for first grade. We also do running records, fluency, and a phonics assessment. You may have the fortune of having curriculum based measure like Aimsweb. After analyzing the results of these assessments, I determine which students are in need of intervention or considered at-risk. We also have a fabulous Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) process that provides support and school structure in determining which students are at risk, identifying effective interventions, and providing feedback about the next steps as we progress monitor.
Step 3: Core Instruction
If our core instruction is effective, we will have fewer children identified as at risk. So for me, I spend so much energy ensuring that my core instruction is as effective as possible. This step could be an entire blog post on its own, but I will try to give a quick overview of some of the ways I have found to be effective. My students have individualized learning goals and track their own progress. I think it's critical that students have clear learning goals and receive frequent feedback. The simplest way I believe I make the greatest impact on every student learning is that I have abandoned whole class, teacher-led instruction for small group instruction in reading and math. (I use a writer's workshop model for writing instruction and do more small group inquiry-based approaches for social studies and science in addition to integrating them into my language arts instruction). For reading and math, I typically spend 10-15 minutes doing some whole class instruction (identifying learning goals, anchor activities, direct instruction, a few guided practice opportunities, etc), but the majority of my instruction is done in small groups. I find this is the best way for me to really know my students as individual learners. Instead of "teaching to the middle" I can give each student the type of instruction they truly need. My struggling students aren't overwhelmed and my higher students aren't bored. It keeps them all engaged and keeps them all growing. This differentiated instruction is considered Tier 1 instruction. Whether you chose to use small groups, tier 1 instruction should be differentiated. Effective tier 1 instruction means fewer students needing tier 2 or 3 interventions.
Step 4: Create a Plan
When I have identified a student at risk, I analyze what specific skill needs to be addressed. I use the information from our universal screeners, but also combine that with information from all of the assessments I give to form a more accurate understanding of the child's deficits. For example, in early first grade, this often begins with letter sounds and one to one correspondence in math. I record the baseline data and set a goal. I determine the research-based intervention to be used and the intensity of the intervention. (No, resources on Teacher Pay Teacher – TPT- is not where I turn. I'm all for using TPT resources in my instruction, but I will only use research-based strategies for the RTI interventions.) Think Central and The Florida Center for Reading Research are my go to sites for interventions. When choosing an intervention it needs to match the skill.
Step 5: Provide Interventions & Progress Monitor
This sounds simple enough but is often the part that can be difficult for teachers to do. We as teachers are constantly providing reteaching opportunities and intervention. When we give a unit assessment we are working more with the students that didn't do well and giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their learning again. We pull small groups of students over who demonstrated difficulty on our exit slips or guided practice. So we feel like we are constantly meeting with our struggling students. But with RTI, we need to focus on ONE skill for the 6-8 weeks.
It is important that I point out that these interventions are in addition to the core curriculum. A student receiving tier 2 or 3 interventions should not be missing any instruction to receive the intervention. That's why small group instruction or a school-wide IE time can be effective structures to ensure that the students are receiving the interventions without sacrificing other learning opportunities.
We have so much on our plates that it is easy to not do RTI with integrity. Instead of our at-risk student receive 15 minutes of intervention four times a week on that one specific skill with the research-based intervention, we pull them for a few minutes once or twice. And we provide interventions for the curriculum that they are constantly struggling to keep up with. When we progress monitor, it shouldn't be surprising that they aren't making the gains we would have hoped. However, if we can organize it all so that the (research-based appropriately matched) interventions are done with the intensity and consistently as needed, then we will typically see much greater gains. Students that you thought would be needing that tier 3 intervention really might need tier 2 done correctly. The other piece is to progress monitor weekly. This means you are assessing the one identified skill every week.
Both pieces need to be done consistently. We can't just collect the weekly data from progress monitoring and return to our IAT hoping for support when we haven't done the interventions consistently. And we can't just do the interventions collecting one or two data points along the way and return to our IAT when we haven't gathered weekly information to show progress.
This is why setting up your classroom to deliver core instruction in small groups can be helpful. Not only does it meet the needs of all of your learners, but it gives you the structure needed to do interventions and progress monitoring.
I have a binder for each student that is considered at risk. To hold myself accountable, I keep a log to document the interventions and a place to record the weekly progress monitoring results.
Step 6: Adjust Interventions
As you look at your progress monitoring data you then can make adjustments. If the student is not being successful yet, it doesn't mean we test them and determine if they are eligible for special education services. It means that we need to look and ensure that the intervention is a good match and perhaps try a different research-based intervention. It might mean increasing the intensity of the intervention. What if a student is making gains? If I have a student that is making gains demonstrated by one or two data points, I still need to progress monitor. If I have several strong data points, I may decide to lessen the intensity of the intervention, but I will continue to progress monitor that same skill. After 6-8 data points, I would progress monitor that skill every 2-4 weeks. If the student makes gains and the original goal could be raised, then that would also be another appropriate option.
Step 7: Start Again!
When my students meet their identified goal after receiving tier 2 interventions, I typically develop a new plan for that student and begin the process again. I often have many of the same students I monitor for most of the year, but the skill and goals change. For example, I have a student who was receiving intervention for letter sounds. After scoring above 90% for 3 weeks, I decreased the intensity of the intervention. He is still receiving the intervention, but significantly less. I will progress monitor weekly until I have 6 data points and then will progress monitor monthly to ensure the student doesn't regress. At the point when I felt he was secure enough to lessen the intensity of the intervention, I developed a new plan for reading CVC words. This makes sense that a student needing intense intervention for letter sounds would then possibly be behind in reading CVC words. Eventually, I am hopeful that he with all of this support he will be meeting grade level expectations and no longer will need the tier 2 interventions.
If a student continues to not be successful with tier 2 interventions, the team may decide to consider eligibility for special education services. This may be determined by the data gathered through RTI or the team may decide to conduct an ETR. If the team determines that the child is eligible for special education services, in most cases the most effective models are push-in rather than pull-out. The special education teacher provides support to the student in the general education classroom. Often it is a co-teaching model where the special education teacher is working with students needing these tier 3 supports as well as the general education students. When this is done effectively, all students can benefit.
Clarification on the Questions
Just to be sure my steps above addressed the common questions I think we as teachers all have considered at one point or another, I answered them below based on my experience.
When do you find the time? How do you manage the other students when providing interventions and progress monitoring?
Because I spend weeks at the beginning of the year establishing routines for small group instruction, it is easy for me to provide those interventions and progress monitor. My students already know what to do when I'm meeting with small groups or individual students. I designate a day each week for progress monitoring so it doesn't get forgotten. As for the time, I make it a priority. I believe in the RTI model and don't view it as something else that administration requires me to do. I see the value in it for my students. Meeting the needs of all of my students is my top priority so to me it isn't a sacrifice of time in any way.
In addition, our building principal has developed a schedule for our entire building that supports the RTI process. We have an Intervention-Enrichment (IE) block. During this time we have other staff members that are available to take groups of students. So as a first grade team, we group student and plan lessons/interventions to meet the needs of the students. This has been a tremendous help this year!
Where do you find the interventions?
How to you track the growth? How often do you progress monitor?
Weekly progress monitoring tracks the growth of each student.
How do you organize the information?
I have a binder for each student with the intervention log and materials for the interventions. I also have a google doc that I created where I input all of the scores (not just RTI) and notes for any at-risk student. EasyCBM is another site to check out for organizing and tracking progress monitoring data.
What do you do if the student isn't making gains?
Carefully consider if the intervention is an appropriate match and possibly change interventions and/or increase the intensity of the intervention.
What do you do if the student is making gains?
Be sure that you have enough evidence of the gains and be sure to progress monitor, just less frequently. Determine if the student has another deficit.
How do you manage it all?
I think because I view the whole model as something that truly benefits my students, it helps me know I can manage all that it takes to do it effectively. Doing small group instruction already makes managing it that much easier. And knowing that I'm not alone helps too. I have an incredible support team in my building. We meet monthly to discuss the progress of each student and work through any issues that might come up. There is a team supporting these students and it makes a difference.
Effective RTI
As with anything in education, the way something is carried out varies widely from school to school. In the Education Week Spotlight issue on Response to Intervention, there is an article summarizing some recent research finding that RTI isn't as effective as we would hope. In my experience, it has been extremely effective. I truly believe in the framework and find it to be a simple way to ensure we are meeting the needs of all students. I can easily see RTI not working because they are so many variables. If a district or school doesn't take the time to give professional development on effective RTI, the students most likely won't see the benefits like discussed in the article. It is my hope that sharing my experience as a regular classroom teacher using RTI in some way helps another teacher and the students in that classroom.
