RTI for Teacher Educators: A Call to Action

1. RTI for Teacher Educators: A Call to Action Barbara A. Marinak Mount St. Mary's University

2. Questions, Thoughts barbara.marinak@gmail.com marinak@msmary.edu

3. Research

4. Greetings from the RTI Task Forceof IRA

5. The “I” in RTI Intervention or Instruction?

6. State of RTI

7. Background • Origins - President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education (2002) • Children with LD should first be considered general education students; • Special education should embrace a model of prevention as opposed to failure.

8. Shocking Numbers! • 12 • 65 • 97% • 40-50%

9. RTI IDEIA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act: 2004) mandates the use of early intervening services) to: • Identify children who are members of a disaggregated subgroup with a specific learning disability whereby the discrepancy model could result in over identification.

10. Provide intervention to all children at risk for school failure.

11. Important Language • Response to Intervention- not in the legislation • Early Intervening Services- is legislative language

12. Future of RTI • “Early intervening services” will likely migrate to regular education legislation (ESEA) • Focus on core instruction • More flexible tiers • More regular education funding for systemic RTI

13. The “I” in RTI Intervention or Instruction?

14. The “I” in RTI Intervention or Instruction?

15. A Call to Action • Redefinition of Instruction • Perception of Teacher Preparation Programs • Value of Collaboration

16. Redefinition of Instruction • While catalyzed by special education legislation, RTI is essentially a model of school reform with widespread implications for how all school personnel are prepared, acculturated to the school environment, and how they implement instruction. (Richards, Pavri, Golez, & Canges, Murphy, 2007).

17. Redefinition of Instruction Requires: • A shift towards a more "individualized" look at individual learning needs • Utilization of evidence-based methods to address these needs • Expertise in data-based decision making

18. Instruction Where? • Core reading • Intervention How? • Whole class • Small group • One-one Whom? • Classroom teacher • Interventionists • Paraprofessional “ We need to stop thinking about kids in silos and focus our efforts on effective reading instruction… everywhere. “ Ellen Fogelberg, Literacy Director Evanston District 65 Evanston, Illinois

19. Intervention cannot be considered effective unless it provides for greater levels of proficiency in core.

20. Perception of Teacher Preparation Programs • American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) national survey- An Emerging Picture of the Teacher Preparation Pipeline (2010) queries deans/chairs and public school administrators.

21. Perception of Teacher Preparation Programs • Two of the attributes critical in RTI efforts - engaging families in supporting their children’s education and working with children of varying abilities - revealed disparate views.

22. Working With Families • Deans/chairs indicated that 9% of their teacher candidates are not well prepared to effectively engage families. • Public school administrators indicated that 31% of their new hires are not well prepared to effectively engage families.

23. Varying Abilities • Deans/chairs reported that 2% of their candidates are not well prepared to teach children of varying abilities. • . • Public school administrators reported that 25% of their new teachers are not well prepared to teach children of varying abilities.

24. Value of Collaboration

25. Value of Collaboration

26. Value of Collaboration

27. Value of Collaboration

28. Dorn: Scanlon and Anderson Linda Dorn • A Comprehensive Intervention Model: A Systems Approach to RTI Scanlon and Anderson • Using the Interactive Strategies Approach to Prevent Reading Difficulties in an RTI Context

29. Call to Action • Define and redefine excellent reading instruction for our current and future candidates in collaboration with our school partners.

30. So now what?

31. Role of Higher Education Infuse Principles of RTI Into: • Knowledge • Skills • Dispositions

32. Knowledge • Knowledge of Guiding Principles • Knowledge of Effective RTI Models • Knowledge of Evidence-Based Methods

33. Guiding Principles Instruction Responsive Teaching & Differentiation Assessment Collaboration Systemic & Comprehensive Expertise

34. Current Models • Problem Solving • Standard Treatment Protocol • Both approaches utilize universal screening, multiple tiers, early intervening services, validated interventions, and student progress monitoring to inform decision.

35. Differences Between Models • Which assessments are valued? • How instructional decisions are made? • Nature of intervention?

36. Standard Treatment Protocol • Focuses on providing a specific research based intervention for students with similar difficulties in a standardized format to ensure fidelity of implementation.

37. Standard Treatment Protocol ScreeningProgress monitoring Intervention

38. Results Narrowly focused assessment determines intervention Students receiving 3-5 intervention programs in a single marking period Tiers of RTI become gate keepers 3-10 Tier models

39. Problem Solving Approach • Focuses on a team making instructional decisions based on multiple data points and interventions being response to students’ needs.

40. Problem Solving Model ScreeningFormative Progress MonitoringInterim-Benchmark Progress Monitoring Diagnostic Intervention/Instruction

41. Reading Methods • Evidence-Based • High Leverage

42. Teach Structures of Informational Text • Hall, Sabey, and McClellan (2005) and Williams (2005) found that text structure instruction promotes informational text comprehension. • Text structure awareness has also been linked to accurate recall and retelling (Richgels, McGee, Lomax & Sheard,1987).

43. Skills: RTI in the Field • Students should engage in field experiences where RTI is being implemented. • Field offers experience with critical RTI attributes -- long term goals, outcomes for instruction, assessments, organization and scheduling, methods, materials and tasks, and context.

44. Dispositions: Individual Needs • Numerous studies suggest that teacher beliefs play a critical role in educators’ ability and willingness to differentiate (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Rosenfeld & Rosenfeld, 2008).

45. Dispositions: Individual Needs • Effective teachers act on their belief that all students can learn. • Believe that teachers can intervene and make a difference in the achievement of their students (Darling-Hammond, 2000).

46. Dispositions: Individual Needs • Rosenfeld and Rosenfeld (2008) found an increase in teachers’ ability/willingness to consider individual learning differences after exploring their own beliefs. • Study demonstrates the impact such discussions can have on teacher beliefs and practices thereby underscoring the importance of including such topics in pre-service instruction.

47. Dispositions: Reflection • Figure 1 contains the attributes critical for planning and delivering excellent reading instruction. • Each attribute is paired with a series of reflection questions. • Taken together, the attributes and questions can be used by teachers (all) and teams when planning lessons and by administrators and literacy coaches when observing reading instruction.

48. Good teaching is forever being on the cutting edge of a child’s competence. Jerome Bruner