Essential Elements in Essential Elements in Implementing and Implementing and
Monitoring Quality RtI Monitoring Quality RtI ProceduresProcedures
Rose Dymacek & Edward DalyRose Dymacek & Edward Daly
Nebraska Nebraska Department Department of Educationof Education
University University of of
Nebraska-Nebraska-LincolnLincoln
NDE’s View of a Quality RtI NDE’s View of a Quality RtI ProcessProcess
Every school must have the capacity to meet Every school must have the capacity to meet the needs of all children throughout the state.the needs of all children throughout the state.
Yet, every school district must also be able to Yet, every school district must also be able to tailor the RtI process to meet the needs of its tailor the RtI process to meet the needs of its unique organizational structure and priorities.unique organizational structure and priorities.
NDE is working to balance its expectations for NDE is working to balance its expectations for high standards for implementation with local high standards for implementation with local flexibility in how those standards are met.flexibility in how those standards are met.
Developing a Valid RtI Developing a Valid RtI Process for StudentsProcess for Students
Essential Elements of the RtI ProcessEssential Elements of the RtI Process Developmental Progression of Developmental Progression of
ImplementationImplementation Strong Operational Model for Strong Operational Model for
Continuum of RtI Service DeliveryContinuum of RtI Service Delivery
Essential Elements of RtI: Essential Elements of RtI: Organizational CapacityOrganizational Capacity
School-wide buy-in and School-wide buy-in and implementation planimplementation plan
Team leadershipTeam leadership Integration of ServicesIntegration of Services Implementation InfrastructureImplementation Infrastructure
School-wide Buy-in and School-wide Buy-in and Implementation PlanImplementation Plan
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: All school staff is All school staff is
knowledgeable knowledgeable about RtI and about RtI and supports its supports its implementation in implementation in the school districtthe school district
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Documentation of Documentation of
RtI trainingRtI training Inclusion of RtI in Inclusion of RtI in
School School Improvement PlanImprovement Plan
Team LeadershipTeam Leadership
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: A team that A team that
includes includes administrators, administrators, teachers, and teachers, and support personnel support personnel provides leadership provides leadership for implementing for implementing RtI at the district RtI at the district and building level and building level
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: An identifiable core An identifiable core
team with clearly team with clearly defined roles, defined roles, authority, and authority, and administrative administrative support support
Integration of Services Integration of Services
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: All school staff All school staff
collaborates to collaborates to support learning support learning for all students for all students across the across the continuum of continuum of student ability student ability levelslevels
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Clearly defined roles at Clearly defined roles at
the district/building the district/building level, effective level, effective communication and communication and interaction among school interaction among school personnel in regular and personnel in regular and special educationspecial education
RtI plan is aligned with RtI plan is aligned with existing initiatives existing initiatives including STARS, the including STARS, the school/district School school/district School Improvement Plan, and Improvement Plan, and Improving Learning for Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities Children with Disabilities (ILCD)(ILCD)
Implementation Implementation Infrastructure Infrastructure
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Professional Professional
training and training and support, resources, support, resources, and an appropriate and an appropriate administrative administrative structure in placestructure in place
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Curriculum aligned to Nebraska Curriculum aligned to Nebraska
State StandardsState Standards Ongoing professional Ongoing professional
developmentdevelopment Assessments to determine Assessments to determine
student progress toward student progress toward Nebraska State Standards and Nebraska State Standards and aligned to the district STARS aligned to the district STARS systemsystem
Assessment data utilized in Assessment data utilized in making decisions about student making decisions about student progress progress
Research supported Research supported interventions and teaching interventions and teaching strategiesstrategies
Plan for delivering quality Plan for delivering quality instruction and research based instruction and research based interventions as assessment interventions as assessment data indicatedata indicate
Essential Elements of RtI: Essential Elements of RtI: Implementing RtI in SchoolsImplementing RtI in Schools
Parent InvolvementParent Involvement Universal Screening and AssessmentUniversal Screening and Assessment Individual Progress MonitoringIndividual Progress Monitoring Planned Service Delivery RulesPlanned Service Delivery Rules Scientifically Supported InstructionScientifically Supported Instruction Intervention DeliveryIntervention Delivery SLD VerificationSLD Verification
Parent Involvement Parent Involvement
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Parents are Parents are
informed, informed, knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and involved in and involved in their children’s their children’s educational educational processprocess
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Documentation Documentation
that parents are that parents are included and included and involved in the RtI involved in the RtI processprocess
Procedures are in Procedures are in place for parent place for parent permission, permission, notification, and notification, and rights to due rights to due process when process when appropriate appropriate
Universal Screening and Universal Screening and AssessmentAssessment
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Assessments that Assessments that
provide teachers provide teachers with information with information about the progress about the progress of of allall students… students…
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Assessments to Assessments to
determine individual determine individual student progress student progress toward Nebraska State toward Nebraska State Standards Standards
Systematic classroom Systematic classroom or building screening or building screening proceduresprocedures
Decisions about Decisions about student progress are student progress are based on assessment based on assessment data and are clearly data and are clearly linked to next stepslinked to next steps
Individual Progress Individual Progress MonitoringMonitoring
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Assessments Assessments
provide teachers provide teachers with information with information about which about which students are students are benefiting from benefiting from intervention and intervention and which need which need additional additional supports.supports.
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Use of progress monitoring Use of progress monitoring
datadata ““Graph-able” goals for Graph-able” goals for
progressprogress A minimum of two A minimum of two
interventions with interventions with increasing intensityincreasing intensity
A minimum of six data A minimum of six data points to determine points to determine intervention effectivenessintervention effectiveness
Evaluation based on Evaluation based on individual goals, student individual goals, student progress towards state progress towards state standards, and changes in standards, and changes in student performance over student performance over timetime
Planned Service Delivery Planned Service Delivery Decision RulesDecision Rules
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Guidelines and Guidelines and
procedures in place procedures in place that identify that identify sequential, sequential, coordinated coordinated delivery of delivery of interventions for interventions for studentsstudents
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Decision rules for Decision rules for
multi-tiered multi-tiered intervention selection, intervention selection, responsiveness to responsiveness to intervention and intervention and special education special education eligibilityeligibility
Student performance Student performance is evaluated based on is evaluated based on level and rate of level and rate of performance as performance as outlined by the outlined by the decision rulesdecision rules
Scientifically Supported Scientifically Supported InstructionInstruction
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: Core instruction Core instruction
and interventions and interventions have been have been validated through validated through scientific researchscientific research
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Justification of Justification of
scientifically scientifically supported, high supported, high quality instruction quality instruction
Intervention DeliveryIntervention Delivery
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: School personnel School personnel
deliver high deliver high quality, quality, scientifically scientifically supported supported interventions of interventions of appropriate appropriate intensity for a intensity for a reasonable amount reasonable amount of timeof time
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Scientifically Scientifically
supported supported interventionsinterventions
A A minimum of 24 minimum of 24 sessionssessions per per intervention phase intervention phase
AAt least two t least two intervention phasesintervention phases of increasing intensity of increasing intensity prior to SLD prior to SLD determinationdetermination
Fidelity of Fidelity of implementationimplementation
SLD VerificationSLD Verification
What it Looks Like:What it Looks Like: SLD verification SLD verification
follows federal and follows federal and state regulations state regulations while assuring while assuring continuity in continuity in meeting students’ meeting students’ educational needseducational needs
Forms of Evidence:Forms of Evidence: Student eligibility based on Student eligibility based on
meeting federal and state meeting federal and state verification guidelines, verification guidelines, documentation of adverse documentation of adverse effect on educational effect on educational performance, and performance, and determination that there is determination that there is a need for special a need for special education.education.
Documentation of the Documentation of the student’s rate and level of student’s rate and level of performance in response to performance in response to at least two planned at least two planned intervention phasesintervention phases
Documentation that special Documentation that special education evaluation education evaluation timelines are followedtimelines are followed
Developmental Progression Toward Full Developmental Progression Toward Full Scale Implementation of RTIScale Implementation of RTI
Problem Solving Team Engages inData Based Problem Solving
Universal Screening to Identify Students At-Risk for
Academic Difficulties
Coordinated Intervention Delivery
Application of Problem Solving
Data to LD Eligibility
Integrating RtI With Integrating RtI With Existing PracticesExisting Practices
School Improvement PlanSchool Improvement Plan Pre-referral Intervention teamsPre-referral Intervention teams Title I ServicesTitle I Services AssessmentAssessment Professional Learning CommunitiesProfessional Learning Communities
Implementing RtI: Implementing RtI: Procedural IntegrityProcedural Integrity
PROCEDURAL CHECKLIST as an PROCEDURAL CHECKLIST as an operational definition of RtIoperational definition of RtI– AccountabilityAccountability– Formative evaluation and program Formative evaluation and program
improvementimprovement
““The significant problems we The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that same level of thinking that
created them.”created them.”
Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein
Real Change in SchoolsReal Change in Schools
Fullan (1991)Fullan (1991)– ““innovations can be adopted for symbolic innovations can be adopted for symbolic
political or personal reasons: to appease political or personal reasons: to appease community pressure, to appear innovative, to community pressure, to appear innovative, to gain more resources. All of these forms gain more resources. All of these forms represent represent symbolicsymbolic rather than rather than realreal change.” (p. change.” (p. 28)28)
– ““Even good ideas may represent poor Even good ideas may represent poor investments on a large scale if the ideas have investments on a large scale if the ideas have not been well developed or if the resources to not been well developed or if the resources to support implementation are unavailable.” (p. support implementation are unavailable.” (p. 28)28)
ConclusionsConclusions
Building a Quality RtI ProcessBuilding a Quality RtI Process– Essential Elements of RtIEssential Elements of RtI
““What do our children deserve?”What do our children deserve?”
– Procedural IntegrityProcedural Integrity ““What will they actually get?”What will they actually get?”
– Strategic and Sequential Development Strategic and Sequential Development and Refinementand Refinement ““How will you make sure you can do it well How will you make sure you can do it well
for all children and better each year?”for all children and better each year?”
TEAM PLANNING ACTIVITIES TEAM PLANNING ACTIVITIES “Where are you at and where “Where are you at and where do you want to go with RtI?”do you want to go with RtI?”
Discuss and evaluate your school district’s Discuss and evaluate your school district’s organizational readiness (See the “Evaluation of organizational readiness (See the “Evaluation of Organizational Readiness…” checklist in the TA Organizational Readiness…” checklist in the TA manual).manual).– Where are you at in the process of developing RtI?Where are you at in the process of developing RtI?
Goal Setting for next year: which elements will you Goal Setting for next year: which elements will you put in place? (Developmental Progression)put in place? (Developmental Progression)– Which component(s) of RtI will you try to implement next Which component(s) of RtI will you try to implement next
year?year?– How will you go about doing it?How will you go about doing it?
Already have the infrastructure and elements? Already have the infrastructure and elements? – Are you ready to develop a Procedural Checklist?Are you ready to develop a Procedural Checklist?
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