RTI has gained popularity in recent years. RTI uses research-based instruction, data based decisions, and early interventions to identify and remediate students early. However, little research exists regarding the effects of RTI implementation in schools. This embedded case study looks at how a subject school implemented RTI, how it intervened with its most at-risk students, and the relationship between reading scores in first grade and at the end of fourth grade. The findings show that the school implemented RTI utilizing a hybrid model, incorporating components of both the standard protocol and problem-solving approaches to RTI. To monitor student progress, the school also utilized a hybrid model incorporating components of both the direct approach and the progress monitoring approach. To provide a common understanding of the RTI model, the district created a manual that documented the RTI expectations and a manual that documented the problem-solving process. The district addressed fidelity of implementing these expectations by holding the schools accountable for instructional fidelity. The district monitored instructional fidelity through quarterly superintendent reports, monthly data meetings, and by hiring an outside consultant. The data regarding the relationship between first and fourth grade scores suggested that RTI does not differ from current research, suggesting there is a relationship between first grade reading scores and fourth grade reading scores. / Ed. D.

Thesis advisor: David Scanlon / School districts have been attempting to implement the response-to-intervention (RTI) framework in an effort both to comply with federal legislation (i.e., IDEA 2004) and to improve teaching for all students. Extant research on this framework has focused on exploring assessment practices across tiers and the efficacy of specific interventions, providing an overly simplistic view of RTI and overlooking the complexities involved in sustainable school-wide implementation. In September 2010, a large urban school district in the eastern United States began implementation of a reform effort premised on the RTI framework that was intended to provide a systematic, research-based, and collaborative framework for teaching all students. Drawing on a theoretical orientation that situates reform as a co-constructed process (Datnow, Hubbard, and Mehan, 1998), this qualitative single case study explored how educators at one urban K-8 school interpreted and implemented a district reform effort premised on the RTI framework. This research employed a qualitative case study approach, utilizing interviews, observations and document analysis, to: a) chronicle the sequence of events and process of decision-making in the school's development of RTI; b) explore factors supporting and hindering implementation; and c) understand how school staff responded to the implementation. Findings revealed that although the school adopted the model developed by the district, its implementation at the school, and particularly across grade levels, reflected a co-constructed and evolving approach shaped mainly by the school culture and community, individual teachers' beliefs and practices, and the variable availability and use of technical infrastructures. Results may be useful to school districts and educator preparation programs as they consider how to prepare and support educators in implementing an RTI framework. In particular, several implications emerged related to schools' implementation of RTI: a) self-assessment is critical to promoting quality, fidelity and sustainability; b) school leadership should share power and encourage co-construction; c) resources matter; d) elementary and middle school implementation must occur differently; e) culture and beliefs matter; and f) RTI implementation must seriously attend to issues of educational equity. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Schools in Florida used the multitiered system of support response to intervention framework to help students achieve the state and national standards but, in the national report card, 61% of the fourth-graders assessed in mathematics failed to achieve proficiency. Research indicated that the students lacked mathematical word problem-solving skills. The purpose of the qualitative study was to discover how fourth-grade special and general education teachers used the response to intervention framework evidence-based curriculum, instruction, intervention, assessment, and student data to teach math word problem-solving skills to children who have persistent and significant difficulties. Welner'€™s zone of mediation framework and Vygotsky'€™s sociocultural theory form the conceptual framework for the study. The teachers provided data through in-depth interviews, math intervention program, training document, teachers'€™ guides, assessment tools, and observation. All the data was uploaded to the latest version of NVivo and analyzed based on the research questions. The study findings showed that participants used all the features of the response to intervention framework to teach math word problem-solving skills and address the needs of at-risk students. Teachers should continuously reinforce math vocabulary, terminology, and math reading comprehension skills of students. Administrators and teachers should be able to use the findings of this study to improve the use of the response to intervention features to develop the math word problem-solving skills of students and influence teachers'€™ pedagogical practices.

Response to Intervention (RTI) has primarily been used as an early intervention in the elementary grades to improve the reading of all students; however, in recent years, mathematics has been added to the program and this addition has not been systematically evaluated. Guided by Deno's problem-solving model, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insight on how middle school mathematics teachers use the problem-solving process to design interventions for struggling students and to understand the strategies they used to implement the plan. The research questions addressed how the problem-solving method is used when creating and implementing interventions, as well as the impact of the intervention on student achievement. The first phase of data collection was a focus group interview with 6 middle school RTI teachers. A convenience sample of participants described how the problem-solving method was used in planning the RTI process. The focus group interview was recorded, transcribed, and coded to find common themes among the responses. Data regarding the RTI implementation, as well as associated instructional strategies, benefits, and challenges were discussed. The second phase of data collection came from mean mathematics state test data from a cohort group of middle school students in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Scores were compared to determine if there was an increase in the percentage of students who scored at levels 3-4, as well as a decrease in the level 1 and 2 scores. Inconsistent data on the state test did not support the findings of the focus group. Social change can be achieved through this RTI mathematics study by providing teachers with instructional strategies that cultivate the growth of academic confidence and achievement of all students in the general education classroom.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2009. / Submitted to the Dept. of Professional and Community Leadership. Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 0 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

As a result of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), Response to Intervention (RTI) became a legal and acceptable basis for determining special education eligibility. While there may be evidence that RTI has had positive effects on the prereferral process for special education in some schools, there still remains controversy in the field of school psychology about many aspects of RTI, in particular the use of RTI in the identification process for children with learning disabilities. The purpose of current questionnaire study was (a) to determine school psychologists' preferences on the use of RTI in both the prereferral and the identification process of students with learning disabilities, (b) to investigate the implementation process in school systems from school psychologists' perspectives, and (c) to examine the role of the school psychologist in RTI implementation efforts and RTI activities.Data were collected from 41 members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Each participant completed a survey, which related to the above purposes, and responded to items using a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicated that sampled school psychologists generally responded favorably to RTI as a prereferral method, but varied on their level of agreement on using RTI for diagnostic purposes. Most respondents agreed that RTI should not be the sole criteria for determining a learning disability and that a comprehensive evaluation should take place including standardized cognitive and academic testing. Identified benefits to implementing RTI were: interventions for struggling students occur earlier, improved instruction for all students, greater collaboration between general and special education, and improved method of identifying at risk groups/individuals. Identified challenges to implementing RTI were: need for professional development, lack of teacher preparation, lack of support staff to implement interventions, and intervention fidelity. A majority of respondents agreed that the school psychologist's role should include various RTI activities and in particular RTI activities related to data interpretation, consultation, supervising, and training.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 135 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-109).

The purpose of this dissertation research was to ascertain information from ninth-grade students about their perspective in reference to Response to Intervention (RTI) in their school and how it is impacting them as well as their perceived future implications on their education. In order to accomplish this overall objective, the following three research questions framed this study: 1. What are the perceptions of ninth-grade students concerning RTI? 2. What elements of RTI do they see as beneficial for them to progress to their sophomore year? 3. What are the RTI teachers doing to assist ninth-grade students to progress successfully to their sophomore year? A rural school in the Midwest was selected for this qualitative case study research. Document analysis of two websites, six papers, and student grades and test scores were used. Forty, ninth-grade students were surveyed, four students from this population were interviewed, and two core/RTI teachers were interviewed along with the building principal. Participants in the study self-selected pseudonyms for research anonymity purposes. The surveys were conducted in the ninth-grade English classes on one day, and interviews were conducted on separate days, face-to-face, and later transcribed for accuracy. There are three themes which emerged from the data: (1) students’ sense of accomplishment, (2) students’ sense of belonging, and (3) students’ sense of maturity. These findings describe students’ self-pronounced perceptions of their 8th hour RTI class and RTI’s effects on their learning. Based on this study’s findings, it is recommended that additional investigation into elements of RTI and student perceptions be conducted. Data collection and assimilation from one school year to the next and progress monitoring using norm-referenced tests need to be increasingly used in high schools. The schools should monitor RTI and student achievements and keep a record to improve their instruction. One way to screen the effects of RTI is to access students’ RTI perceptions and conduct longitudinal data collection and analysis from many school districts and populations.

The purpose of this study was to explore specific activities school psychologists performed related to both testing and placing within a medical model and prevention within a public health model. Spurred by landmark legal mandates, school districts are moving toward preventative practice within a framework consistent with tenets of a public health model or Response to Intervention (RtI) framework. These activities are counter to traditional test-and-place activities performed by school psychologists associated with a medical model of service delivery. School psychologists assigned to 41 elementary schools in the northwest corner of Oregon completed a survey that included activities associated with testing-and-placing students typified by a medical model and those activities akin to a public health model. All schools participating in this study implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a widely implemented evidence-based practice in education that emphasizes prevention, and is a reflection of RtI or the public health model. Although PBIS was a common denominator across all schools, there were differences in overall implementation effectiveness as measured by the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET). This study investigated the degree to which activities performed by school psychologists impacted PBIS implementation in their buildings. School psychologists estimated the frequency devoted to these activities. Frequency served as a proxy for priority and also defined the service models that guided their practices. In addition to this descriptive statistical analysis, inferential statistics were used to measure the correlation between the School Psychologist Survey, the SET-General Index scores, and the SET-Behavior Expectations Index scores. A multiple-regression analysis was also conducted to determine which variable (i.e., SET-General Index or SET-Behavior Expectations Index) was the best predictor of outcome data from the School Psychologist Survey. These data were also entered into scatterplots to provide interpretations of meaningful statistical significance for an in-depth analysis of the School Psychologist Survey, SET-General Index, and SET-Behavior Index scores. This study is important because it potentially provides school psychologists with specific preventative activities they can perform within a public health model of service delivery to make contributions for improving the overall school environment for students.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an educational reform effort that is being implemented across the nation. Considering that the systematic implementation of the RTI process requires organizational change, teachers may be hesitant or resistant to engage in the change process. This study organizes the potential barriers of RTI implementation into the RTI implementation factors of vision, professional development, professional support, and time resources. This quantitative study explored the relationship between teachers' perceptions of these RTI implementation factors and teachers' self-reported RTI implementation in their classrooms. The survey results came from 553 elementary school teachers across the state of Utah (30% response rate). An analysis of the data showed that there is an impact of teachers' perceptions of RTI implementation factors on their self-reported RTI implementation efforts. There were significant relationships between teachers' perceptions of vision (p < .001), professional development (p < .001), and professional support (p < .001) and their perceived levels of personal RTI implementation. The findings of the current research will be used to help school leaders better understand which RTI implementation factors teachers' perceive as being the most significant barriers to their implementation efforts in the classroom. The results will give administrators the knowledge they need to offer assistance to teachers in the areas identified as barriers so that RTI can be implemented in order to help all children learn at high levels.