School districts across the United States are moving toward tiered models of service delivery such as Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Response to Intervention (RtI). A common practice in providing support for those initiatives is to develop leadership teams who are facilitated by an education-based coach. With a recent surge in hiring and transitioning of education-based coaches who support PBS and RtI it is increasingly important to understand the perceived characteristics of those coaches who are most effective at providing the social and academic outcomes associated with tiered models of service delivery. This dissertation will use a case study methodology and mixed method analysis to examine the perceived characteristics of effective coaches and the organizations that best support effective coaches.

This study examined the relationships between pilot school status and Problem-Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) implementation, educator variables and PS/RtI implementation, and PS/RtI implementation and student and systemic outcomes following the final year of a 3-year PS/RtI implementation Project. School-Based Leadership Team (SBLT) members from 34 pilot schools in seven demonstration districts received training, as well as ongoing technical assistance and coaching, related to PS/RtI implementation. Data on educator's beliefs, perceptions of educational practices, and perceptions of PS/RtI skills; PS/RtI implementation; and student and systemic outcomes were collected from the 34 pilot schools, as well as 27 comparison schools. To examine the research questions in this study, multilevel models were conducted. Results of the analyses suggested that pilot school status appeared to be positively related to increases in PS/RtI implementation over time, while the educator variables did not significantly predict changes in PS/RtI implementation. Increases in PS/RtI implementation were not related to changes in DIBELS kindergarten PSF scores over time, but were negatively related to DIBELS kindergarten NWF scores over time. Finally, PS/RtI implementation was not significantly related to changes in office discipline referrals, but was significantly related to decreases in placements in special education over time. Potential explanations for the findings from this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The Rasch model was employed to analyze the psychometric properties of a diagnostic reading assessment and then create five short forms (n = 10, 16, 22, 28, 34 items) with an optimal test information function. The goal was to develop a universal screening measure that second grade teachers can use to identify advanced and at-risk readers to enhance Response-to-Intervention frameworks. These groups were targeted because both will need differentiated instruction in order to improve reading skills. The normative dataset of a national reading test developed with classical test theory methods was used to estimate person and item parameters. The measurement precision and classification accuracy of each short form was evaluated with the second grade students in the normative sample. Compared with full bank scores, all short forms produced highly correlated scores. The degree to which each short form identified exceptional readers was also analyzed. In consideration of classification accuracy and time-efficiency, the findings were most robust for the 10-item form. / text

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered framework that focuses on the early identification and support of students who are struggling to learn. In the problem-solving model of RTI, where a multidisciplinary team uses data to drive decision making, much remains unknown about how RTI should be implemented when struggling English language learners (ELLs) are the focus of team deliberations. The development of the multidisciplinary problem-solving team (PST) is grounded in the assumption that professionals from different disciplines such as school psychology, special education, and counseling would make less biased decisions than a single individual. However, a group of professionals may still make biased decisions based on stereotypes of ethnicity (Orosco, 2010), social class (Knotek, 2003), and inadequate knowledge of second language acquisition and bilingualism (Orosco, 2010). Not much is known about the process of team decision-making; in fact, no research to-date has examined how a PST deliberates about struggling ELLs. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to investigate how one school’s multidisciplinary problem-solving team used data in their deliberations about struggling ELLs in early primary grades. Ten members of a PST at an elementary school in an urban area of Texas participated in this study; seven ELLs were the focus of the observed team meetings. Data were generated from the discourse of the team meetings, interviews, and school documents, including students’ cumulative folders and language proficiency assessment records. Data were analyzed using discourse analysis, content analysis, and pattern-matching logic. Findings revealed that the Tier 3 problem-solving process was not aligned with the district’s expressed intent. In addition, a hierarchy of control constrained the problem-solving process and restricted the PST’s ability to freely discuss the cases of struggling ELLs. Implications for implementing RTI with ELLs and suggestions for future research are presented. / text

The purpose of this mixed methodological study was to explore perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that urban middle school teachers have regarding their preparedness to implement Response to Intervention (RTI) and research-based interventions. The independent variables were Administrative Support, Teacher Professional Development, and RTI Resources; the dependent variable was Teacher Preparedness. Quantitatively, the specific tradition of inquiry was correlational research because it dealt with the extent of the relationship between specific variables. Qualitatively, the specific tradition of inquiry was the phenomenological approach because it dealt with the single concept of teacher perception of their preparedness to implement a required process. Ultimately, this researcher used a concurrent mixed methods approach to determine the extent in which the quantitative and qualitative data converge and what similarities and differences exist across levels of analysis (Creswell & Clark, 2007). The study took place in two middle schools located in an urban metropolitan Georgia school district. The participants included 30 certified teachers, 2 principals, and 2 student support team (SST) chairpersons. The quantitative data collected included a survey of 30 teachers. To analyze quantitative data, this researcher tested the variables to see if they had content validity using Pearson r 2-tailed correlation. Pearson Correlations were used to test the significant relationship between variables. The qualitative data collected included interviews of two principals and two SST chairpersons, a document analysis of the Georgia Board of Education Rule Code: IGB 160-4-2-.32 Student Support Team, and a document analysis of the district’s SST Monthly Data Report. To analyze qualitative data, this researcher interpreted statements from the interviews, documents, and document analyses into codes and themes, which were then organized in an analysis matrix. The findings of this study determined that there is a significant relationship between the dependent variable teacher preparedness and the independent variables, administrative support, teacher professional development, and RTI resources. The findings also determined that teachers perceive they are not prepared for RTI implementation. Although supportive of teachers, administrators concur that teachers do not fully understand the RTI process. Administrators recognize that they have more work to do to get teachers prepared to implement RTI effectively.

The purpose of this study was to detail the implementation of a Response to Intervention program in an urban school district and to measure the impact of the program on the reading achievement and special education population at the elementary school level. The study followed the process used by the district to introduce the RtI philosophy in ten selected elementary schools and then to expand the program to all of the 33 elementary schools within the school district. The author details the methods used and the support provided to teachers and school leaders during the implementation.The reading achievement data was taken from school district records of the DIBELS assessments given at the End of Year (EOY) for the school years 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012. This data was analyzed for overall growth following the full RtI implementation as well as the resulting EOY 2012 performance. Data was compiled at the school and district level. Title One and non-Title One school performance was compared and placed in rank order of performance. Four schools were identified as strong performers and those principals were interviewed to determine successful strategies for supporting the RtI implementation. The successful schools were found to have stressed fidelity to the district literacy curriculum model for strong Tier One instruction for all students, as well as maintaining fidelity to the selection of students and the intervention program design for those students in Tier Two intervention. Special education student population was analyzed using annual state department of education reports. Consistent decline of identified students at the elementary school level was noted following the RtI implementation. An overall decrease of 824 students receiving special education services was noted across the school district. There was a correlation of an increase in student reading achievement and a decrease in special education population following the RtI implementation. / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-39).

xiii, 122 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation study explored the dimensions of fidelity to aid both researchers and practitioners in their measurement of the construct and use of the data. Understanding the dimensions of fidelity is important for three reasons: (a) limited agreement on a definition, (b) variability in measurement, and (c) inconsistent relations demonstrated between fidelity and outcomes. Leaders in the fields of program evaluation, behavioral health, psychology, and education have begun to promote an expanded definition of fidelity that looks beyond whether surface level components of interventions were delivered to include examination of whether interventions are delivered with quality and whether students are engaged. With this issue in mind, an expanded definition of fidelity was used to explore surface/content dimensions of fidelity or total fidelity, quality/process dimensions of fidelity, and student engagement. Specifically, this study examined how these dimensions relate to each other and how each dimension relates to student literacy outcomes. Multi-process multi-level models were used to study the interrelations among the dimensions of fidelity and the interrelations among the group level fidelity measures and multiple measures of student literacy development. The results of this study indicated that the construct of fidelity is multidimensional and potentially more complicated than has been discussed in the literature to date. When examining the relations among the dimensions of fidelity, total fidelity and quality were highly related, quality and engagement may be related, and total fidelity and engagement were not related. The relation between total fidelity and student outcomes was in the opposite direction of what was hypothesized--lower total fidelity was related to higher student outcomes. The relation between student engagement and student outcomes was in the hypothesized direction--higher engagement was related to higher student outcomes. The relation between quality of delivery and student outcomes was also in the hypothesized direction with higher quality related to higher student outcomes. The results highlight several issues related to fidelity that need to be considered by both researchers (measuring multiple components, repeated assessment, data analytic methods) and practitioners (how and what to measure, general variability in implementation, use of the data) in the field of education. / Committee at large: Elizabeth Ham, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Kenneth Merrell, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; David Chard, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Yvonne Braun, Outside Member, Sociology

The intense focus on standards and accountability is rapidly altering the education environment. Often the gauge for measuring school effectiveness is performance on high- stake state tests. In this retrospective cohort comparison study, I observe the relation between the use of curriculum-based measures (CBMs) for reading and change on a state test for reading after implementation of systematic decision making (SDM). Over a span of three years, two student cohorts in two elementary schools were observed. In each two-year cohort, students began in third and then moved to fourth grade: Cohort One (2009 - 2011) and Cohort Two (2010 - 2012). Both cohorts participated in fall, winter, and spring [F-W-S] benchmark screening for Passage Reading Fluency (PRF) and took a state test. Additionally, during the 2011-2012 academic year, SDM was implemented for Cohort Two using reading CBMs. This study addressed three questions: (a) What is the affect on reading growth (OAKS-Reading) in the context of SDM with CBMs? (b) What is the correlation between [F-W-S] PRF and OAKS Reading? and (c) What is the relation between within-year growth rates for students at risk and not at risk in the context of SDM with CBMs? I used an independent samples t-test to examine the across year change in reading for both cohorts (OAKS-Reading) to determine whether the implementation of SDM resulted in a significant difference between cohorts. For Cohort Two (using a SDM model), I correlated benchmark screening within-year measures (easyCBM) and OAKS Reading. Finally, I calculated growth rates for at-risk and not-at-risk students within a SDM model to examine whether that model demonstrated evidence of accelerated growth in at-risk students relative to their not-at-risk peers. Results did not indicate a strong relation between SDM and the large-scale, outcome assessment (OAKS-Reading). A Pearson product-moment correlation indicated a strong positive correlation between the formative measure PRF and the large-scale, outcome assessment OAKS-Reading. Results showed both risk categories had accelerated growth in reading fluency between fall and winter compared to between winter and spring. Implications for school practice and research are discussed.

This study aimed to provide evidence of reliability and validity for the 42-item Perceptions of Practices Survey. The scale was designed to assess educators’ perceptions of the extent to which their schools were implementing multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) practices. The survey was initially given as part of a larger evaluation project of a 3-year, statewide initiative designed to evaluate MTSS implementation. Elementary educators (Level-1 n = 2,109, Level-2 n = 62) completed the survey in September/October of 2007, September/October of 2008 (Level-1 n = 1,940, Level-2 n = 61), and January/February of 2010 (Level-1 n = 2,058, Level-2 n = 60). Multilevel exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures were used to examine the construct validity and reliability of the instrument. Results supported a correlated four-factor model: Tiers I & II Problem Solving, Tier III Problem Identification, Tier III Problem Analysis & Intervention Procedures, and Tier III Evaluation of Response to Intervention. Composite reliability estimates for all factors across the three years approximated or exceeded .84. Additionally, relationships were found between the Perceptions of Practices Survey factors and another measure of MTSS implementation, the Tiers I & II Critical Components Checklist. Implications for future research regarding the psychometric properties of the survey and for its use in schools are discussed.