The purpose of this study was to gather information on how best to support the implementation of Response to Intervention as a student services framework to support inclusion. The key components of the RTI framework and the roles of adminstration and student services teams working within its framework were explored to assist in developing an action plan for its implementation in the school division being studied. The literature contends that as a framework for the systematic use of assessment data to effectively allocate resources in order to improve learning for all students, the implementation of RTI is complex and challenging since it is often distinguished by specific features of leadership, commitment, and corresponding professional development. A naturalistic qualitative design was employed using focus groups to collect data. The findings have assisted the school division involved in the study with a process for implementing RTI, thereby improving communication and collaboration in the face of change. It has also provided coordinators of student services with suggestions for building capacity with their student services teams.

The purpose of this mixed-methods, multi-site study was to identify and explore the concerns of teachers and principals implementing a pilot Response to Intervention (RTI) model in three elementary schools in the southeast United States and to determine whether these concerns differed significantly from the beginning to the end of the first year of implementation. The Stages of Concern from the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006; Hord, Rutherford, Huling, & Hall, 2004) served as the theoretical framework for the design and analysis of this study. Between Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, 18 participants, including six administrators and 12 teachers, were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Observations and documents also served as data sources. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire was completed by 168 teachers and principals in Fall 2008 and Spring 2009. Paired samples t-tests were performed on the data to determine if levels of concern differed significantly over time. Themes developed in the fall suggested: (a) confusion over the RTI process and difficulty scheduling the required components of RTI; (b) additional responsibilities placed on teachers, questioning the appropriateness of the RTI model for schools’ population of students, and delaying the process for referral for special education; (c) role impact on teachers feeling hampered in their duty to refer for special education services; and (d) improved instructional practices as a facilitating factor. Spring themes included: (a) ongoing confusion over the RTI process and scheduling difficulties with additional concerns regarding insufficiency of training and the need for additional resources to sustain RTI implementation; (b) delay of services for struggling students; (c) role impact as teachers being forced to learn new ways of teaching and principals having to lead their staffs through conflict, in addition to guiding and supporting them; and (d) improved outcomes for students as a facilitating factor. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

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Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-39).

abstract: Accounts in the media often demonize teachers and misrepresent what is happening in schools. Meanwhile, teachers' voices are largely absent from the national and international debates on school reform. This dissertation privileges the voices of nine participating Kindergarten through second grade teachers from a variety of public schools, including affluent schools and schools receiving full and partial Title I funding. Through observations and interviews teachers shared their narratives of classroom joys and challenges while also describing how policy has affected these experiences. A preliminary discourse analysis of these narratives was performed, identifying narratives related to nodes of the activity system of schooling. Further discourse analysis of these identified narratives revealed how these teachers' classroom experiences position them within an activity system strongly influenced by tensions between maternal relationships and the patriarchal project of schooling. A critical feminist theoretical perspective is utilized to respond to these tensions and to describe possibilities for future studies in education and the future of education in general. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2011

This study examined the utility of a brief, strength-based approach to mental health screening. A strength-based based approach to mental health screening focuses on the social and emotional competencies taught and supported by the school context. As such, a strength-based approach to mental health screening is aligned with a three-tiered response to intervention model aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of universal supports and early detection of students who may benefit from additional intervention.

abstract: The most recent reauthorizations of No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act served to usher in an age of results and accountability within American education. States were charged with developing more rigorous systems to specifically address areas such as critical academic skill proficiency, empirically validated instruction and intervention, and overall student performance as measured on annual statewide achievement tests. Educational practice has shown that foundational math ability can be easily assessed through student performance on Curriculum-Based Measurements of Math Computational Fluency (CBM-M). Research on the application of CBM-M's predictive validity across specific academic math abilities as measured by state standardized tests is currently limited. In addition, little research is available on the differential effects of ethnic subgroups and gender in this area. This study investigated the effectiveness of using CBM-M measures to predict achievement on high stakes tests, as well as whether or not there are significant differential effects of ethnic subgroups and gender. Study participants included 358 students across six elementary schools in a large suburban school district in Arizona that utilizes the Response to Intervention (RTI) model. Participants' CBM-M scores from the first through third grade years and their third grade standardized achievement test scores were collected. Pearson product-moment and Spearman correlations were used to determine how well CBM-M scores and specific math skills are related. The predictive validity of CBM-M scores from the third-grade school year was also assessed to determine whether the fall, winter, or spring screening was most related to third-grade high-stakes test scores. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Psychology 2014

abstract: ABSTRACT Due to variation that exists in providing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction, the purpose of the study was to identify processes and instructional strategies currently being utilized by K-2 teachers of the Gallup, New Mexico elementary schools. 17 teachers from 9 of the 10 elementary schools participated in the study. A survey instrument was designed and administered using Survey Monkey as the tool to collect the data on how teachers are implementing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction. Research Question 1 asked how teachers are currently implementing Tier 2 reading interventions as far as structure/processes, lesson planning, and collaboration. The highest percentages of teachers reported the following: one additional staff assisting grade level teachers, group sizes of 4-6 students, progress monitoring 6 or more times a year, using DIBELS scores for student placement, utilizing ability groups within the grade level with each having its own instructors, and instruction being provided 5 days a week for 30-35 minutes. Research Question 2 asked for teachers' opinions as to using available staff, instructions for benchmark students, and the amount and usefulness of meetings. A majority of teachers agreed to using all available staff, that accelerated learning opportunities are being provided to students performing at the benchmark level, and that meetings are occurring frequently and are useful. Research Question 3 inquired as to practices and processes teachers feel are effective as well as their recommendations for improving instruction and for professional development. Effective practices reported include: using phonics, decoding, and fluency; small group instruction; multi-sensory instruction or hands-on activities; Linda-Mood Bell programs; data analysis to group students; the Project Read program; word family/patterns; sight words; comprehension; materials and curriculum provided; and consistency with holding interventions daily. Though all reported feeling moderately to very confident in their ability to teach reading, they recommended that they learn more current, non-traditional strategies as well as receive more training in familiar approaches like ELL strategies, differentiated instruction, learning centers, and identifying reading difficulties. After a review of the data, the researcher recommends training teachers to conduct their own research to seek out strategies, programs, and resources; investing in and implementing an effective commercially produced Tier 2 program; and for teams to devote more time in developing, sharing, and revising lesson plans. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2016

This study investigated the use of instructive feedback for modeling early literacy skills. Instructive feedback is defined as the presentation of additional information during the positive feedback phase of learner trials. Thus, it is a way of modeling additional information when students respond to a trial correctly. Previous studies have demonstrated that instructive feedback can facilitate students’ observational learning of skills, such as sight words, numerals, and vocabulary. Instructive feedback has yet to be investigated when modeling early literacy skills. A modified version of an evidence-based early literacy intervention, PAth to Literacy, was used. Studies examining the efficacy of this intervention have shown it to be effective for teaching phonological awareness (PA) skills, including blending, segmenting, word part identification, and initial phoneme identification. Alphabet instruction is included in the intervention, although effects have been minimal. Instructive feedback was investigated as a novel method of incorporating alphabet instruction within a scripted phonological awareness intervention. Instructive feedback that modeled letter names and letter-sound correspondences was included during the positive feedback in PAth to Literacy. A multiple baseline design across sets of letters was used to determine whether students acquire letter names and sounds through observational learning. Each phase of the study included instructive feedback that modeled names and sounds for a set of four letters. Upon completion of each phase, a new set of four letters was introduced. An Alphabet Mastery Monitor was used to measure student growth on alphabet skills. Student progress on PA tasks also was measured using a researcher-developed PA Fluency Measure. It was hypothesized that students would learn letters modeled through instructive feedback during each phase and would demonstrate progress on the PA skills taught through direct instruction. The six children who completed the experiment demonstrated gains in phonological awareness skills following instruction with PAth to Literacy. However, there were no consistent gains on alphabet skills following instructive feedback. A second experiment was conducted to determine whether changes in the delivery of instructive feedback resulted in gains on the Alphabet Mastery Monitor. Researchers served as interventionists and instruction was delivered one-on-one. The instructive feedback was modified to include a progressive time delay and letters were discriminated from a field of four. Eight children completed the full intervention. All children demonstrated gains on phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge following instruction, indicating that a modified version of instructive feedback can be used to teach alphabet skills. Information from this study will inform clinical practice for educators including speech-language pathologists. Instructive feedback is a useful tool for educators and speech language pathologists to use when teaching early language and literacy skills.

Researchers in schools have had differing interpretations of effective implementation of response to intervention (RTI) models that have resulted in educators' confusion and misperceptions of the programs, especially with elementary English language learner (ELL) students. The purpose of this case study of 4 schools in an urban school district in the midwest was to explore how teachers used experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based instructional strategies in their classes to meet the needs of ELLs. Additionally, the RTI team process was explored to discover what experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based indicators they considered during the RTI decision making process regarding ELLs referred for Tier 2 intervention in reading. Two conceptual frameworks, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and World-Class Design and Assessment RTI2 protocol, operationalized the topic and guided the study. Results were derived from individual semistructured interviews with district instructional coaches and review of referral and recommendation documentation. Data were coded and a thematic analysis was conducted. Findings included the themes of misalignment of Tier 1 core instruction and Tier 2 intervention, inadequate teacher preparation, and limited differentiated support services. A professional learning project for teachers in the district was created based on the findings of this case study. The social change implications for results of the study and the project may be increased capacity building for teachers in inclusive classrooms and a precise and consistent understanding of the RTI model by all stakeholders. The study makes an original contribution to research on RTI implementation with ELLs at the local level and the results can be of value to other districts serving similar populations.